National Pie Day - January 23rd

In honor of National Pie Day...check out these easy,

yet delicious pie recipes.

...

 

Chocolate Fudge Pie

 Printable Recipe

.

Aunt Mary's Chess Pie

Printable Recipe

.

 

Southern Pecan Pie

Printable Recipe

Simple and Easy Sweet Pea Salad

My brother is a big fan of Sweet Pea Salad and

introduced me to this recipe.

.

I am not a fan of English Peas at all, but if I were, I would

choose to eat them

this way.

.

When I heard that a sick elderly woman that I go

to church with was wanting Chicken and Dumplings, I whipped up a HUGE

 pot.  Enough for my family and then several servings for her. 

 

I wanted to take her a full meal and in my cabinet was a can

of Sweet Peas.  I hated to just take plain peas...I wanted to dress them

up a little.  So I made this Simple and Easy Sweet Pea Salad.  She loved it!

Along with the Chicken and Dumplings and

Sweet Pea Salad,

I made her a snack size 

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

.

You know it just feels good to do something for somebody

that's unable to do for themselves. 

What a treat!  for us both.

.

 

 

 

 SWEET PEA SALAD

 

1 can baby sweet (English) peas
1 boiled egg, chopped

2 Tablespoons onion, diced fine

1 heaping Tablespoon of sweet pickle relish

1/3 cup real mayonnaise

salt and pepper to season

Drain the peas, add all ingredients. Mix and chill.  Serve chilled.

Pecan Pie Bars

My mother-in-love's country yard is filled

with flowers and trees.

 

Once upon a time, these flowers

gave her much pleasure, but gone are the

days of working in the flower beds 'til dark.  At 74 and not in

the best of health,

she doesn't have as much energy

to work like she once did. 

 

Among the Crepe Myrtles and Peonies stands a big Pecan tree.

Its branches spread across the grassy lawn and provide

wonderful shade on a hot summer day. 

My girls have many fond memories of playing

on the swing set there in the shade of the

big pecan tree on a sunny day and picking up pecans

with Grandma on a

chilly, windy late Fall day.

 

Every year many pounds of pecans are picked up, carried inside and the

process of shelling and cleaning begins.

At 82, Papa's eyesight is failing him and he sits in his easy chair

and shells the  pecans by feeling them, then

passes them to Grandma or one

of the grandkids to do the cleaning. 

Once they're throughly cleaned, most likely

with a toothbrush, they're put  in bags and into the freezer. 

Sometimes she'll grab out a few and stick them in the oven to roast.

Once placed on the table, the bowl is emptied

in record time.

 

~{o}~

 

This year, she sent home a large bag of shelled, chopped pecans

for my daughter to use in Pecan Pies

for Thanksgiving.

I used what was left in making these tasty bars which I

shared with friends and coworkers.

If you like Pecan Pie, you'll love this yummy bar version.

I've been making it for many years and

it's definitely a "tried and true" recipe.  

Hope you enjoy!

 

 Pecan Pie Bars

Crust:

1 (18.25-ounce) package butter-flavor cake mix
1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg

Filling:

1 cup  sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan.

Combine the cake mix, softened butter and 1 egg.  Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan and a little up the sides to hold the filling.  Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven.

In the meantime, using a large bowl or your Kitchenaid mixer, combine  sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 3 eggs at low speed until well mixed.   Beat 1 minute at medium speed or until well-blended.

Stir in pecan pieces.

Pour filling mixture over warm base. Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set.  Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

--->>>---oOo---<<<---

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1098" align="aligncenter" width="257" caption="Papa & Grandma Golden"][/caption]

Buttermilk Biscuits

Oh, how I love the smell of bread baking in the oven!

It speaks to my soul and tells me good things are to come.

.

Years ago (seems like a lot of my posts start with this), I clipped a Basic Buttermilk Biscuit recipe from my Mom-in-love's Southern Living magazine.

...



.

This is my go-to, tried and true, never-fail biscuit recipe that I use when I'm not low carbing or I just wanna make biscuits for the family on Saturday morning.

.

 

I use my medium size biscuit cutter so my biscuits are smaller than usual.  I tend to like'm small, tall, and fluffy...almost bite-size, well at least a few bites worth.   I do love things in miniature.

 ...

 

 .



 Begin by cutting the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

.

.



