Peanut Butter Cookies

Classic peanut butter cookies are easy to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

 

 

 

• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Cream together peanut butter, shortening and sugar.
Mix in egg and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls.
Place on cookie sheet and flatten with fork tines dipped in water.
Leave tine marks on surface of cookies.
Bake in pre-heated 375 degrees oven 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool slightly before removing from pan.
Cool on rack.

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Praline Cake

• 1 box butter pecan cake mix
• 1 tub coconut pecan frosting
• 4 eggs                                                                                             
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
Mix all ingredients together.
Beat on low speed 30 seconds.
Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in pre-heated oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Tip:  Serve plain or top with a simply confectioners' sugar glaze.
http://mississippisupper.blogspot.com/2014/12/confectioners-sugar-glaze.html

                           
Printable Recipe

Confectioners' Sugar Glaze

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sugar, milk and butter together in a saucepot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Slowly pour over cake.

Impossible Egg Custard

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Beat eggs, sugar and flour together.
Add milk and mix well.
Add melted butter, vanilla and nutmeg.
Pour into a greased deep-dish pie pan.
Bake in pre-heated 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.

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Brownies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda.

Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water.
Mix until well blended and thickened.

Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup oil.

Add flour, vanilla and salt.
Mix until all of the flour is absorbed.

Spread evenly into 9X13-inch greased and floured baking pan.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool before cutting into squares.

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Easy Red Beans and Rice

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 2 15-ounce cans Van Camp's New Orleans Style Red Kidney Beans
• 2 cups cooked rice

Saute onions in oil until translucent.
Cut sausage into 1/2-rounds.
Brown sausage with onions.
Add beans.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Serve over rice.

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Watergate Salad

Kraft Foods developed a Pistachio Delight recipe in 1975 to introduce their pistachio instant pudding.  It quickly became popular with consumers and somehow got renamed Watergate Salad.  Forty years later, the name change is still a mystery.

• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice, undrained
• 1 3.4-ounce box pistachio flavor instant pudding
• 1 cup  miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl.
Stir in Cool Whip.
Refrigerate 1 hour.

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Alice Springs Chicken

A copycat recipe for the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steakhouse.
Alice Springs is a desert town in the Northern Territory of Australia.
 

• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4 slices bacon, cooked
• 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard, honey, mayonnaise and lemon juice.
Pour half the sauce into a small bowl, reserve.
Place the chicken in a ziplock bag.
Pour the remaining marinade in the bag and toss the chicken to coat.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
In a skillet, melt butter and add mushrooms.
Cook for seven minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and just starting to turn golden brown.  Set aside.
Heat grill to medium high heat.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and season each piece with salt and black pepper.
Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about four minutes on each side
Transfer the chicken to an oven-safe casserole dish.
Divide mushrooms on top of each piece of chicken.
Half bacon slices and place on the chicken.
Divide Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar cheese evenly and sprinkle over each piece of chicken.
Place the chicken in preheated 400-degree oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees and the cheese has melted.
Serve with remaining honey mustard sauce on the side.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley for garnish.

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Waldorf Salad

The classic version of this sweet and savory salad was invented at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in the 1890s and didn't contain walnuts.

• 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tart-sweet red apples, diced 
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces, coarsely chopped  

Whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise and salt.
Add apples, celery and walnuts.
Toss to combine.

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Shrimp with Creole Tomato Sauce

 

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 quart diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Zatarain's crab boil seasoning
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Saute onions, celery, and garlic in oil until tender
Add tomatoes, vinegar, and corn syrup; bring to a boil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce to simmer and cook about 1 hour; stir occasionally.
Sprinkle shrimp with crab boil seasoning.
Add shrimp to tomato sauce.
Simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream.

Serve over grits, rice, or pasta.

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Recipe for grits
http://mississippisupper.blogspot.com/2014/09/creamy-southern-grits.html

Creamy Southern Grits

For generations, Southerners have enjoyed hot creamy grits.  Grits are made from dried corn kernels that have had the hull and germ removed by an alkaline solution.  Native Americans shared this process with early European settlers.  This process makes the dried corn more digestible  and more nutritious.  The resulting product is called homily.  The homily is dried and then coarse ground to make homily grits. 


