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Welcome to What’s Cooking with Paula Deen! Spend a little time with Paula as she talks to her fans, makes some great dishes, helps with cooking problems, and gives some useful tips on how to make cooking easier and a whole lot more fun!
Paula's gets things cooking today with Jessie Blanco of "Eat it and Like it"!
For more healthy recipes, visit http://pauladeen.com
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0:00
Hey y'all. Welcome to What's Cooking
0:02
with Paula Dean. And we got it cooking
0:04
today cuz you know who I'm with. I'm
0:07
with my good buddy Jesse Blanco. And if
0:11
you have had the opportunity to see
0:13
Jesse's show, it's called Eat It and
0:16
Like It.
0:18
And Jesse goes all over in the
0:21
southeastern part
0:24
uh of the US and just discovers
0:28
wonderful food. And uh your show is on
0:33
Sunday morning, right Jesse? At 7:30
0:35
a.m. 7:30 a.m. Everybody, this is Jesse.
0:39
Hi everybody. He he's done podcast with
0:41
me before. Yeah. And so I know y'all
0:43
gonna remember this handsome face. And
0:46
I'll tell y'all this. At the at the end
0:49
of Jesse's shows, you'll hear this voice
0:52
say, "Eat it and like it." Yeah. That's
0:56
Jesse's mother. That's my mama. Yeah.
0:59
So, apparently at uh one stage of
1:02
Jesse's life, Yeah. he'd sit down at the
1:05
table and say, "What's that? I don't
1:07
care what it is. Eat it and you're going
1:09
to like it." That's right. Yeah. And the
1:11
the the funny thing was by the time we
1:13
recorded that she was she was into her
1:16
60s and um she was a baby. Yeah. She had
1:19
she had raspy raspy boys. Uhhuh. And so
1:23
um you know you've been doing this for
1:24
what 20 years now. So you're comfortable
1:26
with it. But I put a microphone in front
1:28
of her and I had her do about 10 15
1:31
takes. And I still have that recording.
1:34
Yeah. One day I'm going to play it laugh
1:36
because I was I was trying to get her to
1:37
use inflection like eat it and like it.
1:40
eat it and like it just so I could see
1:41
which one I wanted. So yeah, it was it
1:44
was actually pretty funny and you could
1:45
hear me laughing. So anyway, I hear that
1:48
you're getting ready to take a trip
1:50
somewhere. Yeah, we're going to spend
1:51
the weekend down at Disney. Um yeah,
1:54
there'll be nobody there. We'll have the
1:56
place to ourselves, right? Right. I am
1:59
so glad it's you and not Mwah. Yeah, but
2:02
you know what? My daughter's 16. Some of
2:04
her cousins of similar age. She is 16.
2:07
She's driving and so we're at that point
2:10
where the kids can go and I'll be by the
2:13
pool having a glass of whatever. Oh, you
2:16
think so? Yeah. Hey, you know,
2:18
especially No, no, no, no. She She told
2:20
me staying on the property property.
2:22
Yeah, that makes it nice. Yeah, it does.
2:24
She She can find everything on the apps
2:26
now. She tells me on on on Monday, the
2:29
other day, the wait for Space Mountain
2:31
right now is three hours. And I thought
2:34
that's why I'll be at the bar.
2:37
They they Well, I've been going to
2:39
Disney since I was a baby. It's in the
2:41
70s. 40 years. There is no way I'm going
2:44
to wait three, four hours for any of
2:46
those rides. No, let them do it and
2:48
they'll have fun in line with the kids
2:49
and whatever. It's their time. I'll be
2:52
over here. So, she's taking a cousin
2:54
with her. Three Three or four boys.
2:58
They're meeting us there. Oh, three boy
3:00
cousins. Three boy cousins. Yeah. And
3:02
Oh, she will have a ball with them.
3:05
Yeah. have an absolute ball. Be a good
3:07
time. Uh well, my kids just got back
3:10
from Universal. Jamie Yeah. took his
3:13
family down there. But I'm telling you
3:16
what, last weekend would have been a
3:19
great weekend because, you know, it was
3:21
like in the 60s. Yes. In Tampa. Yes.
3:24
Yes. Well, Florida good, but much not as
3:27
much, I don't think, as Georgia, but um
3:29
but Florida go you could go through
3:30
three seasons a week in Florida.
3:33
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Well, just
3:36
yesterday it was like a totally
3:38
different season from I was wearing a
3:40
jacket Monday and today it's hot. So,
3:42
tell me some stories. What What have you
3:45
done exciting lately? So, uh So, you got
3:50
some stories for me today? Yeah. Yeah.