Add buttermilk and stir just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

;

.



Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and gently knead or fold over itself 4-5 times.    Folding creates multiple layers of dough and fat, giving rise to a tender, fluffy biscuit.  Pat or roll to ¾” thick; cut with a round biscuit cutter.

.

.



Place into a greased pan with side touching.  This helps with the rise.  I used my round Wilton silicone cake pan and it worked great!  There was even a slight crust on the bottom of some of the biscuits.

.

.



Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. 

.

.

Serve with honey, jam, sorghum, meat, or how about some Chocolate Gravy?   The freedom of  choice is yours!

.

;

 



.

Basic Buttermilk Biscuits

1/3 cup butter, cut up

2 cups self rising flour (White Lily is good)

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

 

Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Cut butter in flour w/ pastry cutter.  Add buttermilk and stir just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.   Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and gently knead or fold over itself 4-5 times.    Folding creates multiple layers of dough and fat, giving rise to a tender, fluffy biscuit. 

Pat or roll to ¾” thick; cut with a round biscuit cutter.  Pat or roll to ¾” thick; cut with a round biscuit cutter.   Bake for 12-14 minutes. Brush with melted butter fresh from the oven.  Serve warm.

Yield:  12-14 (1½”) biscuits or 7 (2½”) biscuits

.

Recipe courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

Link of the Week

Sugar, Spice, and a Little Bit of Life

...

Run over and check out Jana's very entertaining blog.  There's recipes, crafts, awesome cakes, and great photography for you to enjoy.

...



...

 

Tomorrow, stop back in for a great homemade biscuit recipe!

...

Top Recipes of 2009

This past year I've tried to become more faithful to blogging. 

I just want to say Thanks to all who've posted a comment, sent an email, or just stopped by to look at my little spot on the web.   I hope you've enjoyed your time spent here.

Happy New Year!

...oOOo......oOOo......oOOo......oOOo......oOOo......oOOo...

.

Now I'd like to share the top recipes of 2009.

...

Coming in at #1 is...

.

Low Carb Deep Fried Cauliflower



...

Everyone's wanting to know how to cook venison...OR mention the word bacon in a post and get all kinds of results!

 

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Deer Tenderloin



...

Not far behind is

Beefy Rotel Cheese Dip



.

then...

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies



...

 

and finally some Southern Low Carb deliciousness...

Skillet Fried Cabbage with Bacon

 

Looks like Southern Style and Low Carb wins this past year!

...

Stay tuned for more great recipes coming up this week.  I'll be sharing a killer Pecan Pie Bar Recipe and how to make great  Buttermilk Biscuits!

Link of the week

I'm always looking for great recipes, projects and craft ideas.  It's so much fun  hopping from link to link. 

----oºOºo----

Since I'm really busy at the moment and have so many links on my sidebar already, I thought I'd post a new link every week for you to enjoy.

.

Hop on over and check out The Farm Chick's Journal.  There's lots of great recipes and crafty ideas for you to enjoy through the cold winter.

Puffy eyes and feet means back to Low Carb!

I regret to say that I don't work Weight Watchers very well. 

.

I was doing good at first, then Thanksgiving happened and a few days later I quit counting my points.

Weight Watchers is hard to do if you don't count your points, or at least it is for me.

.

 

.

So I'm back to what I know will get rid of those puffy eyes, hands, and feet.  Low Carb it is!

.

~~~

 

While trying to decide what to have for lunch today, I came across some great low carb articles/sites.

.

...

 

I've decided to list a few here.   Enjoy...  and happy Low Carbing!

.

 

Low Carb Diet Recipes

Low Carb Lunches

Low Carb Office Lunch Tips

Low Carb Brown Bag Lunches

Low Carb Low Cal Lunches

Rachel Ray Low Carb Lunch

Low Carb Guy Lunches

More Low Carb Lunch Ideas

AC Low Carb

Simply Recipes Low Carb

Kalyn's SB Low Carb

Low Carb Friends Soup Recipes

~~~

I will still be making and posting recipes for holiday goodies and treats, so if you're not a Low Carber don't write me off.   

Be sure and check back here for great recipes of all kinds over the next few weeks.

 

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 cup marshmallow creme

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil sugar and milk in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally, to soft ball stage*, or about 236° on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Beat well with a wooden spoon until the fudge begins to turn glossy.

