Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

 Delicious with any special meal. We had this the first time with Christmas Dinner 2020.

Warm Bacon Dressing

1 T warm bacon grease

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T maple syrup

Pepper

1. Cook the bacon and reserve bacon grease. Crumble bacon and set aside.

2. Whisk together bacon grease, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and pepper. Immediately serve with prepared salad.

Spinach Salad

Spinach

Bacon crumbles

Hard boiled eggs, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1. In a small bowl, add sliced red onion, cover with cold water and allow to soak while the remainder of the salad is being prepared.

2. Toss spinach with bacon, eggs and onion.

Baked Cheesy Corn Dip

 Another Sunday Funday recipe!

Cookbook: The Southern Entertainer's Cookbook by Courtney Dial Whitmore with Phronsie Dial

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese

4 cups corn

4 ounces dices green chiles

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

1 t paprika

8 slices crispy cooked bacon, crumbled

4 green onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together softened cream cheese with sour cream, grated cheeses, corn green chiles, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. 

3. Spread into a casserole dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and top with crumbled bacon and diced green onions.

Fig Jam & Prosciutto Crostini

 Cookbook: The Southern Entertainer's Cookbook by Courtney Dial Whitmore with Phronsie Dial

Fig Jam

2 cups figs, stems removed and sliced in half

2 cups sugar

1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

1. Wash figs in cold water and drain. Place in a large sauce pan and cover with sugar. Allow figs to sit overnight.

2. Add lemon slices to the fig pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir often. 

3. After mixture beings to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often. Remove from stove and allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Add fig mixture to blender and blend until pureed. Stir in Grand Marnier and pour fig jam into sterilized jars with tops. Keep refrigerated.

Crostini

24 slices baguette

2 T olive oil

Sea Salt

8 ounces soft goat cheese

Fig jam

12 slices prosciutto

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.

3. Spread each slice with goat cheese. Top each with a generous spread of fig jam. Cut each slice of prosciutto in half and fold one on top of each crostini.

Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuits

 Ray picked out a cookbook for Nana for Christmas and I love it so much I am writing these recipes down. 

Cookbook: The Southern Entertainer's Cookbook by Courtney Dial Whitmore with Phronsie Dial

This sounds like a Sunday Funday recipe!

Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuits

Peanut Oil for frying

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 T hot sauce

1 cup flour

Salt and Pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T cayenne pepper

1/2 t garlic powder

1 t paprika

1 t brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

24 prepared mini biscuits

8 baby gherkin pickles

1. In a Dutch oven, heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil to 350 degrees. 

2. In a shallow bowl, whick together buttermilk with eggs and hot sauce.

3. In a second shallow bowl, combine flour salt and black pepper.

4. Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Coat each chicken piece in flour mixture, dip into egg mixture, and then back again in flour mixture. 

5. Fry chicken in batches (2-3 minutes on each side), being careful not to overcrowd the pan, until lightly golden. Place fried chicken pieces onto a rack to cool.

6. In a small mixing bowl, combine cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar and melted butter. Brush mixture on each fried chicken piece. 

7. Place fried chicken pieces inside biscuits and top with a pickle slice. 

Candied Bourbon Bacon

Delicious and easy and very messy to make. But worth it.

3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup bourbon/whisky (I used Jack Daniels the first time I made it)
2 lbs. thick cut pepper bacon

1. Heat over to 375 degrees.

2. Whisk together sugar, syrup and bourbon.

3. Cut the bacon strip in half. Add the bacon to the bourbon mixture and toss until coated.

4. Place bacon on wire rack placed on top cookie sheet and cook for 18 minutes. Flip and brush with remaining maple bourbon glaze. Cook for additional 18 minutes.

Note: Bacon will harden as it comes to room temperature.

Beer Cheese Fondue

New Year’s Eve appetizer with the kids!

1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese (buy the block then shred)
1/2 lb gruyere cheese (buy the block then shred)
1 T cornstarch
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Yuengling
Fresh cracked pepper
Milk to thin if needed

1. Grate cheese and add cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.

2. In a pot, crush garlic and brown over medium low heat. Add beer. Heat to a simmer.

3. Slowly add cheese until it melts, stirring constantly.

4. Once ingredients are fully combined, pour into a heated fondue pot or small crock pot to keep warm.

Serve with sliced apples, an Earth Fair baguette, pretzels, summer sausage

Roasted Poblano Pepper Hummus

Roasted poblano peppers (or any other roasted pepper, I had a mixed bag of half dozen peppers roasted at the farmers market over the weekend. The mixture was amazing!)

2 or 3 cans chick peas, drained
3 garlic cloves
2 T tahini
Zest and juice of one lemon
Salt
1 t cumin
Olive oil
Liquid from canned chick peas

Roast peppers and remove skins. Remove seeds and roughly shop peppers.

Mix all ingredients except chick pea juice in food processor and mix up. Add chick pea juice until desired consistency.

Thai Peanut Hummus

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 T natural Jif peanut butter
2-3 T Sriracha
Ground ginger
2 cloves garlic
1/2 T honey
Salt and pepper
1 T olive oil
3-4 T ice water
Chopped roasted peanuts
Green onion, chopped
Cilantro
Lime juice

1. Add chickpeas, peanut butter, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, honey, salt and pepper to food processor and process until broken up.

2. With processor running, drizzle in olive oil and ice water. Mix in some peanuts, green onions, cilantro and lime juice with a spoon.

3. Scoop into bowl and make it pretty. Garnish with peanuts, onions and cilantro.

Easter Dinner 2008: The Salad

I just found this salad in Paula Dean's magazine. Sounds springy!

Mixed Green Salad with Parmesan Pepper Dressing and Spiced Croutons

The Salad:
10 cups mixed salad greens
3/4 thinly sliced cucumber
3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes

In a large bowl, combine salad greens, cucumbers and tomatoes. Drizzle with half of dressing, tossing gently to coat. Serve salad with remaining dressing. Top with spiced croutons just before serving.

The Dressing:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijn mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and pepper. Cover and chill.

The Croutons:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (14 oz.) loaf French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, butter, garlic salt, thyme, basil and pepper.

Place bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil mixture, toossing gently to coat. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe credit: Cooking with Paula Deen, March/April 2008 Issue, p. 34.