Hearty Favorites

Y'all, she floats like a butterfly and she stings like a bee

That's because she's the daughter of Muhammad Ali. That's right. We're talking woman's boxing champ, dancing with the stars finalists

and home-cooked with an eye on nutrition. Layla Ali is in my kitchen today, y'all

And we've got a menu of hearty favorites that's gonna knock you out

Get ready to rumble! I'll start us off with my quick and easy cloverleaf rolls

Now, our main event is Layla's stewed beef with creamy cheese grits

And it's going to be good, y'all. Oh, yes, it is, y'all

And my salt and pepper Brussels sprouts make it the perfect combination

For dessert, my one-two punch, soda baked apples and spiced hot apple cider

Let's do it, Paula. Let's do it. I have been so excited about Layla coming to the kitchen with me

because she took on several things before she decided to attack the kitchen, didn't you

Yes. In your professional life. Y'all undefeated. That's right. Undefeated. I'm undefeated in the kitchen, too, though, Paula

Uh-oh. I'm scared. Well, we're going to have such fun today. What do you say let's get ready to rumble

Let's go. You know how to do that. Y'all, Layla is actually going to make a beef stew

Yes. So I thought I'd do a quick and easy bread to go with your beef stew

Yes, that's great. This is so simple. Good. I need simple because I don't usually do breads

Oh, you don't? First off, we're going to start with just some canned biscuits

All right, Layla. Yes. I've got some melted butter back here. Mm-hmm

And all we're going to do is cut our biscuits into quarters

Okay. This looks easy enough. Yeah, these are super easy. Say bread's not one of your things

Well, you know, I don't really bake, Paula, because... Oh, you don't. Baking is something that..

It's a formula, honey. It's a formula. You know, and the foods that I make are kind of, you know, easier to throw together

But I'm glad I don't because I love to eat baked goods. I just don't bake

Well, that's probably a good thing. That's what I'm saying. Leave it alone. That's probably a good thing

All right, Layla, in this bowl I'm going to put a teaspoon of kosher salt, teaspoon of pepper

and then I'm going to add a teaspoon of sesame seed, and then a teaspoon of poppy seed

and then a teaspoon of granulated onion. If you would just start putting those in the butter, just like that

and then we're going to put them... Do them one at a time like that? Yeah, you can do a bunch

Okay. And then we're just going to put them in here, like a clover leaf

Mm-hmm. So you have retired from boxing, right? Yes, I have. I'm undefeated, 24-0, 21 knockouts

You know, I had five titles. Don't mess with me. World titles. Is your daddy like

My dad didn't really want me to do it. He didn't want his baby girl in the ring

I wouldn't want my kids to do it. I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old now, and that's part of the reason why I decided to stop boxing

I wanted to start a family. And it's funny because my son sometimes, when he sees boxing on TV, starts punching

kind of like you were doing a little while ago. And it scares me because I'm like, oh, no, God

It's in his blood. You never know what's going to happen. I was going to say genes are so strong

And to finish these off, Layla, I'm just going to sprinkle our seasoning on top

So these are going to go in the oven, y'all, 350 for about 20 minutes

So let's put them in that big oven down there, Layla. And I'm so excited for you to show me your beef stew recipe

Can I be chopping any of this for you? Chop all that up. Some celery, some green onion, a whole red pepper. Okay

And chop it into, you know, nice bite sizes. Okay. And what kind of meat are you using, Layla

I'm going to use beef. And that's just a chuck roast, y'all. And I'm going to chop this yellow onion, this pepper, and six cloves of garlic

Okay. And put it all in. And I'll help you with that if you need some help

Okay. Thank you. We've got our pot getting hot. Yes. Okay, I'm just going to put a little bit of oil in here about a tablespoon

Okay. Layla, you want me to do the poblano or something? Yeah, because I'm going to go ahead and get this garlic started

So this is going to have a wee little bit of spice to it, right? It is

And speaking of spicy, Layla, I used to love watching you spice things up on Dancing with the Stars