Pour candy into a greased 8x8-inch pan.   Cut peanut butter fudge into squares when firm.  Enjoy!

...

 

*To Test for Soft Ball Stage
A small amount of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but is soft enough to flatten when picked up with fingers (234° to 240°).

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

So simple yet so delicious!

~

What to to with 2 nice bunches of very ripe bananas, but bake?!  This cake is made with a recipe I've been using since the early 90's.   It is very simple, with few ingredients, but it is so delicious and moist!

.

I usually top it with a Brown Sugar Glaze, but since I had cream cheese, this time I decided to make a traditional Cream Cheese Frosting for the cake.



.

BANANA CAKE

1/2 cup shortening or butter (I used softened butter)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (2 med) bananas, mashed

1 1/4 cups self rising flour

.

Cream shortening (or butter) and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.   Add flour to mashed bananas and mix well.  Next, add the banana and flour mixture to the cake batter.  Stir well.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until cake is browned on top and springs back to the touch.

.

***NOTE- I used a 7 x 11 glass baking dish and the cake rose to the top of the dish and was fairly thick.  The layer could be sliced and a filling added to make a 2 layer cake.

.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
½ teaspoon of vanilla

 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar

.

In a medium sized mixing bowl cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Add the vanilla.  Slowly add the powdered sugar.  When you are adding the powdered sugar, use a low speed on the mixer.   After you have it all in, put up on a medium to high speed.   Mix the frosting until it is fluffy.

Make sure your cake is completely cooled and spread the cream cheese frosting on it. 

.
 

 

Peanut Butter Cookies (low carb)

In the fall, I get a hankering to bake, bake, bake!

 

Since I try to live the low carb lifestyle, that limits my baked goods choices.  When I want to bake cookies, this easy recipe always comes to mind.

I found this recipe several years ago in my Aunt Mary's little recipe box.  Last night when I baked these little gems, I subbed Splenda for the sugar.   I have written the recipe here as it is on her recipe card and added my own tweaks.



 

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar (I subbed Splenda)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla, optional

Mix the peanut butter and sugar well.  Add the egg.  Mix well.  (As the egg is added to the peanut butter mixture, it  causes the mixture to have a cookie dough texture)

Drop by rounded spoonfuls on baking sheet.  Using a fork, press the cookies down to give them that classic peanut butter cookie look.  Bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes.  Do not overcook.

 

Cool and enjoy!

Easy Ranch and Bacon Pasta Salad

I love a good pasta salad and if it's easy and simple, that's even better!

 

A few Sundays ago, my sister-in-law called to invite me to a family picnic and so I decided a simple pasta salad would be a great addition to the meal she had already prepared. 

 

After the afternoon service, she, her husband, 2 daughters, 8 grandchildren and my family of 4 plus my baby great-nephew, all met at the park for an evening of food and family fun.

 

There was Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup, Cornbread, Sandwiches, Chips, Pasta Salad, Fresh Veggies and Ranch Dip, Sweet Tea, Banana Pudding, and Coconut Cake.

 

There's no time like Family Time!

~~~

More great homestyle recipes:

Vegetable Beef Soup with Southern Cornbread

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing

Chocolate Fudge Pie



Easy Ranch and Bacon Pasta Salad

1 box pasta, cooked ( I used Dreamfields Penne Rigate - low carb)

1 cup homemade ranch dressing

1/2 cup bacon pieces

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced - optional

Mix the cooked, drained and cooled pasta with the dressing, cheese, and bacon.  Chill and serve.

~~~

The Holidays and your favorite recipes

The holiday season will soon be here. 

Thanksgiving is a very special holiday for our family and usually centers around our family dinner.  

Mom's Southern cornbread Turkey and Dressing is the usual star of the main meal.  There are other favorites that complete our meal.  My brother has to have Chunky Potato Salad, made the same way my grandmother made it.  I usually enjoy the Sweet Potatoes and baked Ham.  

One daughter loves the Green Bean Casserole and Yeast Rolls while daughter #2 loves the Ham and Cream Style Corn.

And of course, the dessert choice wouldn't be complete without mom's Angel Salad on the menu.  (Pictures and recipe forthcoming)

 

 I'm a dessert eater.  Below are some of my favorites.

