Recipes

Dutch Oven Chicken & Veggies

(coming soon.....later tonight......after I digest said Chicken & Veggies..uggggg)

Cast Iron Steamed Potatoes

I am a STRONG believer in cast iron cookware!  Is there anything more satisfying than cooking a meal in a well seasoned cast iron skillet....ummmm....maybe chocolate and Diet Coke???  I cook 'plain ol' grub'...vegetables, meats, etc.  You won't find any sushi coming out of my kitchen and landing on the dinner table....For one, all that I know how to cook is country food....For two, I am willing to learn, but I don't know if my tastebuds are willing to upgrade to "city fare".  So, sticking to my root and cooking something that will "stick to your ribs"....potatoes cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop is right up my alley.  This is a cheap side dish that everyone will love...even kids!  I can't tell you how many pounds of potatoes I ate growing up....my Mama made them like this, and I crafted my own recipe from watching her.

Ingredients

Large well seasoned cast iron skillet
2   lbs Russett Potatoes (thinly sliced.....think 1/16 to 1/8 inch...not quite able to read the newspaper through)
1   small yellow or white onion sliced into rings...pop apart rings
Olive Oil (4-5 Tbsp)
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Fresh or Dried Parsley Flakes for color
*optional*  Grated Cheese of Choice...I like Cheddar Jack

Directions

Warm skillet on stovetop on medium to medium-high.  Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet well.  You want the oil to be hot when you add the potatoes.  Two options...you can season the potatoes in a bowl while the oil is heating and mix with your hands or just wait until you throw them in the skillet.  Notice that I don't have any measurements for the seasonings...sorry, but I cook by looks and taste.  I would not use over 2 tsp salt...I use coarse sea salt too. 

With the potatoes cooking...they will start to become more translucent in appearance.  Once this happens...turn down the heat to medium low and cover with a lid or piece of aluminum foil.  Cook covered for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and stir off the bottom of the skillet often.  Don't be surprised if the potatoes start to fall apart after steaming for awhile and begin to stick.  You can add more olive oil...one Tablespoon at a time to the bottom of the skillet...if you add too much you'll have a big greasy mess...so, use sparingly.  They will stick like crazy if the skillet is too hot...

When the potatoes are tender and start to brown on the bottom of the skillet and take on a 'potatoe casserole' look....pull them off the heat and add the grated cheese.  Put the lid or foil back on the skillet and let the cheese melt.  This is great with hamburgers, pork chops, chicken, etc.  Believe it or not...they are low fat if you only use 4-5 Tbsp of olive oil and fat free cheese.  Everyone NEEDS carbs!!!  EMBRACE THE SPUDS!


Strawberry Pie

Practically every lady from a Southern family has a version of Strawberry Pie that has been handed down from generation to generation...if you do...that is awesome!  Toot your horn and pass it along.  I however, copied this recipe from my Aunt Susan McCorkle who lives in Lavaca, Arkansas.  She is my Dad's baby sister, absolutely beautiful, and caring to a fault...classy gal!  I am blessed with a family of wonderful ladies who love to cook.  The date that I have on my recipe card reads 03-23-03...I can't believe that it has been this long since I wrote this down at her kitchen table...seems like yesterday.  I don't know where she came across the recipe for her Strawberry Pie, but I can tell you...when the berries are in season...this pie is divine on a warm Spring day! 

Ingredients

1   pre-baked pastry pie shell
3   TBSP Cornstarch
3   TBSP Strawberry Jello...(equals out to one large box and one small box...or three small boxes)
1   cup water
1   cup granulated sugar
1   qt. strawberries (sliced thinly)

Directions

In a medium size sauce pan pour in the Jello and sugar.  The cornstarch will become lumpy if you don't mix it with the 1 cup of water before adding to the saucepan.  So, in a measuring cup add about 1/2 cup of water and mix together with the cornstarch....blend until smooth.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup water...you now have 1 cup total and pour into pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly until thick...it should not take more than five minutes once boiling begins to reach a thickened state. 

