Category: Recipes

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We are up to our elbows in tomatoes. Dad picked 50 ripe ones on Wednesday and added them to the already heaping countertops of about 75-100 already ripened tomatoes. However, what we aren’t seeing loads of this year is a bumper crop of cucumbers. Usually, mom can’t make batches of pickles fast enough. This year they are few and far between.

And we are Bread & Butter Pickle people. We eat them on burgers, sandwiches, and on a fork. We chop them up for potato salad, chicken salad, and deviled eggs. Mom keeps jars and jars of relish she’s processed from the pickles in our pantry for use throughout the year.

So, in hopes that pickling cucumbers will magically appear on our door step, here is our recipe for this delicacy.

Bread & Butter Pickles

4 quarts medium cucumbers, sliced

6 medium white onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup salt

5 cups sugar

3 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

2 teaspoons mustard seed

Do not peel cucumbers; slice thin. Add onions, garlic cloves, and salt. Cover with cracked ice; mix thoroughly. Let stand for 3 hours. Drain well. Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over cucumbers. Heat just to a boil. Seal in hot, sterilized jars. Yield: 8 pints.

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It’s my favorite part of summer. Finally, we have enough fresh vegetables to live off of them for the foreseeable future. So, here is a family favorite that we’ve enjoyed for summers as long as I can remember.

Pre-baked Eggplant Casserole
Yum.

I know, it’s not the prettiest; but wow is it good. We talked about it last night; maybe try it over egg noodles. That would be delish.

Eggplant Casserole

3 – 4 eggplants, peeled, cubed, and boiled

1 pound lean hamburger meat

1/2 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped and seeded

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 teaspoon Cavender’s Greek seasoning

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

After boiling the eggplant, drain them and make sure all the excess water is removed. Brown the hamburger meat with the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Mix with the eggplant, soup, and greek seasoning. Pour into greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

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Well, the parents went berry picking this week and came home with quite the bounty. Luckily, Mom is good at experimenting; so we enjoyed Blackberry Cobbler for supper.

Blackberry Cobbler

4 cups blackberries

1 2/3 cups sugar (divided)

Juice half lemon

2 cups Bisquick

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups milk

Cook down the blackberries in water with 1 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Mix together the Bisquick, vanilla, sugar, and milk. Pour in the bottom of a greased baking dish, spoon in the blackberry mixture, and top with pads of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly and the “crust” is golden brown. Serve warm with a heaping spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

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I’m halfway to the Delta and can’t wait to see some flat land. I’m going to get to see some of my favorite people, have a fantastic day with my first borns (i.e. my best friend’s kids), and possibly find my way out to McCarty’s in the process.

However, let me share a little recipe with you for the weekend to give a try. We had some extra apples lying around (a.k.a. my Costco fetish paid off), so mom concocted this fabulous pie for us.

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Quick Apple Pie

10 – 12 small apples, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 stick butter

Pre-made pie crusts

Line a pie plate with a pie crust, add the apple pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and top with pads of the butter. Top with another pie crust and cut vents in the top. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 350 degrees (or until the crust in golden brown). Serve warm with ice cream.

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Y’all. My mom can make a birthday cake. While the actual cake may be a box version of whatever yellow cake she likes, that icing is what makes it sing. It’s creamy, sweet, and perfectly chocolate.

This week, we celebrated my sweet cousin Kari’s entrance into her thirties. But, with two days in Baton Rouge this week, baking wasn’t in the cards for me. Thankfully, Mom came to the rescue and whipped up her signature cake.

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2/3 cup Crisco (butter or regular)

1-pound box powdered sugar

2 – 3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 cup water (for mixing)

For a lighter chocolate, use 2 tablespoons of cocoa. For a darker chocolate, use 3 or 4. Beat all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth.  More water can be added if needed.