Creamy Southern Grits

• 4 cups water, divided
• 1  cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick cooking grits
• 1/4 cup butter

In a small pot, bring 3 cups water, milk and salt to a boil.
Slowly stir the grits into the boiling mixture.
Stir continuously until grits are well mixed.
Return to a boil, cover with a lid, lower the temperature to a simmer.
Cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add additional 1 cup water a little at a time as it is absorbed, stir after each addition. 
Stir in the butter and serve.

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Parmesan Crisp Salad Bowls

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pour Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down, creating a seven-inch circle.
A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended.
Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and drape over custard cup.
Carefully mold over cup.
Work quickly since the cheese cools quickly.
Cool.

Make crisp one or two at a time.

Sauted Spinach with Eggs

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 sweet onion, sliced thinly
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs, beaten
• grated Parmesan cheese

In skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Saute onion until transparent.
Squeeze as much water as possible from spinach.
Reduce heat to low.
Saute spinach with onions for 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Move spinach and onions to one side of pan.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
Add eggs.
Cook eggs until soft set.
Stir spinach into eggs.
Taste.  Add salt and pepper if needed.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.

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Swiss Sirlion Burgers with Tomato Gravy

1 pound ground sirloin

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 onion, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

4  slices Swiss cheese 

chopped fresh basil 

Mix together sirloin, egg, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
Shape into 4 patties.
Cook patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove patties, reserving drippings.
Sauté onion in drippings 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and water.
Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes.
Return patties to skillet; spoon tomato mixture over patties.
Cover and cook 15 minutes; uncover and cook 5 minutes.
Place 1 cheese slice on each patty.
Cover and cook 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with basil.
Serve over rice.


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Waffles

 

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk 

 

In a large bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Cut in shortening until mixture is very fine. Add egg yolks and milk. Beat until batter is just smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately. Makes 8 waffles Printable Recipe Tip: Double the recipe and make extra for freezer. Reheat in toaster.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar for rolling

Mix granulated sugar and oil in large bowl.
Add cocoa, beating until well blended.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
Gradually add flour to cocoa mixture, beating well.
Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle, at least 6 hours.
Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Roll in powdered sugar to coat.
Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 11 to 13 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled.
Cool on pan 2 minutes.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Cool completely.
Makes about 48 cookies.

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Graham Cracker Toffee

9 sheets graham crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup chopped pecans

Grease and line a 13-by-9-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Overhang parchment paper on short ends of baking sheet. 
Break the graham crackers on the perforated lines into smaller rectangles.
Place them on the baking sheet as close together as possible, cover the entire sheet.
Melt  butter and sugar in a saucepot over medium heat.
Stir the butter and sugar mixture until it bubbles.
Add pecans and stir together.
Pour the mixture evenly over all of the crackers.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Cool for 30 minutes.
Break or cut into pieces to serve.

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Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
Cook beef and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown, drain.
Add salt, and spread in pie plate. 
Sprinkle with cheese.
Mix remaining ingredients until well blended.
Pour in pie plate.
Bake 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

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Baked Coconut Shrimp

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
• salt
• vegetable cooking spray
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on.
Salt shrimp to taste.
Place a wire rack coated with cooking spray in a jelly-roll pan.
Whisk egg whites in a bowl until foamy.
Place cornstarch into a shallow dish.
Stir together coconut, breadcrumbs, and paprika into another shallow dish.
Pat shrimp dry between layers of paper towels.
Lightly dredge each shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off excess.
Dip in egg whites.
Dredge in coconut mixture, pressing gently with fingers.
Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray.
Place shrimp on wire rack.
Bake at 425 degrees for 16 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink, turning after 8 minutes.
Serve with Orange Dipping Sauce.



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Serve with Orange Mustard Sauce.

Recipe for:

Orange Mustard Dipping Sauce

Orange Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup orange marmalade 1/4 cup honey 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard 4 drops Tabasco hot sauce Mix all ingredient together. Stir to combine. Printable Recipe Orange Mustard Sauce with Baked Coconut Shrimp.

Crustless Brownie Pie

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• ice cream

Combine first 7 ingredients beat 4 minutes at medium speed of an electric mixer.
Stir in nuts.
Spread batter evenly in a buttered 9 inch pie plate.
Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Pie will puff, then fall.
Cool completely before slicing.
Serve with ice cream.