3:52
We we you know, being in the business
3:54
that I am, my family knows that I like
3:56
to at least, you know, we're going to
3:58
eat theme park food. It is what it is,
3:59
but I like to try a restaurant or two
4:01
when I go on vacation. Yeah. And so my
4:03
my family um asked me where I would like
4:06
to go and I mentioned uh Homecoming
4:09
which uh Chef Art Smith has just opened
4:11
down in Disney. Really? Yeah. It's his
4:13
Is he in Disney? Yeah, in Disney
4:15
Springs. It's on Disney property. I had
4:18
seen Art in several several years. I
4:20
actually just met him. Uh he used to be
4:23
uh the governor of Florida's chef and
4:26
he's now an ambassador, a culinary
4:28
ambassador of Florida State University.
4:30
And so we were at that president's house
4:32
in Tallahassee and I met him there. So,
4:34
uh, he said, "If you're ever down at
4:36
homecoming, let me know." And so I
4:38
mentioned that to my family. And so,
4:41
literally, as I'm on my way over here, I
4:42
get the phone call, "Hey, we made
4:44
reservations at homecoming." Okay,
4:46
great. I like that name. It is. And I
4:49
think it's I think it's Homecoming, uh,
4:51
uh, Southern Tribute or something like
4:53
that. Uhhuh. And so, uh, hey, we made
4:55
reservations at homecoming. um there's
4:58
10 of us, but they could only take
5:00
seven. Can you call your friend? They
5:01
don't know who I know there. Can you
5:03
call your friend and see if he can add
5:04
three to the group? And I said, "Well,
5:06
okay. Yeah, I'll I'll I'll try." Uh what
5:09
time is a reservation? 9:00 at night.
5:11
And I'm listening to this, but we've all
5:12
been there on vacation when you're with
5:14
a big group and you don't want to go
5:16
against the grain because you don't want
5:17
to be difficult. But 9:00 at night to
5:19
eat fried chicken and heavy southern
5:23
food.
5:24
I'm I'm almost not 49 anymore. I you
5:28
know I can't eat like I could, but my
5:31
goodness. I know. I know. But I'm going
5:34
to be nice and that lady. It has to be
5:36
very light. Right. Right. But there's
5:38
going to be 10 of us. We're going to We
5:40
have 9:00 reservations. By the time we
5:42
eat, it's going to be 10:00. By the time
5:43
we get out of 11, and they'll have to
5:45
roll us out of there. But I'll be nice.
5:48
I'll go along with it because I was the
5:49
one who told them I wanted to go there.
5:51
So, you can't say that time doesn't work
5:53
for me. So they I'm sure will be
5:55
watching this or listening to this
5:56
podcast and and laughing going ahuh. So
5:58
that's what happened.
6:01
So you're going
6:04
tomorrow tomorrow night. Today's getaway
6:06
day. You know that day where you have to
6:08
do everything before you drive down to
6:09
5:00 a.m. And here I've lassoed you to
6:11
sit here and talk to all of us. Always a
6:13
pleasure. The lady calls I come. Well,
6:17
thank you, Jesse. I always enjoy every
6:19
minute I get to spend with you. And I
6:21
know our friends do, too. So, until next
6:24
time, Jesse and I both send y'all love
6:27
and best dishes.
6:30
The space that you live in really
6:32
affects the way you feel. So, my first
6:35
recommendation is start by updating your
6:38
window treatments with Smith and Noble.
6:40
Smith and Noble's beautiful handcrafted
6:43
blinds, drapes, shades, and shutters are
6:45
custom made just for you. And they offer
6:48
different service options to fit your
6:50
needs. To get started today, contact
6:52
Smith and Noble to get my special
6:55
limited time offer, 25% off on your
6:58
window treatments, plus free design
7:01
consultation. Create a space that you're
7:04
going to love. For details about my
7:07
special offer, go to
7:08
smithnoble.com/paula.
7:11
That's smith &oble.com/paula
7:14
or call 1-8006593300.
7:20
That's 1 800659-3300.
7:28
[Music]
7:49
You see, I'm Cuban. Well, I tell people
7:52
I'm Cuban because I was raised in Miami
7:54
with my Cuban family. My dad, Jesus
7:56
Blanco, he was Cuban. My mom, Iris, is
7:59
Puerto Rican. She lives on Tybee Island.