What was your favorite dance that you did, Layla? The rumba. Can you teach me the rumba Well I can teach you some basic steps So the first thing you just need to learn is just how to move your hips Look at those hips You can do it Look at you No mine don look good doing it though

No, you do look good. Your hips just naturally swivel. Mine don't naturally swivel

You're doing a good job. All right, this meat is looking and smelling good

Now, when are you ready to throw all this in? We can go ahead and throw it in now. Okay

Yeah, go ahead and give that a stir. Oh, my gosh

We're going to just let that go as vegetables. I don't mean to take over your pot. No, it's okay. You can take over my pot anytime

It's just so pretty. Isn't it? I love your choice of veggies in there

The colors are just beautiful. I'm going to put in four cups of beef broth

Okay. Then I'm going to put in some cumin. I'm going to put in some chili powder and some red pepper

Okay. Well, let's do it, girl. Okay. You know, Layla, I can tell, honey, you and I have a lot in common

You know, I love feeding people. I love it. I love that immediate gratification that you give me after I've pleased you

Well, I want to give it to you today, son. Listen, this girl is going to please

Coming up, I got a side dish that just makes our meal complete

I'm going to make it sound useful, girl. Layla puts me to work making her cheese grits

You know, the doctor said an apple a day will keep the doctor away

And later, if you like apples, I've got not one, but two delicious recipes for you

I'm in the kitchen with the beautiful Layla Lali. Layla Lali

Layla Ali. That's not easy to say. People usually mess up the first name, not the last name, Paula

How'd you manage to do that? I don't know. You mess up Ali? Come on, man. I don't know

Who named you? My mother. You know, my dad is Muslim. Layla

Yeah, we got Layla, Hana, Jamila, Rashida, Kalia. but I like Layla the best, of course

Layla is the best name of all. And Layla, I thought as a side dish

to go with your beef stew, I'd make one of my new favorite recipes

and that's salt and pepper Brussels sprouts. They're so good. I bet your dad would love them

If you season them upright, you can eat just about anything. Well, it tastes like cabbage

and it certainly looks like cabbage. So I popped them in the microwave

Oh, okay. So I'm gonna get them out, and you get started with your grits

Okay. I'm going to make these grits. Now, I love these grits to go with that stew

And I try to make them as tasty, but a lighter version. You know, I'm going to use some fat-free half and half

Okay. You know, I'm not going to use too much butter. Yeah, I mean, you know, how do you lighten up a grit

Well, I think it's what we add to it. My thing is keep the flavor, but cut out as much fat as possible

Why not? Save a little fat and calories if you can. And you know what, Layla

I have found that if you make enough small changes, they can make big differences

I've been trying to say that for a long time, and I'm glad that you're doing that

because trust me, I'm not missing any meals, and I'm not missing any flavor. All right, now I have microwaved my little Brussels sprouts, y'all

and I've got me a little olive oil in the pan, and I'm going to put a little butter

Ooh, you're putting onions in your grits. I am putting onions in the grits, just to add a little extra flavor

Never put an onion in a grill. You know, you never get too old to learn

and every day I get up, I learn something new. So, Layla, I'm going to kind of let you catch up with your grits

All right, I'm going to add a tablespoon of oil. So you're going to saute those on first

I am going to saute them just a little bit. Okay, so now I'm going to add the chicken broth

Can you just turn that heat down a little or stir it or something? I'm going to make yourself useful, girl

Listen, if you don't watch me, I will slack on you. All you have to do is like bop me upside the head once and I'll so behave

I need you around. I don't want to bop you now. How much water did you put in

We put in three cups of water. Okay. Six cups of chicken rock. I want them to be nice and tender

Yes. Now I'm going to go ahead and, you know, you can wait for the water to boil or you can just go ahead and add these grits

It doesn't really matter. Sometimes, if you want a creamier grill, you put it in kind of cold water

Oh, really? Okay, well then let's go. You know, not boiling water. Because it breaks down more? Is that why

Yeah, I guess. I don't know. That happens with oatmeal as well. Right

Yeah. Right. So I'm going to add four cups. We're going to have enough grillettes for you and me

