fried pickles

Emeril Lagasse's Fried Pickles:

• 1 (16-ounce) jar whole dill pickles
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons hot red pepper sauce
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons Essence, plus more for dusting
• 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• Salt

Drain the pickles in a colander, then spread on paper towels to drain completely.

Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and 2 tablespoons of Essence.

Heat the oil in a medium pot to 350 degrees F.

Submerge the pickles in batches in the buttermilk, then dip into the flour mixture, tossing to evenly coat. Shake in a strainer to remove any excess batter. Add to the oil in batches, turning, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and season with Essence and salt, to taste. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve hot.

Yield: about 6 servings

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

chocolate eclair cake

so aly recently introduced me to darby, who i am now obsessed with, and she had this recipe on her blog. i just brought it over here...its delicious and i really make it every week now. it really is the best when you let it sit for the 8 hrs or more...its super hard to wait, but i highly recommend it...

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

For the filling:

• 1 large and 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 1- 8 oz. container cool whip.
• 1 box of Graham crackers

Mix pudding with 3 cups of cold milk and fold in Cool Whip. Layer graham crackers, filling, graham crackers, filling, graham crackers and finally top with the chocolate topping in a 9×13 pan and let refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.

For the chocolate topping:

i use choc pudding or choc frosting...i have actually never made it with this recipe...i didnt mean to, i actually dont ever remember reading the frosting recipe part, so i just assumed choc pudding. either way its soooooooo good.

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. butter
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute. Cool.

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

I saw this recipe on one of our fav blogs HWTM. It was very very good and had great flavor. I will for sure be making these again soon.

Ingredients

3 C cooked, shredded beef roast
4oz green chilies, undrained
1/4-1/2 t minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (use 1/4 t for mild heat.)
3 t adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 t garlic powder
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
zest from one lime
1 T fresh lime juice
1 package Queso Fresco (about 12 oz)
white corn tortillas (I used flour and they were good too)
olive oil or cooking spray
kosher salt.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice any larger pieces of roast across the grain so the beef is shredded into 1/2-1 inch pieces.

Combine chilies, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and lime zest and juice in a bowl. After stirring to combine, gently toss together with shredded beef.

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. (after those are used, do the next 10)

Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1tablespoon queso fresco in a line across the center of the tortilla. Top with 1-2 tablespoon shredded beef mixture. Tightly roll and place seam-side down on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Continue to roll until all of the tortillas are filled.

Use cooking spray, olive oil spray, or lightly brush olive oil on the top of each taquito. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

Serve warm with sour cream and guacamole. Makes about 20 taquitos.

Berry Cobbler in a Crock-Pot!

I made this tonight and it was amazing! It was so easy to just throw everything in the crock-pot and then 4 hours later it turned into one of the best cobblers ever! I highly recommend making this.

I went on the food network website looking for a good cobbler recipe. I found this one when I saw who the recipe was from I knew this was it. Anytime I find a recipe by Paula Dean I have high hopes. Here is Paula Dean's slow berry cobbler recipe, I changed a few things that I thought made it even better!

Ingredients Filling:

• 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen strawberries
• 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen blueberries
• 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen raspberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup baking mix

Topping:

• 2 1/4 cups baking mix
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the frozen fruit, sugar and 1/2 cup baking mix. Transfer the fruit to slow cooker. In another large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter and milk with a wooden spoon. With your hands, drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough and place the lid on the slow cooker. Turn the power onto high and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling. (I turned mine to low after couple hours and let it finish cooking on low heat) Serve warm with ice cream.

Dee's Savory Rice

This is a recipe I got from a good family friend. It is so easy to make and so good! We make this a lot in our house.

1 can french onion soup

1 can beef consomme soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can of water

1 stick of butter

1 small can sliced mushrooms

1 1/4 cups enriched long grain rice

Melt butter. Mix soups and add butter and water. Add rice and mushroom to soup mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour in casserole pan and bake at 350 uncovered for 1 hour.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

This recipe is Giada De Laurentiis and it was very very good.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Cajun Crackers

I saw this recipe on my friend Mandie's blog and knew I had to make them. She had told me how good they were but I never would have thought how good! These are going to be a new favorite in my house!

cajun crackers

2 (1 ounce) packets of dry ranch dressing mix

1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups canola oil

1 lb oyster crackers (unsalted)

In a 2-gallon resealable bag, mix together the dressing mix, cayenne and red pepper flakes. Add the oil and mix thoroughly. Add the crackers, seal the bag and turn it until the crackers are evenly coated. Turn the bag once every 20-30 minutes until the liquid is entirely absorbed by the crackers, about 2 hours. I stored mine in the freezer and they were so yummy!

Fruit Pizza

I love fruit pizza and this is a really good and easy recipe. You can make it in any shape cookie pan with any kind of fruit. Here is a picture of one I made for the 4th of July. It got eaten so quickly that we went to the store and made another one! It's very yummy!

