Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2-1/4 cups flour (that's 2.5 cups)
1 level teaspoon baking soda
1 level teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
2 sticks (1/2 lb.) sweet butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 12-oz. package Nestlé semisweet chocolate chips

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 375° F.

1. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. Use a stand-type electric mixer to mix the two sugars briefly at low speed. Add the butter in small gobbets, mixing first at low speed and then at high. Beat the mix until it's pale, light, and very fluffy.

3. Add the vanilla at the mixer's lowest speed, then beat at high speed for a few seconds. Add the eggs, again at the lowest speed, switching to high speed for the final second or so. The eggs should be well beaten in, and the mix should look creamed, not curdled.

4. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, one-half cup at a time, mixing at low speed for about one minute, then at high speed for a few seconds.

5. Scrape down the bowl's sides with a spatula, add the chocolate chips, and mix at low speed for about 10 seconds. If need be, scrape the bowl's sides again and mix for a few more seconds.

6. Put tablespoonfuls of the mix on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until the cookies are pale golden brown (nine minutes in an electric oven, 10 to 11 minutes in a gas one). Remove and let them cool on a rack.

Enjoy.

   

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Aunt Mare's Luscious Bar-B-Q Lentils

Aunt Mare's Luscious Bar-B-Q Lentils

Ingredients
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 slices chopped bacon
1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tsp BBQ sauce
4 small cans Assorted Baked Beans or Pork and Beans
Use any type of beans with brown sugar or onion.  I always use four different cans of beans.

Directions:
Preheat oven at 400 degrees.  Heat olive oil in skillet and add chopped onion and bacon pieces.  Saute on medium high heat until flavors meld but do not crisp.  Drain liquid from canned beans and place in baking dish.  Combine brown sugar, BBQ sauce, bacon, and onions with the beans.  Cook uncovered until bubbly.

Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients


Brownies

1 cup of butter (2 sticks, no substitutions)

1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs (at room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (18-ounce) jar peanut butter


Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

1/3 cup whole milk (no substitutions)

10 large marshmallows

1/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar


Directions

Brownies

1.Melt 1 cup butter and 1/3 cup cocoa in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts, stirring constantly.

2.Remove from heat and cool slightly.

3.Combine sugar, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

4.Slowly add chocolate mixture and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.

5.Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended. Do not overbeat.

6.Spread mixture into a greased 15 x 10 inch jellyroll pan. (Note: Any other pan could result in dry brownies, undercooked brownies or the mixture overflowing the pan. You can find jellyroll pans at Bed, Bath & Beyond or Williams-Sonoma.)

7.Bake in 350-degree oven for 25–30 minutes. Every oven is different, so I recommend inserting a toothpick in the middle of the brownies and making sure it comes out clean. If not, cook one minute at a time until done. Don’t overcook.

Peanut Butter Topping

1.Spoon mounds of peanut butter across the top of the hot brownies. As peanut butter begins to soften and melt, gently spread evenly across the top of the hot brownies.

2.Let cool completely, and then chill for 30 minutes until peanut butter sets up firm.

Fudge Frosting

1.Cook 1 stick of butter, milk and marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt.

2.Remove pan from heat and gradually sift in 1/4 cup cocoa, beating with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

3.Sift powdered sugar and gradually stir into cocoa mixture with hand mixer until smooth.

4.Spread frosting over peanut butter; place back in fridge and chill at least another 20 minutes so fudge frosting will set.

5.If not serving immediately, cover with foil and keep in fridge.

6.To serve, trim off all of the edges of the brownies. Cut into small squares (these are very rich). Optional: Garnish each piece with 1/4 of a miniature peanut butter cup. Best served at room temperature.

