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Holiday foods -- Southern style
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By JANE CLINE KABLER
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I can't begin to tell you how excited I was in January 2007 to be able to purchase tickets to attend the Paula Deen Cooking School in Savannah. I guarded those tickets like they were gold and they were almost gold!
I have for a long time been a real fan of Paula's from first seeing her demonstrate her cooking skills on the TV Food Network, to reading about her life. You cannot help but admire a woman with such work ethics, family love, love of cooking and the determination to pull out of almost poverty to become very successful. She has a great sense of humor and shares it with all that are around her in her daily life. When my husband and I went to Savannah, we spent all day with 38 others in class with Paula, her husband and her brother, Bubba. The class was held at Bubba's Restaurant which was easy to find and was actually in the country, in the backwater area and was shaded with moss laden trees. We were first served mimosas (orange juice with champagne), then later lunch was served at Bubba's Restaurant of which she is a co-owner. The decor of the restaurant matched the waterfront and featured mostly seafoods. Lunch was a buffet with many choices and delicious. We had also dined at the same restaurant the evening before and the menu was mostly seafood. Bubba's speciality is char-broiled oysters on the half shell, cooked over an open pit, seasoned with Parmesan, garlic and a little hot sauce. Of course that was my choice. While there, Bubba came out in the dining area, talked with us and went back to the kitchen and whipped up a batch of clam chowder for my spoiled husband. He then had the waiter take my camera and he posed with me and then with my husband for a keepsake. On Sunday, we enjoyed lunch at the famous Ladies and Sons Restaurant in downtown Savannah. This of course was true southern cooking. Waiters constantly moved around the dining room bringing hot corn muffins and yeast rolls. The desserts in this restaurant were very similar to desserts served in our area.
At the cooking school Paula, her husband and brother demonstrated three different recipes and then we had a tasting party. It was very informal and they interacted with us all day. She should have been a comedian. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Her life story is so interesting and you can usually read a summary of her life in the front of her cookbooks. We were each given a keepsake gift, engraved recipes of the day and they all autographed any cookbooks, magazines, aprons or tote bags that people brought with them. I was a little embarrassed with my shopping bag full of memorabilia but when looking around I saw that I was not the only one with a collection. I have collected her cookbooks and magazines from day one and proudly own one of her autographed aprons and an autographed tote bag. I have all of the cookbooks published by her and her sons, and all of the magazines published. I am now a collector!
I noticed that Paula was just standing by herself during the break, so I finally got up my nerve and went up in the front of the classroom and talked with her. Believe it or not, I was nervous and blushed. I gave her my last and only copy of my cookbook that I sold 10 years ago, a tin of my Kentucky Cream Candy and another tin of my Kentucky Bourbon Balls. While we talked, she kept popping the candies in her mouth and loved them. She did tell me a funny story about when she tried to make cream candy and it went to sugar. She asked me how I made it and when I said it had to be cold weather, not raining or humid, and you couldn't have hot hands, she commented that she had tried to make it in July, in Savannah. Enough said! She sent me a lovely hand written thank you note for each gift, and commented that she loved reading recipe books at bedtime, just like reading a novel.
Due to copyright laws, today's recipes are very similar to hers, but they are my own collection from various places in the South and also from my mother.
Tickets for Paula's cooking classes go on-line, Jan. 1, each year and within a week they are sold out. There is a waiting list just in case there are any cancellations. You order on-line and your ticket comes printed in an e-mail to your e-mail address.
Enjoy todays recipes, they are some of my very favorites. Mixed in are a few new recipes for the holidays with your old favorites!
Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
1 8 oz. can of drained whole water chestnuts
12 oz. of pineapple chunks, cut into one inch pieces
15 bacon slices, cut in half
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place one water chestnut and one pineapple chunk on top of each other and wrap with one half of a slice of bacon. Roll in brown sugar. Place seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet or Teflon sheet on a baking tray. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Baste both sides with teriyaki sauce and bake 20 more minutes. Serve hot. Tip: Variation is to dip in barbecue sauce instead of teriyaki sauce.