2 rolls of sugar cookie dough (you can use just 1 but I like to have a thicker cookie crust)

8 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

For the Glaze:

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 Tablespoons corn starch

dash of salt

1 cup sugar

Mix ingredients of glaze-cook over medium heat til boils, and thickens, then cool.
Spreadcookie dough on pizza pan. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool
Mix sauce and spread over cooled dough. Arrange fruit on top and pour glaze over. Refrigerate

picante crock pot chicken

this is all that is left of the amazing crock pot dinner that aly just told us about. it was so delicious and there really is so much you can do with it.

picante chicken

frozen chicken (about a pound)

big jar of picante

packet of ranch seasoning

pepper

seasoned salt

jalepeno juice

corn tortillas

sour cream

cheese (your fav kind)

put all ingredients together (except tortillas, sour cream and cheese) in the crockpot and cook on low for about 5 hours. shred the chicken and leave the chicken in there shredded for about an hour and then you can eat it like a soup with sour cream and cheese or put it in tortillas and make tacos. pretty easy and pretty good.

no knead challah bread

i got this recipe from mise en place and the bread is to die for!! i just made two loaves with it but four would work great too. it is really amazing and so easy to make!!( i did not use sesame seeds because i dont love them and it turned out great!)

No-Knead Challah Bread

Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, via The Kitchn

Yields 4 loaves

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter

7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)

Sesame seeds for top

Method:

1. Mix yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with luke-warm water in a 5-quart bowl or lidded (not airtight) container.

2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon. You may also use a food processor with dough attachment or a stand mixer with dough hook if you are so inclined.

3. Cover the dough and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (flattens on the top), for approximately two hours. Make sure the cover is not air-tight. I used saran-wrap to cover the bowl loosely and it was fine.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, but the recipe advises it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded container (again, not airtight) and use within five days. The dough can also be frozen in one-pound portions for up to four weeks. To defrost, store in the fridge overnight before using. Allow for rest and rise time before baking.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a one pound piece. Dust with more flour and shape in to a ball. To shape it, stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides. Turn the ball a quarter turn each time you stretch.

6. Dive the ball into thirds with a knife, or dough scraper, and roll each ball between your hands to form a long, thin rope. If the dough is resisting, let it rest for another five minutes.

7. To braid the ropes, start from the centre and work towards one end. Turn over the loaf, rotate it and braid from the centre to the other end. This will help produce a uniform thickness.

8. Allow the bread to rest and rise once again on the baking sheet for about 1 hour, 20 minutes. (If your dough hasn’t been refrigerated, 40 minutes will do).

9. When there is about 5-10 minutes left to rise, preheat the over to 350F. Brush your loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the challah is golden brown and the braids near the centre of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. Resist the temptation to rip into your bread before it has cooled.

10. Enjoy!

Brisket

I made this the other night and it was really good.  I found the recipe from food network and it is a Tom Perini recipe which always means its gonna be yummy!  I did a couple of things different and it still turned out great.  I didn't have dry mustard so I use real mustard I had in fridge.  I tablespoon of real mustard equal to 1 teaspoon of dry mustard.  I also didn't have any beef stock but I did have french onion soup so I used that instead.  The last hour of cooking I put potatoes in with the brisket and they were so good and full of flavor.  Here are some pics of my finished product and the recipe.

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.

Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

strawberry shortcake cookies

Ingredients

~ 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces {2 cups}

~ 1 tsp lemon juice

~ 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

~ 2 cups all purpose flour {I used whole wheat pastry flour}

~ 2 tsp baking powder

~ 1/2 tsp salt

~ 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces {I used salted}

~ 2/3 cup heavy cream

~ Sanding sugar for sprinkling {I used coarse unrefined sugar}

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine strawberries, 2 Tbsp of sugar and lemon juice in a bowl.

2. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub it in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together.

3. Stir in strawberry mixture.

4. Using a small melon scoop or a tablespoon, drop the dough onto well greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

5. Bake until golden brown, 17-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen {unless you eat some of the batter...ahem}.

I got this recipe from martha stewart living...they were good.  a little moist.  i dont recommend covering them after you make them.  just let them sit out. they are better dry and crumbly.

cream cheese muffins

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2/3 c milk

½ c vegetable oil

2 eggs

8 oz cream cheese softened

I c sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin pan. Combine flour, 1 c sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Stir together milk, oil, and eggs. Pour into well in dry ingredients. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened.

Combine cream cheese and 1 c sugar. Fold about half of the mixture into the muffin batter.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, about ½ to 2/3 full. Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture onto the muffins, pressing the mix into each muffin with a spoon handle.

Topping:

½ c flour

1 c sugar

¼ c butter, softened

combine ingredients, sprinkle generously over muffins. Bake 24 to 30 min until golden brown.

Blackberry Dumplings

so i have not made these before but i saw them on a blog and i haaaaavvvvveeeeee to make them!! 

maybe 

tomorrow...

makes a whole lot

dumplings:

Mr. Vann uses doughnut mix from a local baker, but you can also use your favorite dumpling recipe or something like this.

3 3/4 cups pastry flour

2 T + 1 t baking powder

1 1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup water with 1 pkg dry yeast dissolved in it

blackberry sauce

2 cups Blackberries - fresh or frozen

1 qt grape juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Pour doughnut mix (or dry ingredients) in mixing bowl. Make a well in center of mix.

Mix buttermilk and yeast water together and slowly add to mixing bowl while stirring in the flour. Add liquid slowly, because too much liquid is worse than not enough. When dough is thoroughly mixed and slightly tacky, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Turn out onto floured waxed paper and knead and press into a ball until firm.

Sprinkle waxed paper with sugar. Take a ball of dough about the size of an egg and roll out to 1/4″ thick. Then either cut into small strips or pinch off in small balls and drop into boiling blackberry and grape juice mixture. After all is in, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.