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Monday, May 30, 2011

Hershey Sundae Pie

Here's the recipe for the famous BK Hershey Pie! It's so yummy, and now you can make it at home!

Crust:

Chocolate crust (store bought or Hershey crumb recipe*)

Layer 1:
8 Ounce cream cheese
3/4 c. powder sugar
8 Ounces cool whip
1 Teaspoon vanilla

Whip cheese till softened, add powdered sugar blend well, add remaining ingredients, blending well, place in crust.

Layer 2:
1 lg. box chocolate pudding milk
Milk

Make pudding as directed minus 1/2 c. milk. Add to pie.

Topping:
Cool Whip
Chocolate curls

Top with more cool whip and chocolate curls.


*Hershey Crumb Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted (can use margarine also)

In small bowl mix together all ingredients until well blended. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Chill to set.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Stuffed Eggplant

Here's another one of Mama's recipes that I love. I can't wait for my eggplant crop to come in so I can make this again. Notice that Mama added a note to my copy of her recipe... Don't forget the cheese :-)

2 Eggplant
½ cup Onion, chopped
1 medium Bell Pepper
3 T Vegetable Oil
½ pound Ground Beef, lean
1 ½ cups Cooked Rice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Bread Crumbs, seasoned
Butter

Place eggplants in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove, cool enough to handle, then cut lengthwise. Remove pulp within 1/2" of skin. Chop and reserve pulp.

Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil for 5 minutes. Add beef and eggplant pulp; simmer until meat is browned. Remove from heat. Add cooked rice, seasonings and Worcestershire. Fill eggplant shells, cover with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 400.

Mama's Notes: “Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before baking…adds a great flavor…”

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Cherry-Cheese Pie

When I was about 10 years old my family went to Summerton Methodist Church. Every time we had a covered dish meal, I would look for this dessert! Some people call this cherry yum yum... but my Mama called it cherry cheese pie.

½ cup Sugar
8 oz Cream Cheese
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Nuts
1 t Vanilla
2 cans Cherry Pie Filling
Pie Crust

Bake pie crust. Blend cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Add nuts and vanilla. Pour in crust. Return to oven 10 minutes at 350. Spread pie filling over cheese layer. Chill. Decorate top with drops of Cool Whip.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mama's Homemade Mayonnaise

I found this note to me in Mama's recipes. Mama always had the opinion that you do what you need to do and take shortcuts when you need to... That doesn't mean that you tell everyone your shortcuts!

When my Grandmama Elliott turned 80 years old, Mama hosted a surprise party for her. She had me and my cousin, DP run to town and pick up two shefflera trees for the the dinning room where she had the food set up. "Miss Ruth" came over to Mama during the party and commented on the beautiful trees. Mama looked at her and said, "Actually, I owe those beautiful trees to the hard work and care of Lynn and DP!" Miss Ruth was flabbergasted, "You're kidding!" I looked at Mama with a puzzled look I guess because she leaned over and whispered, "Just say... I just did what I needed to do! Because that's the truth!" She backed up and smiled and winked at me before she returned to the party.

Judy’s Homemade Mayonnaise
"Duke's Mayonnaise at Piggly Wiggly!"

"Not worth the trouble to make, in my opinion."
"But if you have to try it.......this one's not bad...."

Pour 1/4 cup oil into blender. Add 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 egg, dash salt, and 1/4 tsp dry mustard. Cover and blend. While blender is running, remove cover and add another 3/4 cup oil in slow steady stream. Remove to jar and refrigerate.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Swedish Meatballs

This is my Mama's original Swedish Meatball recipe that has now evolved into the big bag of frozen pre-made meatballs and a bottle of BBQ sauce and grape jelly. Try these and I bet you'll love them.

Meatballs:
1 pound Ground Beef
1 cup Bread Crumbs
½ cup Milk
1 t minced Onion

Sauce:
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
4 T Brown Sugar
1 cup Ketchup

Combine beef, bead crumbs, milk and onion. Roll into balls. Brown in margarine. In sauce pan, combine Worcestershire, vinegar, brown sugar and ketchup, then add meatballs. Simmer in sauce for 30 minutes.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Icings or Frostings

If you will notice by the ingredients and instructions, these are very old recipes. They are older than my Grandmother. I'm just not sure how much older. I love going through my Mama's recipes and finding recipes that were handed down through the years!





