Annual November Harvest Feast

Hello and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Just wanted to share this year's feasty frenzy with you
(and a secret recipe from down South):

• Hickory smoked turkey
• Southern cornbread dressing
• Homemade cranberry chutney
• Chipolte-Sorghum sweet potatoes
• Naked Green Beans
• and Mom's homemade Pumpkin pie

In the American South, we do not eat bread stuffing. We eat cornbread stuffing! And here's my secret recipe just for you!


Southern Cornbread Dressing:

1 pan skillet cornbread (recipe below) cooled and crumbled

1 (8 ounce) can cream-style corn

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic (not dried)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup dried cranberries (or chopped apples if you prefer)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a saucepan, add butter, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until celery is al dente.
3. In a medium bowl combine crumbled cornbread, creamed corn, eggs, milk and dried cranberries; stir until moistened.
4. Mix in the saucepan ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Pour into prepared baking dish.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Basic Southern Cornbread:
2 cups white self rising cornmeal
2 eggs beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil


Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased cast iron skillet. Bake 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees F or until golden brown.


Enjoy!

Naked Green Beans

OK- so they're not completely naked.... but they're pretty darn close!

Ingredients:
Fresh green beans- broken and washed
-or-
Frozen green beans (as much as you wish to serve)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt or sea salt

Directions:
Steam the green beans until they are al dente
Toss with small amount of olive oil- just enough to coat the beans
Season to taste with salt

That's it!

There is something about the combination of olive oil and salt on green beans that makes them especially delicious. I NEVER have any left overs when I prepare them this way. And- my toddler can't get enough of them! (And we all know getting little ones to eat veggies is not always easy!) Enjoy!

Yummy Summer Tomato Pie

It's summertime and that means one thing! Lots of plump, juicy, red tomatoes in the garden! In celebration, here is one of my favorite summer tomato recipes- Tomato pie! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• One 9-inch ready made pie shell
• 1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped basil (about 8 leaves)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I use Mozzarella)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. (If you are starting with a frozen crust, you'll need to cook it a little longer.)

2 Lay the sliced tomatoes on a paper towel to remove as much moisture as you can from the tomatoes.

3 Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with chopped onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

4 In a medium bowl, mix together cheese, mayo, hot sauce. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

5 Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

A Summer Bridal Tea

Just a short little post today. Headed out to Bridal Tea this afternoon and have made a few tea cookies from my grandmother's recipe. All ready to be baked, cooled, and rolled in powdered sugar! Yum-Yum!