Place the thinly sliced strawberries into the cooled, pre-baked pie shell and pour the warm Jello mixture over your beautiful berries.  Let the pie cool and set up in the fridge...should be ready in 2 hours or less.  Serve with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream....yummmmm.

Trick to No-Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies are quite possibly the easiest thing to make in the sweets world.  I always make them in the summertime when it's just too hot to turn the oven on and heat up the house.  There is a trick that my mother told me to make the oats extra tender...

Ingredients

2   cups Sugar
1/2  tsp salt
1/4  cup cocoa
1/2  stick butter
1/2  cup milk
2   cups wedding oats (1 minute)
1/2  cup peanut butter
1   tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix sugar, salt and cocoa in a medium size saucepan.  Add butter and milk...bring to a boil.  You will need a watch with a little hand or digital timmer....boil ingredients for exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla.  Add peanut butter and stir until melted.  Throw in the oats and stir. 

*Here's my trick...instead of immediately spooning the mixture onto a cookie sheet or wax paper...put a lid on the saucepan and let it sit off the heat for 10 minutes.  This will steam the oats and make them more tender...your intestines may thank you later*

*Something else I have learned...I don't add salt if I am using salted butter...it's just too much*

*Fat free ingredients will leave your cookies sticky and they won't set up*



Oven Baked Pork Loin

This recipe came from an ABF employee's wife.  We attended a dinner at their home and co-entertained customers.  She made an amazing pork loin that she prepared in the oven.  Jeff fell in love with it, and the recipe came home with us.  I make this for Sunday night dinner and serve leftovers for several days after (it makes good Open Faced Sandwiches w/brown gravy. 

Heat oven to 500 degrees.

Ingredients

1 or 2 pork loin about 12 inches long (they sometimes come in twin packs)
1   16 oz. jar mayonnaise
Cavendars Greek Seasoning (I get mine at Wal-Mart..red, white and yellow shaker bottle)

Directions

Trim loins as desired.  Completely cover the pork loins with mayo.  I put enough mayo on so that you cannot see any of the color of the pork loin underneath.  Sprinkle with Cavendars on all sides until completely covered.  The Cavendars will make a slight bark on the outside of the loin(s) as it bakes.  Cover 2 jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Throw the loin(s) up in the center of pan and bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  Pull out and turn meat over....shut the oven door during this process.  TURN OFF THE OVEN!!!  Put loin(s) back into oven and bake for 30 minutes longer. 

***A thick cut of meat will require longer initial cooking time than just 40 minutes***

Dirty Brown Rice

I picked this little jewel up from a neighbor named Jamie Rowland.  How to describe Jamie...think tall, skinny, blonde...a Faith Hill with a super cute bob haircut and amazing eyes.  She was raised in the Mississippi Delta and spoke fluent 'Gumbo'.  Gumbo is the SUPER slow southern drawl often heard only in the delta.  She was a great neighbor and friend that had to move away with her husband's job (that sounds faimilar for some reason...??).  We left the neighborhood soon after they did, but she left me with an awesome recipe that is a great sidedish for just about any type of meat.  BRACE YOURSELF...I COOK WITH REAL BUTTER!!!

Perheat oven to 350

Ingredients

1  stick butter (I use salted)
1  can French Onion Soup
1  can Beef Consumme (found with the soups)
1  cup white rice (uncooked)
1  jar sliced mushrooms (drained...I think it's the 4 oz size) (these are optional)

Directions

Spray an 8x8 Pyrex dish or cast iron skillet with Pam no-stick spray. 
Melt butter and pour into dish (if your oven is hot, plop the butter in pan and stick in the fire)
Add Mushrooms, soups and rice...stir together.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  I cover with foil after 30 minutes of cooking. 
This makes about 4 servings.