NYE Meal (Fried Cabbage, Black Eye Peas)

Black Eyed Peas

Soak one pound dried peas over night 

Place soaked peas in pressure cooker with ham scraps and ham bone(optional but good), a chopped onion, 2 cloves chopped garlic, salt & pepper. Add enough water to cover beans. Pressure cook for 20 min.

Remove excess liquid

Use a masher to lash just a bit and stir to thicken. Season with pepper juice, salt & pepper

Fried Cabbage

Brown 1# jimmy dean sausage with 2 chopped onions and 4 chopped garlic cloves. Drain grease. Thinly slice a head of cabbage. We include the chopped core as well because it reduces gas lol Add the cabbage to the sausage with a stick of butter and cook until the cabbage is done. Usually looks like an unappetizing skillet of brown stuff but very tasty!

Sides: Mashed potatoes and corn bread

Orange Glazed Ham

Credit: Taste of Home

1 Fully Cooked Bone-In Ham
1 TBS ground mustard
1tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup orange marmalade


1. Place ham on a roasting rack and score diamonds into the surface 1/2" deep
2. Combine mustard & allspice. Rub all over the ham
3. Bake uncovered at 325 until 140degrees (2-2 1/4 hours)
4. Spread the marmalade on the ham an hour before it is finished cooking.

Shrimp and Grits Dressing

My Sister-In-Law requested this one for Thanksgiving 2016. It didn't replace the actual dressing but was a nice side dish.It was really very good. Southern living called it "dressing" but I'd define it more as a Shrimp & Grits casserole. It was originally posted on Good Housekeeping and has made the rounds on social media this year!

Shrimp and Grits Dressing

1 pound peeled, medium-size raw shrimp

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 cup uncooked regular grits

1/2 cup butter

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I use gluten free)

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Devein shrimp, if desired.

Bring broth and next two ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in grits, and return to a boil; reduce heat to low, and stir in butter. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Stir together eggs and next four ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot grits mixture into egg mixture; add egg mixture to remaining hot grits mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp until well blended. Pour grits mixture into a lightly greased 11-x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until mixture is set. Let stand 10 minutes.

Bethany’s Cornbread Dressing

Bethany’s Cornbread Dressing

My dear Nanny Kimble passed away about 20 years ago.  Upon her passing I was relegated as the official "dressin'" maker for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The problem is that my mother and other family folk are seeking a dressing that could only be achieved if Nanny were to pop down from Heaven and whip up a batch herself. A further problem is that even when Nanny made her dressing -God rest her sweet little soul - it was great some years, OK other years and virtually inedible on occasion. Of course the expectation is that I make it as good as Nanny did....when she did it well! SO, I have failed to meet the challenge thus far. I've tried all sorts of recipes, tweaked things, sought out the advice of really old people, added fun things like cranberries and even butternut squash to NO AVAIL! This year...Thanksgiving 2010...let it be known that I have officially nailed down the "Nanny Kimble" dressing! Yay! Here it is so I can't lose it!

I’ve been tweaking this one for several years! I’ve definitely realized that it’s better if you prep it 1-2 days in advance if possible. The flavors meld together much better! 

• Options: bake veggies in the cornbread, run all breads through a food processor
• 1 pint chicken livers
• 2 round pan yellow corn bread
• 1 round pan white corn bread
• 12 rounds toasted French bread (narrow loaf)
• Salt & pepper
• 1-3 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 tsp dried poultry seasoning
• 2 packages fresh sage (chopped)
• 3 eggs
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 stalks celery, thinly chopped
• 1 stick unsalted butter- cut length wise in half, flip and cut length wise again. Then slice. You should now have small cubes of butter
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 6 cups chicken stock (make it with chicken flavored better than bouillon- not pre-canned)
• 2 sprigs rosemary. Chop up the leaves and throw away the stems.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 (have the cornbread already made up per the package directions- use milk not water)
2. Make up 6 cups of stock with better than bouillon.l in a pitcher. I add enough to where the stock tastes like chicken soup.
3. Make up Drain & wash livers. Place in small pot and add enough stock to cover them. Add one pack of chopped up sage leaves. Add chopped rosemary. Add cracked pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 min.
4. Remove livers from stock. Pull out 2-3 livers and mush them up. Add mushed livers back to the pot and stir. Either eat or discard the rest of livers. Add the liver stock back to the pitcher of chicken stock.
5. Crumble cornbread and toasted French bread into a large bowl. Add pepper, onion, celery, butter cubes, cream of chicken soup, remaining chopped sage, and a few cups of the chicken stock. Stir until well-combined. Taste it. Add poultry seasoning and rubbed sage until it tastes the way you want it. Don’t add too much additional salt because the butter has salt and it’s not melted in yet. Add more stock until its kind of soupy but not liquid. You should be able to stir it with a spoon and it not slosh around. I usually end up using the remainder of the stock. **At this point, you can refrigerate for 1-2 days ahead of time**
6. Do a final taste test then mix in the 3 eggs
7. Pour dressing into a 9x13 baking dish and bake covered for about 30 - 45 minutes. Take off foil and bake another 30/34 min until top is browned and the whole thing jiggles. To test doneness, shake casserole dish lightly. If the center of the dressing moves more than the rest , then the dressing is not cooked through in the center. Continue to bake until the dressing is set throughout.

