Cherry Salad

1 package cherry Jell-O
1 package cream cheese
1 can drained black, sweet pitted cherries
1/3 C pecans

Dissolve dry jell-O and cream cheese. Add 1 C boiling water. Add 1 C cherry juice and chopped pecans. Refrigerate overnight.

Butter Pecan Cookies

1 C butter
3/4 C light brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 C flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts.

Drop from spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for approximately 10 minutes.

Basic Creme Pie (And 5 Variations)

Basic Creme Pie (And 5 variations) - Makes 2 pies

---BASIC---
1 1/4 C sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 C flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 C hot milk
3 tbsp butter

Combine sugar, flour, salt, milk and egg yolks in top part of a double boiler, stirring constantly. Allow to thicken.

Add vanilla and butter.

Pour into baked pie shell. Top with meringue and brown.

---BANANA CREME---
Slice bananas over bottome of pie crust. Pour custard mixture over it. Complete as directed above.

---BUTTERSCOTCH---
Instead of white sugar, add 1 1/2 C brown sugar. Increase butter to 6 tbsp.

---CHOCOLATE---
Increase sugar to 1 1/2 C. Add 6 tbsp cocoa powder.

---PINEAPPLE---
Add drained, crushed pineapple.

---COCONUT---
Add 1 can coconut.

---MERINGUE---
Beat egg whites with 2 tbsp water until stiff.

1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water

Cook water in double boiler until thick. Cool. Add to beaten egg whites.

Nanny's Best

When I was 15 years old, my Nanny passed away to cancer. She was THE cook of the family. Her culinary library seemed endless, and everything she cooked tasted amazing.

I just so happen to have possession of her old, metal recipe box, filled almost to bursting with both handwritten and typed recipes. Some are her own, some are clipped from magazines and newspapers, and some were given to her by friends and relatives. I've begun the daunting task of sorting, deciphering, and typing up these recipes. It's looking to be a more difficult undertaking than I expected, since so many of the recipes aren't actually recipes, but just ingredient lists. So I'm having to use my own knowledge and experience to figure out what the direction lists should be for certain recipes. And I admit, I'm having trouble with several of them, since a lot of these recipes are old Southern "throw together whatever you have in the kitchen and stick it in the oven" recipes. I have the sinking feeling that many of her recipes will never be completely figured out. The good news is, many of our family's favorite recipes are in the bunch, recipes that we all thought had never been written down.

So let's get back to the point of all this... Since I have family scattered in different parts of the country, it will make it so much easier for everyone to access the recipes by me posting them here. I, quite honestly, haven't tried any of these yet, so I can't do much more than post them as they are on the cards. When I get around to making them myself, though, I'll just have to take photos and post them here, along with any tips!

Potato Zucchini Pancakes

OK, so, Father's Day has come and gone. My honey LOVES potatoes, and asked for steak, potatoes and asparagus for his Father's Day dinner (or, rather, Day After Father's Day dinner). I wanted something a little different than the standard baked potato, so I went searching for potato recipes. I found this recipe by Giada de Laurentiis, and it appealed to me immediately. However, I wasn't thrilled with the whole "make one big pancake, fry it on one side, then stick it in the oven" thing; it has too much of a casserole feel to me. So I changed up the cooking method a bit, and changed the ingredients just a smidge. And here's what I came up with...

Ingredients:
3 good-sized russet potatoes, grated (peeled or unpeeled - your preference)
2 medium or 3 small zucchini, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
fresh or dried rosemary, to taste (if you don't like rosemary, substitute with dill)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 tablespoons flour (give or take, depending on texture)
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
white pepper, to taste
dash of ground cayenne pepper
oil for frying
sour cream, for garnish
green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
fresh dill or rosemary, for garnish

Directions:
Grate the potatoes and zucchini, then wring out in a large towel or cloth to remove excess moisture. Place in a large bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients, minus the oil and sour cream, of course. Add the flour a little at a time until the potatoes are a little moist, but stick together a little. Stir to combine using your hands - there really is no other way to get everything mixed. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the skillet. Using a large spoon, drop about 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture into the skillet, spreading gently to flatten.

Cook until the bottom becomes crispy and the pancake looks as though it will not fall apart, then flip, cooking until golden and crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Once the entire mixture has been used, if the inside of the pancakes still feels a little mushy, place them into a 350 degree oven to finish cooking through. Let cool. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and thinly sliced green onion for garnish, and rosemary or dill.

These pancakes pair amazingly with a nice medium rare steak and oven roasted asparagus. I'm quite happy I chose this to be my last carb-heavy dish before starting on a low-carb diet tomorrow.

Edit: Several of my friends have commented that they hate zucchini. Being someone who will eat almost anything, I was surprised that so many people could hate a vegetable as delicious as zucchini. So, anyway, for those of you who do not like zucchini, I give you other options: just plain potato, sweet potato, carrot, yellow squash, maybe even grated broccoli stalks! Don't ever think you have to follow any recipe verbatim! Cooking is all about expressing yourself. Use which ingredients you like. If you don't like something that's listed on a recipe, change it! What is written here is definitely not law.