We are. We're going to feed a whole army with this recipe right here, okay? Kind of like your brothers and sisters

Yeah. How many is there of y'all? There are nine of us

And I the youngest girl I going to put a little salt in here Paula Yes Yes these require lots of salt A little pepper Yes You know the secret to good grits Layla

Tell me the secrets, girl. The secret is salt and stirring. Mm-hmm

If you don't salt grits right off, it would take that whole box of salt to get them salty enough

Is that what it is? Yeah, and why? I don't know. And I love you putting those onions in there

Oh, it's going to be good. Now, I'm so going to do that. Now, you got some other stuff over there, too. Yes

Well, this is actually light butter. Okay. Yes, honey, light butter, Paula, and it's going to be good

I know you probably like light butter. Like, what's the point? Let me taste light butter. What's the point? So I'm going to go ahead and add a little in here just so we..

So you can have twice as much. Yes, I guess so, Paula

I mean, you're going to defeat the purpose. Come on, baby. You're going to have twice. I'm going to put two. Come on

Don't do this. Don't. Don't you do that to me. All right, now I'm going to cut down those grits, okay

Okay. Because they are starting to boil. We've got our Brussels sprouts here

Now I'm just going to toss our Brussels sprouts in here. Yes, they're already cooked

Yes, I'm just going to toast them. Oh, toast them, okay. And you see, I didn't put much butter or olive oil, just enough to kind of brown them

And I'm going to salt and pepper them. All righty

These are starting to kind of toast up a little bit. Now, I'm going to just sprinkle this with a little bit of lemon juice, y'all

Not much. And you can see how the outer leaves are turning

Now, how simple is this? How nutritious is this? Yes. So I want you to taste this, Layla

Mmm. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Love those little bitty leaves. That did a little something extra to me right there

Yes. So what do we have to do to finish up your grits

I am going to add... Ooh, they get really, really thick, aren't they

I'm going to add two cups of my fat-free half and half. Okay

I'm just going to eyeball it. I'm going to let them cook for about 20 more minutes

As long as you can, right? Yep. Honey, I think you need some more grain

You think so? Okay. I'm going to put it in. I'm going to get it. Yeah

Of course you think I need some more cream. See, look at that

See, I was trying to take it easy, and you got me in the trap

But I will give you more cream, Paula, whatever you want, because it's your kitchen. Coming up, it's a unanimous decision, y'all

Champion! Dun, dun, dun, dun. Undefeated. I got Paula's seal of approval

A hearty meal is a crowd pleaser. And later, an old-fashioned favorite

Mmm. Isn't that yummy? Mm-hmm. All right, y'all, we're ready to finish up this meal

I'm in here with Layla Ali, and I've had so much fun with her

She's made us a wonderful pot of grits. She put onions in her grits, y'all

And now she's going to grate some cheese. Earlier she made her beef stew with poblano peppers and celery and onions and red bell pepper

I think you did. And it's going to be good, y'all. Yes, it is, y'all

Look at that. And I've made some Brussels sprouts and cloverleaf rolls

All right. Can I help you with that, Layla? How much of that do you have to have

I have two cups of cheddar and a cup of jack. Okay

And, you know, you can use any type of cheese you want. I happen to like cheddar. Put a little jack in there

And you're just going to mix that in there? Yeah, I'm just going to go ahead and put it in. This is a final touch

You want me to stir it in? Yes, please do. Okay. Is that enough cheese for you, honey

Nope. Well, too bad. I bet you all like it. You were supposed to say yes, Paula

Layla, that looks so good. This is my cheat day because I have a cheat day once a week where I can eat what I want

You know what? So. I have a cheat day, too. I tell everybody, if you try to eat healthy every day of your life, you will lose your mind

Yes, you will. Let's go ahead and put some grits in this bowl

Okay. And we'll put some beef on top. You know how to do it. Go on. Put some beef. Okay. On top of your grits

Cheers. Cheers, Miss Paula. Thank you for being with me. Tastes good, if I might say so myself