 



Peanut Butter Balls

 



Southern Pecan Pie

 



Chess Pie

 



Sour Cream Pound Cake

 

And if you're watching your sugar intake...



Low Carb Mini-Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

~~~

What special dish are you looking forward to? 

Apple Dumplings: The Ultimate Fall Dessert

What other recipe speaks Harvest Time than an apple recipe flavored with sugar, butter, and cinnamon?

Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Go here for this easy yet decadant recipe and enjoy the season's bounty of  delicious apples.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Okay, if you have a few carbs to spare you can enjoy this rich treat .

 

Jonathan’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Low Carb Cheesecake

 

 

Crust:

 

4 Voortman Sugar Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 Murray’s Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup Almond Flour

3 Tbsp Granulated Splenda

6 Tbsp Melted Butter

1 Oz. Un-Sweetened Baking Chocolate Bar

1 Tbsp Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

 

Filling

 

24 Oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Cup Granulated Splenda

¼ Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

4 Large Eggs

½ Cup Kroger Just Right Lower Sugar/Sodium Creamy Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Sour Cream

8 Reeses Sugar Free Miniatures

2 Oz. Un-Sweetened Baking Chocolate Bar

½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees


2. In a food processor, pulse cookies until small crumbs.  Remove and place in bowl and mix in almond Flour and Splenda.  Stir with spoon until well mixed.  Add melted butter; mix well and press into bottom of spring form pan. 


3. Sprinkle shaved chocolate bar and mini chips on top of crust and put into refrigerator while mixing filling


4. Place softened cream cheese, Splenda, brown sugar Splenda, and eggs and mix together until smooth.  Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix until creamy.  Add sour cream and finish mixing.  With spoon, fold in 1 oz of chocolate bar, ¼ cup of mini chips, and 4 chopped Reeses miniatures.


5. Remove crust from refrigerator and pour filling into pan.  Sprinkle rest of chopped baking chocolate and mini chips on top and place in oven. 


6. Bake for 60-80 minutes.  Time will vary depending on oven.  Do not overcook, the middle should be almost set.  Insert a toothpick into center and you should have a small amount of filling on toothpick


7. Run knife around the edge and cool before removing the pan outer ring.  Sprinkle remaining chopped Reeses miniatures and refrigerate overnight.

 

20 small servings = 13 carbs per serving

 

Microwave Pork Rinds

Lowery's Bacon Curls in Original or Hot and Spicy

These are the absolute best!  I serve them along with some homemade dip and a big tall glass of Diet Pepsi. 

Amazon has a great price, too.  Check'm out!

 

Chicken and Dumplings and Aunt Mary

As children, my brothers and I stayed with my Great Aunt Mary during the summer and after school while my mom worked long hours at a local law firm.  

Summers were so much longer back then and there was always so much to do.  Never a boring moment.  Aunt Mary would keep us busy, either by helping her or by letting us do a craft.  We made beautiful flowers out of colorful layers of toilet tissue (you could buy pale pink and baby blue toilet paper back then :)), colored on paper towels or paper plates, or made small trash cans using egg cartons, yarn, and a tin pie pan. 

 

Sometimes we even sat out on the swing and guessed what color the next car would be.  We couldn't do that today; too many cars fly up and down that road now.

 

On beautiful warm days, we played outside.  We might even help Aunt Mary hang the freshly washed laundry out on the line or maybe work in her garden.  Oh, how I remember the goodness that came from that little vegetable garden out in the back yard behind the chicken coop and shed. 

 

Fresh green beans with baby whole new potatoes fried up in an iron skillet and seasoned with bacon grease.  Ripe, red tomatoes, peeled because Aunt Mary couldn't chew the peeling, and cut into thick slices.  Slimey boiled okra, fried summer squash, green onions, purple hull peas, and in the fall,  roasted sweet potatoes. 

 

That woman had a green thumb and was always working at canning fresh snapped green beans and red tomato relish.



Lunch was her main meal of the day and in the evenings she usually had a few leftovers or some cornbread and gravy and sat at the table writing in her journal as the evening grew darker.

 

I remember as a child loving my Aunt Mary's Chicken & Dumplings.  It was always a treat when we had Chicken & Dumplings.   Thanks for the memories, Aunt Mary.  You will forever live on in our hearts and minds. 

Learn more about my Great Aunt Mary.

 

