A Snowy Weekend – Let’s Have Barbecued Meatballs

Over the weekend we had a significant snowfall here in the foothills of North Carolina.  Actually, it is my favorite type of snowfall.  It began on Friday afternoon with big fluffy flakes of snow.  It continued through the night and snowed for a short period of time on Saturday morning.  I think our accumulation totals was eight inches.

Another reason I liked this snow is because it happened on the weekend and we didn’t have to go to work and could just enjoy watching it snow.  I was also appreciative of the fact that it was snow and not sleet or freezing rain.  The kids in our neighborhood had a good time in the snow but it was extremely cold all weekend.  Of course, I don’t think kids ever admit they are cold when they are playing in the snow.

Here are some pictures:

 

Before the snow, I had chosen the following recipe to share with you.  I thought it was such a comforting recipe for a cold January day.  Of course, I love barbecue so it really appealed to me.  It is from a recipe book from a local cook that compiled recipes of her friends and family and named the book, “Susie’s Dinner Bell.”

 

I hope you enjoy the recipe.  If you are experiencing a snowy day, I hope you are safe and warm.  Thanks for stopping by.

Broccoli Casseroles

I know the trend now is fresh vegetables and farm to table menus, however, I love to browse through my old cookbooks and I will find recipes that I really enjoyed.  I was browsing through the St. Stephens Lutheran Church (Hickory NC) cookbook published in 1984.  I purchased the cookbook for 10 cents at a yard sale.  It is very special to me as it belonged to a fellow church member that has passed away.

I remember this type of casserole from that time period and I might even make one of them for our Christmas meal.  They are simple to make but all the flavors blending together make them very tasty.

Probably in 1984 there wasn’t much concern for preservatives or using cream of mushroom soup.  I think women in 1984 wanted to prepare tasty meals for their families and did not feel guilty about taking shortcuts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

I know you have probably heard “Life happens while you are making other plans.”  That statement came to mind over the weekend as I was baking goodies and planning meals for the Christmas weekend.  I was thinking that as we are making all of the plans for the holidays we are still busy preparing meals for our family every day.  I really get to the point where my brain just gets tired of thinking.

I try to prepare simple meals as we prepare for Christmas and the crock-pot helps me to save time..  I have been wanting to make macaroni and cheese and when I saw this recipe in my “Crock-Pot The Original Slow Cooker Recipe Collection I thought it looked simple.  I think it would be a good choice if you are having guests over the Christmas Holiday. I am also including a recipe for Gratin Potatoes with Asiago Cheese that looks delicious. The bacon in that potato recipe makes my mouth water.

I hope these recipes help you to save some time during this busy season.  I think the crock-pot is one of the greatest inventions ever.

Thanks for stopping by.

Grits For Thanksgiving

To be honest with you, I have never thought of grits as a side dish for any meal.  However, as I was browsing through my Come To The Table Cookbook from the congregation at Duke University Chapel, I changed my mind.  I think either one of these recipes would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving.

Cheese and grits is a great combination and would really be appreciated by anybody no matter where they are from.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Asparagus Casserole – The Pirate’s House Cookbook – Savannah, Georgia

Today, I am sharing a recipe from The Pirate’s House Cookbook, Savannah, Georgia.  It is a beautiful place to celebrate any holiday.

I think at Thanksgiving we sometimes ignore an inexperienced cook and I am sure the day can be overwhelming for a rookie.  I think today’s recipe would be a good choice if you are asked to bring a vegetable for a Thanksgiving feast.  I totally understand how we are evolving to only fresh ingredients.  However, at the same time, I can imagine an inexperienced cook dealing with fresh asparagus.

Of course, I know that if you are an experienced cook sometimes you just want to make something easy and I think this would be a great choice for an easy side for the Thanksgiving meal.  Isn’t it funny how you take two or three days to prepare the Thanksgiving meal and people expect you to cook again the next day?

Thanks for stopping by.

Sweet Potato Souffle

In the South sweet potatoes are a must for Thanksgiving day.  I think this would be a great choice as a side dish for the special day.

This recipe is from Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House in Savannah Georgia.  I have many fond memories of spending Thanksgiving in the low country and Mrs. Wilkes was one of my favorite places there.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cherry Tomato Provencal By Ina Garten

I love tomatoes and I do not eat them in the winter.  I only eat fresh tomatoes in the summertime and I am always super excited about that first taste of the tomato in a wonderful sandwich on white bread with Duke’s mayonnaise.  I do have to admit that by the time August arrives, we are getting a little tired of tomatoes. I was browsing through one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks recently and saw this recipe for provencal cherry tomato gratin.  I made it for us recently and it is so good.  The cherry tomatoes I purchased at the farmers market were larger and so I only needed two pints of the tomatoes.

I love the wonderful flavors of this dish and it is a little different as we usually pair basil with tomatoes.  I know this is a recipe that I will continue to make in the future.

 

This recipe is in Ina Garten’s cookbook Foolproof.  I always chose Ina when I want to use a traditional ingredient and make it a little differently.  She is such a master of that.