The "Whole Shebang" Seafood, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

The "Whole Shebang" Seafood, Sausage, & Chicken Gumbo

My grandmother, Ruby Fayard, always had a huge pot of Gumbo cooking on the stove-top in the Ocean Springs Seafood Market. I helped her many times and ,over the years, I picked up many of her methods. While no one can duplicate her exact Gumbo, this one that my family came up with is close. The primary difference is that Maw Maw didn't use chicken at all. Her Gumbo was exclusively seafood and sausage. I've added the chicken because, unlike 10 years ago, I don't have an entire seafood market at my disposal anymore and neither do most people!  Making Gumbo is a very imprecise process but I've tried my best to lay out the important steps. You can add more or less of anything listed. You can make a small pot or a 20 gallon pot. This recipe assumes somewhere between 5-15 gallons. Once you are at the simmering stage, it's a good time to assess if the gumbo needs anything else. If you're staring at a pot of brown broth then you should add more meats. If your Gumbo isn't dark enough, you can add more roux. If it's too thick or dark, add more water or chicken broth. The only way you can ruin your Gumbo is to burn the roux or over salt it. It really is a much more pleasurable experience if you do the prep work a day or two ahead but you'll still need a good day at home to make the final product due to the hours of simmering necessary for it to come together. Have fun and enjoy!

“The Whole Shebang Gumbo” (chicken, sausage & seafood) 

Steps that can be completed up to 2 days ahead of time:

1.Make a roux

Ingredients: 1 cup Flour & 1 cup Oil – re: Gluten free flour. I successfully made a roux with “cup for cup” flour from Williams Sonoma but cut the oil to 3/4 cup.

A. Add 1 cup of oil to a seasoned cast iron skillet at medium-low heat. Heat on low if your stove runs hot.

B. Once the oil is warm, slowly stir in the cup of flour.

C. From this point until the roux is the color you want it, your job is to stand over the pan and constantly (without a 30 second break) stir and scrape the mixture. Use a wooden scraper  for this task.

D. When the roux is almost to the dark brown that you’re looking for, take it off the burner and continue to stir for 15 minutes.

E. Remove roux from hot pan to a jar for storage or a bowl. It should taste nutty/roasted but not burnt. If it’s burnt …start over. Better too light than burnt. The color you’re seeking is anywhere from the color of a brown paper bag to a dark espresso color.

2. Boil a chicken or two (unless you want a Seafood & Sausage gumbo)

Ingredients: 1-2 whole chickens, coarsely cut celery, quartered onions, chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, bay leaves, salt & pepper, & garlic

A. Depending on how much Gumbo you’re wanting you’ll need to boil 1 or 2 whole chickens.

B. Add all ingredients but the chicken plus enough water to completely cover your chicken when submerged in an appropriate sized pot and bring to a boil.

C. Place chicken in the pot and reduce heat to a low boil. Cover and let it cook for 90 min or until chicken is falling off the bone.

D. Remove chicken to cool. Strain the stock, throw away the solids and reserve the liquid for use in the gumbo.

E. Pick the chicken off the bones and save for the gumbo. Discard bones, fat & skin. You don’t have to worry about shredding the meat too fine. Most of it will fall apart when it is cooking in the gumbo.