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Blueberry Jam

• 4 pints blueberries, washed and sorted
• 1 lemon
• 7 cups sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon butter
• 2 3-ounce pouches liquid pectin

 

Crush blueberries one layer at a time. 

Measure 4 1/2 cups crushed berries into a large saucepot.

Add the juice of one lemon.

Add sugar all at one time.
Add butter.
Butter will help prevent foaming. 

Bring to full rolling boil, a boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add pectin, stirring constantly.

Return to a full boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.

Skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch head space.

Clean rims of jars and cap with 2-part lids.

Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove from canner and cool. 

Makes nine 1/2 pint jars.

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Thousand Island Salad Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup finely minced celery
• 2 teaspoon confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced
• 1 hard-boiled egg, sieved

Mix first 6 ingredients together and chill.
Just before serving add sieved hard-boiled egg.

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Bacon and Eggs Stuffed Tomato Salad



Bacon and Egg Stuffed Tomato Salad

• 6 medium tomatoes
• 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• paprika

Cut tops from tomatoes. 
Scoop out pulp leaving shells intact.
Drain tomato shells.
Chop and drain tomato pulp.
Combine tomato pulp, eggs, celery, mayonnaise, bacon, parsley, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle tomato cavities with salt and pepper.
Fill tomato shells with mixture.
Sprinkle with paprika.
Chill until serving.

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Southern Butter Beans

Fresh from the garden

2 cups fresh shelled butter beans

1 1/2 cups water

1  ounce of salt pork

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt

salt to taste

Carefully wash and pick over the beans.
Put the beans in a pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
The beans will produce a lot of foam, skim foam off.
When the foaming stops add salt pork, oil and salt.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender.
Taste carefully for seasoning.
The amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your seasoning meat was.  
Serve hot with cornbread and fresh sliced tomatoes

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Muffins

• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 7 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook sausage until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles.
Drain and set aside.
Whisk 5 eggs in small bowl, scramble over low heat until soft curds form.  Set aside.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
Mix together 2 eggs, milk and oil.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened.
Fold 2/3 cup cheese, sausage and scrambled eggs into batter.
Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of each muffin.
Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Serve warm.

Tips:
Yield 18 muffins.
Make ahead, store in refrigerator.  Reheat in micro-wave 45 seconds.
Freeze cooled muffins in sealable freezer bags for longer storage.


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Perfect Baked Potato

• Idaho baking potato
• vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• salt and pepper
• butter
• sour cream

Scrub potato.
Prick with fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
Rub potato with oil.
Roll in salt.
Bake on oven rack at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tender.
Immediately slit potato when you remove it from oven.
Cut a X in top.
Hold hot potato with towel and push in to fluff.
Season with salt and pepper
Add butter.
Serve with sour cream.

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Mayonnaise Muffins

Easy last minute quick bread.

 

 

 

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup half and half or milk

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
Grease a 6-cup muffin tin.
Spoon batter into muffin tin.
Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes.

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Heirloom Tomato Salad

• 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 3 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, halved if small or cut into wedges if medium or large

Mix together red-wine vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard.
Add oil slowly, whisking constantly until dressing is emulsified.
Add tomatoes and toss in dressing to coat.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Tomato Jam

 A tangy condiment for crab or shrimp cakes. 

 

• 7 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon canning salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

 

 

Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer about 45 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated.

Ladle hot jam into prepared jars to 1/4 inch of top.

Top with two-piece lids.

Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Makes six half-cup jars.

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Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

 

• 2 5-ounces cans solid white Albacore tuna, drained
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup
• 2 tablespoons pickle relish
• 1/3 cup minced onions
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 medium firm-ripe tomatoes
• paprika
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 1 Granny Smith apples, sliced thinly
• crackers

 

Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend
Place tomato stem side down. Make 6 vertical cuts almost through tomato to form 6 petals.
Stuff at serving time.
Garnish with paprika, egg halves and apple slices.
Serve with crackers.

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Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

• 2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill

Toss cucumbers, sugar and salt together.
Stir in vinegar and dill.
Chill 2 hours before serving.

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Southern Field Peas

Nothing says summer like fresh purple-hulled peas and sliced ripe tomatoes.   A pot of peas simmered with cured pork and served with cornbread is as iconic Southern as it gets.