Chocolate Icing

Boil: 2T Water & 4 T Sugar
Add: 2/3 cup Crisco, melted
1 box 4X Sugar
1 t Vanilla
½ cup Cocoa
Condensed milk (add as much as needed)

Stir until smooth. Cool and spread on cake.


Peanut Butter Icing

2 cups Sugar
almost 1 small can of milk
½ pint Peanut Butter
1 t Lemon Flavoring

Cook sugar and milk over low heat until ball forms in water. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and flavoring. Stir until smooth. Spread on cake.


Seven Minute Icing

1 cup Sugar
¼ t Salt
½ t Cream of Tartar
2 unbeaten Egg Whites

Place all ingredients in top of double boiler over boiling water. Beat 5 minutes at #9 speed. Spread on 2 9-in layers.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Crab and Sausage Jambalaya

If you know me, you know that I hold off on the bell pepper. That's just me. Bell pepper doesn't agree with me, so I work around it. I had someone comment not too long ago about one ingredient that she didn't like. So, she didn't try the recipe. You don't have to sacrifice the entire recipe because of one ingredient that you don't like. Work around it and substitute something else that you do like.
As I always say, Play with your food! It's fun!!!



1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces andouille sausage or kielbasa, quartered lengthwise and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 1/4 cups jasmine rice (9 ounces)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
3 scallions, finely chopped
Hot sauce, for serving

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the andouille and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the casserole. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the Old Bay, rice and andouille and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, water, tomatoes and bay leaf, season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the crab and scallions. Cover and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the crab is hot; discard the bay leaf. Serve in bowls. Offer hot sauce at the table.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Pecan Kisses

I thought that this is the perfect afternoon snack to have after all the Mother's Day Breakfasts, Brunches and Lunches. A sweet light snack, if you can stop eating them like popcorn! This is another one of Mama's favorite recipes/snacks!


1 Egg White
½ t Vanilla
¼ cup Brown Sugar
2 cups Pecan Halves

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Beat egg white until soft peaks form. Mix in brown sugar and vanilla. Fold in pecans. Place pecan halves on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 250 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn oven off and let sit for another 30 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Healthy Soul Food

I received a request for some healthy southern soul food recipes. I thought I'd also share a little history of what soul food is and how it came about... I hope you enjoy!

"Soul Food"
The Southern-style cooking of Black Americans, labeled as “Soul Food” in the ‘70s, has its roots in American slavery. Most African slaves came from the countries along the coast of West Africa and were taken to North America, South America and the South Sea Islands. They arrived in America stripped of everything but their memories.

Meals put together by the women were often made from food the slave owners had thrown away—pig feet, ham hocks, and intestines (chit’lins). Wild greens, fruits, wild game and produce from small gardens were also used in meals. Using their cooking methods from Africa, the women put together savory dishes, which today are still traditional foods for many African-American families.

Slaves used large amounts of fat, salt and sugar to season their food because it was available. Salt was used as a preservative since they had no refrigeration. Unlike us today, slaves spent long hours in the hot sun working hard and burning off the calories of the foods they ate. Our lives have changed since then. While Soul Food is nutritious, it is often heavy in salt and fat. Too much fat and salt in meals can increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. The challenge is to keep the traditional flavor and “soul” of the meal while reducing the fat and salt.

Until recently African-American recipes, like folktales, were handed down by word of mouth. Traditional cooks did not use measuring cups, measuring spoons, timers or written recipes. They cooked by using their senses, using a pinch of this and a dash of that. They knew food was finished cooking by how it sounded or how it looked. Fried chicken was turned based on the sound it made in the frying pan and corn bread was cooked until golden brown.