8:01
Together, they got me. I was raised on
8:04
Cuban and Puerto Rican food in a family
8:06
larger than many zip codes. I have more
8:08
cousins than you probably have shoes,
8:11
but that's just how we Latinos roll,
8:13
right? Every year at Christmas, we have
8:15
a big party at my house. A traditional
8:17
nochce buena celebration. Pork, rice,
8:20
beans, lots of red wine, sometimes too
8:22
much red wine, and music. They are the
8:26
foods of my people, and you can find
8:27
them everywhere in the South. Really,
8:29
beginning with our first stop.
8:36
No, don't worry. I'm not taking you all
8:38
the way to Miami in this episode. We
8:40
will do that another time. Besides, to
8:42
get a taste of Miami, you don't have to
8:44
drive the full 8 hours. Just cross over
8:46
the border into Florida and make a left
8:48
at the first exit. Stop in downtown
8:51
Fernandina Beach, where a young Cuban
8:53
man from Miami came to visit and decided
8:56
one day he would live here. It was
8:58
actually the first day that I got here
9:01
back in 97. I realized that this is
9:03
where I wanted to be. This was there was
9:06
something about it that once you come
9:07
over the bridge onto the island, it
9:08
brings you back. And every time I left
9:11
the island, I've tried anything that I
9:13
could to get back up here and make it
9:14
work. Chris Garcia lived here on Amelia
9:17
Island for a bit, moved back to Miami,
9:19
but kept looking for a reason to head
9:22
back north. Not too long after, Marisa
9:25
came into the picture. He brought me up
9:27
here on vacation and after dinner, I
9:28
said, "I'm going to go get a capacito."
9:30
And I walked up and down the strip mall
9:32
and I I came right back up in arms. I
9:34
said, "There's no capacito." He's like,
9:36
"No, where do you think you are?" She
9:38
sure wasn't in Little Havana, that's for
9:40
sure. But he showed her around and told
9:42
her he wanted to move here. I said, "I'm
9:45
not doing it without a piece of Miami.
9:47
We got to do this. If we come up, it's
9:49
to do this." His vision. This is Ola
9:52
Cuban Cafe located right in the heart of
9:54
historic Fernandina Beach. A small spot
9:57
indeed, maybe 11, 12 seats, but it's
10:00
become Grand Central Station downtown
10:02
Fernandina.
10:04
At any given time, locals and tourists
10:06
are here sharing in this absolutely
10:08
quintessential slice of Miami. It's a
10:11
big change for Miami. People tell me
10:13
how, you know, how you do it, but it's a
10:16
quality of life question. You won't find
10:19
an extensive menu here. You will find
10:21
Cuban coffee that rivals anything in
10:23
South Florida. You'll find pastries, all
10:26
handmade by Misol herself. No, she
10:29
wasn't a baker, but once they decided
10:31
they were going to go for it and open
10:32
this shop, she taught herself how with a
10:36
little help from the streets of Miami.
10:37
Of course, we're not reinventing the
10:39
wheel. So, what we did was literally go
10:41
to our favorite bakeries. You know,
10:42
every every Cuban family has a bakery.
10:46
That's that my opinion some of the best
10:49
in Miami. Vickiy's bakery. Chanti. We
10:52
went to all those and we would even like
10:55
on 87th and Bird that now has baselito
10:58
and everything. We went and talked to
10:59
him too to see how he was doing cuz at
11:01
that point we didn't know how large or
11:02
how small or what things were going to
11:04
entail. So we were talking to everybody.
11:05
That gasoline she's referring to as a
11:08
gas station actually about a/4 mile from
11:10
my high school. Yeah. I met this
11:12
fantastic couple when I visited their
11:14
shop last year for the first time. But
11:16
their Miami is my Miami. Neighborhoods,
11:20
spots to eat, all of it. Walking in here
11:22
for me is as comfortable as any day I
11:25
make it all the way back home. This is
11:27
real deal Cuban food as authentic as any
11:31
you will find.
12:02
Welcome back to eat it and like it's
12:04
look at everything you didn't know about
12:06
Bluffton, South Carolina. A hotbed
12:08
really of beauty, charm, and great food.
12:11
Now that you've got a great cup of
12:12
coffee flowing through those veins, we
12:14
thought we'd introduce you to the lady
12:16
many credit with being the first to set
12:18
up shop here in Oldtown Bluton. Now
12:21
she's arguably its epicenter.
