Search Results for “Recipes” – Page 6 – So Does That Mean I'm SOUTHERN? (2024)

Posted on January 5, 2016 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

As I have a business background and worked in corporate America for a long time, I have heard of goal-setting and how to attain goals many times. I decided a few years ago to abandon New Year’s resolutions. I want to strive to do better and be better every day. I always want to present positive thoughts on posts on my blog so that would sort of be a New Year’s resolution but it has always been a goal of this blog.

Today, I am sharing thoughts on how I want to improve and one way is to use recipes I have used for years but amp them up a little bit by changing the ingredients or adding different spices to the mixture. I have started preparing northern beans for us over the last few weeks and I am going to share how I have made them more tasty:

8 ounces of dried northern beans

Of course the first thing to do is soak the beans and rinse them as is usually directed on the package.

Add chicken broth instead of water as the liquid to prepare the beans. I try to have enough liquid to just cover the top of the beans in the pot. If I don’t have enough chicken broth, I will add water to reach that level.

I add the following to the beans:

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon of basil

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of onion powder.

The beans can be simmered on your stove top or cooked in a crock pot. As you can see, there is no oil in these beans and we enjoy them with only the seasonings. However, I have drizzled a small amount of a good olive oil over them when we are ready to eat them and that makes them even more tasty.

Last year I made a file on my computer of “Things I want to make.”I would refer back to that file from time to time and I prepared everything except Bananas Foster. I will make that soon even though Mr. D is afraid I will burn down the house. Having the file to refer to saves time when I am wanting to prepare something special or a little different and can find something quickly in the file. When I am writing my posts I will refer to my “Things I want to make” file and that helps me to set a goal of preparing the recipe sometime in the near future. As this isn’t a cooking blog, I do not prepare every recipe that I share with you. I am sharing Southern traditions and a large part of our Southern traditions is food.

I will work smarter in the kitchen this year and not harder. I always like to prepare new and different recipes; however, I want to make sure I include recipes and favorites that we have eaten over the years. I will go through my menu planner (yes, I do plan my menus every week and I always have) and make a list of dishes that I want to make sure we have in 2016. I keep that list with my menu planner and I can refer to it when I can’t think of anything to put on our menu.

As far as my blog is concerned, I want to share the foothills of North Carolina with you and my experiences of growing up and living in the South. I always feel I fall short in sharing pictures with you. That would be a goal I set for myself every year and I want to take the time to share pictures of where I live.

I hope you will file my Northern Bean recipe in your “Things I want to make file.” I know there are many theories on why we eat beans and greens as our first meal of the New Year. I will still say that I think the cooks were just tired of cooking from the holidays and that was the easiest thing for them to make.

Happy New Year Y’all and I look forward to sharing 2016 with you.

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Posted in crockpot, recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetables and tagged beans, Northern Beans. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 29, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

As New Year’s Eve is approaching, I wanted to share three recipes that have been part of our celebrations for years. The sausage balls are great and I can remember having them even as I was growing up in the sandhills of North Carolina. By the way, they freeze very well if you want to serve some and save some. The barbequed franks are a family favorite and we have them many times during the winter months. The fruit dip is a special occasion dip and very easy to make. The first two recipes are from a brochure of recipes that I collected during the very early years of our marriage. The fruit dip recipe was clipped from a Southern Living Magazine when readers submitted recipes to the magazine for publication. That was one of my most favorite parts of the magazine when I started subscribing to it.

The currant jelly for the barbequed weiners is sometimes hard to find and you may substitute grape jelly. I am wishing for you a very prosperous and Happy New Year.

Thanks for stopping by.

