Ricotta Dumplings with Dole® Raspberry Sauce

I am so honored to be a part of the fun with Dole Packaged Foods ‘Live on Green’ Food Blogger Blast Party 2016 Rose Parade where Dole California Cook-Off Champion Ally Phillips of What's for Dinner, Ally's Kitchen will perform live cooking demonstrations and share quick and fun recipes featuring Dole Packaged Foods’ products. She will showcase this recipe and several others at the Dole Bistro where she'll be cooking 'live on green' December 29 and 30th as part of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

On January 1, tune in to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade where Dole Packaged Food’s float, “Soaring Over Paradise,” explores the world’s rainforests. The float includes four waterfalls, a zip line that travels through the rainforest canopy and a flock of Macaws that appear to take flight over the floral gardens.

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 package (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent roll dough

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup DOLE® Frozen Raspberries

1/4 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine ricotta, mascarpone, vanilla and powdered sugar in a bowl.  Stir to combine.

Roll out the crescent roll and press into a muffin tin.  If using a crescent roll sheet, roll out the sheet and cut into eight squares.   Drop 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture into the center.  Pull up opposite sides to make a pouch.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat, and add butter, raspberries and jam.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.  Dust dumplings with additional powdered sugar, if desired.  Serve sauce with dumplings.

These dumplings are light, fluffy, sweet and tart! Dole California Cook-Off Champion Ally Phillips of Ally’s Kitchen will prepare these warm, golden brown Ricotta and Marscarpone cheese dumplings topped with a DOLE® raspberry sauce. They’re so DOLE-ightful.

Miniature Dole® Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

I am so honored to be a part of the fun with Dole Packaged Foods ‘Live on Green’ Food Blogger Blast Party 2016 Rose Parade where Dole California Cook-Off Champion Ally Phillips of What's for Dinner, Ally's Kitchen will perform live cooking demonstrations and share quick and fun recipes featuring Dole Packaged Foods’ products. She will showcase this recipe and several others at the Dole Bistro where she'll be cooking 'live on green' December 29 and 30th as part of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

On January 1, tune in to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade where Dole Packaged Food’s float, “Soaring Over Paradise,” explores the world’s rainforests. The float includes four waterfalls, a zip line that travels through the rainforest canopy and a flock of Macaws that appear to take flight over the floral gardens.

2 cans (20 oz. each) Dole pineapple slices
1/3 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow or pineapple flavored cake mix
9 maraschino cherries, cut in half 

Drain pineapple; reserve juice.

Stir together the butter and brown sugar. Evenly divide sugar mixture into 18 (2/3 cup each) muffin cups* coated with cooking spray.

Lightly press well-drained pineapple slices into sugar mixture. Place cherries in the center of the pineapple, slice side up.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions, replacing amount of water called for with reserved juice. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Loose edges and invert onto cookie sheet.

*Note - If muffin cup is smaller than 2/3 cup, it will not be large enough to hold pineapple slice and batter. I used some small rounded ramekins to make mine fit perfectly!

These mini cakes are moist and delicious! Everybody was coming in the kitchen asking me what smelled so delicious! They won't sit around long no matter what occasion you make them for this new year!

Southern Whole Hog Bar-B-Que & Rice and Hash

The Elliott family always has a big BBQ for big occasions around the holidays. Years back they were held at "The Cabin", way back in the swamp behind my parent's and Grandparent's homes. Oh, the memories that it all brings back. The men would get together early in the morning and BBQ a whole hog over live coals.  

That's what we call a "Pig Pickin"!

Whole Hog BBQ

 The "good" meat under the ribs!

When I was growing up we had hog head hash. It is made with the head, heart, and the liver... no part of the hog was wasted. Now, I use Boston Butts. (which is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the blade bone)

In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt".