 

 

• 4 cups fresh shelled field peas, any variety
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 ounces of salt pork
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 small whole okra pods
• Salt and pepper to taste

Carefully wash and pick over the peas.
Put the peas in a pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
The peas will produce a lot of foam, skim foam off.
When the foaming stops add salt pork, oil and salt.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Place okra pods on top of the peas, cover the pot, and simmer another 15 minutes or until the peas are tender.
Taste carefully for seasoning.
The amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your seasoning meat was.  
Serve hot with cornbread, fresh sliced tomatoes and a few slices of sweet onion.

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Field pea and cowpea are names used for the southern pea. There are numerous types and varieties with many old family favorites. Gardeners classify peas in the following ways: seed color, pea size and shape, and pod color. Small-sized pea and pod types are referred to as lady peas. Other common types are crowders, creams, blackeyes, pinkeyes, purple hulls, and silver skins.
This legume is really not a pea, but a bean. Dried mature  field peas are high in protein (24%) and a complete protein. Unlike many other legumes, field peas are also a complete protein when picked fresh. The protein content in the fresh pea is lower, due to higher water content, but fresh peas have an excellent essential amino acid profile.

No Knead Artisan Bread

A crusty classic boule.

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 1/2 cups unsifted unbleached all-purpose flour

Add the yeast to the water in a five-quart bowl.
Mix in the flour and salt.  Kneading is unnecessary.
Let rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse about two hours.
Dough can be used at any time after this first rise.
Store the dough in the refrigerator in a lidded, but not airtight container.
Use it over the next 14 days.
The flavor and texture improves over time becoming more like sourdough.
To make a loaf sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour.
Cut off a grapefruit-size piece of dough using a serrated knife.
Add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands.
Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
Rest the loaf and let it rise for about 40 minutes
Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period.
Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place an empty pan for holding water on bottom rack.
Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour.
Slash a quarter-inch deep cross, diagonal lines, or tic-tac-toe pattern on top using a serrated knife.
After a 20-minutes preheat of oven put bread in oven, even though the oven thermometer won't be at full temperature yet.
Pour about one cup of hot water into the empty pan and close the oven to trap the steam.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch.

Printable Recipe

Tip:

Bake bread on a pizza stone.   An unglazed tile or clay pot drip pan may also be used.
Recipe makes three to four loaves.

Cost  about forty-four cents a loaf
Flour    1.23
yeast &
salt          .08

Shrimp Egg Rolls

 

Shrimp Egg Rolls

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced thinly
• 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch julienne strips
• 1 small red pepper, cut into 1-inch julienne strips
• 1 head Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 20 egg roll wrappers
• 1 1/2 cups cooked minced shrimp

In a skillet, stir-fry the ginger and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil about 30 seconds.
Add green onions, carrots, and red pepper and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.
In a bowl, combine the water, soy sauce, and sugar.
Add the Napa cabbage and water mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Add sesame oil, cool for 15 minutes, and strain.
Fold in the minced shrimp.
Fill and roll the egg roll wrappers, using 2 tablespoons of filling for each roll.
Place the wrapper with one corner of the diamond closest to you.
Place filling in the center of the wrapper.
Roll the corner closest to you over the filling.
Brush the top corner with water.
Fold in the sides of the wrapper and continue rolling the egg roll up until it is closed.
Press to seal.
In a skillet set over moderately high heat, heat the remaining oil and saute the egg rolls until golden brown on all sides.
Serve with dipping sauce.

Printable Recipe
 

 

Dipping Sauce

 

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

                        
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Tip: 
Store fresh ginger roots in freezer.  It grates easier when frozen.
Eggrolls may be made ahead and frozen.

 

Gulf Shrimp Boil

Boiled shrimp doesn't have to be just for a party or a crowd.  Spicy shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes makes a great summer meal when paired with a summer salad. 

• 3 quarts water
• 1/2 cup Zatarain's Crab Boil seasoning
• 8 new red small potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 ears fresh corn, cut in half
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 pounds shrimp in shells

 

In an 8-quart pot, bring Zatarain's Crab Boil, water and potatoes to boil on high heat. 

Add onion and lemon halves.

Cook 13 minutes.

Add corn and sausage.
Continue to cook 7 minutes.

Add shrimp.

Remove from heat.

Let sit for 10 minutes.
Drain and dump contents in the center of a newspaper-covered table. 

Sprinkle additional Zatarain's Crab Boil seasoning over the top for flavor.

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