Cooking, Southern style

By JANE CLINE KABLER

Sunday, July 20, 2008 6:26 PM EDT

1 tablespoon of margarine

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 cup of regular grits

2 cups of shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a one-quart casserole dish. Bring water to boil, add butter, pepper, mustard, salt, garlic powder and Worcestershire Sauce, bring to a boil over medium heat. Slowly stir in grits. Lower the heat, cook uncovered and stir for 15 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat the egg and egg whites for three minutes or until light yellow and slightly thickened. Whisk this mixture into the grits, then let it cool slightly. Spoon into the greased casserole dish and spoon the rest of the cheese over the top. Bake with foil loosely covered 30 minutes and remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with fried country ham and red-eye gravy

South Carolina Cheese Filled Pancakes

Batter: 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup of milk

1 tablespoon of margarine, melted

1/2 teaspoon of sugar or Splenda

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Filling: 16 oz. of cream cheese

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Assorted fresh berries

Maple syrup, warmed

In a large bowl beat with an electric mixer the flour, egg, egg whites, milk, melted butter and sugar for one minute or until smooth. Brush the inside of a 6 inch non stick skillet with oil and heat over moderate heat. Spoon two tablespoons of batter in the skillet and tilt the pan so that the batter spreads out. Cook on one side for one minute or only until the top is dry and blistered, then transfer to a flat surface while preparing the others. This will make 12 pancakes. Remember these will be thinner than your normal pancake. Almost like a crepe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use an ungreased baking sheet. Prepare the filling by mixing the cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, egg and vanilla. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each pancake, fold in two sides about one inch, then the other two sides, overlapping them slightly, to resemble an envelope. Place seam side down on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Re-set the oven to broil and broil the pancakes until lightly browned. Serve with assorted berries and a little drizzle of warm maple syrup. Makes 6 servings of two per person.

Kentucky Corn Bread

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

4 teaspoons of baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of yellow corn meal

1/2 cup of white corn meal

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of melted Crisco

Grease well a 9 inch pan. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and corn meal together. Add eggs, milk and softened shortening. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Rub top with melted butter when you remove it from the oven.

Tennessee Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of softened Crisco

3/4 cup of buttermilk

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and soda, and gradually with your hands, mix in the soft Crisco. Gradually add the buttermilk and stir until it forms a soft dough. Work it quickly with your hands and place on a floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.

Flour your biscuit cutter and cut out the biscuits. Mix the scraps and roll them out again to make more biscuits. Place one inch apart in a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 -15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted margarine. Serve warm.

Alabama's Chicken and Dumplings

Mixture for dumplings: 1 large egg

2 tablespoons of firm Crisco

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of milk or half-n-half

4 cups of all purpose flour

Cook one large baking hen or 8 pieces of chicken with skin on, in about 8 cups of water, add 2 teaspoons of salt, two ribs of celery and one onion sliced. When tender, remove from heat. Save the broth. Strain out celery and onions. Remove the skin from the chicken and pull off the meat. Set meat aside. Discard the bones and skin. You can do this the day ahead. Note: We like our dumplings firm and fairly flat and not puffy. When cooking the dumplings they will puff up some, then flatten down and get firm. When they are finished cooking, add the pieces of chicken back into the pot. If you like puffy dumplings add 1 t. of baking powder to this recipe.

Mix the egg, salt and flour. Gradually add soft Crisco by cutting it in with a pastry cutter or your hands and then add the milk. Mix well with your hands.Keep sprinkling it with flour. If it doesn't want to hold together, use a little more milk, or if it is too sticky to handle use a little more flour and work it in. Heavily flour your bread board or counter. Place dough on the floured surface and work it into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Take one half and roll out fairly thin on the floured surface. Cut into strips about two inches wide and three inches long. Drop them into the boiling broth. Put more flour on your board and roll out the other half and do the same. Cook with lid off for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally, scrape the bottom and then cook with lid on for about 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally. Tip: Keep the dumplings well floured and as they cook the broth will thicken almost like a semi thick gravy.