3. Brown the sausage  & sauté your veggies

Ingredients: 5-6 large onions, 1 bag of celery, 3-5 bell peppers (garlic & okra in a different step), 5# smoked sausage

A. Chop all veggies (not too tiny or they will completely disappear) and slice the sausage

B. Slightly brown the sausage. Use some of the oil to sauté the veggies.

C. Set aside cooked veggies (in their juices & butter) and the browned sausage to be used in the gumbo.

Making the Gumbo: Previous steps must be complete at this point (and they’re the hardest!) 

1. Brown your Okra

Ingredients: 1 large bag of chopped frozen okra (frozen or thawed) , butter, Gumbo pot, scraper or spoon, masher

* Note* This is not the okra that you see floating in the finished gumbo. If you want floating okra you can add it in later. This okra will be completely cooked down & slightly burnt. It’s purpose is to flavor and thicken your gumbo.

A. With the heat on high, cook down the okra until it is quite literally browning to the bottom of the pot and you have to keep scraping it off. You should have a a slimy greenish brown burnt (but not too burnt) mess in the bottom of your pot. Don’t worry about the layer of burnt okra concoction on the bottom of your pan because you will deglaze with chicken broth in the next step. Have at least 2 quarts of broth on hand because you’ll need it quickly as soon as the okra is done.

2. Make your Gumbo base

Ingredients: Roux (pour off as much oil from the top as you can), 2 quarts of chicken broth, and your gumbo paddle (see below) or long handled spoon.

A. This step begins with your burner still on high and your okra mess at the bottom of the pot.

                  B. Add your Roux to the Okra and stir it in VERY QUICKLY but thoroughly. It would be bad if you burnt your roux at this point.

                  C. The second you see your roux is blended with the okra, dump in at least 2 quarts of your chicken broth. (either from when you boiled the chickens OR store bought if you didn’t want chicken in your gumbo)

D. Stir through the steam! The okra mess should’ve come loose but just in case, immediately start stirring the broth and scraping the bottom of the pot for any residual roux/okra mixture. Once the steam goes away, continue stirring until all is smooth. You can turn the heat down to medium now.

3. Adding meats & veggies to the pot

Ingredients: browned sausages, sautéed veggies, shredded chicken, 2 garlic cloves, medium bag chopped okra, fresh parsley bunch, remaining chicken stock, gumbo crabs (optional), 5-15# P&D shrimp, 5# white crabmeat.

A. Dump in: browned sausages, sautéed veggies, shredded chicken, & gumbo crabs (optional)

B. Chop the leaves of a parsley bunch and add to pot

C. Mince a few more garlic cloves and add to pot

D. If you want floating chopped okra, add to pot

E. If all ingredients are not covered, cover them with chicken broth at this time. (Also adding an extra 1-2 inches of broth for the seafood yet to come.) If you run out of broth you can use water or store bought broth. I use water when I run out but I make 2 chickens so I have allot of broth on hand.

F. Bring to a boil

G. Once at a roaring boil, add seafood. I recommend 5-15# of peeled & deveined shrimp (size 40/50 or smaller) & 5# of white crab meat.

H. Once the gumbo reaches a boil again, turn it down to low.

4. Season It– Wait until it cools down to a simmer.

All to taste! I use: Salt & pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, Cajun power garlic sauce, tiger sauce, old bay, tony’s seasoning, seafood magic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, 3 bay leaves

5. Simmer & add more veggies, meat, seafood, roux etc if the gumbo looks like it needs more of anything. Simmer for as long as you can. Discard leaves, crabs., & skim oil.  Add gumbo filet to the pot or sprinkle on top of served up bowls. Best the next day!

Red Beans and Rice -pressure cooker or standard

I

I threw this together in 45 minutes for Mardi Gras and it was a big hit!

2 lb red beans (soaked overnight)

2 lb smoked sausage

2 bay leaves

2 tbs Tony's seasoning

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dried parsley

Half tsp cumin

1 clove chopped garlic 

2 chopped onions 

2 chopped celery

Pressure cooker: combine all ingredients in the cooker. Cover with water just above the beans. Seal and set for 30 minutes.  When it's done, use a masher for a few strokes in the pot. Stir in the smushed beans to thicken up the pot. Serve with rice . If no pressure cooker, use a large pot and boil for about an hour. Then let it simmer for several hours.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Feasts!

