Black Eyed Peas Casserole for New Years Day

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, December 30, 2014

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I first posted this recipe back in 2007.  My elderly next door neighbor gave it to me and she's gone now but she was such a wonderful cook.  Pair this with some crusty fresh bread and a green salad and it’s just the best, ever!!!

So here it is again, if you make black-eyed peas for luck on New Years Day, this is a winner!

2 cans black-eyed peas, I drain and rinse for a more subtle flavor
2 cans italian stewed tomatoes  
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, with casing removed  or you can use 1 lb. of Polska kielbasa instead of Italian sausage
1 large onion  
2 tablespoons of italian seasoning  
1 teaspoon of oregano, if desired 

Small pasta, I like ditalini or Creamettes small shells

Brown onion and sausage, drain, crumble and dump all in a crockpot, simmer on high for 3-4 hours, meanwhile cook a cup or so of pasta, any small pasta will work and stir it in at the end.  

This is so good, and so easy….

Enjoy and Happy New Year

Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, December 10, 2014

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Oh so easy for the holidays.  Just precook the bacon a bit, roll in the cinnamon rolls and bake for 12 minutes.  

Just had to share ~ Jan

A Lodge Cast Iron update for you...

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, December 05, 2014

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I was making these grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch (that’s 1 carb bread ladies, and it’s awesome).  I’m now using cast iron almost exclusively and loving it.  It gives food such wonderful flavor and I took a deep breath and listened to my sons, I don’t use soap on my skillets, I  soak them a bit in hot water and use my trusty Lodge scrubber on them.  This was really hard for me to do, but I’ve done it for a few months and hubby and I haven’t had food poisoning, so it must be okay.  And the best part, my skillets are now as smooth as a babies bottom, I can even fry eggs in them with no sticking.

So, I have a few favorite things to show you.   The first is a Lodge Scrub Brush.  John had one of these, I told Ryan about them, he looked them up on Amazon and we both ordered.

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\What a great brush this is, I use it exclusively on my cast iron and it does a fine job.  $9.97 Prime, it’s a great price, too! 

Here’s the link

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Then I bought the Lodge Silicone handle.  It fits all sizes of Lodge skillets, and keeps your hands cool when you use them.  It’s only $6.00 Prime.

You can buy it here

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And for only $4.62 you can get these great pot scrapers.  Perfect for getting all of the residue off your skillets when you’re washing them.  It’s not Prime, but it is an add-on.  Here’s the click

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And finally, this grill scraper.  You all know how hard it is to get between the ridges of a grill pan, well this little gadget will fix that problem for only $4.43 or $9.99 for a four pack, all Prime.

Here’s the link

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I bought this 9” preseasoned skillet back in September specifically to make this Trisha Yearwood’s appe recipe that I posted on Jan CAN Cook.  This pie is a winner, and just as good, if not better with peach pie filling.  Want the recipe?  Grab it here!

But back to this 9” skillet.  It’s fantastic, my grab it every day, go to skillet of choice.  It’s on Amazon for $23.22 Prime and worth every penny.  A must have if you want to make that pie, a larger skillet won’t work.  Here’s the link to the skillet

These Lodge accessories would make great stocking stuffers, that pie would be amazing during the holidays, but you really do need to treat yourself to this skillet.  I’m telling you, it’s the perfect size!  

And I also have a great blog entry on how to make old cast iron new again, hubby is working on that little project for you.  It’s coming in a week or so… ~ Jan

Thanksgiving Recipes

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 24, 2014

It’s that time of year again, and I have Thanksgiving recipes from several years ago that my friends shared with me.  Busy day, but here’s a quick link, I’ll put them in the sidebar later.

Just click on the picture, you will link to the original file and from there, just click on individual recipes.  They’re good ones!!!!

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And while I’m at it, I might as well give you the link to the Christmas ones, too.

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20 Creative Pie Crimping Techniques

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 16, 2014

 

 

Just in time for Thanksgiving.  Thanks, Libby!!!!

Hammie Sammies, the Creamy Version

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 16, 2014

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After I posted my recipe for Hammie Sammies, my cousin, Phyllis emailed me with her version.  This one has mayo and Phyl is a great cook, so I’m sure it’s yummy!