Pina Colada Cake

This recipe was inspired by the Bacardi Select rum cake recipe, and the fact that I had several flavored rums in my kitchen, but no dark rums. Unfortunately, I was running on very little sleep and a very busy two weeks when I made the cake, and it completely slipped my mind to take pictures while cooking. Oh well. I'll just have to make it again sometime so that I can add pictures!

It did turn out pretty tasty. My very large family, the members of which usually are pretty picky and don't like trying anything new, all seemed to enjoy it, and my grandmother even said that it was even better than the standard rum cake I usually make (which she always LOVED).

I'll admit, the pineapple flavor is a lot stronger than the coconut flavor, so if you don't like coconut, it would still be worth a try. I'm thinking, the next time I make this cake, instead of using milk in the batter, I should substitute it with coconut milk. And, silly me, I have a can of coconut milk sitting in my pantry right this moment... So, anyway... On to the cake!


Cake Ingredients:
    * 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
    * 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix (If you can find coconut flavored pudding mix, BY ALL MEANS, use it. Unfortunately, I checked 4 stores and still couldn't find it.)
    * 4 eggs
    * 1/2 cup cold milk (Or coconut milk, for a more noticeable coconut flavor.)
    * 1/2 cup oil
    * 1/2 cup of your favorite coconut rum
    * 1 tbs coconut extract
Glaze Ingredients:
    * 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
    * 1/4 cup pineapple juice
    * 1 cup brown sugar
    * 1/2 cup of your favorite pineapple rum
Optional Garnish:
    * Shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in pineapple juice and brown sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. If you prefer a thicker glaze (I do!), cook longer, until glaze reaches desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in rum. (This is where I usually add in my extra cooking time for the glaze, since the rum tends to thin out the mixture too much.) Allow the glaze to cool for 20 minutes or so, until it thickens a bit, making it more likely to cling to and soak into the cake.

Invert cake on a serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake. While glaze is still wet, sprinkle the cake with the shredded coconut, if desired.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

There are few Southerners who have not tasted the wonders of that which is gumbo, which comes in both Cajun and Creole varieties. The Creole version is usually made with shellfish: most commonly, shrimp, crab, and crawfish, but sometimes also including mussels or oysters. The Cajun varieties vary, usually using either shellfish or "meat", but rarely ever both. That's what you'll find in Louisiana, of course. Being a Mississippi girl, we don't adhere as closely to the "rules" of gumbo as the NOLA natives, and one will often find gumbo with a combination of both land and water proteins simmering in their pot.

Now, most often, I make just a simple chicken and sausage gumbo; it's easy to find every ingredient needed at the most deficient of grocery stores. Occasionally, though, I may throw in some fresh Gulf shrimp or crab claws. I know, most Cajuns would lynch me for the blasphemy, but, well, we "Stump Jumpers" don't care much for Cajun culinary law.

So...! Gumbo!


INGREDIENTS (This is based off my most recent gumbo venture. No two batches of gumbo ever turn out the same. Honestly, I measure nothing, and this is the first time I wrote anything down.)
1 medium bell pepper
2 stalks celery
1 large yellow onion
7 green onions
7 cloves garlic
1 large jalapeno
10 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
1 32-oz package of Cajun sausage (I always use Conecuh)
4tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup flour, give or take a little
Enough water to cover chicken and veggies
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Ground red pepper, to taste
Cajun seasoning, to taste (Tony Chachere's, Zatarain's, and Slap Ya Mama are the most advised brands)

(Making the chicken stock! Next to the roux, the most important part of gumbo.)

STOCK:
In a large stock pot, place chicken thighs and veggies, along with about 1tsp each of the seasonings (you can add more later). Add enough water to just cover the chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium for about 15 minutes, then to low/medium-low for about another 15. Turn off stove, remove chicken thighs from pot and allow to cool. DO NOT POUR OUT THE STOCK!

(Starting to look like something worth eating, huh?)

Once the thighs have cooled, remove the skin and meat; discard the meat and bones, and tear or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to the pot (this should not be over a heated stove eye right now), and also add the sausage.

ROUX:

(Early roux stage)

In a heavy skillet (cast iron is best), add your olive oil and heat to medium high. Using a whisk, slowly add and combine the flour to the oil. Add enough flour to soak up the oil, but not so much that the flour sticks to itself in a ball. If you add too much flour, don't be afraid to add more oil to thin it out. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low (temperature will depend on your stove). Stir continuously, allowing flour to darken gradually and not burn. For a true gumbo roux, you want a "brick" color, a deep brown-red. Depending on your stove and your skillet, this may take 30-40 minutes. It doesn't take long to go from the perfect roux to the burnt roux. If you DO overcook your roux, don't fret! Just empty your skillet, give it a good scrub, and then start over. The roux really makes the gumbo, so you DON'T want to mess this up!

(PERFECT gumbo roux!)

Once your roux reaches the deep, rich brick color, remove from heat. Return the stock pot to the stove at medium heat. Once it has come to temperature, add the roux and mix thoroughly. Give the gumbo a taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for... A while. I didn't really keep track of time, and it really depends on your stove and what type of sausage you use. You want to make sure that you don't cook your gumbo so long that the sausage turns to mush. Serve over steamed rice, or just a little scoop on top.