Red
It is not required by any means but it always helps to have humor in the kitchen!
When the family gets together my kids love telling the story of when I re-inacted a Lowery Season Salt commercial. Lowery’s used to come in a glass container and in the 80’s they switched to plastic. The Lowery commercial touted the amazing ability of the new container to bounce on the floor and not break.
The girls were with me in the kitchen and the I said to them, “Hey, watch this!” I start reciting the commercial and used a Vanna White whisk of the hand to show off the the amazing NEW plastic shaker bottle of Lowery's in my hand. With a look of surprise on my face, I "accidentally" dropped the bottle onto the floor, fully expecting the beautiful bounce as shown in the commercial. Well that didn't happen..... it broke all over the floor and we all busted out laughing...
Oh well! Laughter is good medicine!
Red
You know in today's fast paced society, home cooking seems to have gone a wee bit to the wayside. My grandmother raised me and every meal, breakfast. lunch and dinner, were all full course meals with very little from a can, frozen (that wasn't garden grown) or microwaved. I sometimes wished I had that time now but as I don't, I try to make at least one thing from scratch when we do sit down to a meal or have quests over. These rolls are pretty easy and it seems everyone likes homemade breads!
Ingredients:1c warm water
2 pkg. yeast
2 c flour
2t baking powder
1t salt
2T oil
2T sugar
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour, baking powder, salt, oil and sugar. Mix well. Knead and let rise in a greased bowl for 15 to 30 minutes or double in size. Knead again. Pinch into rolls and dip in melted butter. Let rise again until doubled. Bake 400 until lightly browned.
Red
Louisiana rates up there as one of the most interesting places I have lived in my life. The people, the places and the cooking is to die for! This is a recipe I learned to make while living there and is one of my favorites. Along with boiled crawfish, crawfish enchiladas and crawfish pie. Blackened Alligator tail isn't to shabby either!
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. Shrimp – peeled
1 lb. Crabmeat
1 doz. Oysters
1 lb. Smoked Sausage - sliced
3 c Rice
1 sm. Can Tomato Sauce
1 large Onion
2/3 c Parsley – chopped
2/3 c Bell Pepper – chopped
2/3 c Cooking Oil
Boil rice and set aside.
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Red
This is out of my husbands family recipes. It is easy, so easy my sister could make it and impress her co-workers at the next pot luck they have!
INGREDIENTS:
1 can French cut green beans - drained
1 can green peas - drained
1 large onion – cut in rings
1 bell pepper - de-seeded and sliced in thin slices
½ c celery
½ c sugar
½ c vinegar
1/3 c oil
½ t salt
Mix vegetables together. In a separate container mix the sugar, vinegar, oil and salt until blended. Pour over vegetables and refrigerate overnight.
Red
These I have been making since I was a little girl. They are a great cookie, not super sweet, makes a large quantity and stores well! Great for gifting also!
Ingredients• 1 C Shortening
• 2 C Sugar
• 3 Eggs – beaten
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 C Sour Cream
• 5 C Flour
• 3 t Baking Powder
• 1 t Salt
• ½ t Baking Soda
• 1 ½ C Walnuts – chopped
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar; then add in eggs, vanilla, sour cream and mix well. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture and blend well. Stir in the walnuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
Mix up in a small bowl, 3 T Sugar and 1 t cinnamon. Grease the bottom of a flat glass, dip in sugar mix and then press onto dropped cookies. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until edges are lightly brown.
Makes 6 dozen.
Red
This goes on the list of things I can't live without. I purchased mine from Pampered Chef but a good garlic press can be found at a good cooking store. It's worth the money honey!
Kitchenware:NewGarlic Press
#2576 $16.00
I also use mine for mincing peppers when making sauces...Great for ginger, too!
Red
I love cheese! I love cheese about as much as I love a great dessert. That's a lot! This is a great recipe for this time of year as summer squash is in abundance.
Ingredients1 T vegetable oil
6 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 T butter
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 c grated Swiss Cheese
1 c shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 c sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sleeve crackers, crushed medium to fine
DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Red
This is one of my favorite cheesecakes. It doesn't have to much pumpkin to be only for the fall or winter holidays and a shot of Bourbon is always good for the soul. The sauce is also great on ice cream!
Crust1/4 c butter, melted
3/4 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c crispy crushed gingersnaps
1 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
Filling24 ounces cream cheese – softened
1 ¼ c sugar
1c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1 c canned pumpkin
3 eggs - room temperature
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
Sauce1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c whipping cream
2 T bourbon or 1 t vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Red
The next recipe I want to share this week is a Cheesecake recipe. In preparation for that, I first wanted to share tips for making a cheesecakes that I learned from my grandmother. We'll call her Nannie. Cause that is what we called her....
Dental floss can be used for cutting cheesecakes. It makes nice, smooth cuts and no “build up” like you get on a knife.
Bake cheesecakes, especially large ones, in a water bath. This helps produce a texture that is creamy almost custard-like and the cheesecake to cook evenly.
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Red
I love to cook! It's as simple as that. I love making tasty things that make people's mouths smile.
So to start, I am sharing with you a simple but tasty coffee drink. I like Mocha Coffee but times being what they are, I can't always afford to buy one at the local Coffee house. If you like Mocha, you'll love the ease of this recipe:
MOCHA COFFEE
Ingredients
1 cup hot brewed STRONG coffee
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Ghirardelli)
1 T white sugar
2 T half and half
Directions
1. Pour hot coffee into a mug. Stir in cocoa, sugar and milk.How simple was that! Mocha Coffee for cents a cup.
Suggestions:
Don't skimp on the Cocoa Powder, quality powder does make the difference!
Lower the calories and use whole milk and Splenda.
Cool it down and pour it over ice.
AH! Mocha Coffee, a relaxing Sunday morning and CBS Sunday Morning!
Sauté onion over med low heat in oil until almost brown, then add Shrimp and cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add parsley, shallots and bell pepper; sauté 10 minutes, stirring. Add smoked sausage and cook for 10 minutes. Add 3 cups water and cook ½ hour over medium heat. Add oysters and crabmeat; cook 15 minutes then salt and pepper to taste. Add rice a little at a time, steadily stirring, until all rice is added. Heat over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serves 5 to 6 people.