Enjoy!

http://www.daveramsey.com/article/marthas-fudge-peanut-butter-brownies/lifeandmoney_other?ectid=bitlyified030720111130

Fudgy Macadamia Nut Brownies

Macadamia Nut Brownies

1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chopped toasted macadamia nuts - divided use

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Butter an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and chocolate together over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and transfer to mixing bowl. Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended. Fold in 1 cup of the nuts.
3. Spread mixture in pan. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup of nuts. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake; center should be set, but still moist. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Makes 16 bars.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Barefoot Brownie Pudding

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.
When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.
Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Party Punch

Party Punch 

Ingredients

• 2 quarts sherbet (lime, pineapple, orange)
• 2 liters ginger ale
• 1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice
• Lemon slices
• Lime slices
• Maraschino cherries

Directions

In a punch bowl, add 2 quarts of sherbet. Then add ginger ale and pineapple juice. Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.

DC Cupcakes New Year's Eve Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes (36 mini cupcakes, 3 per Champagne flute)

• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries , diced
• 1/2 Tbsp. good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)
• 2 1/2 cups flour , sifted
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder , sifted
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature
• 2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract + seeds from 1 vanilla bean(NOTE: move down to next line...see edits to other recipe)
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk , at room temperature

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

• 16 Tbsp. (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar , sifted
• 1 tsp. whole milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Strawberry Layer

• 24 fresh strawberries
• 1 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Chocolate Ganache

• 2 cups high-quality semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

For Serving:

12 glass Champagne flutes

12 long spoons

12 indoor-safe sparkler candles

Step 1: Baking the Mini Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 mini cupcake pans with 36 mini baking cups or grease pans with butter if not using baking cups.

Dice up 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries and soak in 1/2 cup of Champagne. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Combine the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

Gently fold in the diced Champagne-soaked strawberries, just until incorporated.

Scoop batter into baking cups and bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If using paper baking cups, peel off all of the paper baking cups from the cupcakes at this time.

Step 2: Making the Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the confectioner's sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the vanilla extract, milk, salt and Champagne, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Place frosting in a disposable piping bag with a large round tip.

Step 3: Preparing the Strawberries

Slice 24 strawberries lengthwise and soak in 1 cup of Champagne for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 4: Making the Chocolate Ganache

Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or 2 of water and place over medium-low heat. Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a medium glass bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally until the chips are completely melted. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the saucepan. Pour the ganache into a plastic squeeze bottle. (If a squeeze bottle is not available, you can drizzle with a spoon.)

Step 5: Assembling Layers in Champagne Flutes

Line up 12 glass Champagne flutes. Insert 1 mini strawberry Champagne cupcake in the bottom of each glass. Next, pipe a swirl of Champagne buttercream frosting on top of each cupcake. Add several slices of Champagne-soaked strawberries, and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. Repeat layers. Finally, place a third mini strawberry Champagne cupcake at the top of each glass, pipe with a final "Georgetown Cupcake signature swirl" of Champagne buttercream frosting, and top with a final drizzle of chocolate ganache.

Step 6: Serving

Insert 1 indoor-safe sparkler candle in the top of each glass. Light the candles at midnight, serve with spoons, and enjoy!

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/DC-Cupcakes-New-Years-Eve-Strawberry-Champagne-Sparkler-Cupcakes

Jenny's Snow Kissed Chex Mix

Jenny's Snow Kissed Chex Mix

Ingredients:

5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Chex Rice Cereal
1 lb M&M's Candies
10 ounces Pretzel Sticks
2 cups Dry Roasted Peanuts
24 ounces Vanilla Almond Bark
3 Tbs Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Mix first 5 ingredients together.  Melt Almond Bark and Vegetable Oil in microwave for 90 seconds.  Pour Almond Bark over Chex mixture and mix until evenly coated.  Spread mixture out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to cool.  When mixture has cooled, break apart and store in an airtight container.

Mama Mia Meat Sauce

Mama Mia Meat Sauce


My homemade Mama Mia Meat Sauce is full of flavor, cooked low and slow.  This meaty tomato sauce is perfect on any of your favorite pastas. The recipe makes enough sauce for two to three meals, any extra sauce can be stored in the freezer.
Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal or turkey
1 lb Italian sausage, pork or turkey (removed from casing)
2 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 ½ cup red wine (that you would drink)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 ½ Tbs. Italian Seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped oregano
2 Tbs. chopped basil

Directions:

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, combine and brown beef, veal, and turkey sausage. Drain fat, reserving about 2 Tbs. of drippings. Remove meat from pot and set aside.

