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Showing posts with the label Southern

The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls take only minutes to rise.  Bake for 15 minutes, and then ready to eat.  Don't forget to drizzle lavishly with powdered sugar icing. HEAVENLY HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS These are the most straightforward cinnamon rolls from scratch.  They are perfect for yeast beginners because there is only one 30-minute rise.  This is the best cinnamon roll recipe you will ever make. It only took a little nudging from the family for me to make my homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast this Thanksgiving morning.  Over the years, I have tweaked this recipe from my Mother's recipe for Angel Biscuits.  I think each time I make them, my daughter, Jennifer, says, "Mom, these are the best ones you have ever made."  From the Grandchildren and Jim asking me to make them, they just keep getting better and better every time. This is a light dough, yet loaded with lots of butter, sugar, and cinnamon and lavishly drizzled with heavenly icing.  They ...

Pineapple Chess Pie

Pineapple chess pie has  all the ingredients of a traditional chess pie except for adding a small can of crushed  pineapple. PINEAPPLE CHESS PIE {Granny's Recipe} When I think of some of the pies that my Mother would make during the holidays, I think of this beautiful  Pineapple Chess  pie, which is  rich and delicious. Isn't it funny how we remember certain things about our Mother's traditions? About one week before the holidays, Mother would set up a dessert table. Do you remember when there were  card tables? Beside her buffet, she would lay a pretty tablecloth on a card table, and as she made the desserts, she would place them on the table, ready for guests to enjoy. As a little girl growing up, I always thought, "That is just what I am going to do when I get married "Have a Dessert Table." Well, I kept my plans, which I did about one week before the big day. Now that I am a grandmother, I love to see my grandchildren's eyes light up when they g...

A Southern Classic! His and Her Sweet Potato Casserole

His and Her Sweet Potato Casserole  brings two Thanksgiving traditions together. Creamy, smooth sweet potatoes are crisis-crossed with toasted marshmallows and a crunchy pecan topping. Scrumptious!! SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE Southern Sweet Potato Casserole starts with baked sweet potatoes peeled and creamed in a food processor with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon to get that velvety smooth texture. It is  indeed simple to make with few ingredients, perfect for the holidays.   His and Her Sweet Potato Casserole is the perfect sweet potato dish. Half of our family likes the marshmallow topping, and half likes the crumble topping, so last year, I came up with the idea of serving one dish with two variations. It was such a hit that I decided to make it again this year. The miniature marshmallows toast beautifully alongside the crumble topping, and the smooth texture of the sweet potatoes just melts in your mouth. Two Thanksgiving traditions in one fabulous d...

Baked Apple Cinnamon Delights

Baked Apple Cinnamon Delights are  baked in a lovely bath of apple cider that simmers into a beautiful syrup.  Serve them stuffed with glazed pecans, hot or cold, with a dollop of whipped cream. POACHED APPLES WITH CANDIED GLAZED PECANS Poached apples are soft, subtly sweet apples baked in apple cider syrup and cinnamon sticks, then topped with brown sugar and apple pie spice, making for a wholesome and delicious dessert. When buying apples for my Crockpot Apple Butter, Apple Pie Fritters , and my husband, who eats an apple a day, I decided to make some Baked Apples. I served these at one of the catering events I hosted.  We made 250 of them.  You would think I never wanted to see them again, but they were such a hit I decided to make a batch for my husband. These poached apples are a simple way to achieve an almost perfect way to enjoy the purest flavor of an apple.  They are peeled, cored, baked in apple cider, then baked more with brown sug...

Stuffed Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly Glaze

Collards and Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops,  juicy, thick gorgeous pork chops slit with a pocket of collard greens and cornbread stuffing and then placed under the broiler with a glaze of pepper jelly.  COLLARDS AND CORNBREAD STUFFED PORK CHOPS These pork chops make a beautiful presentation for any restaurant meal experience you want for your guests or just a celebratory dinner for your family. When I saw these thick pork chops at Sams, I knew I wanted to stuff them.  My husband had his eye on grilling, and after I had talked him into stuffing them, he got a sparkle in his eyes.

Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Old fashioned Chicken Pot Pie is made with whole chicken, mixed vegetables, and homemade white sauce, baked in a flaky crust. Homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Copycat Marie Callender's) One bite of this scrumptious homemade chicken pot pie and your family will know why homemade from start to finish is the only way, just like the widely known chicken pot pie from Marie Callender. While my daughter in love, Brandy, was on bedrest awaiting the arrival of our granddaughter, her friend, Rachel brought over this delicious Chicken Pot Pie.   Rachel's Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie recipe should definitely be added to your repertoire. She says, "It is her Mom's famous Chicken Pot Pie! "We LOVE this...it's a must at every holiday."  To my surprise, Brandy had one baking in the oven when we arrived on our next visit.