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Ok. Let’s be honest. I’m currently preparing for the BIG royal wedding watching event of the year tomorrow morning. I’ll be rising and shining well before sunrise and flipping between E! and HBO to watch the big event. I will be curled up with the Beagles and a cup of tea.

However, if you want to jazz up your viewing party, try these delectable cucumber sandwiches that we had last weekend for the Mother’s Day Tea. They are pretty tasty and fit for a queen or princess or your own royal highness still in pajamas.

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Cucumber Sandwiches

2 cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons sour cream

1 2-ounce package dry ranch dressing mix

1 loaf white bread

1/2 stick butter, softened

Lightly salt cucumber slices and put on a paper towel to drain. With a mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch dressing mix until combined. With rolling pin, lightly roll bread slices. Cut bread into rounds with 2-inch round cookie cutter. Spread each round with a thin layer of butter (to keep bread from becoming soggy), then with cream cheese mixture. Place a cucumber slice on each bread round and garnish with fresh dill.

 

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I’m going to Foodie Friday it a little differently this week. Instead of sharing a recipe with you, I’m going to invite you to come do some taste testing this weekend.

In case you didn’t know, it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday; and we are gearing up for our second annual Mother’s Day Tea (click that link to buy those tickets) at Magnolia Hall in downtown Natchez. Bring your mom, bring your sister, your brother, your best friend. We don’t care. We are celebrating mothers of all kinds.

From 2 pm until, we will be serving up a classic Southern spread of a high tea-worthy sandwiches, homemade bite-size cookies, cheese wafers from Over the Garden Wall, and MORE! With hot tea and cool lemonade, you and mom (or whoever) will have a grand ole time.

Here’s a snapshot of last year’s event:

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This recipe for One Hundred Cookies was shared with us just this past Christmas, and I can safely say we have baked these enough to call them a part of the Guido family repertoire of recipes. Originally, we got the recipe from Annette Burns when she made them for a Christmas Open House. They are crunchy, yummy, and easily taken out in one bite. Watch them closely in the oven; they bake quickly.

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One Hundred Cookies

2 sticks margarine

1 cup cooking oil

2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 cup rice krispies

1 cup oats

1 cup coconut

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tarter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together the first 5 ingredients; then add the rest. Roll into small balls. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees

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You know those events you go to and there are plates and plates of pick up foods to munch on? Well, in Natchez, cheese straws, cheese wafers, and cheese rounds are a huge hit. Whether you like them on the spicier side or want a mild crunch with a pecan on top, these will be quite the crowd pleaser and an easy treat you can whip up and share with friends.

This particular recipe that my mom famously uses (Let’s be honest; she keeps a stock pile of these rolls in the freezer.) comes from Over the Garden Wall, the now out-of-print Natchez Garden Club cookbook. We are in the planning stages of having them reprinted; but until then, enjoy this snippet.

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Cheese Rounds

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Tabasco or red pepper to taste

Dash paprika

Pecan halves, for garnish

Blend ingredients (minus the pecans) together. Divide mixture into two balls, then work each ball into long rolls about one inch thick. Wrap in wax paper and chill. Slice very thin. Place pecan half on top of each. Place on uncreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Rolls keep a long time in the refrigerator or can be frozen and refrigerated the night before slicing and baking.

 

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Today is the Foodie Fridays to end all Foodie Fridays. Not only is it our second annual Press Day Potluck at the Country Roads office, but also it is our second round in the Spring Series of Country Roads Supper Club in Baton Rouge. It will be a day filled with yumminess, and I get to play Instagram-maven at the Dinner on the Docks. Be sure to check out @countryroadsmag later to see what we are up to.

In the mean time, here is the treat I’m taking along with me for Press Day Potluck. I tested it out on my “squad” earlier in the week. It was a hit.

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Easy Peach Pie

1 pie crust

1 can sliced peaches, well drained

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Line the pie crust with peaches. Mix together the eggs, sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla and pour over the peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until brown, depending on the oven. Let cool, slice, and enjoy.