Into the drippings, add garlic and cook on medium low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, red wine, and all the spices. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and meat to the pot. Cover and cook on lowest setting for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.

Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder or just plain cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• White Sanding sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until incorporated.
Roll the dough into 2 logs that are about 2-inches high and 1-foot long. Wrap them in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once thoroughly chilled, slice the cookies into 1/2-inch thick rounds and cover with sanding sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Christmas Cookies

Food Networks 12 days of Cookies!

12 days of Cookies

MINVILLE’S MESS O’ GREENS

MINVILLE’S MESS O’ GREENS


3 tbs apple cider vinegar

6 slices bacon

1 cup onion chopped

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 bag of greens (any kind already cleaned in produce section)

½ cup brown sugar

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 qts water



Sauté bacon and onions in vegetable oil until flavors meld, but do not crisp.

Boil 2 qts water with chicken bouillon; add greens and bacon, onion and oil

to pot. Add brown sugar and vinegar. Turn heat down to medium cover and

simmer til tender (approx. 45 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste.

Aunt Mare’s Luscious Bar-B-Q Lentils

Aunt Mare’s Luscious Bar-B-Q Lentils

Ingredients

1 tsp. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

4 slices Bacon

½ cup Chopped Onion

½ cup Brown Sugar

6 tsp. Assorted BBQ sauce

4 small cans Assorted Baked Beans or Pork and Beans

• Use any type of beans with brown sugar or onions.

• Marilyn always uses four different cans of beans.



Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

Heat EVOO in a skillet and add chopped bacon pieces and onion.

Sautee on medium high heat until flavors meld but do not crisp.

Drain liquid from beans and place in a baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, BBQ sauces, bacon and onions with the beans.

Cook uncovered in oven until bubbly.

Uncle JC’s Hot Wings

Uncle JC’s Hot Wings


Ingredients

1 bottle Derkee Hot Sauce

1 stick butter (melted)

5 lb chicken wings

1 tsp. Lowers seasoning salt

Ground cayenne pepper to taste

1 pinch Black pepper

1 pinch Mexican chili powder



Fry chicken wings at 350 degrees in vegetable oil until done. (About 7 minutes per pound)
Make sauce: mix melted butter with hot sauce and other ingredients.
Pour sauce over wings while they are still hot.
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

VIETNAMESE FAVORITE CURRY CHICKEN

VIETNAMESE FAVORITE CURRY CHICKEN


(Suitable to be served in cool seasons)

By: Michael Tran

Ingredients for 6 to 8 person serving:

1 (4 lb) fryer chicken 8 full soup spoons of liquid

3 lb sweet potatoes lard (or 6 spoons in condensed

1 lb carrots form)

2 medium-sized bulbs of yellow onion 4 qt water

5 soup spoons condensed milk 3 coffee spoons of salt

2-3 oz of curry powder (can be obtained 3 soup spoons of self-rising flour

in packs of 1.8 oz at Oriental Market) or

any type of curry fragrance)