4 Comments

Posted in appetizer, fruit, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged barbequed franks, cream cheese, franks, fruit cream cheese dip, fruit dip, sausage, sausage balls. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 9, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

When I was growing up in the South I realized how important it was to be able to bake a cake. My Mother would come home from work quite often and be extremely excited about a new cake recipe. I bake a cake every year at Christmas. Actually, that isn’t true, I bake two cakes every Christmas. A must have at our house is my Mother’s chocolate pound cake with chocolate icing. It is a given when my daughter and her family come to visit. When they lived in Africa, I baked this cake, packed it up and shipped it to them. So I guess you could say this chocolate cake recipe has almost been around the world. I found the clipping below in a newspaper and confirmed with my Mother it was the recipe she used. If you love chocolate, this would be a great choice and the icing is super easy to make.

After making the chocolate pound cake, I have to make a choice between red velvet cake or coconut cake. This year I was really leaning towards a coconut cake; however; as our family is coming to visit I think the red velvet cake is the best choice. The red velvet color just says Christmas to me. I am sharing the red velvet cake recipe from a card I picked up in the grocery store when we were first married 45 years ago. There is a side one and side two to the card and I do not use cream cheese icing as so many people do today but prefer this icing recipe on my red velvet cake.

Page 1

Page 2

Below I am sharing my Granny’s recipe for coconut cake and it is definitely one of my very favorites. I will not be making it this year but it was a hard choice for me to decide whether to make it or the red velvet cake. It is always super moist and so delicious. I still hear people comment on the coconut cake that was such an important part of their family’s Southern Christmas. This isn’t the most spectacular looking cake as I prefer it without the seven minute frosting. However, it is the best and stirs great memories of my Granny and my Southern heritage.

I hope you will be able to start a tradition with your family using one of these truly Southern cake recipes. Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in baking, desserts, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged cake, choco;late pound cake, chocolate, coconut, coconut cake, Red Velvet Cake. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 3, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

First of all, last Saturday Mr. D and I rode up to Meadow of the Dan Virginia. I have blogged about it many times and shared how much we enjoy Nancy’s Candy Kitchen (a wonderful candy shop) and Chateau Morrisette ( A winery in a beautiful location). We debated on whether I should take my camera and I decided not to as I have blogged about that area so many times.

However, as we were riding through Jefferson North Carolina, I started to see Christmas Tree Farms and realized I needed to share those pictures with you. It may be something we take for granted here but it might be something you haven’t every seen. Here are a few of the picture that were taken in North Carolina and Virginia. In the first picture the dots in the pasture are cows and I loved having a picture of the trees and the cows together in the same area. No matter the time of year, I always enjoy visiting this area of the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

Below I am sharing with you two of my favorite sugar cookie recipes. The first one is a sugar cookie recipe I started making for and with my daughter when she was growing up. We had some disastrous messes in the kitchen when she started to helping me to make them when she was around two years old and by the way, she is 41 now. The flavor of the cookie is so rich and wonderful. I always use the almond and vanilla extract combination and it gives the cookies more flavor.

The following recipe is for Mr. D and he enjoys the thumbprint cookies that I have been making for him since we realized he was diabetic. Instead of using the equal I now use the baking splenda in these cookies. I will make them for Mr. D this weekend.

And going along with the Christmas tree theme, I have seen this craft many times during the season and I love the idea of making a tree out of a paper plate. I think our daycare toddler class will do this for their parents. I wanted to share it because I think it would be a fun thing to share with the young ones in your life. I don’t think they would be quite as messy as the sugar cookies. There is a link to the website and specific instructions at the bottom of the picture.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in baking, desserts, Recipe - Diabetic, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged christmas cookies, cookies, sugar free cookies, thumbprint sugar free cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

Every year at Thanksgiving we have pie. Mr. D must have pumpkin pie and then I make a pie of my choice. I will confess right now that I have never made a homemade pie crust. I use the pie crusts that are usually Pillsbury found in the refrigerated section of the store. This year I am going to try to make my own crusts. The recipe I am sharing with you today is from Ina Garten’s Cookbook, Make It Ahead. I am not going to wait until Thanksgiving Day when I am cooking a lot to prepare these crusts. According to the directions, you can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it. I plan on making this on Monday and keeping it until I bake my pies on Wednesday.

