Greek Salad...again?

Ingredients:
6 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
1 C extra virgin oil, preferably Greek
2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced
Black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, tough stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 C calamata olives
½# Feta, crumbled
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
12oz. vine ripened tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced in strips
¼ green pepper, sliced in short strips

Instructions:
In small container with lid, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil; stir in oregano and pepper to taste. Make this ahead to allow flavors to marry. When read to serve, in large bowl, lightly toss lettuce with some of the dressing. Then divide lettuce among 4 salad plates. Scatter olives, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and peppers over lettuce. Serve, and pass remaining dressing at table.
This salad was on the menu for my hubby's 70th birthday. It is from the Food Network Kitchens. Very good!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Garlic

Ingredients:
8 4oz. New Zealand lamb chops
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1 TBS fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
Juice of ½ large lemon
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except lamb. Rub chops with mixture, and put in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Preheat grill to 400*. Cook on each side about 6 minutes, or until desired doneness. May also be cooked in oven.
My husband loves lamb, but I never cook it. For his 70th birthday I decided to finally give it a try. I found this recipe on Food Network, and made a fantastic meal of Tzatziki with pita bread, Greek salad, grilled lamb. Wayne's Risotto, and Buttery Minted Peas. A great combination!

Buttery Minted Peas

Ingredients:
•2 tablespoons butter
•1 tablespoon mint jelly
•1 tablespoon water
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 bag frozen peas, defrosted and drained
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preparation:
Melt butter, mint jelly, water, and salt together. Toss with the defrosted, drained peas. May be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated.
Heat gently at serving time, just until done, and sprinkle with the fresh mint leaves.
You would never believe these peas are from the supermarket freezer. The mint jelly, butter, and fresh mint bring them up to the quality of a vegetable at a good restaurant. I found this recipe at about.com

Simple Marinara Sauce

This basic and easy sauce is from Mario Batali.  It can be made quickly, and is very versatile.

Ingredients:
¼ C olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 TBS fresh thyme
½ medium carrot, finely shredded
2 28 oz. cans Cento San Marzano Italian tomatoes

Instructions:
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add thyme and carrot, cook until carrot is soft, about 5 minutes. Break up tomatoes. Add tomatoes and juice, bring to boil, stirring often. Lower heat and simmer until it thickens. Salt to taste.

Tilapia Filets with Tomatoes, Garlic and Capers

This is a very tasty, quick and easy way to prepare fish.  My family loves it.  I serve it with a side of thin spaghetti with marinara sauce, a green salad and crusty bread!

Ingredients:
3 TBS oil; divided use
½ C flour
½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper
4 Tilapia filets (6-8oz. each), or other mild whitefish filets; snapper, cod
¼ C onion, minced
1 C ripe tomato, coarsely chopped and seed removed
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 TBS capers
¼ C dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
4 TBS butter

Instructions:
Heat 2 TBS of the oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Mix flour, salt and pepper; lightly coat fillets. Place coated fish in the hot oil, and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Add remaining oil to skillet along with onions; stir and cook until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add tomato, garlic and capers and stir well. Add wine to the pan, stirring to loosen any brown bits from bottom of pan. Add lemon juice, and boil until liquid is reduced by half. Reduce heat to low and add butter; mix in and melt slowly. Place fillets on serving plates and spoon on sauce. Serve immediately.
Sharing this with Foodie Friday.

Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients:
1 # ground beef
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper
1 C catsup
2 TBS yellow mustard
1 TBS cider vinegar
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS brown sugar.

Sauté beef and onion until done. Add remaining ingredients, simmer 15 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.
My husband, children, and grandchldren always enjoy these messy, but good, treats.

Emma's Beer Batter Onion Rings

Ingredients:
3 large Vidalia onion
Crisco oil
¾ C plain flour
¾ C self-rising flour
1 ½ C beer
Instructions:
Mix flour and beer in smooth batter. Let stand at least 3 hours. Slice onions and separate into rings. Drop into batter, fry in medium hot oil until golden brown.
The Dodd boys of all ages used to stand around the fryer and wait for the hot, crispy onion rings .