How to cook: Clean the fryer in water and cut it as it is – without removing the bone, nor skin – into cubic inch sized pieces (livers, gizzards are removed from chicken, but not necessarily cut; only the chicken’s neck can be cut into 4 pieces). Use a big bowl or a plastic pie-saver to keep the cut pieces – only livers are kept separately. Spray the 3 ounces of curry powder on the cut chicken pieces, and mix them all over, using the hand or a stick for chicken meat to absorb curry. Also spray curry on the chicken livers and put the curry-absorbed livers together with meat in the bowl. Skin sweet potatoes, carrots and onion bulbs; then cut them into 1 ½ inch sized pieces. Pour 4 spoons of lard liquid (2 spoons of condensed lard) into the saucepan over medium flame, allowing the lard to heat up and melt before putting sweet potatoes, carrots and onion readily cut as mentioned above into the pan. Use a large spoon to stir up potatoes and carrots for them to absorb heat and lard evenly on the pan, until they get half-fried (do not fry them too much because the pieces of potatoes will break easily!) Put off the flames Use another big sauce pan over fairly high flames. Pour the remaining spoons of lard into the pan, allowing the lard to heat up and melt. Empty the bowl of chicken pieces into the hot saucepan, and stir up chicken for all pieces to fry evenly. When all pieces of chicken appear to be roughly fried, pour 5 full soup spoons of salt into the mixture; stirring it up again; then put off the flames. Mix 3 soup spoons of self-rising flour into 4 quarts of water. Be sure the flour is mixed completely. Pour 4 quarts of water mixed above into the mixture of half-fried chicken and potatoes, carrots, and onion. Using the big spoon to stir up the whole content a couple of times. Allow the curry chicken to be cooked for 20 minutes over high flames; then turn the flames to medium-low for ten more minutes before they are ready for serving.

NOTE: Curry chicken cooked this way is to be served in a dish. Each chicken cube is to be soaked lightly in a sauce separately prepared, which consists of salt mixed with ground black pepper and real lime juice (vinegar can be used instead, but making the sauce less tasty) just enough juice squeezed over to wet the salt before eating. Serve curry chicken along with hot French bread or hot steamed rice. Drinks that go along are beer, scotch or whiskey.

Divalicious Broccoli Casserole

One of my favorite foods at William Blount High School was it's Broccoli Casserole.  I've always wanted to try my hand at making my very own Broccoli Casserole, but I had no idea where to start.  I searched on the Internet for what looked like a good basic recipe, and then I looked in an old cookbook Jonathan's mom had given me.  After looking over about 6 recipes, I developed my own Divalicious recipe and gave it a try.  It turned out great! 

For dinner I served BBQ Sirloin Steaks, Broccoli Casserole, Twice Baked Potatoes, and Grilled Corn on the Cob.  Garlic Bread was on the menu, but I put it under the broiler to finish toasting it off and forgot about it.  The garlic butter on the bread must have been highly flammable because when I opened the oven the whole loaf was on fire. :)  Anyway, I hope you like this Divalicious Broccoli Casserole.

Divalicious Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients
2 pounds Frozen Broccoli Florets (thawed)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 3/4 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 small onion, minced
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Topping
1 sleeve crushed Saltine Crackers
about 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
**Next time I make this I am going to try 2 cups of bread crumbs instead of Saltine Crackers.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Mix soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, onion, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Add broccoli and gently combine.  Place broccoli mixture in a large rectangle casserole dish.  Combine melted butter and crackers or bread crumbs in a small mixing bowl.  Top casserole with buttered crackers.  Bake until hot and bubbly for about 30 minutes.

Domestic Diva's Low Country Boil

A few weeks ago, my older brother Garrick FINALLY graduated from college (only took him 10 years!).  His graduation was held at Tusculum College's main campus in Greeneville.  As many of you already know, Jonathan lives in Greeneville, Home of the 17th President Andrew Johnson.  I was really excited to have my whole family in Greeneville.  I saw Garrick's graduation as the perfect time to have the family over to Jonathan's house and throw a huge party for Garrick's graduation.

I LOVE to throw and plan parties so I was very excited to host an event for 20+ people. I needed a party menu that I could make relatively fast and a menu that would be fun.  I decided to do a Low Country Boil because its easy to feed a ton of people and its a ton of fun.  If you are ever entertaining a lot of people, I would definitely recommend making my Low Country Boil! 

By the way, I make the Low Country Boil in a Turkey Fryer outside.  Because my turkey fryer does not have a straining basket, I use a small fishing/sand crab net to "fish out" the boil.  I dump the food out on a table covered with newspaper and everyone stands around the table and eats. 