Ina is such an inspiration and I have always been pleased with any of her recipes. Mr. D loves to say that, “Ina hasn’t failed us yet” and he is so right.

I hope this inspires you to make your own pie crusts. One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is making some of our most favorite traditional recipes and at the same time, trying new ones.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in baking, Cookbooks, desserts, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged Ina Garten, Ina Garten's Make It Ahead Cookbook, Ina Garten's perfect pie crusts, Pie Crusts. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 5, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

As I was preparing this post, I began to go through my South Carolina cookbooks because I wanted to feature a recipe from that great state. I have two Hilton Head cookbooks that were published in the 80’s and that is where I found the recipes I am sharing with you today. I know this is tailgating season and I can imagine how much you would enjoy one or all of these recipes at your favorite team’s game or race.

I have never heard of pecan dip but I think it would be wonderful with a salty cracker or even a graham cracker. The other recipes are bonuses as they were on the same page and I thought they were great options. I love butter pecan ice cream and the idea of southern salted pecans sounds wonderful. (Just add cream)

The recipes are from my Island Events Cookbook published in 1986. The food of Hilton Head is just one of the reasons it is such a special place for us.

I think these recipes would be good for tailgating or any holiday event. I also think they would be a great surprise when you want to do something extra special for your family.

Thanks for stopping by.

4 Comments

Posted in appetizer, Cookbooks, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged baked pecan dip, canape, colorful spinach dip, dips, Hilton Head Island, island events cookbook, pecans, southern salted pecans, spinach, vidalia onion and cheese canape. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on October 19, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

When I started this blog over four years ago, I had no idea how many times I would write a post or even if I wanted to do this on a consistent basis. At first, I wrote a blog post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I wanted to share my experiences of growing up in the South and my love for the state of North Carolina as I have lived in this state for my entire life. I have learned from your responses to my blog that your favorite posts are the ones about food. As I am a foodie for sure, it has been easy for me to share many wonderful food traditions of the South.

Recently, though, I have seen a need for a change as far as my blog posts are concerned. I want the blog posts I share to be something that I am really excited about sharing with you. I like to think that I am sharing something I really love with a very dear friend. I want to continue my blog but post on a more random basis. I also plan to again post some of the recipes that I have shared with you over the last four plus years. So if you are a regular subscriber you will not consistently receive a post every Monday and Thursday but will continue to receive my posts.

Today, I am sharing one of my favorite baked bean recipes that I have been making for almost forty years. This recipe has a tart taste because of the vinegar included in it. It could be a main dish or side dish for just about any occasion.

Baked Beans

1 lb of hamburger (browned and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste)

1 large can of pork and beans or two one pound cans of pork and beans (remove the pork)

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons of vinegar

1/2 cup catsup (the recipe actually called for hot catsup and I don’t think that product is being made anymore)

1 medium chopped onion ( the recipe does not call for the onion to be browned but I do add it to my browned hamburger after I have drained the fat from it and let it cook for just a minute or two)

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

Garnish with three strips of fried bacon if desired

This recipe was given to me by a friend I worked with in 1976. That was the year we moved to Catawba County. It is the first recipe I ever had for baked beans and it is still my all time favorite.

I do look forward to continuing this blog in the future and sharing some of my favorite Southern experiences with you. Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in casseroles, Meat, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged baked beans, beans. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on October 12, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

Today, I am sharing one of my favorite fall recipes that I posted when I starting writing this blog over four years ago. This apple crisp can be served as a side dish or dessert.This recipe is good for diabetics as it has oatmeal and fruit in it. It is delicious warm or cold and will make 10 servings.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

FRUIT MIXTURE INGREDIENTS:

5 cups sliced peeled apples

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries ( I use the dried Cranberries)

3/4 cup of sugar or equivalent amount of sugar substitute

2 tablespoons of all -purpose flour

TOPPING:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I equally divide the brown sugar with Splenda to make the total amount of 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead of using 3/4 cup of brown sugar and it works out fine) The Splenda Brown Sugar substitute would be a great option too.

