Category: Recipes

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With the kickoff of football season this weekend for the SEC world and a side of dove hunting this Labor Day weekend, here is an idea recipe to try on your friends and family. From Absolutely A la Carte, this recipe is rich, creamy, and perfect for a crowd!

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Fireside Dip

2 pounds hot bulk sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

3 15-ounce cans chili without beans

1 pound processed cheese spread loaf, cut into cubes

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into cubes

2 – 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

Cook the first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well. Add chili powder and next 6 ingredients to mixture, stirring well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Serve dip hot in a chafing dish with tortilla chips. (This recipes makes for 25 to 30; so you can adjust as needed for your crowd.)

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Yesterday, I woke up with a scratchy throat, sinus pressure, and the chills. I figured since I hadn’t been sickly since last fall I was probably due for a round of the crud. I called my favorite “nurse,” Mom, and ordered up a pot of soup. And did she deliver! It had all of my favorites: wild rice, English peas, mushrooms, and cans of that delicious “cream of” concoction that goes so well in all things yummy.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 – 5 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 package Uncle Ben’s wild rice

1 bag frozen English peas

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Salt and pepper to taste

After boiling the chicken, reserve the broth. Shred the chicken and set aside. Prepare the wild rice as noted on the package. In the pot of broth, add in the peas and mushrooms and allow them to cook. Add both cans of soup, the chicken, and rice; and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste and turn off the heat. If the soup needs thickening, prepare a package of white gravy; and add to the soup as needed to thicken and add flavor.

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This week, the City of Vidalia and Natchez, Inc celebrated and welcomed Vidalia Demin Mills with a fantastic reception and delicious treats from all over Concordia Parish. One such dish was the spinach and artichoke dip from the Duck’s Nest. Oh. My. I had dreams about it that night. It was creamy with a touch of spice. Slap. Your. Mama.

It made me think of another spinach and artichoke dip that I have dreams about occasionally from A la Carte in Cleveland, Mississippi. Thankfully, I am the proud owner of one of Charlotte Skelton’s last copies of her cookbook, Absolutely A la Carte (thanks, Aimee). Here is her version.

Nancy Kuehnle and Mom were at it again with the flower arranging skills.
Eat. It. Up.

A la Carte Spinach-Artichoke Dip

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 ½ cups sour cream

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 – 2 tablespoons onion powder

Salt to taste

Ground white pepper to taste

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

Combine mozzarella and sour cream in a large bowl; stir in garlic and next 3 ingredients. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to mixture, stirring well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Keep warm in a chafing dish.

Now, Charlotte says to serve these with home-fried tortilla chips, which (let me tell you) make this dip exceptional. So, in case you want to go the extra mile (which is completely worth it), here is that recipe.

Home-Fried Tortilla Chips

24 corn tortillas

2 quarts sunflower or safflower oil

Salt to taste

Stack tortillas into piles or 6; with a sharp knife, cut each stack into 6 to 8 equal wedges onto paper towels. When the temperature registers between 375 to 400 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer, add a handful of tortilla wedges into an electric deep fryer. Fry for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Do not crowd the fryer, and fry the chips only until they’re crisp but not too dark. Transfer chips with a slotted spoon to paper towels, and season with salt. Continue frying other wedges.

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It’s finally Friday, and it’s cocktail time. When we traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, last September for my cousin Kari’s bachelorette bash, we spent an afternoon atop The Vendue at its amazing rooftop bar. We all quickly fell victim to the deliciousness of Peach Moscow Mules (and even took them “to go”). Ever since, we have attempted to recreate that yummy concoction and gotten pretty close to the real thing.

Cocktails at The Venue
Peach Mules “To Go”
Cheers!

 

Peach Moscow Mule

1 shot peach-flavored vodka

Can ginger beer

Fresh lime juice

Ice

Fill a copper mule mug with ice. Pour in the vodka and top with ginger beer. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and enjoy!

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It’s an exciting foodie-themed weekend here in Natchez — Natchez Food & Wine Festival kicks off tonight with “Tastings Along the River”. I’m excited to get the Country Roads team in town this afternoon and start the festivities of a scrumptious weekend of taste testing and dinners.

In the meantime, I’m also planning a special party for Sunday night. My Jackie O turns 6 on Sunday, and we will be celebrating with a pancake feast! A couple of weeks ago, I used Joanna Gaines’ recipe for pancakes from her cookbook, Magnolia Table, for waffles. Let me tell you, it’s the best recipe I’ve used yet. Sometimes other recipes come out of my waffle iron flat and sometimes chewy. These were tall and fluffy. You almost didn’t need syrup — almost, though. Scatter some blueberries over the batter before closing the iron, and Voila! you have blueberry waffles to die for.

