Kabler's Chatter: Western Kentucky dining JANE KABLER Staff Writer

Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:22 PM EDT

1 cup of buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon of seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2/3 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 cup of bacon grease

Crisco oil for frying

Mix all of the dry ingredients. Add your eggs, bacon grease and buttermilk. Turn on medium high, heat the Crisco to bubbly hot, using a teaspoon dip out batter and drop in hot oil. Brown on all side and when they float to the top they are cooked. Drain on paper towels.

BBQ Baked Beans

1 pound of Navy beans, soaked overnight

6 cups of water

6 ounces of chopped bacon

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup of barbecue sauce

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

3/4 cup of vinegar

2 tablespoons of molasses

2 tablespoons of mustard

1 cup of any left over smoked meat such as ham

Rinse beans, and cook for 2 hours in the six cups of water. Drain off any excess water. Saute the bacon in another pan over moderate heat. Add peppers and onions to the skillet and cook until tender. Add all ingredients to the drained beans and stir. Place in a casserole dish and bake for one hour at 300 degrees.

Fried Catfish

3 pieces of catfish fillets per person

1 cup of yellow corn meal

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Use a deep fryer or skillet and heat the oil until bubbly hot. Rinse the fillets and pat with a paper towel. Mix corn meal, flour, salt and pepper and dredge the fillets in this mixture. Drop one at time into the hot oil. Oil should be 325 degrees. Don't overload your skillet. Fry until golden brown and then drain on paper towels. Serve with collard greens, hush puppies, slaw and macaroni and cheese.

Creamed Country Ham

4 tablespoons of butter, divided

6-8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 cups of whole milk

1/2 cup of whipping cream

3 cups of slivered cooked ham, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley

Melt one tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium high heat, heat until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter in the same skillet and turn heat down to medium. Add flour, stir until smooth and bubbly, cook and stir constantly until thick and creamy. Add the whipping cream, ham, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot with rice, cornbread or over toast. My favorite is over toast!

Western Kentucky Potato Salad

6 large baking potatoes, cooked with skin on, in salted water

3/4 of a large onion, chopped

4 large hard boiled eggs, diced

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise

1/2 cup of sweet pickle, chopped

1/2 cup of finely sliced celery

1/2 cup of diced canned pimiento

Paprika

Cook potatoes in salt water with skins on. Drain, cool and peel. Cut into cubes. Add all other ingredients and toss gently. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve cold.

Country Style Collard Greens

4 pounds of greens, collards are great

1 pound of pork shoulder butt, or cottage butt, cut in chunks

1 large onion diced

1 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of sugar

cider vinegar

2 hard boiled eggs

Remove stems from greens and discard and rinse the greens well. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add the pork butt, salt, pepper, sugar and onion. Cook to a boil and lower the heat and simmer. Cook 2 hours until the greens are limp and meat is tender. Serve with cider vinegar on the side and top the dish with sliced hard boiled eggs.

Fried Green Tomatoes

4 green tomatoes, sliced in 1/4 inch slices

2 eggs

1 cup of cornmeal

1 cup of flour

Salt

Pepper

Oil for frying

Parmesan cheese

Slice the tomatoes. Beat the eggs with a fork. Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper. Heat the oil to 325 degrees or until bubbling. Dip each slice of tomato in the egg and then into the cornmeal mixture and place in hot skillet with the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, turn and brown. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle each slice of tomato with Parmesan cheese right before removing from the skillet.

Fried Okra

One pound of okra

Buttermilk

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of yellow corn meal

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for frying

Slice okra into one inch slices. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate the okra in buttermilk for 30 minutes and drain. Place oil in heavy skillet. Heat the oil. In a shallow dish, mix the four and cornmeal together. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the slices of okra in the flour mixture and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Lightly salt and pepper the cooked slices.

Red Beans, Rice and Polish Sausage

2 pounds of dried red beans

6 cups of water

2 large onions, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1/2 pound of salt pork

1 cup of dry red wine

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of celery seeds

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce

1 1/2 pounds of slice smoked beef polish sausage

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced

4-5 cups of cooked rice

Wash and rinse beans. Soak overnight in water. Combine beans and all ingredients except the sausage and rice in a big Dutch Oven pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover. Stir every fifteen minutes. Simmer 3 hours or until thickened and beans are tender. Discard the bay leaves. Add sausages and cook 30 more minutes. If the mixture seems too watery, mashed some of the beans on the inside of the pan and cook a little longer, uncovered. Let some of the water evaporate. Add the cooked rice to the pot and serve.

Western Kentucky Famous Slaw

1 head of red cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of celery seed

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup of cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of pepper

Mix cabbage with the onion and toss, set aside. Bring the other ingredients to a boil and cool slightly and pour over cabbage. Let marinate overnight. Serve cold.

Slaw from Land Between the Lakes

8 cups of cabbage shredded or chopped

1/3 cup of shredded carrots

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of butter milk

1 tablespoon of cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

2 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons of celery seeds

Mix cabbage, onion and carrots, set aside. Mix all other ingredients until smooth. Pour over cabbage, onion and carrot mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

Chocolate Gravy and Biscuit

2 cups of milk

5 tablespoons of butter melted

4 tablespoons of cocoa

1/2 cup of sugar

4 tablespoons of flour

One teaspoon of vanilla

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Melt the butter, let it cool for a minute or two, mix the cocoa, sugar and flour and add to the melted butter. Stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in milk slowly and vanilla. Cook and stir constantly until it thickens. Serve over hot biscuits.

Western Kentucky Barbecue Sauce

1 cup of white vinegar

1 cup of red cider vinegar

1/4 cup of prepared mustard

1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of onion powder or flakes

3 tablespoons of Tabasco Sauce

1 teaspoon of seasoned salt

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of hot red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of paprika

Mix all together and store in the refrigerator. Shake occasionally. Use this for basting your meats and save some for dipping after the meat is cooked. Great with chicken as it cooks on a charcoal grill, it is not as good on a gas grill.

Western Kentucky Barbecue Sauce (tomato-based)

2 cups of water

11/2 cups of ketchup

3/4 cup of Worcestershire Sauce

2 teaspoons of paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons of dried mustard

5 teaspoons of onion powder or onion flakes

2 tablespoons of salt

3 tablespoons of cooking oil

3 teaspoons of light brown sugar

Mix all ingredients and boil for five minutes. Stir often. Use to baste meats or for dipping pieces of cooked meat.

Coconut Cake

One package of extra moist yellow or white cake mix

10 oz. of flake coconut

1 pint of sour cream

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 large container of Cool Whip

Mix cake according to directions and bake in two greased and floured 8 inch pans. Mix sour cream, sugar and Cool Whip. Place mixture on each layer and sprinkle with coconut. Ice the outside of the cake with Cool Whip mixture and cover with coconut. Place in the refrigerator for three days before serving. Make a single layer cake or double. Fix one and freeze one. Decorate with fresh fruit.

Chocolate Pecan Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

2 eggs, beaten

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup of pecan, chopped

8 oz. of chocolate tidbits

8 oz. of cream cheese, room temperature

3 egg beaten

1 lb of confectionary sugar

3/4 cup of chopped pecans

Mix cake mix with the two beaten eggs and butter. Place in a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle with one cup of chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Mix cream cheese, 3 beaten eggs, and one pound of confectionary sugar. Pour over batter. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. It should be firm when totally cooked.