Baked Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

With the delicious and rich taste of the cream cheese, you don't have to use butter in this recipe (unless you just want to). I like a few “lumps” of potatoes in mine, so to make this my own recipe, I add a few diced cooked potatoes to my instant potatoes. You can also add a little cheese on top for visual appeal!!!

Ingredients:

6 cups mashed potatoes (can use instant)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 egg
½ cup onion, chopped fine

Directions:

Add cream cheese, egg and onion to hot mashed potatoes. Beat with electric mixture on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour into a buttered 2-quart casserole and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serves 8.

Pineapple Casserole

The first time I had some of this, I was at a church dinner.  I could not believe this was pineapple.  Let's just say my second helping was just the beginning.

The contrast in texture and flavor is what makes this recipe a success. Easy and quick, this is a great alternative to yams when you have a dinner gathering.

Ingredients:

1 large can chunk pineapple (including juice)
¾ c. sugar
3 tbs. flour
1 c. cheddar cheese (grated)
1 sleeve Town House crackers (crumbled)
1 stick melted butter

Directions:

Place in a 9x9 inch baking dish: first, pineapple, then mix sugar and flour together and sprinkle on top of pineapple. Next put grated cheese, cracker crumbs and melted butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned an bubbly on top.

Creole Apple Fritters

4 medium apples
Fine sugar
Rind of one Lemon
Powdered sugar

Peel and core apples, cutting out the center. Slice medium thick; dip lightly into fine sugar in which you have grated rind of a lemon; then dip each piece into the batter (see below), being sure that each piece is well covered. Fry in deep fat; drain on paper, and dust with powdered sugar.

Creole Fruit Batter (for fritters)

 

½ cup sifted flour
1 tbs melted butter
cold water
1 egg
t tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbs lemon juice

Beat eggs until creamy; add sifted flour, salt, butter, and lemon juice. Beat in enough water to make a batter like heavy cream. Serves 6

Carrots with Wine (Slow Cooker)

Never have plain carrots again. These will really make a great impression on the un-impressionable (is that a word?). This recipe has the “secret sauce” so you know its gotta be goooood!!! Enjoy

1 lb bag of carrots
½ cup white wine
1 tsp butter
¼ tsp thyme
3 green onions, chopped
¼ tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4 to 5 hours.

Greasy Beans

 Greasy beans as opposed to steamed beans, is just an old southern method of cooking seasoned greens. Believe it or not, the old cooks did a lot of frying, boiling and stewing. Steaming just wasn't a common stove cooking method. So to fry, boil or stew there had to be some incorporation of flavor. In comes the fat for seasoning. There doesn't have to be a whole lot, just a little can go a long way.

3 lbs fresh green beans (I use whole fresh frozen)
6 slices bacon (or ½ cup bacon drippings, or a ham bone)
2 med. Onions, quartered
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup brown sugar

Wash, string and snap beans into pieces. Place in a large pot with water to cover. Add rest of ingredients, dicing the bacon. Cook at least 3 to 4 hours. The longer they cook, the better they taste.

Serves about 8 folks. Double recipe for folks with large appetites.

This can also be made in a slow cooker.

If you don't want the pork, try using smoked turkey instead.

Deep Fried Okra

1-1/2 cups okra, cut-up
2 tbs. buttermilk
2 tbs. flour (or cornmeal.  I like to do 1/2 flour and 1/2 cornmeal)
1 tsp. salt (I use pepper also)
1 egg, beaten





Boil okra, drain and Mash*.  Add all other ingredients.  Drop by tsp. into hot oil.  Fry until golden brown.

*The recipe above is the original one.  My modified one is, first of all,  I don't mash my Okra.  I just cut them up, season them, roll in egg buttermilk mix, and then in my 1/2 and 1/2 cornmeal/flour mixture.  You will need to double the total amount of buttermilk/egg mix and the cornmeal/flour mix in order to cover the okra.

Grits Casserole

Grits are a southern thang!
This is a great make ahead recipe that you can freeze before or after baking.  Do not limit them to just breakfast, but serve for brunch, lunch or dinner.  This dish is great as a side for pork chops, tenderloin, chopped steak or fish.  Yum!

6 cups water
1-1/2 cups grits
1 lb sharp cheese
3 eggs
3 tsps savory salt
2 tsps salt
1 tsp paprika
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Garlic powder to taste (optional)

Bring water to a boil and add grits.  Stir in the cheese which has been cut into pieces.  Beat eggs and add to grits.  Add butter and all the remaining ingredients, mixing well.  Pour grits into a greased 3-quart casserole dish.  Bake for 1 hour at 350 -375 degrees.  6-8 Servings

Grits may be divided into two smaller casserole dishes for baking or freezing.

Kidney Beans with Salt Pork

This is another recipe that calls for the “Secret Sauce”. This is from an old cookbook and was originally written using Kidney beans. This recipe, I think, can be adapted for any dried bean such as Kidney, Navy, Pinto, Lima, Cranberry, Black-eyed Peas,  etc.  I prefer the Pinto and Cranberry beans over the Kidney beans.

I realize that people used to make their own moonshine and “happy juice”, but I am kinda wondering if maybe the parents and grandparents used this to cook everything with! Maybe those Family Recipes were passed down....minus the “Secret sauce ingredients”. What do you think?

3 oz. salt pork
2 medium sized onions, chopped
1 tbs. flour
No. 2 can red kidney bean (or beans of choice)
2 tbs. cooking cherry

 

Cut salt pork into ½ inch dice; turn into skillet and pan broil slowly until crisp. Add finely chopped onion and cook slowly until onion is soft and yellow, stirring to prevent scorching. Blend in the flour to a smooth paste, then stir in beans and sherry thoroughly, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

If you prefer the homemade beans, then cook them to your preference and then add this to beans and let simmer to blend flavors.

I love cooking with cast iron. Not only do you Not have the flakes sometimes associated with no-stick cookware, but the cast iron retains heat for better cooking temperature and as an added bonus you implement some iron into your dish. If you have a cast iron pot this would taste awesome!

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I like the traditional dishes for my Holiday family meals.  Every once in a while I will throw in a different dish. If you want the traditional dish with a different twist, this recipe will surely be a hit.

6 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups sliced apples
4 tbsp. butter
Salt to taste
1 tsp. mace

Boil potatoes until tender.  Slice in 1/4 inch pieces.  Butter baking dish and place a layer of sweet potatoes in bottom, then a layer of apples.  Sprinkle with sugar, salt and mace.  Dot with butter.  Repeat until dish is filled, having on top layer apples.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.

My Version:

I like to be subtle with my changes in a recipe.  Instead of layering my sweet potatoes alternately with apples, I make mine the traditional way and then add a little bit of diced apples throughout the dish.  I also add bourbon or rum in my sweet potatoes for that extra punch!

Rice and Cheese Croquettes

Combine:

1 cup rice
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheese
1 egg beaten
1 ½ tsp salt
Dash pepper

After Cooling:

2 eggs beaten
Dried bread crumbs

Wash rice or do not was as package directs. Drop into 2 quarts rapidly boiling salted water and cook rapidly until just tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and rinse by running hot water through it. Combine cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Chill. Shape mixture into balls, roll in crumbs then in beaten eggs and again in crumbs. Fry until golden brown in deep fat heated at 375 degrees. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with tart jelly or tomato sauce. Makes 5 servings