THE book
THE product

The Best-Ever Fluffy Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) vegetable oil

2 large eggs

Butter and syrup, for serving

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir together until well combined. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. The batter will begin to get fluffy. (This is an important step.) Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. Generously oil the skillet. Carefully pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake into the pan, far enough apart that they won’t touch. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom and the top is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding oil to the skillet as needed. Serve hot.

(I would double this because the batter is thick and you’re going to want to stuff yourself with these.)

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Hand-written recipe
The finished product

Luckily, we have friend with blueberry bushes (thank you, Greer family); and they don’t mind sharing.

One recipe that is our family go-to with fresh blueberries and usually on the Fourth of July is a scrumptious dessert called “Blueberry Yum Yum,” which was shared with MOM years ago by our neighbor, Lori Gaudet. Mom said that she can remember the first time she had it. It was at least 20 years ago on the Fourth of July, and she just couldn’t get enough of it!

Blueberry Yum Yum

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 8-ounce cream cheese, softened

1 9-ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine blueberries, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until berries are soft (about 15 minutes). Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water in small mixing bowl. Stir well and add cornstarch mixture to berry     mixture. Continue cooking and stirring constantly until mixture is thickened. Set aside to cool.

Combine flour, margarine, and pecans in a small bowl and mix well. Press mixture into a  greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool.

Combine cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar. Beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread over the crust, then pour the blueberries on top. Refrigerate before serving.

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For Jo’s birthday party this past weekend, Mom whipped up a yummy “salsa” with lots of fresh-from-the-garden goodness. It’s light, a little spicy, and easy to over-indulge on without feeling too bad about it later.

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Italian Salsa

6 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 fresh cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

4 fresh banana peppers, seeded and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 can olives, sliced

1 can black beans, drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing, prepared

Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Prepare the dressing per the directions, and pour over the mixture. Mix well and refrigerate. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.

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Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of potato salad. I think it was the yellow mustard that turned me off; but as I grew up, I found that the more you put into the mix, the better it is. Also, I found that Creole mustard is the only way to go with potato salad. Recently, we went to New Orleans and brought home a jar of Arnaud’s Creole mustard. YUM!

Get you some.
Yum.

Potato Salad

2 pounds russet potatoes

2 pounds red-skin potatoes

4 eggs, boiled and mashed

1 ½ cup mayo

3 tablespoon Creole mustard

½ cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup bell pepper or banana pepper, chopped

½ cup sweet pickle relish

½ cup green olives, sliced

2 tablespoons green onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

Begin by boiling the potatoes in salted water until the skin begins to peel and they can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and remove the skin.  Place in a large bowl with the boiled and mashed eggs, mayo, and mustard.  Mash all together leaving the potatoes chunky and well combined.  Fold in the celery, relish, olives, peppers, and green onions.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Let chill overnight before serving.

If the potato salad is dry the next day, add a hefty spoonful of mayo to the mix.

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I have yet to meet anyone who is not a fan of fried okra. Let’s be honest. It’s delicious and the best way to enjoy that violent little vegetable. The way my mom fries it up is the only way you should in my opinion. It’s the recipe my grandmother used; and more than likely, it’s the way her mother fried it, too. It’s crunchy without being fully coated in batter. It’s salty with just the right amount of sweet from the okra. It’s not sticky and slimy on the inside. It’s perfect.

The Only Way to Fry Okra

1 mess garden fresh okra, chopped

1 egg, beaten

Yellow cornmeal

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Once the okra is chopped into similar bite-sized pieces, salt to taste. Pour the beaten egg over the okra and mix. Cover the okra with cornmeal and toss until all is coated. Fry in batches in hot vegetable oil until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter.

Batter
Fry
Enjoy

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Have I mentioned that the tomatoes are coming in in droves at the Guido house? Every summer, we try to come up with a new way to enjoy those little boogers, and this past week we gave bruschetta another try. Our family friend, Nancy Kuehnle, told us about the bruschetta method she uses by toasting the bread with a layer of cheese before topping with tomatoes. So we gave it a try. Let me tell you. That’s the way to go. You don’t end up with the entire topping hanging off the toast on the first bite that way. It’s much easier to navigate and gives it a better taste, too.

 

Tomato prep…
Baking time…
Now, eat!

Garden Fresh Bruschetta

6 – 8 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1 loaf fresh French bread, sliced

Olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil, chiffonaded

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and finely chop the tomatoes. Allow to drain the excess juice in a colander while preparing the bread. Salt and pepper the tomatoes at this stage. Slice pieces of the loaf and brush both sides with olive oil. Top each slice with about a tablespoon of Parmesan and toast in a 350 degree oven until slightly crispy. Remove the bread from the oven, top with about 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes, dress with fresh basil, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Run back into the oven until the cheese on top is melted. Serve warm.