Our family has always valued our time together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The lunch-time meal (which we always call "dinner" for some reason) is a HUGE part of our celebration. Every year, little things or new traditions are added to our holiday celebrations; but,the meal VERY RARELY changes. It was a really big deal when we added the squash casserole about 10 years ago! One of the main reasons I started this little recipe collection was so that this particular meal created and orchestrated every year by my mother, Linda Fayard, can continue on forever!

The women of our family gather the day before the meal to prepare and refrigerate it all. This is not a sexist thing :) I am all about some girl power but this has just become a wonderful family tradition for us girls to get together and prepare the family meal and spend time together. The boys are welcome to join but so far none of them have showed up! We do make them cut the turkey and do all this dishes so it works itself out!

Most of the recipes for the sides and deserts are all individually here in this blog - just click on the name and it will open the recipe.  Have fun and enjoy!

The Menu

Oven Roasted Whole Turkey
Gravy (Turkey drippings mixed with jar gravy)
Cornbread Dressing & Cranberry Sauce
Squash Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Watergate Salad
Seven Layer Salad
Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
Bake & Serve Rolls (With squeeze butter on top)
Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Millionaire Pie
Pumpkin Pie (Thanksgiving only)
Cherry Cheesecake (no bake box mix with canned cherry on top)

Squash Casserole

VERY RICH!

2 Cups cooked squash (we slice it and boil it with skins on)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small jar pimento
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick butter or margarine (melted)
1 cup ritz cracker crumbs

Mix butter and cracker crumbs . Place half the mixture in the bottom of your casserole pan. We usually use a square one for this dish. Mix all other ingredients and pour on top of the crust. Top with the remaining ritz cracker mix. Bake at 375f for 1 hour.

Seven Layer Salad

We always serve this awesome salad at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is even better the next day so make it ahead of time if you can.

1 Head of lettuce (torn small or shredded)
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 cup chopped celery
1 pkg frozen English peas
1 cup mayo
3 tbs sugar
2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese
Bacon bits (optional)
BIG GLASS SERVING BOWL

Layer the first 5 ingredients in the bowl. Mix mayo, sugar and cheese. Spread the mixture on top. Top with bacon bits if you'd like.

Millionaire Pie

This one has always been my favorite at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's so easy to make and soooo yummy! It would be great in summer time as it's cold and very refreshing!

2 Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
1 little tub cool whip
1 small can mandarin oranges (drained)
1 can condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients well and fill both pie shells. Refrigerate until firm.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

1 C cooked rice
1 C chopped celery
1 C chopped onion
1 small jar cheese whiz
1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 stick butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Cook broccoli, onion and celery in small amount of water for 10 minutes. Drain and add other ingredients. Place in casserole pan and add chestnuts. Bake 30 minutes at 350F.

Watergate Salad

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple unsweetened
1 3.5 oz pistachio pudding mix
9 oz cool whip
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients and chill overnight

Serve as salad or a desert

Green Bean Casserole

2 cans green beans - reserve liquid
1 cup green bean liquid
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 C shredded cheddar
1/4 C bacon bits
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can French fried onion rings

Put drained beans in a long casserole dish. In a small sauce pan heat c.o.m. Soup, bean liquid and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Mix in drained mushrooms, bacon bits and
water chestnuts. Cover with cheese sauce and top with onion rings. Heat at 350 for 5-10 min.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Filling:
3 C cooked mashed sweet Potatoes
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 stick butter melted
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 taps vanilla
Topping:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C flour
1/3 stick melted butter
1 C chopped pecans

Mix filling ingredients in a 1-1.5 Q dish. Mix topping ingredients together and spread over filling. Bake at 350F for 35 min. Serves 8

Susan's Cheddar Fritto Biscuits - Great with chili

We served these with Chili on Christmas eve and got awesome reviews!

1 pack small canned biscuits

Cheddar cheese cubes

bowl with melted butter

Frittos corn chips - crushed

Flatten out each biscuit and wrap it around a cube of cheese. Make sure that the biscuit is sealed around the cheese. Dip the biscuits in butter then roll around in crushed frittos. Bake according to the biscuit instructions - may require a few extra minutes...

