brb

potato casserole

my momma has this little book of recipes that she has had for YEARS. notice the stains on the page. it is one of those fundraiser projects that small churches do that has 30 pages of recipes from random women in the church. you'll sometimes find a recipe from your aunt to the weird lady on the other side of town to your ex boyfriends mom in there. but hey - that weird lady can make a mean apple pie. anyway, mom made this one:

mmm, butter.

you can make this as a side dish or even for breakfast. throw some bacon in that? good lawd!

snap green beans

there is not much to this recipe. actually, it isnt even really a recipe, more of just how to prepare it. at the grocery store, buy a bunch of fresh snap green beans. they're the long skinny ones with pointed ends. after washing them, pour your husband a beer and the bowl in front of him and tell him to snap off the points. 10 minutes later, you get this:

once that is done, bring out a large skillet and melt a pad of butter. (or olive oil, whatever) if you wish, sprinkle some chopped onions, garlic, pecans, green onion, or whatever you wish or hell, all of the above. once you start to smell whatever you slapped in the pan, place the beans in the pan. yes, all of them.

cook on medium heat for just about 5 minutes. if you wish, (which i totally wished) break off a few pieces of raw bacon or ham and throw that in the mix. add some sea salt and pepper. NOW we're getting southern. pour just enough chicken broth to make the beans float, turn down heat to a simmer and cook (covered) for 15-20 minutes or until they start to weaken. you dont want mushy green beans, you want them to be able to still snap when you bite but be soft in the middle.

and that's it! it is so flavorful and you still get most of the nutrients from a crunchy green bean instead of chompin' down on some soggy from a can green beans. oh and hey, nick even ate them. like, a total of five. score.

jalapeno corn bread, ya hear?

ooh man this crap is awesome. there is a sweet little lady that lives next door to my parents and she makes this corn bread. the first time i had it was when she made too much and brought the left overs over to my parents. i think they got some, i dont remember, my mouth was full. well, when i got married she gave me the recipe as part of a gift. she hand wrote it and even laminated it. pretty darn cute. oh, and she also wrote "jalapena" instead of "jalapeno". extra cute. this is her recipe, word for word.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups corn meal
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
2 tblsp jalapenas (from jar, chopped)
1 can creamed corn
3/4-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tlbsp jalapena juice, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

"I use an iron skillet and spray with Pam, then put oil in it to get hot in the oven. After oil gets hot, I pour it back in the mix."
(we did butter - we ran out of oil - same thing)

"Mix all ingredients and pour into skillet."

(i used a lot of jalapeno juice)

"Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Cool a few minutes before serving!"

deviled eggs

i cant seem to grasp my mind around why we always make these for easter. and even the whole thing revolving around eggs. i mean, dont get me wrong, i flippin' LOVE deviled eggs. acutally, i eat so much that i can just see nick cringing for the ride home and the thought of a gassy wife. and i know easter is meant to celebrate fertility and rabbits/birds produce mass amounts of litters a year. actually, i think a rabbit can become pregnant again while she is still pregnant with the first litter. which is sick. nature is awesome. sickeningly awesome. but something about decorating hard boiled fetuses doesnt really sit well with me. hmph, oh well. most things like this dont sit well with me.

anyway, this recipe comes from my annie. who is the bomb dot com at deviled eggs. (yes, i just said that). :)

deviled eggs

INGREDIENTS

6 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper, for taste
Paprika, for garnishing

DIRECTIONS:

after boiling the eggs for what might seem like forever, crack the shell and slide out the eggs. (ew) a little hint, run some cold water over top of them instead of trying to pour them out. trust me. and running water as you try to peel off the shell makes it easier.

after they are all out, slice them long ways (is that a word?) in the middle. remove the yolk and set in a medium bowl. if youre at your momma's house, she'll more than likely have her own easter themed deviled egg tray. i'm glad we kept it real and went with a rooster that doesnt lay eggs.

mix all ingredients (sans paprika) in a bowl until it has a gooey consistency. you dont want it soupy but then again you dont want it to dry. maybe the consistency of mashed potatoes.

a little secret my annie does - sprinkle a little bit if sugar into the mix. im not sure what it does, but when she told me it sounded like the secret to life - so do it.




spoon the mixture into the eggs and sprinkle some paprika on there and you're done! wham bam!

happy easter y'all!

this easter was quiet. we never really do much besides be with family at easter. we're not religious, we dont go to church, so we look at times like this to reflect on how important family and love is to each other. oh, and ham. my mother and i split the cooking (yes! i am finally now able to contribute to holiday meals!). i'll share a couple of recipes that have been in the family for years.
 

 that is the plate you have to look forward to.....lusting yet?

cane river kitchenware

while we were dancing away at the jazz festival in natchez, la this past weekend, we had the privileged to have a private 4 coarse meal behind this beautiful gormet kitchen and food store right off of front street called Cane River Kitchenware.

 

my sweet lee does cooking classes with private chefs every now and then and booked a private party. i didnt get the recipe of much of anything yet, but here are a few photos of our beautiful and intimate dinner.

 this was great. what they did, is they put a bottle of vodka in an empty carton of milk. they filled it with water, placed flower petals along side of the bottle and froze. once it was frozen, you peel away the milk carton and it keeps a beautiful ice sculpture around the vodka, keeping it cold for cocktails.

 that is spinach and artichoke dip inside of that pineapple.

 this is great. you dip the baby tomato with a toothpick into the vodka, and then cover the tomato with various spices. not quite sure what spices it was - i know one was a curry spice.

 great shrimp salad with homemade croutons and Louisiana romalade sauce. all you can buy inside the store.

 roasted pork loin, mushroom bread pudding (TO DIE FOR) and grilled veggies.

 pomegranate cheesecake! was it pomegranate? not sure if i remember, i had a lot of cocktails.

 all of us girls with the chefs! (the woman with the white tunic and the blonde beside her. who was the main chef that night and she is 23! what are you doing with YOUR life!?)