Thanks for stopping by.  (Oops sorry about the little green strip in the title of the recipe.  That was my sticky note to mark the page.)

 

Finishing Out June With An Enchilada Dish

Yes, I know July 4th is approaching.  I thought about recipes I could share with you and the enchilada dish just kept coming back to me and I knew I had to share it.  I prepared it this past weekend and Mr. D and I enjoyed it.  It is fairly easy to make and I liked it because we had enough to eat now and freeze for later.

Here is a picture of the enchiladas:

This recipe was given to me by a friend that lives in California.  We made contact with each other earlier in the year and he told me he did not have a means to share his recipes.  He is sending some of them to me and I will share them with you on my blog.  He is now in his retirement years but was an accomplished chef for many years.  Let’s just say he is my California cousin.  You do know in the South we have many cousins scattered all over the place, don’t you?

Here is his recipe:

Go California Turkey or Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

2 tbsp. butter, 1 medium yellow onion chopped.

3 cups of leftover turkey or chicken shredded and coarsely chopped

1 cup cheddar sharp cheese, 1 cup jack cheese

1 19 ounce enchilada sauce

6 6 inch fajita style tortillas (flour)

¾ cup sour cream at room temperature

Cilantro chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook stirring until translucent – about 5 minutes

Transfer onion to bowl and cool, mix in turkey or chicken, ½  cup of each cheese and ¼ cup enchilada sauce.

Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce across bottom of 9×13 inch baking dish.

To assemble:  pour remaining sauce into pie plate.  Place 1 tortilla in sauce, add about ½ cup turkey or chicken mixture to center of tortilla and roll.

Place rolled enchilada seam side down in baking dish, repeat with remaining enchiladas.

Pour any remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.  (about 20 minutes).

Serve hot with dollop of sour cream and sprinkles with cilantro.  Serves 6.

The cheese makes the casserole gooey and delicious. I know this will be a recipe that I will use often and share with friends and family. If you are having guests over the upcoming holiday weekend, this would be a good choice for one of your meals.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are looking forward to a special July 4th weekend.

 

Dunbar Macaroni By Pat Conroy

Last week as I was browsing through The Pat Conroy Cookbook, I saw the recipe for Dunbar Macaroni.  Technically, it is macaroni and cheese with tomatoes.  I do recall eating it at sometime in the past but I don’t remember the occasion.  I can say that it isn’t something that is extremely popular here in Catawba County and I don’t recall eating it when I was growing up in Rockingham.  I do remember that I liked it.

As I read over the recipe, I realized it would be a good choice for Mr. D as we could use the whole wheat macaroni and adding another vegetable would help to balance the carbs of the macaroni.  I did use the San Marzano tomatoes and mine were cubed so I didn’t have to mash them very much as is recommended in the recipe.  By the way, Mr. D and I loved the results and I think it will be a favorite for us in the future.

This is picture of my version of the Macaroni.

Below is the introduction to the recipe as Pat Conroy described it and I have to say I had never heard of Dunbar Macaroni. I have to agree with Julia that the recipe is exceptionally good without the addition of meat.

Below is the recipe from the cookbook:

This recipe was easy to make and with Easter arriving shortly I can imagine this as being a wonderful side dish for that special meal.  I do believe the flavor of the san marzano tomatoes made this especially good.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

The Championship Game – Carolina Panthers Versus Arizona Cardinals

On Sunday the NFL Carolina Panthers football team will play for the NFC championship.  They are based in Charlotte and have only lost one game this year.  We aren’t really big football fans anymore.  At one time we followed all the games and Mr. D was lucky enough to attend the Panthers inaugural game that was played in Clemson, South Carolina.  Here is a picture of that inaugural game ticket.

I lived in Charlotte after graduating from a local community college and that is where Mr. D and I met.  Our first home after marriage was in Huntersville, NC that is in the Lake Norman area of Mecklenburg County.  I tried to think of some special recipe to share with you today as I browsed through my Cooking With Authority cookbook published by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority in 1990.

The following recipes brought back special memories for me of recipes that I made or ate during the early years of our marriage. The first one is porcupine meatballs and I remember making these for Mr. D and I failed to cook the rice first.  They were not good to say the least but he was always so encouraging and never said a word until after the meal.  Then he did mention that he thought they were just a little bit to crunchy.

The second recipe is a very easy cake recipe that anyone can make.  It reminds me of a recipe that a co-worker shared with me.  We had a fellow employee with a birthday and had forgotten.  She went out at lunch and bought the ingredients and made this cake for him.  I don’t remember the yogurt being in the recipe and I honestly believe she used cherry pie filling.  All in all it was good and our birthday friend was remembered on their special day.  In the 70’s we did not have deli-bakeries in our grocery stores so you couldn’t run out and purchase a cake and have a birthday wish written on it.  We have so many conveniences today that we take for granted.

As I write this post we are in the middle of a snowstorm and I hope you are safe and warm today.  Also, I hope the Carolina Panthers Keep Pounding all the way to the Super Bowl in two weeks.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by.