Hot Chocolate Mix (In Bulk)

My friend Becky's recipe! Makes enough for all winter or for gifts! You can vary the flavor by using different flavored non-dairy creamers such as cinnamon....

10 cups powdered milk
4 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups non-dairy creamer

Wedding Hits! Roast & Gravy, Shrimp Veggie Marinade, Caprice Salad, Prosciutto Asparagus, Seafood Dip

So....we got a lot of great feedback on the food at the wedding so I thought I'd post a few of the recipes on here (which are also pretty much standards at the house anywayz....)

Beef Roast

My mom used to make this on a regular basis. We always ate it the first night over rice and the second night on sandwiches! I'm not sure which I like more...

1. Find a 4-5 pound fatty roast (the leaner ones don't make as good a gravy)

2. Take a knife and stab the roast multiple times deep in the meat

3. Slice up several garlic cloves length wise

4.Place a slice of garlic in each hole in the roast

5. Dump one can cream of mushroom soup on top of roast and spread it evenly

6. Sprinkle one packet of powdered onion soup mix over the top of the cream of mushroom

7.If you have any onions available chop them up and throw on top for good measure

8. Cook in the crock pot all day on low

9. Pull the roast apart with a fork and serve over rice with the gravy or on some rolls with a little horseradish/mayo sauce with gravy on top. DIVINE!!!!

Marinated Shrimp Salad

This is so easy to put together and you can add any number of things to it. It has been a hit at every party I've brought it to. The key to this recipe is that you HAVE to use WISHBONE Italian dressing. No off brands or other brands.

1. Boil a few pounds of shrimp with seafood boil seasoning. I like the powdered kind because it is pre-salted. We did 50 pounds for the wedding!

2. Cool the shrimp

3. Add any(pick at least 3) or all of the following:

baby carrots

grape tomatoes

button mushrooms

sliced bell peppers (ad the red or yellow ones for color)

Baby corn

Artichoke hearts

pearl onions

finely sliced red onions

Any type of veggie you want....

4. I recommend putting the shrimp and veggies in gallon size ziplock bags. Add enough wishbone italian dressing to cover the contents of the bag.

5.Sprinkle some lemon pepper on the sop of the mixture

6. Seal the bag and shake it gently to distribute the lemon pepper

7. Let the bags marinate in the refrigerator for up to two days

8. Dump bag in serving dish and wait for the ooohs and aaahs

Easy Caprice Salad

1. Chop up two pounds of fresh mozzarella- place in large bowl

2. Add two containers of grape tomatoes

3. Chop up two cups of fresh basil- HINT don't buy your basil from the chain grocery store. You'll pay $2-$3 bucks for a tiny amount of fresh basil. Go to your local Asian grocery market and you can buy it buy a huge bag of it for the same price! You can freeze what you don't use...

4. drizzle olive oil over the mixture

5. Ad salt and pepper to taste

6.Chill for a bit

6. Mix it all up and serve!

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

1. Line a cookie sheet or broiler pan with fresh asparagus (not canned!)

2. Sprinkle with olive oil and s&p

3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

4. Wrap together 2-3 asparagus with a piece of prosciutto around the middle

5. Serve room temp or cold

Seafood Dip

I used to travel to Louisiana a lot for work and my favorite thing to do was go eat crawfish! At all "good" crawfish places (usually waaaay out in the middle of nowhere) you are served a bowl of mayonnaise well prior to your crawdads. This seemed odd to me until I watched the locals go to work on it. One tables they didn't just have the standard salt and pepper. They had a plethora of other seasonings for you to make your dip! The best combo I managed to concoct consists of the below ingredients. I don't know the amounts- it's all to taste! Serve with any type of seafood- boiled or fried. I've even put it on pizza :-)

1. Start off with a bowl of mayo (Hellmans is the best)

2. Stir in ketchup until the mixture is a creamy orange

3. Stir in a liberal amount of "cajun power garlic sauce"

4. Stir in some L&P

5. Stir in a dash of Tabasco (or more if you want it spicy hot)

6. Sprinkle a small amount of cajun seasoning (Tony's or something similar)

7. Just keep tasting it until you like it and add more or less of something. If you "over do" it, add more mayo and ketchup to dilute your seasonings.