Crisp Blistered Okra Recipe

Crisp Blistered Okra Recipe is a simple and fast okra dish that is crunchy, flavorful, and not at all slimy.  Some like it better than fried. There is nothing like fresh okra in the summertime.  I love okra any way you can cook it, but blistered okra could become my favorite way to eat it. This okra is super easy to make and takes very little prep work.  What keeps the okra crisp and does not release its juices which can be gummy, is to not add any water (liquid) when cooking the okra.   Another tip is to heat the avocado oil, firing hot but not burning, and then add the okra.  This renders the crisp outside to the okra and a tender inside.  This is also how I cook mushrooms, which makes a great compliment to the okra.   Once the okra is cooked, stop stirring it.  Continuing to stir the okra will change the texture of the okra, which is why it is best to cook the okra just before serving. The seasoning is straightforward, salt and pepper with a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Montreal ste

2-Ingredient Cream Biscuits

2-Ingredient Cream Biscuits are tender, fluffy, and scrumptious biscuits every time you make them.    Cream Biscuits Simple biscuits use only two ingredients: self-rising flour and heavy whipping cream. A cream biscuit recipe is a cook's best shortcut secret.  2-Ingredient Cream Biscuits are the easiest biscuits ever.   No buttermilk, no butter or shortening, and as you know, no fuss is my kind of recipe, keeping it simple. We love biscuits around here, and we have some fantastic biscuit recipes.   We have the  Classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits , these giant  Cream Cheese Biscuits , these quick  Three Ingredient Biscuits , and these  Buttery Fresh Herb Biscuits . These different biscuit recipes give me many options for a meal, not to mention what I have in my pantry when I want to make biscuits.   On a trip to my grandson's graduation, all the family met for breakfast at a restaurant featuring biscuits and several jam selections.  My daughter-in-love and I got to talking abo

No Fuss Blackberry Sweet Rolls

No Fuss Blackberry Sweet Rolls, a soft, tender dough swirled with a mixture of vanilla, brown sugar, butter, and a generous layer of luscious, whole blackberries all throughout and topped with a cream cheese frosting. BLACKBERRY SWEET ROLLS Your weekend will get a lot sweeter with these blackberry sweet rolls, which are so delicious. Blackberry season is just around the corner, and the first thing I want to make is the  Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler .   Last year, I couldn't stop buying the large cartons of blackberries at SAMs.   The price always drops around this time of year, so it is worth buying several cartons and keeping them in the freezer for later in the year to make these Blackberry Sweet Rolls. Sweet rolls are a favorite weekend breakfast treat. My go-to recipe is Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. They rise for 30 minutes and bake for 15 minutes, making them perfect, no fuss sweet rolls.

Roasted Whole Caramelized Carrots

Fun and Easy Roasted Whole Caramelized Carrots are a classic, super simple side dish for holiday meals and family dinner tables.  Fun and Easy Caramelized Whole Carrots  The dish calls for a few straightforward ingredients that enhance the purest flavor of the carrots. I love everything about roasted root vegetables, especially how easy and quick they take to roast. While they are hanging out roasting in the oven, I can prepare other dishes to go with them. These roasted whole carrots are fun to make. Peel them and toss them in a mixture of seasonings, brown sugar, and avocado oil.   The carrots' natural sweetness and the deep seasoning flavor are excellent.   The small amount of brown sugar complements the mild sweetness of the carrots. Honey is also an option.

How To Cook A Whole Bone In Ham

A Whole Bone-in Ham recipe is so simple, with no glaze, no clove studding, and no fuss. It uses the low and slow cooking method and a blast of high heat at the end to caramelize the outside. The results are excellent, juicy, tender, and with superb flavor. WHOLE  BONE IN HAM With so many varieties of hams in grocery stores today, it can be daunting to know how to cook one. I share secrets for buying, preparing, and cooking the juiciest ham ever.  A whole bone in ham is the most effortless meat to cook for a holiday meal.  Preparation is equally as easy.   A whole ham is larger than needed for a regular meal but perfect for a large gathering or save and have for those wonderful leftover ham recipes. Most hams you buy are fully cooked, and all you do is score the ham and, if you want, add a simple glaze.  My family prefers the natural juices from the ham to baste the ham instead of a glaze.   By scoring a diamond pattern in the ham into the fat and skin, being sure not to get into the me

Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake

Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake is a chocolate fudge cake mix and fudge brownie mix that comes together to make the most scrumptious chocolate cake you will ever eat.  The chocolate ganache icing sends the chocolate love over the top.   Don't wait to make this cake.  The Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake brings back so many memories of my mother's chocolate cake growing up.    The Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake has a rich, and I mean rich chocolate presence in the cake from the two mixes, chocolate fudge cake mix and chocolate fudge brownie mix.  The cake is dense while tender and moist yet smooth.   There are only five ingredients in the recipe, meaning do not add the ingredients on the back of the mix boxes.   I used Hershey Milk Chocolate Frosting  and microwaved it for 30 seconds to make an almost homemade ganache.   If you prefer, you can make the chocolate ganache using chocolate chips and heavy cream.

Black Eyed Peas and Collard Soup Recipe

Black Eyed Peas and Collards Soup, a flavorful soup, combines two southern favorites, black eyed peas and collards with carrots and lean ham.  Drop a hot water cornbread medallion in the center of the bowl of soup that will leave you full but not weighed down. For New Year's Day, I had planned to cook a small amount of fresh black eyed peas and a small batch of collard greens since it was just me that would be eating them.   Until I remembered that I had seen a recipe somewhere for a soup made with both.   I don't know about all the good luck these ingredients bring. All I do know is this straightforward soup has few ingredients that are a comforting start to the new year.

Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish for any meal, but for a holiday meal, you might say they are superb in every way.  Starting with, they can be made ahead and then refrigerated until time for your holiday meal. These Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes are rich, velvety smooth, and so decadent.  Let me just say, my family loves my mashed potatoes, but when I make these, I raise the bar.      Honestly, they are so decadent, so rich, so buttery, that I reserve these for special occasions and holidays. For our Christmas dinner, while the  Prime Rib Roast  is resting under a foil tent, the ideal time to put the Magic Green Beans  and the Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes in the oven is now. This will benefit  everything coming together at the right time. 

Standing Rib Roast

Standing Rib Roast is succulent, exceptionally flavorful, and looks stunningly elegant on the holiday table.  This prime cut of meat can be intimidating to cook but rest assured, it is effortless. For our Christmas dinner, we have enjoyed Standing Rib Roast, also known as prime rib roast, for several years now, and this last year I decided to try my hand at making Popovers to go with our meal.  They turned out fabulous, perfect addition, so I think I will try the Yorkshire Pudding this year. We decided to keep the sides simple too.  We served  Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes and my Magic Green Beans . Simple is always best.

Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe

Pumpkin Roll Cake Recipe, the classic cake for a Fall dessert.  A soft, tender pumpkin chiffon cake filled with pillowy cream cheese filling, then rolled up in a jelly roll fashion and chilled before slicing.    Pumpkin Roll Recipe Take advantage of serving this eye catching, gorgeous dessert at your next Thanksgiving gathering. The recipe has few ingredients and is simple to make. Pumpkin Roll Cake is one of my favorite pumpkin desserts.  Although I have not made many of them, I have eaten plenty.  If they are served for dessert, I make sure that I have a slice to enjoy.   While Pumpkin Roll Cake may seem challenging, I can guarantee they are effortless,  so be confident. I can give you a tip that has improved how you roll the pumpkin roll.  Roll the pumpkin roll in parchment paper instead of a cool light towel dusted with powdered sugar. Which I used to do years ago, and the new way is much easier.

How To Make Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes, sweet little potatoes crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside with a generous sprinkle of coarse salt.  There is nothing complicated or fussy about them–– just easy.   My household agrees that potatoes are one of the most delicious, adaptable, and affordable foods on the planet.  Mashed, fried, roasted, and baked––they take them any way they can get them.   I must say, though, these Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes hit the high marks for richness.

Garden Green Beans and New Potatoes

Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes are a simple side dish full of flavors from the garden: homegrown green beans  and the first crop of new potatoes.   GRANNY'S GREEN BEANS AND NEW POTATOES Growing up, we could not wait for the first crop of green beans and potatoes to come out of the garden. Fresh vegetables are the best if they are fresh out of the garden, and you cannot beat them.  I love Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes cooked with ham or bacon. This is another side dish that Mother would make by cooking a pan of cornbread, slicing onions and tomatoes, and calling it a meal.