African-American cooking varies from state to state depending on the African nation from which their ancestors came and the region of the US they settled. After the Civil War, freed slaves migrated to the north bringing their traditional cooking with them. Meals had ingredients based on the local availability of food as well as some ingredients that came from other cultures.
 
BBQ Shrimp

1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup fish stock or water
4 Tbsp. minced garlic , about 8 cloves
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 bay leaf
1 pound medium shrimp , peeled and deveined
12 metal or wood skewers*

*Note: If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before use to prevent burning.

Combine all ingredients, except shrimp and skewers, in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool to room temperature. Put the shrimp in a container and pour the sauce over them. Cover and refrigerate for 3 1/2 hours or up to overnight, turning shrimp once halfway through. When ready to cook, drain the shrimp, reserving sauce. Return sauce to a small pot and heat until boiling. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Place 3 or 4 shrimp on each skewer.

Heat a charcoal grill or grill pan over medium heat. Cook the skewered shrimp about 2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp are pink and firm to the touch. Serve hot with reserved sauce for dipping.


Savory Triple Corn Grits

2 large ears fresh sweet corn , kernels scraped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion , diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic , minced
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup stone-ground grits
Freshly ground white pepper

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Turn off heat, add corn kernels, and let sit for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil; add onion, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes more. Set aside half of onion mixture in a small bowl. Add reserved corn to pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix cornmeal and grits well. In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and grits until no lumps remain, return to a boil, then quickly reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent grits from sticking to bottom of pan, until grits have absorbed most of the liquid and are thickening, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and simmer 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in corn-onion mixture. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until grits are soft and fluffy, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with onion mixture.


Southern Collard Greens and Ham Hock
Traditionally wild greens or greens from small gardens were seasoned with smoked meat such as ham hocks, fatback or a ham bone. Sometimes greens and vegetables with different flavors were mixed. Pot likker, the highly seasoned liquid that remains after greens are cooked, is rich in vitamins and minerals. When greens were served, the leftover pot likker and cornbread were often served the next day.

In slave kitchens, meat was often scarce. In the song “Ham Bone”. . .
"Ham bone, ham bone, where you been?
Around the world and back again”

. . .refers to the practice of sharing a ham bone to season greens. The ham bone was shared with different slave families and then returned to the owner. Even today many African American cooks would not think of cooking greens without ham hocks or fatback, but smoked turkey parts can be substituted producing the same flavor with less salt and fat.
 
This recipe is for the beginner that may have never cooked or even eaten collard greens. It is a basic southern soul food method of cooking collard greens.

Ingredients:
4 pounds collard greens
2 ham hocks
1 teaspoon sugar
1 hot pepper pod
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
water

Cookware and Utensils:
1 Dutch Oven
1 cutting board
1 sharp knife

Recipe Instructions:
As always the key to great cooking is to be prepared and use quality ingredients.

Selection of collard greens is very important. Go to your local grocery store or farmer's market and select 5 pounds of young leafy collard greens. You will select more than the recipe calls for because some leaves will be unusable and the large stems will be cut off and discarded. Also, remember that the greens shrink at least by half in the cooking process. So it's more than you think.

Start off by cooking your ham hocks. You can find ham hocks in most grocery stores near the ham section in the meat department. If you don't see them, ring for the meat dept and ask for them. Place ham hocks in a Dutch oven. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover meat and simmer until tender. This should take about 1 hour. Don't allow the water to cook out.

While the ham hocks are cooking, go ahead and prepare your greens for cooking. Rinse your greens several times under cold water to remove dirt or sand. After greens are clean, stack several leaves on top of each other. Using a cutting board and knife, roll the leaves together and cut leaves into 1 inch thick strips.

When your ham hocks become tender go ahead and add more water, the collards, sugar, hot peppers and garlic powder to the Dutch oven. Add greens to the pot until the pot is full. Most likely all of the greens will not fit. Just allow the greens to cook down and continue adding until all of your greens fit in the Dutch oven. Cover greens and continue to simmer for about 1 hour, until greens are tender. Stir your greens often and keep sufficient water level so all the collards simmer. About halfway through cooking, add salt and pepper to taste.