Fudge Walnut Pie

Ingredients
4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 sticks butter
2 C sugar
1/3 C self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ C walnuts or pecans
1 C heavy cream
1/8 tsp. salt

Instructions:
Melt one stick of butter with 2 squares baking chocolate in saucepan. In a bowl, combine 1 C sugar, 1/3 C self-rising flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla and nuts. Combine the two mixtures together, and pour in a buttered pie pan. Bake at 325* for 25-30 minutes.
Make hot fudge sauce by melting 1 stick butter, 2 squares of chocolate. Blend in 1 C sugar and stir until melted. Let cool a minute, then add 1 C heavy cream, vanilla and 1/8 tsp. salt; cook five minutes, stirring. While still warm, put scoop of Blue Bell vanilla on top of pie, then pour warm fudge sauce over.
This recipe was given to me by two friends who owned a popular restaurant in Rock Hill, SC. It is delicious.

GiGi's Pig Cake

1 package orange or yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
stick of margarine, softened
1 C mandarin oranges (use 1/2 C juice in mix)

Instructions:
Beat together, pour in greased and floured pan, and bake 350 for 20 minutes, let cool

Frosting:
1 large Cool Whip
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1/2 C powdered sugar
20oz can crushed pineapple and juice
1 small can of mandarin oranges (drained)

Instructions:
Combine ingredients well, and use to frost cake.
My grandchildren love this cake that their great-grandmother Roberts used to make.   It is usually found at church dinners in the South.  It is very tasty!

Texas Hot Water Cake

Mix:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. soda
Mix and set aside

Put in a pot and bring to a boil:
1 stick butter
3 ½ TBS Hershey’s Cocoa
1 C water
½ C Crisco oil
Combine with above dry ingredients as soon as removed from stove.

Then Add:
1/3 C buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix by hand, pour into 9x13 pan that has been greased and floured. Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.

Icing:
1 stick butter
3 ½ TBS Hershey’s Cocoa
1/3 C whole milk
Boil together until well mixed.
Add immediately to:
1# box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans.
Mix well and pour over cooled cake. This icing gets hard really fast, so spread it quickly.
My neighbor gave me this recipe when I moved to Texas over 25 years ago. This cake tastes even better the next day! Make it and enjoy a taste of TEXAS!

Quick Banana Pudding

Ingredients:
8 Bananas
Vanilla Wafers
2 large pkg. Jell-O Vanilla Pudding (cooking kind, not instant)
Whole milk

Instructions:
Cook pudding according to package instructions. Layer wafers, then bananas, then spoon pudding on top. Continue to top of dish, ending with wafers. I like it room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.
This very easy pudding is quite good. It is better when you use a lot of the pudding, so that dish is not dry.

Georgia Grits Casserole

Ingredients:
4 C milk
¼ C butter
1 C quick-cooking, NOT instant grits
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ C grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Bring milk just to boil over medium heat; gradually whisk in grits, then butter. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly 5-7 minutes or until grits are done. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs, seasonings and cheddar. Pour into greased baking dish, sprinkle evenly with parmesan, and bake covered at 350* for 35-40 minutes until mixture is set.
A great side dish for brunch!

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
4 cans butter biscuits
¾ C. chopped pecans
½ C brown sugar
1 TBS cinnamon, approx.
1 stick butter

Instructions:
Grease a tube pan or Bundt pan with butter. Open biscuits and cut each into quarters. Sprinkle 1/3 pecans around bottom of pan. Add in 1/3 dough pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Repeat until all dough is used. Melt butter with brown sugar. Pour over dough. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.
Another old and easy recipe, but still a good breakfast treat!

Three Cheese Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C mayonnaise
1 14oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
½ C grated Parmesan
1 C shredded mozzarella
½ tsp. lemon juice
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Beat cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth; add mayo and beat until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients until well combined. Pour into pie pan or shallow dish. Bake in 450* oven for 30-40 minutes until top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve hot with crackers. crostini, veggies or tortilla chips.
This tasty dip recipe was given to me by my "Susta", Sharon.