Easy Jello Peach Icebox Pie

Easy Jello Fresh Peach Pie, three ingredients make a fresh peach filling, and a homemade buttery pecan shortbread crust will create a no bake icebox pie you see in your beloved diners.  Be sure to use fresh peaches. If you love peaches as much as I do and can not bring yourself to turn the oven on for a fresh peach cobbler , lattice top peach pie , this foolproof no bake pie is the perfect summertime solution. The best part of this fresh peach icebox pie is you can make it in the morning and serve it by dinnertime, or you can make it a day ahead before serving it.

Pork Belly Baked Beans

 Pork Belly Baked Beans, pork and beans enhanced with a glorious slab of pork belly chunks, rich molasses, chopped onions, bell pepper, and ever so slight sprinkle of red pepper flakes deliver these traditional baked beans to an umami adventure.  These Pork Belly Baked Beans are one of the most delicious ways to enjoy pork belly and baked beans, simply delicious. I made a spin on my traditional  Southern Baked Beans for the recipe for the bacon; I switched for a slab of pork belly that I cut up into 1/2-inch chunks.  The pork and beans need to be drained really well to start off with. And the pork belly needs to cook low and slow until done and golden brown, stirring and watching closely not to burn.  If you try to cook it faster, it will present chewy and dry results.

Baked Ham and Angel Biscuit Sliders

Baked Ham and Angel Biscuits Sliders, a country smoked ham sandwiched between a fluffy buttermilk biscuit.  These are perfect appetizer to serve at parties.     This time of the year makes me think of all the ways to serve Baked Country Ham and Angel Biscuit Sliders, Easter Brunch, Mother's Day Brunch, Graduation Parties, Bridesmaid Brunch,  and the list goes on and on.

Lemon Bars Recipe

Old Fashioned Lemon Bars are the quintessential southern dessert at teas, luncheons, and showers.  The only recipe you will ever need, a simple, straightforward method.   My Lemon Bars sings the praises of spring coming.  They are so easy to make and are bursting with so much lemon goodness. After you make my recipe, you will not want to go back to store bought or packaged ones again.   My recipe uses a buttery shortbread cookie crust and a rich tangy sweet lemon curd filling. The combination is amazing.

Marinated Carrots

Marinated Carrots, a vintage salad recipe, are mainly known as Copper Pennies, Sweet and Sour Carrots, but we know them as Magic Carrots.  Perfect for the holidays, potlucks, and even an elegant dinner. Magic Carrot Salad All the magic happens in these carrots when they are marinated in a sweet and sour mixture overnight yielding a delightful taste of my childhood. Magic Carrots are a unique side dish that brings memories of my childhood.   Back in the day when I was growing up, it seemed mother would bring these carrots out around the time spring came; to me, they screamed Easter.  

Super Easy Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows have become the gourmet confection of the decade.  And it is no surprise that only a few ingredients are needed to make this candy. Not only do homemade marshmallows taste 100% better than store bought, they are also easy to cut into any size.   With Easter around the corner, using cutters in the shape of eggs, bunnies, little chickens, and tulips will wow your children.  

Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Homemade Pie Crust made with few simple ingredients, using flour, butter, shortening, and salt.  This recipe is so forgiving that you will never use another recipe again. Homemade Pie Crust can seem daunting if you have never made it.  At least that is how I felt the first time I wanted to make a pie using homemade crust.   I want to promise you that it gets easier and more comfortable the more you make the homemade.  As my mother used to say, "practice makes perfect."   For years I use to make my homemade pie crust with just shortening and still do occasionally, but I find the added butter gives an excellent rich taste to the pie crust.  

Perfectly Cooked Eye Of Round Roast

Perfectly Cooked Eye of Round Roast, tender round roast generously sprinkled with a mixture of salt and pepper, forming a crust to hold in all the juices.  The roast is the star of the recipe, so no other ingredients are necessary to create the most succulent meat. Eye of round roast is a lean, inexpensive cut that comes from the hip and hind legs.  Often sold as a roast, steaks for marinating, and referred to the round when buying ground round hamburger.   I definitely recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure not overcooking the eye of round roast.  Overcooking the roast past medium-well will result in the meat being tough.