Sunday Supper

It's the first day of Spring and we're officially ready. We've fired up the Big Green Egg for the first barbeque of the season. On the menu? Parker's special recipe for Baby Back Ribs, my yummy {and super easy} Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a new recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal cookies. Pass the plates, y'all!

Barbequed Baby Back Ribs

1 Slab of Ribs

Dry Rub Mixture*

1 Cup of Barbeque Sauce

Heat grill to 225 - 275 degrees F. Take the rack of ribs and cut in half. Wash and then pat dry. Lay the half slabs on aluminum foil and rub each with the mixture of seasoning to taste. Wrap separately in the aluminum foil and place on the grill for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes depending on the heat of your grill. Unwrap aluminum foil packets and place cooked ribs bone side down on the grill. Baste with barbeque sauce and cook another 10 to 20 minutes or until desired amount of sauce is applied. Pull from grill and let meat rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

*Parker and I prefer a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic salt and an added dash of this and that.

Barbeque Sauce

3/4 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed Dark Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Minced Onion

2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

In a bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, onion, mustard, hot sauce and pepper. Can be covered and refrigerated for up to one week.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, Red or Russet Potatoes

1 cup Milk

1 tablespoon Chopped Garlic

6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt, plus additional to taste

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the potatoes until tender {about 25 minutes}. Drain well. Combine the milk and garlic in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes, milk mixture, butter, salt and pepper to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately.

Steamed Broccoli

2 Heads of Broccoli

1 teaspoon Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop broccoli to desired size. Put a colander over a medium sized pot 1/4 full of water. Bring water to a rolling boil, add broccoli to colander and cover with a lid. Steam broccoli to for a few minutes to thoroughly cook but retain crispness {usually 5 minutes}.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar1/2 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats {not instant}

3/4 cup dried cranberries

6 ounces white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl using an electric mixer combine the sugar, brown sugar and butter; mix well to cream together. Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and flour and mix well. Fold in the oatmeal, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips- making sure that all ingredients are evenly distributed. Drop dough into 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden.Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Sunday Supper

It's Super Bowl Sunday and y'all know what that means; chili and cornbread! My husband, Parker, got on this ground turkey "kick" about a year ago {blah} and although I a firmly in camp "ground beef", I have to admit that his turkey chili is to die for! Since I'm the baker in the family, my responsibility is the cornbread and of course yummy dessert. All of these recipes are super simple {with a few tricks, even pound cake can be simple} and serve between 6 - 8 folks. Y'all enjoy the game and most importantly, the spread. Pass the plates!

Parker's Very Famous and Very Spicy Turkey Chili

• 1lb lean ground turkey
• 2 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning mix
• 5 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 14.5 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• sour cream, sliced jalapenos and cheddar cheese for serving

Brown  turkey. Drain and add 1 1/2 tsp of Chachere's Seasoning and 2 tbsp of chili powder. Transfer meat to crockpot. Add kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, 1 tsp Chachere's Seasoning and 3 tbsp chili powder. Stir and cook either on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve with sour cream, jalapenos and cheddar cheese.

 

Made-from-Scratch Cornbread

• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool {or if you're like me, cut a big slice right out of the oven and eat with a tall glass of ice cold milk}.

Sour Cream Pound Cake*

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube  or bundt pan. Place pan in a cold oven on the lowest rack and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Increase temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool and serve with Vanilla Bean ice cream. Yum!

*The key to a good pound cake is simple. Use room-temperature ingredients, including the butter and eggs and start with a cold oven. Never open the oven door while baking a pound cake, it'll cause it to fall y'all!

Sunday Supper

It's almost supper time! At the beginning of every week, Parker and I decide on a traditional, Southern, Sunday meal {"traditional" meaning something is nearly always fried or a stick of butter is used}. It's usually our splurge meal of the week and we love cooking together from family recipes and perfecting our favorites. This week we decided to take a little break from convention and make some yummy BLFGT sandwiches {the only thing that would make this better would be to add pimento cheese}, my best Mac & Cheese dish from the Deen Brothers recipe and homemade Banana Pudding. I hope y'all enjoy the recipes and kindly make any suggestions! Have a wonderful week.

Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich {serves 4 or more}:

• 2 large green tomatoes, sliced medium to thick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 cups canola oil
• 1 lb. of thick sliced bacon
• 8-12 crisp lettuce leaves {we prefer Bibb lettuce}
• Dukes mayonnaise
• Toasted sandwich bread

Season slices of green tomato with salt and pepper. Dredge in the cornmeal. Heat the oil in a skillet. Fry the tomatoes until crisp and golden on both sides. Remove from pan and place on paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.

Spread the mayonnaise on the toasted bread. Build your sandwich with the lettuce,  fried green tomatoes and cooked bacon.

The Deen Bros. Baked Macaroni and Cheese {serves about 8}:

• 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces American cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside. In saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Return macaroni to saucepan.

While macaroni is hot, add the cheeses to the pan; stir well. Spread the macaroni mixture in the prepared baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs, butter, hot sauce, and salt. Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni.

 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Banana Pudding {serves 4 to 6}:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 box of Nilla wafers
• 2 large bananas, sliced 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, whisk the egg and yolk in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds.

 

When the milk mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering mixture into the egg mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.

 

Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to keep a skin from forming.

 

Line the bottom of a 1½-quart serving dish with vanilla wafers. On top of the wafers, place a layer of the sliced bananas. Pour ½ of the pudding over the bananas, and spread to the edges of the dish. Repeat the vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding again. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.