I had never heard of Chicken Mull until a few years ago. And then I found out that the Chicken Mull Festival happens 8 miles from me in Bear Grass, NC, population 69.  This year, the festival is on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

Print Recipe

Chicken Mull – What Is It?

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Keyword: Bear Grass Chicken Mull, Chicken mull, North Carolina chicken stew, old fashioned chicken stew, southern comfort food

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb chicken cut into pieces
• 3-4 qts water enough to cover the chicken
• ½-1 tbsp salt adjust to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper ground
• ½-1 teaspoon cracked red pepper or to taste
• 1 Tbs lard or butter
• 2-3 sleeves Saltine Crackers salted (you will probably use 2-3 sleeves)

Instructions

• Prepare the Broth: In a large stock pot, add several quarts of water, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and a spoonful of lard. Bring to a rolling boil.
• Cook the Chicken: Add the cut-up chicken pieces, making sure there’s enough water to fully cover them. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1–2 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove and Shred the Chicken: Take the chicken out of the pot. Strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside. Once the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and bones, then shred the meat by hand - checking carefully for any small bones.
• Reheat the Broth: Wash the stock pot to remove any residue. Pour the reserved broth back in and bring it to a gentle boil.
• Make the Mull: Add the shredded chicken to the boiling broth. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Slowly crush and stir in 2 sleeves of saltine crackers, a handful at a time, stirring constantly until the mull thickens. If it still seems thin, add more crushed crackers until you reach your desired consistency.
• Serve hot with toasted bread or hush puppies. The flavor deepens overnight, so leftovers are even better the next day!
• Yield: 6-7 two-cup servings

Notes

Tips for the Best Chicken Mull:

Use bone-in chicken for a richer flavor.

Adjust the amount of red pepper to your preferred spice level.

For extra creaminess, stir in a splash of milk before serving

Click to learn the history of Chicken Mull and to see about the Festival

These honey roasted pecans are crispy, sweet, and a bit salty  – perfect for snacking and parties. And this recipe is so easy!

Print Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American southern

Servings: 12

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 3 cups pecans whole, shelled
• 3 tbs honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt Plus more

Instructions

• Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet. Set oven to 250°F. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Toast pecans. Spread pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes to lightly toast.
• Coat with honey and salt. Transfer warm pecans to a mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of honey and stir to coat. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon salt and mix well.
• Slow roast for flavor and crunch. Re-spray the cookie sheet. Spread coated pecans in a single layer. Bake at 220–250°F for 1½ to 2 hours, checking often and stirring once halfway through.
• Finish and store. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and separate any clumped nuts. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Honey-roasted pecans stay fresh for up to 1 week at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate in a sealed container.

What is the secret to luscious roasted pecans? Roasting at a low temperature for 1-2 hours. 

Yield: 3 cups

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbs | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

My parents planted these pecan trees in 1922. Amazingly, they are still producing. Some years, they do take a break.

Looking for extended stay lodging in Eastern North Carolina? Big Mill Extended Stay offers quiet, fully furnished rentals ideal for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests relocating to the area. Nestled on a peaceful farm with gardens, lakes, and orchards, our accommodations provide comfort, privacy, and Southern hospitality—perfect for short-term or long-term stays.

We also have three RV rental spaces.

Big Mill Extended Stay: 1607 Big Mill Road, Williamston, NC, 252-799-8787

Transform stale bread into irresistible treats with these toasted pita points! They are wonderfully delicious, proving that even old, stale bread can be a culinary treasure.

Not limited to pita, you can use baguettes, ciabatta, or even croissants—though croissants aren’t ideal for dipping.

To take these toasts to the next level, I brush them with melted butter and sprinkle them with flavorful seasonings. Click to get the tasty recipe for Toasted Pita Points

Tomato Jam – So Good You Won’t Believe It

If you have never tried Tomato Jam, you are in for a treat.

I have been reading about this jam and when I saw the recipe in the New York Times, I knew I had to make it. I didn’t like their recipe – too many conflicting spices. I tried several iterations and now I think I have the perfect recipe based on the Times recipe.  Click to read more about Chloe’s Killer Tomato Jam

Tasty, Tart, and Pretty Plum Jelly is perfect for your breakfast table. Whether enjoyed on a lazy Sunday morning or as an accompaniment to a sophisticated afternoon tea, this plum jelly is a true culinary delight.

Chloe’s Plum Jelly is the Best

Growing up, we had a beautiful red plum tree.  And Plum Jelly is my absolute favorite jelly. Experience the essence of juicy, tangy plums captured in every jar of this  pretty plum jelly.

This Plum Jelly is absolutely the best of ALL the jellies. It has a sweet-tart taste that can’t be faked. Try to get ripe plums – there are many varieties. I like the red plums because that is what we had. This jelly recipe is a keeper.

Chloe’s Luscious Plum Jelly is the BEST

Print Recipe

Plum Jelly

Sweet, tart jelly from red plums is the best ever.

