These are the BEST cookies I have ever tasted. I will probably even break my sugar fast just to have a couple at Christmas. They are totally worth it! Even if you don't like coffee, you will LOVE these!

2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tb instant coffee crystals
1 tsp water
1 egg
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tb shortening

Melt chocolate squares in the microwave for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Mix together flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl beat 1/2 cup shortening and butter until softened. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Stir coffee crystals in small bowl with water until dissolved. Add coffee mixture, melted chocolate, and egg to butter mixture and beat well.

Add flour mixture and beat until mixed. Cover and chill about one hour or until dough is easier to handle. Shape into two 7 inch rolls (long logs.) Wrap and chill overnight. If you are in a hurry, just pop them in the freezer for one hour instead.

Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove and cool.

In the microwave melt chocolate chips and 3 Tb shortening. Mix together well. dip one half of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper to cool until chocolate is set.

Enjoy!

I grew up drinking Boiled Custard at Christmas instead of Eggnog. I think it must be a Tennessee thing because I don't know anyone outside of Tennessee that even knows what Boiled Custard is. Below is my Grandmother's recipe. It is delicious!

Mix:
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
6 beaten whole eggs

In a double boiler heat 1/2 gallon whole milk. Do not boil. Add egg mixture and stir, stir, stir until thickened. Make sure you don't boil it or the eggs will scramble. if mixture is not thickening add some more cornstarch.

Cool and add 2 TB vanilla extract. Strain and serve.

YUM!

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
orange half shells

Mix all ingredients together and pour into orange halves which have the pulp removed. Cover with topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup butter

Mix thoroughly and sprinkle over potato mixture in orange cups. Bake at 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

This is definitely a southern dressing. My grandmother used to add oysters to it, but I prefer it without the oysters.

6 cups cornbread
6 cold biscuits (preferably stale)
6 - 10 cold rolls (Sister Shubert)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 med onion chopped
1 tsp black pepper
3 hard boiled eggs
3 raw eggs
1 tsp salt, pepper, sage
2 plus cups chicken broth or turkey drippings

Melt butter - add onion and celery. Sauté (don't brown too much)

Crumble cornbread, rolls, and biscuits into large bowl. Add onions, celery, seasonings and other ingredients except liquid. Toss until mixed.

Pour on enough broth to moisten cornbread. Don't make too soggy. Put into muffin tins or 9×12 pan. Bake at 400 degrees and cook until brown.

1 refrigerated piecrust
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup milk
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tb all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bake pie crust at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.
Whisk pumpkin and next 7 ingredients until blended. Pour into crust.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, shielding with foil the last 15 minutes
Combine pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla. Sprinkle over pie.
Bake 10-15 more minutes or until set. Cool completely.

2 bags of frozen Shoepeg white corn
2 cans cream white corn
6 T butter
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar

Combine all of the above. Heat and serve. This tastes really good if you cook it in a big black skillet.

1 bag thin pretzel sticks
3 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 small carton cool whip
1 6 oz strawberry jell-o
1 large pkg frozen sliced strawberries

Crush pretzels in a food processor until fine. Mix them with very soft butter and 3 tsp sugar. Pat into 9×12 dish. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool. Mix soft cream cheese with 1 cup sugar and fold in cool whip. Spread this mixture over cooled pretzel crust. Dissolve jell-o into 2 cups of boiling water and add 1/2 cup cold water and frozen strawberries. Put jell-o mixture into fridge to congeal a little bit. Pour jell-o mixture onto cream cheese and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

This can be a dessert or a fruit salad. You will love it!

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 TB brown sugar
4 Tb buttermilk
1 tsp soda
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 Tb cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars in mixer. Add bananas and mix well. Add eggs. Mix. Add soda that has been dissolved in buttermilk. Add with flour, salt and cinnamon. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until done) in a 350 degree oven.

Makes 1 dozen muffins. Or you can pour the batter into 2 small greased loaf pans and cook for about 45 minutes for banana-chocolate-chip bread.

If you like oriental food, you will love this. It is a little more time consuming than some recipes, but is well worth it. I often double the recipe to make sure we have leftovers.

2 large boneless chicken breasts, skinned
1 TB dry sherry
2 TB cornstarch, divided
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth (you can use canned)
4 tsp distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (add more if you like it really spicy)
8 ounces uncooked vermicelli
2 TB vegetable oil, divided
2 carrots, julienne
1 large green pepper, julienned
3 - 5 TB soy sauce

Cut chicken into thin strips. Blend sherry, I TB cornstarch and garlic in small bowl. Stir in chicken. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine broth, vinegar, red pepper and remaining 1 TB cornstarch. Set aside.

Cook vermicelli. Meanwhile, heat 1 TB oil in hot wok or skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and stir fry until light brown. Remove.

Heat remaining oil and stir fry carrots and green peppers. Add chicken and broth mixture. Bring to boil, stirring constantly and let thicken. If you need it to thicken more, add a little more cornstarch. Remove from heat and add soy sauce. Toss with cooked, drained vermicelli.

4 servings

One of my favorite places to vacation is Seaside Florida. They have a quaint market that serves the very best Shrimp Salad. The recipe below is not their exact recipe, but it is awful close!

1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 small red bell pepper, diced fine
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup celery, diced fine

Chop shrimp into coarse pieces and set aside. Combine mayonnaise and Old Bay seasoning well. Add vegetables and fold in shrimp. Chill.

Enjoy alone or on top of pita chips.

Every Southerner knows you need a good Pound Cake recipe in your recipe box. This one is great! It's so simple and sure to be a crowd pleaser!