3lbs pork butt*

1/2lb liver, cooked (optional)

1lb peeled potatoes

1 onion

juice from cooking the pork

and a great BBQ sauce (like "Daddy's Bar-B-Que Sauce")

Bake pork (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder), covered until it falls apart. (about 3-4 hours at 350 degrees) Save the renderings/broth. In a pot, boil your potatoes and a finely minced onion seasoned with salt. Run meat (fat and all), liver, potato and onion mixture through a meat grinder. (Or grind in food chopper or processor) Place ground mixture back in the broth, add BBQ sauce to consistence of a very thick gravy. Let simmer at a low temp for another hour or two. Serve over white rice.

* Reserve or cook an extra couple of pounds of meat to shred and add sauce to for the BBQ plate or for sandwiches.

If you don't have the sauce or don't know how much seasoning, try this recipe for making it in the crockpot... what can be easier? I still prefer to grind the meat and not chop to get a smoother texture, but that's just me!

CrockPot Hash

5 to 6 lbs Boston butt roasts
1lb. liver
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium onions, peeled and diced

Seasonings: (use only as a guide...)
5 Tbl white vinegar
2 Tbl spicy brown mustard
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Tbl tomato paste
1 stick butter
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Step 1: In a 5-quart crock pot on high. Rub both roasts with salt and cracked pepper, then place in the crock pot. Add the diced potatoes and onions, and then fill the pot with hot water or stock and cover. Let it cook 6 to 7 hours until the meat falls apart. Keep check on the water level.

Step 2: Remove the meat from the pot and pull apart to let cool. Next remove the bone, fat, and connective tissue. Pull the meat apart in small pieces and then give it a light chop. Break up the potatoes and onions in the pot with a potato masher. Return the meat to the pot. Add the butter and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it cook another hour or until it is the consistency you like.

Step 3: Add your seasonings one at a time and taste as you go. Add a little BBQ sauce for a kick or...

Step 4: Serve over your choice of white rice pour sauce over the rice and hash.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Cookies

I wanted to do something different with the cake mix I had on hand. I researched how to turn cake mixes into cookie dough. I decided to turn them into crinkle cookies. They are very easy, pretty and festive looking for the holidays!

1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup Oil

Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, eggs and 1/3 cup vegetable oil using a hand mixer or wooden spoon.

Form teaspoon size balls or scoop with a cookie scoop and roll in powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or baking pan about 2 inches apart. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

Collard Greens and Pork Shanks... Farm Trips with my BFFF Mary!

Yesterday, my BFFF Mary and I went to meet her friends at Russell's hog farm, Sunny Cedars Farm located in Sumter, SC. They got the full tour and bought some yummy pork products free of nitrates, steroids and antibiotics! He gave me some of his new cut shanks! I used one to season some collards! (recipe below) Then Mary and I were off to Willard Farms to pick up some Organically grown Collard Greens!

Collards** and Shanks... Score!

Jay Willard and his son looking for the perfect

bunches of Certified Organic Collards for Mary and me!

Willard Farms is located in Gable, SC.

Their market is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fri/Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m.

803-938-2814

Rows of Organic Collards

These plants are HUGE! Beautiful!

 WOW!

A huge bowl/tote cooked down to one skillet full!

Sauteed Collard Greens **
seasoned with a pork shank slice!

Collards, washed, stemmed and torn into pieces
Grease from frying bacon*
1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
Kosher salt, pepper, all to taste
and a dash of hot sauce

Fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic and collards. Cover and cook until wilted a bit (about 5 minutes).

Sprinkle in the bouillon, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook covered until tender. 

* I used a pork shank from Sunny Cedars Farm. I rendered some of the fat out of the Shank by browning it in a hot cast iron skillet. I moved it to another pan and finished it off in the oven. I pulled the meat out and tore it into chunks and tossed into the collards.

** These collards need NO sugar! They are not bitter at all! These are some of the smoothest, freshest and biggest collards I have ever had! If you are in the area go to Jay Willard's place *Certified Organic* Willard Farms! You will not be disappointed!!!