Marscarpone and Fig Puff Pastry

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/2 C mascarpone
1/3 C blue cheese
½ C chopped dried Mission Figs
Olive oil to spray

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients. Unfold puff pastry and spread with mixture. Cut sides of pastry in diagonal strips (\), but leave attached to center piece. Fold cut pieces over mixture alternating sides. Spray with a bit of olive oil. Bake at 350* until pastry is golden brown.
Another great recipe from Carol. This disappears quickly at parties!

Crostini with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
3 TBS butter
1/2 # white mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ C whipping cream
½ C crumbled blue cheese (about 2 oz.)
½ C chopped thinly sliced prosciutto (about 2 ½ oz.)
18 crostini- ½ thick slices of French baguette, toasted
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley, optional

Instructions:
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is absorbed. Add blue cheese and stir until it melts. Mix in prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Preheat oven to 375*. Arrange bread slices on baking sheet. Bake until just golden, about 5 minutes. Mound 1 generous TBS mushroom mixture on each slice. Return to oven; bake until heated through, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Another delicious dish from my friend Carol!

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
2 C whole milk
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. nutmeg
6 slices bacon, fried
½ C chopped onion
2 C Swiss cheese, grated
1 pie shell

Instructions:
Bake pie shell for 5 minutes in 400* oven. Fry bacon, drain. Reserve 1 TBS drippings. Sauté onion in drippings until soft. Layer cheese in pie shell, add bacon and onions. Beat eggs, add milk and seasonings. Pour over other ingredients. Bake 10 minutes at 400*, then lower oven to 350*. Bake 15-20 minutes more till center is almost set.
I made his a lot in the 70's, and brought the recipe out again a few years ago. It still makes a great brunch or light supper dish.

Southern Sweet Tea

Ingredients:
1½-2 quart tea pitcher
4-5 family size Luzianne tea bags
1 C sugar or Splenda
Lemon wedges
Water

Instructions:
Boil 3 cups of water in a pot. (Always use the same pot, and do not use it to cook anything else.) When water boils, add tea bags and remove from heat. Steep (let tea bags sit undisturbed) for 5 minutes. Put one cup of sugar into your pitcher, then tea while it is still warm, so the sugar will melt. Add more water up to top of pitcher; remove tea bags, squeeze and discard. Serve with lots of ice and lemon wedges or fresh mint.
Served in the South year round, sweet tea is an essential. Made SWEET, as it should be!

My Grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
Whole chicken, about 3#
1 box Swanson’s chicken stock
1 C water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 C Self-rising flour
¼ C Crisco
About ¾ C milk

Instructions:
Make biscuit dough using last three ingredients. Roll thin like a pie crust, and cut in strips with pizza cutter. Cut in opposite direction to make 1-2” rectangles. Let set until firm, so dumplings won't be doughy. Boil chicken in stock and water until done, probably about an hour. Cool chicken, and take off bones. Bring broth from chicken to a soft rolling boil. Drop in dumplings a few at a time, stirring frequently. Cook until done, about 20 minutes. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to soft boil. If broth gets too thick, and water or more stock a little at a time until desired consistency.
My grandmother, Ruby Hodges Yancey, was a true Southern cook. Simple dishes with fresh ingredients, and always delicious! I miss her every day of my life.

New Orleans Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients
4 medium artichokes
½ C grated parmesan
1 1/3 C Progresso Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1 TBS finely minced garlic
1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1//2 tsp. pepper
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C olive oil
4 round lemon slices

Instructions:
Cut stems off chokes, to make them flat on bottom. Snip points off each leaf. Turn upside down, bang on counter to loosen leaves, remove tough leaves. Open leaves, wash and drain. Combine crumbs, garlic, cheese, lemon juice, herbs, s&p and ¼ C of the oil. Spread leaves wide and stuff inside each leaf. Put chokes in large Dutch oven so they won’t tip over. Pour ½ C olive oil over chokes, and put lemon round on top. Carefully add about ½” water. Do not get stuffing wet. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 45 min.
I got this recipe from "The New Orleans Cookbook" when I lived there in 1975. My family is always happy to see these on the table. Messy, but good!
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