I pound baked ham
1 dozen dinner rolls ( the Hawaiian rolls are too sweet for our taste).

I mix about 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup salad dressing together .. Add garlic powder and onion powder to taste

Spray bottom of pan with Pam

Cut rolls in half .. Spread a light coating of mayo mixture on rolls

I take ham and cheese and alternate on bun

I use mozzarella or provolone cheese

After I get all 12 rolls assemblied I brush a brown sugar mixture on top of them

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
Garlic powder to taste
Onion powder to taste
Dab of Worchester sauce

I melt all in saucepan

Put in refrigerator about an hour or overnight

Bake at 350 degrees till cheese is melted - about 20 minutes

I have used roast beef and pepper jack cheese

I like them on croissants

Hammie Sammies

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 14, 2014

 

Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches | Lunch | King s Hawaiian Recipes


Hammie Sammies are a huge hit, my friend Nisha made them for a tailgating party and declared them a “must try.”  My neighbor, Julie had them at a shower and said they were fantastic.  This is on our family’s list to make this holiday season, since you make them the night before, it’s an easy fix ahead meal to pop into the oven during this busy time.

Here’s a variation of the original recipe from King’s Hawaiian Rolls

Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Serving Info: 12 people

Ingredients

1 pound deli ham shaved

1 pound swiss cheese thinly sliced

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 12-pack  KING’S HAWAIIAN Savory Butter Dinner Rolls (you won’t need all of these, but you do need two packages to fill a 9x13 pan

Optional:  1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds

Preparation

1. Melt butter, saute onions until soft and whisk in dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds if desired

2. Cut the entire pack of rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves separately intact).

3. In a 9x13 inch pan sprayed with Pam, place bottom half of rolls and cover with ham and cheese.  You will need to use a few rolls from the 2nd pack to fill the pan.

4. Cover ham and cheese stacks with top half of rolls.

5. Drizzle butter mixture over top of rolls, making sure onion is evenly distributed.

6. Refrigerate over night.

7. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes and, once finished, separate for serving.

Some recipes call for part of the sauce to be drizzled over the ham and cheese, then put on the top roll and drizzle on the rest.  Nisha just drizzled hers over the top and it worked great.

Taste this before drizzling to see if you want additional mustard or Worcestershire Sauce, some people prefer it a bit more tangy...

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Perfect Chicken and Dumplings

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 10, 2014

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Yes, these are wonderful.  Stephanie, from So Simply Stephanie,  has a post about how to make them, the lady knows her stuff.

Check out the how to’s here...

Turtle Pretzels

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 10, 2014

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Super Easy!!!

Ingredients:

1 10 oz. bag Mini Pretzels

1 8 oz. package Unwrapped Rolos

1 small package pecan halves

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.Put parchment paper on a baking sheet.Lay pretzels down on the parchment paper.

Place a Rolo on each pretzel.Bake for 3-5 minutes watching for them to soften but not melt.

Take out of the oven and add 1 pecan half per pretzel.Let cool completely.

 

 

 

German Chocolate Pie, oh my....

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 05, 2014

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Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold lard
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
  • FILLING:
  • 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • TOPPING:
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

  • In a small bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in lard until crumbly.
  • Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds
 together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. 
  • Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to
  • a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry
  • to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Line unpricked pastry
  • with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans
  • or uncooked rice.
  • Bake 11-13 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Remove foil
  • and weights; bake 6-8 minutes longer or until light brown. Cool on a
  • wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 350°.
  • In a microwave, melt chocolates in a large bowl; stir until smooth.
  • Cool slightly. Whisk in milk, egg yolks and vanilla; stir in pecans.
  • Pour into crust. Bake 16-19 minutes or until set. Cool 1 hour on a
  • wire rack.
  • Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream and
  • butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve
  • sugar. Remove from heat.
  • In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks;
  • return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook 2-3 minutes or until
  • mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160°, stirring
  • constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla; cool 10
  • minutes.
  • Pour over filling; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate 4 hours or until
  • cold. Yield: 8 servings.
 