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Red Plum Jelly

Servings: 8 half-pints

Calories: 529kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Equipment

• 1 Canner pot

Ingredients

• 8 lbs ripe plums (you will need 4 Cups of plum juice)
• 5 ½ cups sugar
• 3 ounces liquid Certo (1 pouch)
• 8-10 half-pint canning jars
• cheesecloth

Instructions

• Wash plums and put whole plums in a large stainless steel cooking pot. Mash the plums with a spatula or potato masher to extract some of the juice. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

  Line a large colander with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Pour plum mixture into the colander and set aside to cool. After it has cooled, put in refrigerator overnight. DO NOT squeeze or mash the plums, just allow to drip. Hopefully, you will have 4 cups of plum juice.

  Add 5 ½ cups sugar and the 4 cups plum juice to a pot and cook over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

  After mixture is boiling, raise heat and bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

  Add Certo and bring heat back up to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Stir and cook the jelly for 1 minute…. or a bit longer if you want.

  Put into sterilized jars and put on lids and rings. Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 137g | Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 137g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg

All Good Southern Cooks Have a Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe

Southerners Love Our Sweet Pickle Relish

We don’t buy the relish, we make it ourselves from old family recipes. Each family has its own recipe; some add peppers and onions. I like the simple one.  Often we just chop up last year’s sweet cucumber pickles. You just can’t make southern chicken salad without Sweet Pickle Relish. This recipe is the best!

Aunt Effie’s Switch-House Salad Dressing (Miss Effie’s Dressing)

My Aunt Effie ran an after-hours place called The Switch, so named because it was beside the “switch” for the railroad tracks. It was a popular spot for night owls, tobacco buyers and peanut graders who were in town during the harvest season.

The Switch After-Hours Steak House was a Jumping Place in its Day

Teeney cooked the best steaks on a cast iron wood-burning stove. Yes, all the food was cooked on a wood-burning stove. The menu was T-bone steak, baked potato and tossed salad with Effie’s famous dressing. Aunt Effie told me it was her recipe — we will never know. I do know it was good.

Effie’s Sweet Tart Salad Dressing is Perfect for Mixed Green Salads

Click to get Recipe for Effie’s Dressing

It seems all banana breads taste the same. Well, not this banana bread.

Print Recipe

Banana Bread has a Secret Ingredient

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• • 1 large egg
• • 1/4 cup corn oil
• • ¾ cups sugar
• • 1 teaspoon vanilla
• • 1/4 cup milk
• • 1/2 cup mashed over-ripe banana 1 VERY RIPE banana
• • 1 cup self-rising flour
• • 1 dash salt
• • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• • 1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 mini loaf pans with cooking spray with flour like Baker's Joy.
• Whisk the egg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the sugar, corn oil, vanilla, milk and stir. Stir in the mashed bananas.
• Stir the flour into the banana mixture. Add chopped nuts.
• In a small bowl mix the Tablespoon of flour and the blueberries until berries are coated with flour. This will keep berries from "bleeding" in the bread. Gently stir the blueberries into the bread mixture.
• Fill loaf pans about 1/2 to 3/4 full; don't be tempted to overfill, the loaves will be ugly.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer or straw inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool on rack and serve with butter or cream cheese.
• Yield: 2 small loaves

This Banana Bread is the Best Ever!

click to get the recipe for this Best Banana Bread

This Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup with Bone Broth is the best soup I have ever eaten. It is not cheap, about $30 to make or $3.75 a bowl – but it’s a meal and worth every penny. Made with tender beef, fresh vegetables, and slow-simmered broth, it’s a full meal in a bowl. I am not a meat-eater, but this hearty soup could persuade me.

Print Recipe

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Cost: 3.75

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs lard
• 2-3 lbs bone-in chuck roast
• 1 lb oxtails
• 2 -28 oz cans whole tomatoes This is really good if you have home-canned tomatoes.
• 1 -14.5 oz can beef broth or more
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbs dried parsley or a hand full of fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large clove garlic mashed
• 6 large carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 medium potatoes washed and cut into chunks with skins left on
• 3-4 ears fresh corn cut off the cob
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 stalks celery cut into small pieces
• 1 -12 oz pkg frozen Lima beans frozen Lima beans (12 or 16 oz.)

Instructions

• Sear the Meat

  1. In a large stew pot or Dutch oven, melt the lard over medium-high heat.

  2. Add the beef roast and oxtails, searing them for 4–5 minutes until browned on all sides. This helps lock in flavor.

  3. Once browned, remove the meat and bones from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.
• Build the Stew Base

  4. To the same pot, add the canned tomatoes (use kitchen scissors or a knife to chop them directly in the pot).

  5. Stir in the beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic

  6. Simmer this flavorful tomato broth over medium heat for 5–7 minutes while the meat cools.
• Prepare and Simmer the Meat

  7. Once cooled, cut the roast beef into bite-sized chunks.

  8. Return the meat, oxtails, and any bones back into the pot.

  9. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, allowing flavors to develop.
• Add Vegetables

  10. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, Lima beans, and corn.

  11. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until all vegetables are fork-tender.
• Final Touches

  12. Remove any remaining bones from the pot.

  13. Carefully remove meat from the oxtails, discard bones, and return the meat to the stew.

  14. Stir well and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with toasted rustic bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 9038IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay lodging Williamston, NC 252-799-8787 near Washington, Greenville, and Windsor, NC