2 sticks softened butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs (beat each one separately)

Mix the above and then add:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 tsp almond extract

Mix well and pour into greased Bundt pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after your take it out and flip it onto your serving plate.

Delicious!

My mom used to make this for us when I was a little girl. It's still a favorite in our family today and a really easy dish to make!

4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle Russian or Catalina salad dressing
1 jar apricot marmalade
2 envelopes Onion soup mix

Put Chicken in a Pyrex backing dish. Mix all ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook at 350 degrees for about an hour until done.

It's great with a side of rice and steamed broccoli.

Rod and I LOVE this recipe. We like to make it for a late-night dinner after the kids go to bed. Try it- you'll like it!

Dipping sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 green onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons oriental sesame oil

Dumplings:
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled
12 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed, quartered crosswise
1 8-ounce can whole water chestnuts, drained
3 green onions, quartered
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
All purpose flour
36 wonton wrappers
Romaine lettuce leaves

For dipping sauce:
Stir all ingredients in small bowl to blend.

For dumplings:
Finely mince ginger and garlic in food processor. Add asparagus and next 5 ingredients; using on/off turns, process until asparagus is finely chopped but not pureed.
Sprinkle baking sheet with flour. Place 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Spoon 2 teaspoons asparagus mixture into center. Moisten edges of wrapper with water; gather corners together over filling. Twist edges of wrapper together, enclosing filling completely. Place dumpling on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (Sauce and dumplings can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill.)
Place steamer rack in large pot. Pour enough water into pot to reach depth of 1/2 inch. Line steamer rack with lettuce leaves. Bring water to simmer. Working in batches, arrange dumplings side by side (but not touching) on rack. Cover and steam 15 minutes.

Serve dumplings with dipping sauce.

Makes 36.
Bon Appétit
March 2003

This is a favorite in our house - even with the kids.

1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach
2 (13 3/4oz) cans artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tsp or more of hot sauce (depends on how hot you like it)
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Grease casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave and squeeze out all excess water.
Drain artichoke hearts and coarsely chop in a food processor.
Combine all the ingredients except the mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Transfer into the casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.

We can't get enough of this at our house. It goes great with an Italian meal or just as an appetizer.

 

Slice a baguette into thin pieces and brush with olive oil. Broil for a few minutes until brown. Remove from oven to cool.

 

Mix:

1 can petite chopped tomatoes (drain juice)
1-2 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 TB dried basil
Salt, pepper to taste

Spoon tomato mixture on top of bread and enjoy!
If you want to make it with fresh tomatoes and basil, it is good that way too!

The following recipe came from the TV show, Everyday Italian. It looked so good we had to try it this weekend. And while I still think that Giada's head is freakishly larger than her body, the girl can cook!

 

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian)

 

2 cups fresh arugula
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound jumbo shrimp
1 pound spaghetti
Lemon zest, for garnish
10 parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish

Blend the arugula and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup of oil, processing until well blended. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Prepare the grill (high heat). Using a knife, cut the back of the shrimp. Brush the shrimp with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Grill the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the pesto in the large bowl to coat, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time to moisten. Top with the grilled shrimp. Garnish with the lemon zest and parsley.

This chicken salad is DELICIOUS. You will have to restrain yourself from eating the whole batch!

3 cups cooked white chicken breast, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 TB parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp celery seed (Don't use celery salt. It's not the same.)
1/3 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup Hellmans mayonnaise (Don't substitute Miracle Whip)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill. Serve as a sandwich. Or you can serve as a salad on lettuce or stuffed in a tomato.

I never said I would have healthy recipes on this site. It's okay to eat like this every now and then, right? Try this recipe  and see if it is not best fried chicken you have ever eaten!  It is REALLY good if you have an old cast iron skillet to fry your chicken in. It adds a lot of flavor.

First, soak your chicken in buttermilk for at least an hour. This will really tenderize your chicken.

After it has soaked, dredge it in a mixture of 3 parts self rising flour and 1 part corn meal...and a little salt and pepper to taste. I put this in a ziploc bag and throw my chicken in. Then, shake it until covered. It's really easy this way and there is no mess to clean up!

Then, put the flour-covered chicken in the fridge or the freezer for a while, so it gets REALLY cold. This is a really important part. It makes a difference when you put cold, cold chicken in hot, hot oil. It turns out very crispy this way.

After  your chicken is cold, put it in hot oil. I just use vegetable oil. Fry it (turning over once or twice) until golden brown. You might want to also check it with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done.

After you take it out, set it out on paper towels to drain some grease off and sprinkle with plenty of garlic salt.

Yum!  

Here is a great recipe for green beans. You will love this! None of the measurements are really precise. Feel free to add more or less of anything!

2 cans green beans (You can also use fresh or frozen. Just make sure to add some liquid into the pot so your beans don't burn.)

5 TB worcestershire sauce

3 TB sugar

2 TB minced dried onions

Add all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to a slow simmer and cover for about an hour. If you cook them longer, they are even better. These green beans are SO tender and flavorful, even your kids will like them!

This is a favorite around our house! Bo and Lily recently helped me make this and yes, it is afternoon and Lily is still in her pajamas. What can I say, it was one of those days :-)

2 cups corn meal
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 Tb shortening, melted
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients with buttermilk and melted shortening. Bake at 350 in a greased loaf pan (or muffin tin) until golden brown. If you use one large loaf pan it will take about 50 minutes. If you use a muffin tin it will take about 25 minutes.