Blackberry Pie Bars

Blackberry Pie Bars have a buttery shortbread crust, a creamy custard filling with a generous serving of fresh blackberries running through, and a delicious cookie crumble streusel topping. BLACKBERRY CREAMY PIE BARS These Blackberry Pie Bars make a super easy summer treat.  They are perfect for brunch, entertaining guests, and as a simple accompaniment to an afternoon coffee break. I am a huge fan of pie bars.  You are probably familiar with the  Pumpkin Pie Bars  that roll out in the fall months.  Then spring comes, and we see the  Lemon Bars  make an appearance.   But when summer rolls around, I become a huge fan of these blackberry pie bar treats. I'm so impressed with the crafting of these pie bars. Though they are called pie bars, they handle like cookie bars and roar like a blackberry cream pie. They are seriously delicious!

Kay's Swiss Steak

Swiss steak is an inch-thick beef round steak tenderized and browned, then simmered low and slow in a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, and herbs on the stovetop or in the oven. THE BEST OLD FASHIONED SWISS STEAK This old-fashioned Swiss steak, with fork-tender meat alongside a billowing pile of mashed potatoes smothered in a beefy tomato gravy, is the ultimate comfort food.    Swiss steak is a method of preparing meat, usually beef, by rolling or pounding it and then braising it in a stockpot, either on a stove or in an oven. The name does not refer to Switzerland but to the process of "swissing," which involves pounding or running fabric or other materials through rollers to soften them, in this case, meat.

Smoked Salmon Cakes

Smoked salmon cakes are an easy and delicious weeknight meal option, and believe it or not, they are affordable. SMOKED SALMON PATTIES Smoked salmon patties are perfectly crisp on the outside and deliciously tender and flaky on the inside. They are made with packaged smoked sliced salmon instead of canned salmon.     One bite of these smoked salmon cakes and any thought of you using canned salmon will fly out the window.  That's how I felt the first time I made them. I use sliced precooked salmon from Sams. I add minced onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, chopped fresh dill, an egg, half and half, and coat them in a little Obay seasoning mixed in the panko crumbs.  These are so good.  

Southern Spoonbread

Southern Sweet Corn Spoonbread is a century-old Southern comfort food that has graced the tables across the South.     SOUTHERN SWEET CORN SPOONBREAD The Southern Spoonbread recipe is a classic Southern side dish.  It is creamy, moist cornbread that is more like a cornmeal-based souffle or delicate cornbread pudding.   This Sweet Corn Spoonbread is a quick and easy side dish. To make it, combine everything in a bowl, stir, and bake. It is a favorite around my house. We look forward to having it every year on our Easter menu. The recipe also works well for weeknight menus. It starts off with a box of Jiffy cornbread mix, then two kinds of corn, butter, eggs, and sour cream, simply delicious.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

Raspberry Coffee Cake in the morning will start your day off to a fabulous start.  Serve it anytime for dessert, an afternoon snack, or my favorite breakfast. RASPBERRY BREAKFAST CAKE The recipe is based on my Very Blueberry Coffee Cake, switching out with fresh raspberries, butter, sugar, eggs, and sour cream and sprinkled with a coarse finishing sugar. I grew up with something sweet on the table all the time because my mother had a charming sweet tooth, which she passed on to her four daughters.    Mother was an amazing baker.  Even though I learned from her, I wish I had written down more of her recipes and paid more attention when she baked.

Mama's Southern Baked Beans

Thick and rich with just the right amount of sweetness, these baked beans are a perfect side dish for whatever you cook up for your next gathering.   CLASSIC SOUTHERN BAKED BEANS Mother's easy to make baked beans are just that,  EASY.  This classic dish has canned pork n' beans, onions, bell pepper, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, and the star, Bacon.   I could not post my mother's Potato Salad recipe (previous post) without posting her Southern Baked Beans recipe, also.  Like the potato salad recipe, I have had this one in my head for years too. I watched my mother make her potato salad and baked beans a gazillion times, and I don't remember her making one without the other, but I suspect that there were times when she did. I know what the ingredients are in her baked beans, but I am not sure about the exact amount of the ingredients each time. 

Nutella Sweet Rolls

Nutella Sweet Rolls recipe follows a similar process to cinnamon rolls. They start with a soft, pillowy dough and are filled with the star of the recipe, Nutella, then iced with vanilla icing. Nutella Heavenly Sweet Rolls These ooey gooey sweet rolls are the most decadent breakfast treats you could ever imagine, either for breakfast or,  like at my house, for dessert. Nutella is an absolute favorite with my grandchildren, so I thought making Nutella Sweet Rolls would be appropriate for Valentine's breakfast or, why not, dessert :). These soft, sweet, fluffy sweet rolls are hassle free.   They only take 30 minutes to rise once, so you can spend your time making other special delicacies for your special day. As you see, these rolls are amazing plain, but to give them an additional gooeyness, I iced them with a rich buttery, vanilla icing.  A thin coat gives them a glorious shine and divine gooeyness. If you can't resist these sweet rolls, just take a look at these...