12:24
[Music]
12:28
The cottage on Calhoun Street has become
12:30
the place everyone refers you to when
12:32
you're looking to dine amongst all of
12:34
these galleries and artists. Just ask
12:37
any local. People like the idea that
12:39
they know you're going to be here. So
12:41
this Carson Cottage is like a landmark
12:43
for Bluton. The cottage has become a
12:45
landmark. You know, where do we go for
12:47
great breakfast cottage? Where do we go
12:48
for great lunch cottage? Landmark
12:50
indeed. The cottage was built by a
12:52
former Confederate soldier in 1868. Now
12:55
it's the center of town with a
12:56
tremendous reputation for great food.
12:59
And it has a little bit of a bent um of
13:02
the southern flare. I love doing cajun
13:05
and I love doing creole. So you'll see a
13:06
lot of that on the menu. That's not at
13:08
all inaccurate. Spend some time in the
13:10
kitchen and you can see and smell those
13:13
Cajun influences. Don't let that fool
13:15
you, though. These dishes like crab
13:17
cakes or smothered shrimp are wonderful,
13:20
but this isn't a Cajun restaurant. It's
13:22
just diverse. Would like to do more with
13:27
the meat, you know, with steak and lamb
13:30
and duck. There just doesn't seem to be
13:32
much of a call for it. This area seems
13:34
to be really focused on the seafood and
13:36
healthy living. Of course, you will find
13:39
lighter fair items on the menu, but
13:40
there are some beauties in here as well,
13:43
like this Monte Cristo sandwich.
13:45
Perfectly sweet with that powdered
13:47
sugar. And how about this showstopper
13:49
right here? Shrimp and grits, of course,
13:51
with a sauté of shrimp, bacon, onions,
13:54
and mushrooms on top. The day I popped
13:56
in to try this dish, it was the only
13:58
thing I ate that day. Incredibly fresh
14:01
and wonderfully tasty. It's just very
14:04
fresh. Uh the portions are probably a
14:06
little too large, but what's nice about
14:08
that is they get to take it home for
14:09
their next meal. And they do. The
14:12
customer base is solid locals here at
14:14
the cottage. Of course, you get some
14:16
tourists who float by and stop in for a
14:18
bite to eat. But the bread and butter at
14:20
the cottage is the local educated
14:22
consumer who knows what they want. And
14:25
just like most other places in Bluton
14:27
demands a better product. I think that a
14:29
lot of people coming from the north and
14:31
coming from the Midwest um they have a
14:34
certain quality control that's built
14:36
into them and I think that uh they're
14:39
not very forgiving sometimes. and she's
14:41
okay with that. Why should anyone get
14:43
less than her best? The demand for great
14:45
food is just something that I think
14:47
we're born the right to have, you know,
14:50
because there are so many uh restaurants
14:52
that suffer from quality and absolutely
14:55
in the economy, cost is always a factor.
14:58
So, they want bang for their buck and
15:00
they want to be able to eat and feel
15:02
satisfied and feel that they had a good
15:03
experience and a good meal all the way
15:05
around. You'll find it here in Oldtown
15:07
Bluffton at the cottage.
15:11
[Music]
15:16
We hope you enjoyed our visit to the Low
15:18
Country of South Carolina today. We know
15:21
you've been to Hilton Head Island. We
15:22
know those of you on the island have
15:24
visited Savannah. But next time, take
15:27
your time and pull over in Bluffton.
15:29
Breakfast, lunch, or wellprepared dinner
15:32
and late night. There's plenty here to
15:34
eat and like, but the people that have
15:37
lived here have lived here a long time.
15:38
I think they like the laid-back quality
15:41
of the area, the charm of the trees and
15:44
of the art. There's a tremendous art
15:46
culture here. If you wake up at 8:00
15:48
every day and you look at the May River,
15:51
the May River is always going to be a
15:53
different level. This town changes every
15:57
single day. It never looks the same when
16:00
you wake up, when you go to bed. It's
16:01
it's just it's it's
16:04
a god-given place. It's it's beauty.
16:10
Eat it and like it.
16:13
The space that you live in really
16:15
affects the way you feel. So, my first
16:18
recommendation is start by updating your
16:21
window treatments with Smith and Noble.
16:24
Smith and Noble's beautiful handcrafted
16:26
blinds, drapes, shades, and shutters are
16:28
custom made just for you. And they offer
16:31
different service options to fit your
16:33
needs. To get started today, contact
16:35
Smith and Noble to get my special
16:38
limited time offer, 25% off on your
16:42
window treatments, plus free design
16:44
consultation. Create a space that you're
16:47
going to love. For details about my
16:50
special offer, go to smith
16:51
&oble.com/paula.
16:54
That's smithnoble.com/paula
16:58
or call 1-8006593300.
17:03
That's 1 800659-3300.
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