Domestic Diva's Low Country Boil

Ingredients
2 onions, halved
1 garlic head, halved
2-4 packs Zataran's Crab Boil Seasoning Bags
2 bottles Zataran's Liquid Crab boil
3 lemons, halved
1/2 cup Salt
1-2 Beers
3 pounds Red Potatoes, leave small potatoes whole and cut larger one's into two in. pieces
10 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cut in two's
2 pounds Andouille Sausage Links, cut in half
5 pounds Live Crawfish
2 pounds Snow Crab Legs
2 pounds Raw Shrimp in Shell

Directions
In a large Turkey Fryer filled about 3/4 full of water, add onions, garlic, crab boil packs, crab boil liquid, salt, beer, and lemons.  When water comes to a boil, add Red Potatoes. 5 minutes later, add Corn, Crawfish, and Sausage.  5 minutes later add Crab Legs.  Cook for 10 minutes and add Shrimp.  Immediately turn off heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes.   Strain or "fish out" contents of pot onto a table covered with newspaper.  I usually put the boil into a huge platter and place the platter on the table covered with newspaper.  Serve with melted butter, tarter sauce, and cocktail sauce. 

**You can omit any of the main meats in the Low Country Boil. Sometimes I just make Crab and Shrimp.  I will only use crawfish if they are in season.   

Fancy "Pantry" Breakfast

I did not get a chance to go to the grocery store when I got to Greeneville this weekend.  I always cook a big breakfast on Saturday so I had to make a breakfast with items that I already had.  Since I had made Shrimp & Grits on Wednesday I still had leftover grits and mushrooms.  I decided to made Cheese Grits topped with sauteed Mushrooms and Onions and finished with an over easy fried egg.  This Fancy "Pantry" Breakfast was delicious and looked like it would cost $15 on a Fancy Brunch Menu.   I hope you like it and get to try it!

Fancy "Pantry" Breakfast

Ingredients
1 package sliced button mushrooms
1 medium onion sliced
1 tbs minced garlic
3 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup quick cooking grits
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup shredded cheese
4 eggs
parsley

Directions

In a saute pan over medium head, add 1 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium low for about 12 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 3 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat.

In a small pot, bring chicken stock to a rolling boil then add grits.  Stir frequently for 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 2 tbs butter and cheese.

In a frying pan, add cooking spray and fry eggs to over easy (with yellow still liquid). 

In a large bowl, spoon out half the grits, top with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and finish by placing 2 fried eggs on the top.  Sprinkle with parsley.  I served a couple slices of bacon on the side to add some meat to the breakfast. 

Rotel Mexi-Bake

I am submitting this recipe in the "Rotel Across America" recipe contest.  I hope I get picked as one of the top ten! 

MEXI-BAKE

Ingredients

4-6 Flour Tortilla Shells

1 lb ground Beef or Turkey

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 can Red Kidney Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1/4 cup Velveeta Cheese

2 cups Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

1 jar Salsa (15.5 oz)

1 5.4 oz bag of Mexican Rice

Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream


Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Drain can of Rotel Tomatoes, saving the juice in a measuring cup.  This should yield about 1 cup of Rotel Juice.  Prepare Mexican Rice as directed on package, however instead of using 1 3/4 cup water, use 1 cup Rotel Juice and 3/4 cup water. 


Brown and drain ground beef in a saute pan. Return beef to pan over medium heat, add taco seasoning mix and 1/4 cup water. Mix thoroughly and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add 1/4 cup Velveeta cheese, Rotel tomatoes, and kidney beans. Reduce heat to low and cook until cheese is incorporated and melted.


In a large casserole dish, place a single layer of tortilla shells on the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the Salsa over the tortilla shells, half the ground beef mixture, half of the rice, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat layer of tortilla shells, using the rest of the ingredients.


Place in oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve Mexican Bake topped with Sour Cream.  Great with Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Guacamole, or Rotel Dip.

Serves 6-8.


**This dish is a great make ahead meal. I make the Mexican Bake in Oven Safe Tupperware and freeze it. The night before I want to serve the dish, I put it in the refrigerator to thaw.