SHORT VERSION... pie shell cooked till golden brown, chocolate pie filling in shell , then can of german chocolate icing on top of this... nuts ,shaved chocolate, and cool whip to garnishNutritional Facts: 
1 piece equals 801 calories, 54 g fat (24 g saturated fat), 215 mg cholesterol, 227 mg sodium, 75 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 12 g protein.
Recipe Source: Taste of Home



Laura Bush's Texas Buttermilk Coconut Cream Pie

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 05, 2014

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1 unbaked nine-inch pie shell

½ stick melted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut, plus ½ cup of toasted coconut for garnish

1/3 cup buttermilk

Mix ingredients, pour into pie shell, and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until set.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet, add 1/2 cup of coconut and toast until golden brown.  Garnish the pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Adapted from a recipe from Americas-Table

Lemon Filled Croissants

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, October 23, 2014

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I found this recipe on The English Kitchen.  It’s a must try for all the lemon lovers in my life.  I’m posting the recipe, but please go to the original poster’s website for complete instructions and pictures.  These look AMAZING!!!!!  Here’s the original link

Lemon Filled Croissants

*Lemon Filled Croissants*
Makes 6

Quick, easy and only using four ingredients.  (Five if you count the cardamom) Buttery soft croissants filled with tangy
lemon curd,dusted with demerara sugar and ground cardamom and baked to perfection.

1 package of refrigerated croissant dough
6 heaped TBS of good quality lemon curd
6 TBS *demerara sugar
milk to brush
ground cardamom to dust (optional)
Icing sugar to dust (optional)

Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking tray with baking parchment.   Lightly spray the paper
with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

Unroll your croissant dough, and cut apart into 6 triangles.   Place one portion of lemon curd at the wide end of each
croissant.  Gently spread it down about half way the length of the dough towards the point, and leaving the edges free.  
Roll up,starting at the wide end towards the small point, totally encasing the lemon curd.   Gently twist either end
closed and place each on the prepared baking sheet, narrow pointed side down.  Brush each with some milk. 

Sprinkle with the *demerara sugar and dust lightly with ground cardamom if desired.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.  Remove from the oven.   Serve warm and dusted with
icing sugar if desired.
 
*substitute demerara sugar with regular or coarse sugar

Trisha Yearwood's Skillet Apple Pie

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, September 13, 2014

Skillet Apple Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Recipe  Trisha Yearwood  Food Network

What’s not to love, apples, cinnamon, buttery pie.  And it only takes a few minutes to make.  This is a must-try in my kitchen, maybe it is in yours, too.  

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts, such as Pillsbury
One 21-ounce can apple pie filling
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar


Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; set aside 1 tablespoon of the melted butter for the top crust. To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and melt them together on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and line the skillet with one of the pie crusts. Pour the apple pie filling over the crust and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling. Brush the top with the reserved melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar on top. Cut vents in the middle of the pie. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of cinnamon whipped cream.

Cinnamon whipped cream:

Chill a large metal mixing bowl and a wire beater attachment in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Pour the cream, cinnamon and sugar into the cold mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes; the mixture should hold its shape when dropped from a spoon. Don't overbeat or you'll have sweetened butter!

Photo courtesy of  FoodTV




Tupelo Honey Buttermilk Biscuits

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, September 08, 2014

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"A good biscuit starts with good flour," says Jason Roy, owner of Biscuit Head who serves the famous Tupelo Honey Cathead Biscuits. Like many Southern cooks, he uses self-rising flour because it's pre-mixed to include a blend of hard and soft wheat as well as a leavening ingredient for the perfect rise—something you can't get in plain all-purpose, cake, or pastry flour. (Want to reallydo as the Southerners do? Try White Lily self-rising flour, available nationwide at specialty supermarkets and online.)

Whether you use shortening, lard or butter as your fat of choice, "snap it in" like Brian Sonoskus, chef of Tupelo Honey Café, does. "Pinch the flour and fat together like you're snapping your fingers," he explains. This creates thin sheets of butter that create puff pastry-like layers in your biscuits.