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

  Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is simple to prepare and has as much flavor as a whole turkey.  Start with a bone in, skin on, and use the same seasonings, but the secret to the juiciest meat is the brining. CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST This Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe is an excellent addition to serve extra white meat for your Thanksgiving meal, which my family loves.  We always run out of white meat, but not anymore. My recipe for Crockpot Turkey Breast is straightforward, with only 3 ingredients, turkey, poultry seasoning, and butter, that's it.  It turns out moist and flavorful every time.   Whether cooking a whole turkey or a turkey breast, the leftovers are always my favorite.   I love making turkey sliders, sandwiches, turkey soup, and my new recipe for turkey bubble up, which uses this year's leftovers.

Waldorf Salad

The Waldorf Salad recipe is straightforward and delicious and can be made with ingredients from your pantry.  It is ready in 15 minutes and easy for family gatherings or potlucks.    Granny's Classic Waldorf Salad I have been making this classic Waldorf Salad recipe for the holidays and special occasions for years. The recipe comes from my Mother.  It is one of my favorite recipes growing up. The original Waldorf Salad was introduced on March 14, 1893, at the Waldorf Istoria Hotel in New York by the first executive chef for a charity ball and became an instant success.  In years since, the original recipe, which consisted of apples, celery, and mayonnaise, has taken on more additions.

Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup is warming and satisfying, loaded with vegetables.  Ideal comfort food on cold nights. HEARTY HAMBURGER VEGETABLE SOUP This hearty hamburger vegetable soup recipe is simple and hearty. It's made with lean ground beef, various vegetables, and a delicious beef broth. Soup season is in full swing here in East Texas. I couldn't be more excited.  On weeknights, I like to make a soup that takes little time and ingredients that I keep in my kitchen, but on the weekends, I want to do the long and slow method. Growing up, ground beef was one of the less expensive meats to feed a family.  I remember my mother would make Hamburger Soup several times in the winter months.   To get a few more servings, she would stretch the recipe by adding mini pasta shells.   This ground beef soup is hearty and chunky, loaded with delicious vegetables and plenty of juices for a chunk of cornbread to soak them up.   Also, It is a versatile soup in that you...

Simple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Simple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad will elevate a meal for Kings or refresh a family potluck dinner.  The perfect salad with only six ingredients, including the creamy, tangy dressing. BROCCOLI CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH CREAMY DRESSING My recipe for delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is simple and quick to make, full of fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets, julienne red onions, and tossed in a dressing you want to drink.   Growing up, anytime we had a big gathering, Mother would cook the biggest meal, and the whole family would come.   Recipes like this classic Broccoli Cauliflower Salad totally remind me of those days of the love and care my Mother took in hosting all the family and celebrating us. Just like Mother, I keep this salad as simple as possible.  My family loves this salad year-round, especially around the holidays.   This brings up Thanksgiving around the corner, always a favorite.   I know this salad will become one of your...

Oven Smoked Brisket

Oven Smoked Brisket is tender meat that tastes like it has been smoked in a smoker for hours.  You don't need a smoker to enjoy this mouthwatering oven smoked brisket. Beef Brisket Smoked In The Oven The best Texas style brisket is tender without falling apart while slicing, and it has that thick layer of smoky, peppery bark surrounding each slice.  This recipe meets all of those standards. Brisket was a new cut of meat, you might say, at our house growing up as a teenager. When my mother first started cooking brisket, she would cook them in the oven at first, and then, when she got a smoker, she started smoking them. The best part about my mother cooking brisket was not how she cooked them but how she selected the one to buy. The briskets you buy in Texas are usually known as a packer cut—this means that it’s the entire chest muscle, and most of the time covered with a generous layer of fat and weighs anywhere from seven to eleven pounds. 

Very Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are made with simple, straightforward ingredients and bursting with fresh blueberries.  To taste even better, they are topped with a sweet streusel topping. Classic Blueberry Crumble Muffins These classic blueberry muffins are always a welcomed treat for breakfast or an easy grab and go snack.  They are so easy to make you will be making them often. These are my husband's favorite muffins—so much so that I decided to update the recipe and add a streusel topping. They are extra fluffy, soft, and moist—just like the ones you get in a bakery.   If you are a fan of these blueberries, try my recipe for  Very Blueberry Breakfast Cake ,  Lemon Blueberry Squash Bread , and  Blueberry Scones .

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with mini chocolate chips are sure to please everyone for a special occasion or any day.   These melt in your mouth chocolate chip pancakes are rich, buttery, light, and fluffy, and incredibly easy to make.  Top them with whipped cream, and fresh fruit, then drizzle them with warm pure maple syrup. Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes If you want to wow your guests with big smiles on their faces, tell them you are making Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes for breakfast. We love pancakes at our house, but when special occasions come, we pull out all the stops. Birthdays and sleepovers are some of our favorites. My buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes are fluffy, sweet pancakes with the tang of buttermilk seeping through, giving them the perfect morning dream come true. What I love about making pancakes is there are no crazy ingredients to come up with.  I mostly just need to make sure my buttermilk is fresh.  I use full fat buttermilk in my...