This is not her exact recipe, but very similar.



This just happens to be my daughters' favorite dish.  Rarely ever do I have any leftovers.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 (3 pound) whole chicken

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups water

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons shortening 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a heavy pot with a lid, or a crockpot,  place the chicken, salt, pepper and water.   Simmer all over low heat until tender, about 1 hour, or if using a crock pot, cook on low until done, maybe 3-4 hours.  (My crockpot low is like medium, it's pretty hot)

Let chicken cool slightly in pot, then remove and take the meat off of the bones. Discard the bones and skin and skim excess fat off the broth if desired. Return broth and chicken pieces to the pot. Simmer over low heat while making the dumplings.

To Make Dumplings: In a medium mixing bowl, cut shortening into the flour and salt. Stir in 1/4 cup water (more if needed) to form a soft dough. Roll out dough on a floured surface, with a rolling pin, until thin. Cut into 1 inch wide strips using a pizza cutter or knife. Tear off 1 -2  inch long pieces from these strips and drop into simmering broth.  Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off, then 10 minutes more with the lid on.  Serve immediately.

Simple Suppers

Sometimes some of the best suppers come from the hands of friends and family.

Fried Pork Tenderloin, fresh from the H Farms in Kentucky and courtesy of my dear sister-in-law, Dorothy.  We never leave Dorothy's without a cooler packed with meat and jars of home-canned greenbeans and vegetable soup. 



Longing for simplicity and lacking in time, I decided to fry the fresh pork tenderloin for supper.  It's supper in the South, you know.  Dinner is at noon.  :D

The tomatoes are from my father's garden.  He delivered those to me at work, along with a large bag of sweet bell peppers.  I will slice and freeze most of those for future use. 

To complete the simple meal, I threw together some drop biscuits using a pre-made baking mix.  My girls seem to think that drop biscuits are a gourmet treat.   Gone are the days of actually rolling the dough.  Those are just plain biscuits!  Whatever they want to think.  Drop biscuits are so easy, I don't think I'll explain the difference to them just yet.

Grilled Burgers and Spicy Fries

My Grillmaster lights the grill once again! 

It was a weeknight and I was wanting a simple supper, something that didn't involve messing up a bunch of mixing bowls, pots and pans, and dinner plates.  I didn't feel like the clean-up. 

So I picked up some burgers, already pre-formed!  I was looking for easy, too.   I glanced at the prices of the french fries in the freezer section and remembered the half bag of whole potatoes I had at home just waiting to be turned into delicious homemade fries.

As I went through my mental list at the grocery, I picked up some buns, a Vidalia onion, some iceburg lettuce (I know), and some hamburger sliced dill pickles, our favorite. 

When we arrived home, my Grillmaster set about preparing the grill...charcoal only for him.   I prepared the condiments for the burgers and my youngest daughter scrubbed and helped slice the potatoes for the fries.

What a meal!  I took my mom (who is fighting cancer, on a bunch of meds, and nothing tastes good) a burger.  She ate half of it and declared it was the tenderest grilled burger she'd ever had.



I know the cheese is not melted.  Poor fellow, I forgot to give it to him and it never entered his mind to put some cheese on the burgers those last few seconds on the grill.  So when he brought them in, I took a few of the hottest ones and threw some cheese on them.  

* * * * *

TIP: When we light the grill, we usually do enough meat and veggies for more than one meal.  This night we grilled a huge pack of barbequed chicken legs and some deer tenderloin wrapped with bacon to have another time.  Leftover grilled goodies make for a quick and easy lunch!

Cheesy Potato Pie

This pie is a result of a "clean out the fridge" night.

~

Cheesy Potato Pie

3 lb.  potatoes, peeled & sliced
3/4 stick butter
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. cream
2 eggs
1/2 sm. onion, chopped
Salt & pepper
1 c. Cheddar cheese (1/4 of a pound), grated
1/2cup mozzerella, grated

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

2  tbsp. bread crumbs
2 tbsp. butter, cut in pieces

~

Butter a glass pie dish. Put potatoes in water and bring to a boil, until potatoes are tender. Drain. Place in buttered pie dish. Dot with butter.  Top with diced tomatoes.  Mix cream, eggs, salt, and pepper.  Add onions. Spoon mixture over potato slices.  Spread evenly. Cover with cheeses and crumb mixture and dot with butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.