Southern Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
MIX TOGETHER:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
4.Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
Croissant French Toast With Fresh Strawberry Syrup
Ingredients
4 large day-old croissants
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)
Fresh Strawberry Syrup
Directions
1.Slice croissants in half lengthwise.
2. Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow dish. Dip croissant halves into egg mixture, coating well.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add four croissant halves, and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 4. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with Sweetened Whipped Cream, if desired, and Fresh Strawberry Syrup.
Potato Salad with Celery and Scallions
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
4 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
1. Set a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Fill with enough water to come just below basket. Bring to a boil; place potatoes in basket, and reduce to a simmer. 2. Cover, and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, and vinegar. Add celery, scallions, and hot potatoes, and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.
Helenora's Lemon Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon rind strips (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray. Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
3. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
4. Place granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and nonfat buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.
6. To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients (except lemon rind strips) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake. Garnish with lemon rind strips, if desired. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Fish and Grits
Fish
Ingredients
2 8-oz fish fillets (red snapper, tilapia, or catfish)
Blackening seasoning (we make our own, but good ol' Paul Prudhomme's from the grocery store is fine)
Shredded white cheddar
Directions
1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about ten minutes.
2. Dip fish fillets in blackening seasoning that's been spread out on a plate or pie tin. Coat both sides if you want it spicy.
3. Carefully place in hot skillet, seasoned side down, cover, and cook for one to two minutes.
4. Flip and cook about two more minutes — the fish should be white, flaky, and not opaque when cooked through.
5. Dish up a proper-sized bowl of grits,* sprinkle with cheese, and top with the fillet of fish.
6. Serve with toasted fresh baguette for maximum enjoyment.
Creamy Grits
Ingredients
2 cups slow-cooking grits
1 tsp salted butter
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly stir in grits and reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.
2. Cook 20 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently with a wire whisk.
3. Turn off and stir in butter, half-and-half, and pepper, then set aside.
Scrambled Eggs N' Grits
Ingredients
1/4 cup Quaker quick-5 minutes grits
3/4 cup water
one 4-grain omega 3 large egg
1 Tbsp Smart Balance extra virgin olive oil buttery spread
dash salt
dash pepper
PAM
Directions
1. Pour grits and water in a microwave-safe bowl, stir, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir.
2. Heat a burner to medium heat. Spray a pan with PAM, crack an egg into it, and stir the egg. Place on burner and stir until egg is cooked.
3. To the bowl of grits, add butter, egg, salt, and pepper.
Collard Greens
Ingredients
1/2 pound smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones)
1 tablespoon House seasoning, recipe follows
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon hot red pepper sauce
1 large bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
1. In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, house seasoning, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.
2. Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-ince thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add butter. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning.
Pickled Beets
Ingredients
1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.
2. Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets.
3. Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.
Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp and Black-Eyed Peas
Black-eyed peas
Ingredients
4 bacon slices
4 scallions, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
2 (15-ounces) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Directions
1. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate, then tear into small pieces.
2. Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in fat in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are pale golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Add black-eyed peas and broth and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Shrimp
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
Directions
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Cook shrimp with garlic, stirring occasionally, until just opaque (shrimp will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes.
4. Add wine and bring to a boil, then briskly simmer 2 minutes.
4. Add bacon and black-eyed-pea mixture and simmer until just heated through (mixture will be juicy). Discard bay leaves.
Cajun Style Rice and Gravy
Ingredients
2 lbs of beef stew meat (round steak cut up)
1 large onion
1/2 of a bell pepper
1/3 cup of butter or margerine(butter makes for a tastier gravy)
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of worstershire sauce
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
Directions
1.Dice onions and bell pepper(and beef if not precut).
2. Add all of your ingredients into an 8 to 10 quart pot. Start cooking your meal over a medium heat. Once a liquid starts to form at the bottom of your pot use a strainer and empty the liquid into a container on the side. You will need this liquid later on so make sure to keep it. Return the meat mixture back to your pot and watch it closely.
3. Cook meat and vegetables over a medium fire, browning the meat.
To brown the meat stir frequently allowing the meat and onions to darken.Make sure to scrape the brownings off of the bottom of the pot to ensue that it doesn't stick. If you need to add some liquid pour a tiny bit of the liquid that was put to the side, into the pot. Continue doing this until meat and gravy is a darker brown color. Be very careful not to burn the meat.
4. Once your gravy is browned add about 2-3 cups of water. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer food with the lid off for about an hour. Add water as needed. You should end up with about a cup and a half of gravy when the cooking process is complete. Make sure not to let the gravy cook down to much or not to add too much water. Adding too much water will make the gravy watery and diluted in flavor.
Chicken Wings
Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs. chicken wing pieces
3/4 cup any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Wings Sauce
Directions
1. BAKE wings in foil-lined pan at 500 °F on lowest oven rack for 20 to 25 min. until crispy, turning once.
2. TOSS wings in sauce to coat.
Warm Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients
4 cups water
3 cups fresh lemon juice (about 13 lemons)
1 3/4 to 2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
Cinnamon sticks
Directions
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a 3- or 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW 3 hours or until thoroughly heated. Whisk well before serving. Serve warm with cinnamon sticks.
3. Lemon Squeeze: We prefer the taste of fresh lemons, but if you don't want to do all that squeezing, substitute lemon juice from concentrate.