Mississippi Three Bean Marinated Salad

16 oz. green beans

8 oz. wax beans

8 oz. drained and rinsed kidney beans before heating

8 tablespoons of cider vinegar

6 tablespoons of sugar or Splenda

1 tablespoon of very light olive oil

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of canned pimento pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup of finely diced celery

1/4 cup of finely diced sweet onion

Warm all three kinds of beans for about 10 minutes, then drain. Warm the vinegar and sugar and then add all other ingredients. Mix warmed beans with mixture. Toss well and refrigerate for 12 hours or more, toss occasionally and drain, and serve cold.

Tennessee Lima Beans and Ham

4 heaping cups of fresh shelled lima beans

1 cup of diced cottage butt ham

1 medium onion diced

6 cups of water

1 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 clove of garlic, mashed

2 tablespoons of margarine

1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce

Place fresh lima beans, ham, water, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, garlic and Tabasco Sauce in a big pan and cook until beans are tender. Let most of the liquid evaporate. Drain and add 2 tablespoons of margarine, toss beans with the pieces of ham and serve hot.

Georgia Potatoes Au Gratin with Gruyere Cheese

1 clove of garlic, peeled and halved

7 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced

3 heaping tablespoons of flour

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of thinly sliced sweet onion

4 strips of bacon, crispy and crumbled

2 cups of Gruyere Cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons of margarine, cut into pats

1 1/2 cups of milk, more if needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a casserole dish and rub the sides and bottom with the cut clove of garlic. Discard the garlic. Thinly slice the raw potatoes and place in cold water as you are peeling and slicing them. Mix flour, salt, pepper. Drain the potatoes and arrange 1/2 of them in the casserole and sprinkle them with the flour mixture, then arrange the onions on top of the first layer of potatoes and sprinkle with all of the crispy bacon and one cup of Gruyere cheese. Add the rest of the potatoes by fixing them in rows barely overlapping the edges and one more cup of the cheese. Pour milk over the casserole and put pats of margarine all over the top. Bake covered for one hour and remove covering and cook 15 minutes more or until tender. Tip: Use a deep dish so that this will not boil over in the oven. Also you can add more milk if needed to cover the potatoes. It will evaporate and cook down.

Kentucky Lean Beef Skewered

1 cup of dry red wine

1/2 cup of light olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

3 bay leaves

1/2 tablespoon of chopped dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 lbs. of lean sirloin beef cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Large cherry tomatoes, 3 per skewer

2 large yellow onions, cut into wedges

Button mushrooms, 3 per skewer

thick chunks of zucchini squash not peeled, 3 per skewer

Whisk the wine, oil, garlic and vinegar together. Add spices, salt and pepper. Add cubes of meat and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Let meat get to room temperature before cooking on the grill. Use eight 12 inch skewers and arrange the meat cubes and vegetables on the skewers. Brush with marinate and sprinkle good with salt. Grill over medium hot coals until meat is cooked and vegetables are tender. Serve over a bed of wild rice.

Kentucky's Fresh Asparagus Casserole

20 young tender spears of asparagus, save the liquid

1 1/2 cups of crushed Ritz crackers

1/2 stick of butter

2 cups of sharp shredded Cheddar cheese

1 small jar of diced pimentos, drained

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup of milk

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1 teaspoon of salt and one of pepper

Cook the asparagus in three cups of water until tender. Drain. Cut spears into thirds. place in a shallow buttered casserole dish, layer over the asparagus the cracker crumbs, 1/2 of the shredded cheese, the hard boiled egg slices, pats of butter and piementos. Beat one egg with milk, salt and pepper, add one cup of the asparagus liquid. Pour over the casserole and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350. for 1 hour and 15 minutes covered. Uncover for another 15 minutes.

Kentucky's Dream Salad

1 large can of pineapple chunks, drained

2 cups of canned mandarin oranges, drained

11/2 cups of seedless red grape halves

3 large bananas sliced, tossed with fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip

2 1/2 cups of whipped cream

Mix sugar and Miracle Whip and stir until sugar dissolves, add whipped cream. Fold in all fruit and marshmallows. Refrigerate over night. Toss once before serving. 1/2 cup of pecan pieces may be added right before serving.