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine or butter, cut into pieces

Preparation Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine all fruit mixture ingredients; mix well. Spread evenly in ungreased 12 x 8 inch (2 quart) glass baking dish.

2. Lightly spoon 1/3 cup flour into measuring cup; level off. In another medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; mix well. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Spoon over fruit mixture. For the step of cutting the margarine into the other ingredients, I use my food processor on pulse and it comes out smoother and is a lot easier.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until deep golden brown and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

I clipped this recipe from a magazine or newsletter and have made it many different times. One of my favorite memories of preparing this is on a cold rainy Sunday afternoon several years ago. I mentioned to Mr. D that I would love to make this apple crisp but I hated peeling the apples. He quickly volunteered to peel the apples and we had a wonderful warm dessert on a rainy day. I am learning to always ask for help.

I do believe some recipes are just worth repeating. Thanks for stopping by.

4 Comments

Posted in baking, casseroles, desserts, fruit, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged apple and oatmeal crisp, apple crisp, apple dessert, apple side dish, apples. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on October 1, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

I don’t blog about Florida very often. I think it is because I think of the state as being a unique blend of cities and cultures that make up many different traditions. I have visited Florida many times and I know there are many of us that have been fortunate enough to share the Disney World experience with our children when they were growing up. Along with that, I do remember how much I enjoyed visiting St. Augustine. I enjoyed the historic city and thought it was so beautiful.

When we were visiting Hilton Head Island, South Carolina last month, we browsed through consignment stores. Even though we didn’t purchase anything spectacular, I purchased four books. One of the books is Florida’s Historic Restaurants and their recipes by Dawn O’Brien. Dawn wrote a series of books about restaurants for states in the South in the 80’s. I have her books for Georgia and Virginia and I was happy to find the book for Florida.

The Raintree Restaurant is still open in St. Augustine and I am sharing Dawn’s description and history of the restaurant along with their recipe for fudge brownie tart. That recipe looks absolutely luscious and would be a great choice for a special birthday or just about any type of celebration. I love chocolate and this is just chocolate on top of chocolate. Yum.

Here is a link to the Raintree Restaurant website. http://raintreerestaurant.com/ I do think on a cold January day, I will browse through this cookbook and dream about the warm Florida sun. Of course, it would even be better if I was sitting on the beach in the warm Florida sun.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in baking, Cookbooks, desserts, Uncategorized and tagged brownie tart, chocolate, Florida, Fudge Tart, raintree restaurant, raintree's fudge brownie tart, St. Augustine. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on September 10, 2015 by So Does That Mean I'm Southern

Southerners (men and women included) enjoy making jams, jellies and preserves. Mr. D loved my Granny’s pear preserves and she made them from scratch and thought sure-jell was the worst thing ever invented. Figs were very scarce when I was growing up in the South and the only way you could acquire them was if a friend or neighbor had a fig tree. I have been a little surprised to see figs in grocery stores and farmers markets in the last few years. A former boss gave me some figs that were given to him several years ago and I found a quick and easy recipe for raspberry fig preserves from Paula Deen that included raspberry jello.

When I saw this recipe for fig preserves from the cookbook, The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peaco*ck, it reminded me of how my granny made pear preserves. I did not say this would be an easy recipe that you could whip up in just a few minutes but if you want the traditional Southern preserves, I think this would be a good choice. I also like the introduction to the recipe that gives other options for using figs.

Below is the recipe I used from Paula Deen. Even though the instructions include processing the preserves, I chose to share them with co-workers and neighbors to enjoy immediately.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/raspberry-fig-preserves-recipe.html

If you are still carrying on the Southern tradition of canning, pickling and preserving fruits and vegetables, I do admire you. You are creating many wonderful memories for your family as my Granny gave me wonderful memories of her canned peaches and pear preserves.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Posted in Cookbooks, fruit, recipes, Uncategorized and tagged edna lewis, fig preserves, figs, paula deen recipe, raspberry-fig preserves, scott peaco*ck, the gift of southern cooking recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

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