For soft and fluffy biscuits, blend the liquid and dry ingredients just until the dough "resembles cottage cheese," Sonoskus says. This stops you from activating too much gluten in the flour and ending up with a tougher biscuit that doesn't rise as high. But even if you mix too much, don't worry. "Denser biscuits have their place—they're better for making sandwiches," he rationalizes.

Gently shape biscuits with an ice cream scoop instead of a biscuit cutter. That's what Roy does to make Biscuit Head's oversized cathead biscuits, so-called because they're as big as a cat's noggin. Whether you make them big or small, it's an incredibly easy and foolproof technique. Don't have a spring-loaded scoop? Use a measuring cup and a silicone spatula.

Use real buttermilk if you can get it. Both chefs pledge allegiance to Asheville-based Cruze Dairy's whole-milk buttermilk for its unsurpassed creaminess and acidity. Look for local farms in your area to get the good stuff, not the watery low-fat substitutions found at the supermarket.

Ready to try it yourself? Here's Tupelo Honey's much-sought-after recipe:

Tupelo Honey Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 10 biscuits

  • 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup chilled shortening, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425°F and position the oven rack slightly below the center of the oven. Lightly butter a round cake pan or cast-iron skillet.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Snap the pieces of shortening with your fingers until the shortening pieces are no larger than peas. Make a well in the mixture and pour in the cream and ⅔ cup of the buttermilk. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, sweep in the flour and turn the dough until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough resembles cottage cheese, adding enough of the remaining ⅓ cup buttermilk to reach this consistency.

Sprinkle the rolling surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface and sprinkle the top with flour. With floured hands, fold the dough in half and pat the dough into a ⅓- to ½-inch-thick round, using additional flour as needed. Flour again if necessary and fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still clumpy, repeat the folding process for a third time. Pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter into the flour and cut out biscuits, ensuring you do not twist the cutter.

Place the biscuits in the pan, sides slightly touching. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until light golden brown, rotating the pan 180°F after 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the biscuits again with melted butter.

Reprinted with permission from Tupelo Honey Cafe: New Southern Flavors from the Blue Ridge Mountains by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2014.

Limoncello Tom Collins

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, July 09, 2014

 

Tom Collins

 

1½ cups good vodka, such as Grey Goose 
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (6 lemons) 
6 tablespoons sugar syrup (see note) 
¼ cup Italian Limoncello liqueur 
1½ cups cold club soda, such as Pelligrino 
Ice cubes 
Sliced lemon, for serving 

Combine the vodka, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and Limoncello in a large pitcher. Just before serving, pour in the club soda and stir. Fill highball glasses with ice and pour the mixture over the ice. Garnish each drink with a slice of lemon and serve cold.

Makes 4-6 drinks

LEMONADE PIE, NOT THE ONE YOU'RE USED TO...

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, July 02, 2014

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I first posted this recipe back in 2009, it’s a family favorite and worth repeating.  Perfect for the 4th of July weekend, with fresh blueberries and strawberries for garnish… ~ Jan

Prep: 10 min., Freeze: 4 hrs.

Yield

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2  (5-oz.) cans evaporated milk
  • 2  (3.4-oz.) packages lemon instant pudding mix
  • 2  (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 2  (3-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1  (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, completely  thawed
  • 1  (9-oz.) ready-made prepared graham cracker crust
  • Garnishes: whipped cream, fresh mint sprigs, lemon slices

Preparation

1. Whisk together evaporated milk and pudding mix in a bowl 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Beat cream cheeses at medium speed with an electric mixer, using whisk attachment, until fluffy. Add lemonade concentrate, beating until blended; add pudding mixture, and beat until blended.
3. Pour into crust; freeze 4 hours or until firm. Garnish, if desired.

Note:  The original recipe called for partially thawed lemonade concentrate – that’s what I did, but when I incorporated it with the softened cream cheese, the cream cheese congealed into small pieces, and it was really difficult to get it smooth again.  This can easily be remedied by using thawed concentrate.  ~ jan

Oprah's Lemon Drop Martini's

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, June 30, 2014

Lemon drop martini

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