That do good? I'm still the champ, see? Champion! Dun-da-da-dun! Undefeated! I got Paula's seal of approval

Yum! Mm-hmm. My husband loves this dish. I bet he does. He didn't marry me for my fighting

Ha-ha! Paula this is perfect Mm The biscuits Normally I wouldn have had bread with this Right But it just adds a little something Mm The Brussels sprouts are great You got your veggies in This is so yummy

So good. I got to have one more bite, Layla. Look, we both won't stop. Delicious

I know, delicious, delicious. We're going to stop eating now. Back off the food, Paula

Back off the food. All right, now what do I do? Now that I've backed off

It's time to cook something else, something sweet. Why don't we make us a nice apple for dessert

I adore baked apples. I do, too. All right, well, you want to start by pouring our apples

Okay. So we're going to do all these apples, or? Yes, we're going to cook six apples

Okay. I'm going to put one cup of packed brown sugar in our bowl

a stick of softened butter, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a half a cup of raisins

You gave me the apples, because this is a messy job. Uh-huh. You know I know how to handle the messy job, son

Do I look stupid? All righty. Now, I'm just going to take my knife, and I'm going to cut that butter into our sugar and our cinnamon, our raisins

This is going to go in the center of our apples. How are you coming, baby

I'm good. You're doing a good job. All right, so if you'd sit those in our baking dish. Oh, okay, just like this

You might want to just spray it. The dish, okay. Yeah, just to make sure, you know, we can get them out

Layla, when you were boxing, did your dad ever give you any pointers

Well, my dad was always talking about, you know, using your jab. You know what a jab is, Paula

That. Watch it now, because, you know, I might have a reflex hit your back

Now, I'm playing. I would never hit you, Paula. I'm just playing. But, yeah, that's your jab, depending on what hand

And that's the punch that's used to set up all the other punches, you know. So you want to keep somebody on the end

Right. Right? And then you kind of get them looking at that. Right. And then you go out there. Good job

See? Good. You got a little fight in you. See, I knew you were holding something back. You're a little too feisty not to

So that's the way you do it. That's the way you do it. Now, I'm pouring one can of a cola over these apples

These look delicious. So, y'all, let's get this in the oven, because there's something back there that's still calling my name. Yes. Yes

So we're gonna put this in the oven, y'all. 350, we're gonna bake them for about an hour

Coming up. Don't mess with Paula. Because my apple desserts will knock you out

This is so good. Mmm. Our baked apples are out

I've got a little ice cream to go with them. Do your children like ice cream

Now we're talking. Well, one of them does. And we're going to make us an apple cider, y'all, to go along with this

We've got 64 ounces of apple cider there and a couple of cups of orange juice

Can we pour that on in here? Please. I'm going to turn that on. And we're going to make us a little spice sachet

And we're using cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods. And I'm going to take just a little bit of orange rind, y'all

And we're going to stick that in there. We're just going to tie this up

I may need your help, Layla, in this. If you just take that string, we're going to drop those in and let those spices just permeate

Just going to drop that down in there and come on down here now and let's dip up our apples

is this vanilla ice cream my favorite i'm super excited i'm swallowing very hard okay

look at all that that raisin goodness and wow brown sugar goodness this is so good

i'm adding a few things to my arsenal Mmm. Mmm. All right

I think this might be hot enough. I really would have liked a little bit longer

For this to simmer, you could put it in a crock pot. Do you do a lot of crock pot

I do, yes. It's easy because you can just leave it alone. You don't have to think about it

Right. I think a crock pot is maybe a woman's best friend

That's one of the best of my friends. Next to her diamonds. Mm-hmm. So, what you think

Very good. It's good, isn't it? You know, I really have enjoyed myself

I had some good food, good dessert. Thank you. Now I get a nice warm drink

Thank you. The Southern Hospitality. I really love you. You're welcome to come back anytime

Thank you, and I will. Anytime. I will definitely be back. I would love to have you

You have just been a wonderful, wonderful friend in my kitchen this afternoon

Thank you. Layla and I both are sending out loving best dishes, aren't we

Yes, we are. Bye, y'all