Hoppin John

My Grandpa Bill would always say that eating black-eyed peas or Hoppin John on New Years Day would bring you good luck. That's an old Southern tradition... and it's one I like to follow! As my mama would say, "Even if you don't like'em... at least eat one spoonful!"

Happy New Year, Foodies!!!


Hoppin John


Ingredients:

Half-stick of butter or 4 tablespoons
1 yellow onion, diced
3 strips of bacon, chopped into small pieces.
2 celery stalks (ribs), chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups black-eyed peas, cooked
2 cups rice, cooked
Salt & pepper to taste



Directions:

1. Spray a large skillet with a non-stick spray and cook bacon pieces until crispy brown. Remove bacon to dish layered with paper towel and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet with the bacon grease. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic powder. Cook for 5-6 minutes.

3. Add peas, rice and a little salt & pepper and cook for 12-15 minutes.

4. Add cooked bacon. Stir.

Cooking Tip #9

Perfect Cream Gravy

Good cream gravy always starts with drippings from pan-frying sausage, bacon, chicken or pork chops. Your gravy will always turn out just right if you use equal parts drippings and flour. The basic proportions are 1/4 cup drippings to 1/4 cup flour to 2 cups milk.

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Pecan-Crusted Baked Chicken Breast

This was a new recipe I tried from Paula Deen's new cookbook, The Southern Cooking Bible. I admit, Paula has taught me a great deal about cooking in the last few years... I could probably do an entire blog just on her recipes... but then that wouldn't be nearly as exciting. This is probably one of my favorites... and what's crazy, is it's sooo easy to make. The hardest part is crushing the pecans... and that's easy. What's also great is how coating the chicken breasts in mayo, instead of egg yolks, makes the chicken much more tender. A perfect weekday meal for your family!

Pecan-Crusted Baked Chicken Breasts


Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1/2 pound each)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup pecans, crushed
3/4 cup bread crumbs


Directions:

1. Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking dish or coat with cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Coat each breast with1 teaspoon of mayonnaise. In a shallow dish toss the pecans and the bread crumbs together. Dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, pressing firmly to make sure it sticks well to the chicken. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cooking Tip #8

To fully enjoy the tasty, tenderness of pork, and to ensure your pork is cooked to perfection each time, here's some cooking guidelines from pork experts for you to review.

• Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160º F.
• Processed pork (fully cooked/smoked ham) should have an internal temperature of 120°F.
• To prevent pork from drying out while cooking, baste with pan juices, fruit juice or a spicy sauce.
• Pork's natural juices will run clear when meat is done.
• Fully cooked pork may have a little pink in the center.

Scarborough Fair Fried Pork Loin Chops

Can you guess why I call these Scarborough Fair Fried Pork Loin Chops? Just sing the song and you'll be able remember the spices used in this recipe! I enjoy using the thin-cut loin chops because they fry up faster... but you could certainly use the bone-in pork chops if you wanted.


Scarborough Fair Fried Pork Loin Chops


Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless, thin-cut, pork loin top loin chop (usually 7 to a package)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon pork seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt


Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork on both sides with salt & pepper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, seasoned salt, pork seasoning, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

3. In another bowl, add beaten eggs. One at a time, bathe each pork lion in the egg, then place in the flour mixture and coat all over.

4. In a skillet, heat oil on medium high. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the oil.

5. Place pork loin in the skillet and fry for 9 minutes one side and 5 minutes on the other... or until both sides are a crispy, golden brown and no longer pink in the middle.

6. Place on in a tray layered with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

7. Serve with mashed potatoes and creamed corn.

Christmas Cookies & Homemade Frosting

What would Christmas be without cookies, right? I think this recipe for Christmas cookies is just as good, if not better, than any cookies you would buy in a bakery. They're not difficult to whip up and they're great for getting the family together to make in the kitchen. You can also make a few dozen, wrap them up in gift boxes and mail them off to family & friends for the holidays! Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

Note: There is a recipe for frosting at the bottom. Again, it's easy to make and go well with these cookies.

Note: I didn't add enough red food coloring to my cookie frosting in the photo below... that's why tend to look a bit orange... or tomato sauce red... but they were still delicious!


Christmas Cookies


Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together.

2. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract.

3. In another bowl, combined flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add sugar mixture and beat until smooth. (You may need to get your hands in there as it becomes doughy and mix it. It's ok to get a little messy!)

4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut cookies shapes out. (If you don't have a cookies cutters, I used the rim of a wine glass to cut out circles.)

8. Place the cut out cookies on the baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

9. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.

10. Allow 15 minutes for cookies to cool before applying frosting & sprinkles.



Recipe For Homemade Christmas Cookie Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or peppermint extract
food coloring

Directions:
In a bowl, stir sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and extract until it becomes glossy. If too thick, add more corn syrup. Mix in food coloring to your likely.

Cooking Tip #7

Store spices in a cool, dark place. Humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor more quickly. Although the most convenient place for your spice rack may be above your stove, moving your spices to a different location may keep them fresh longer.