Holiday Cranberry Salad
2 3 oz. packages of sugar free Cherry Jell-O or Black Cherry
2 cups of boiling water
2 cups of drained crushed pineapple
2 cups of drained mandarin oranges, not chopped
2 cup of chopped fresh raw cranberries, chopped
1 cup of peeled, chopped firm apples, chopped
1 cup of finely chopped celery
1 cup of chopped pecans
Dissolve the Jell-O in the hot water. Stir and let cool. I use a food processor for the cranberries and hand chop the rest of the ingredients. You can use the old fashioned grinder that you fasten on your counter edge. That also works. Mix all together with the cooled Jell-O and place in a deep 9 x 13 inch glass dish. Keep in the refrigerator. Serve on a lettuce leaf with a dollop of mayonnaise or whipped cream. Keeps great.
Heavenly Salad
4 cups of canned pineapple chunks, save juice
Juice of three lemons
Juice of three oranges
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 tablespoons of flour
3 large eggs, beaten
16 oz. of white miniature marshmallows
1 cup of chopped pecans
2 cups of whipped cream
Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Combine the sugar, flour and eggs and gradually stir in pineapple, orange and lemon juice. Mix well. Heat and stir until slightly thickened. Pour into a bowl and cool, when cool add miniature marshmallows and chunks of pineapple, toss and then add nuts and whipped cream.
Orange Glazed Beets
3/4 cup of orange marmalade
6 tablespoons of orange juice
1/3 cup of butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3 No. 14 1/2 oz. cans of sliced beets, drained
Heat the first five ingredients, boil for 3 minutes. Add beets and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Nuts
5 medium sweet potatoes ( about 10 oz. each)
1/2 cup of whole cranberry sauce with 1 tablespoon of orange zest
1/2 cup of dried cranberries, chopped
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 cup of chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Scrub the potatoes and pierce all over with a fork. place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until tender.
Cut in half, longways, and scoop out pulp leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Use a potato masher and mash pulp, add cranberry sauce and zest, chopped dried cranberries, margarine, sugar, and salt. Spoon the filling into the shells and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake in oven 25 minutes and serve hot.
Couscous with Vegetables
1 3/4 cups of Couscous
4 cups of canned chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon of ground sage
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
3/4 cup of diced zucchini, peeling on
1 finely diced yellow bell pepper
1 cup of thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup of shredded carrots
3/4 cup of thinly sliced red onions
Combine couscous and four cups of bouillon, pepper, salt, garlic powder and sage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until there is no moisture. Turn off heat. In a skillet add 2 tablespoons of margarine and add celery, bell pepper, carrots, zucchini and red onions. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Stir often. Add vegetables to the cooked couscous and toss. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of margarine, toss. Serve hot or cold. Very tasty.
Old Fashioned Kentucky Dressing
8 cups of canned chicken or turkey broth
2 teaspoons of pepper ( less if preferred)
2 teaspoons of salt
Bring to a boil.
Add:
2 cups of chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 cups of chopped celery
1 tablespoon of ground sage
1/2 stick of margarine ( only if using canned broth)
Simmer until all vegetables are tender.
Toast three loaves of sandwich bread with crust on cookie sheets in the oven until medium brown in color. Cool and break into 2-3 inch pieces. Place in a deep roaster pan and pour all of the broth and cooked vegetables over the pieces of bread. Mix well with a large spoon. Seal and let this steep. If too firm add more broth, if too damp, add a little more toasted bread. (If I have any stale cornbread, I add 2 cups and any old biscuit, add 2 cups).
Cool and refrigerate and the next day place into two big casserole dishes and bake at 375 degrees until browned. (The old fashioned way is to make these into individual balls and bake). You can also place them in greased Teflon muffin pans. Makes 24 servings. Great as a left over!
Yeast Rolls
1 1/4 oz. envelope of active dry yeast
1/4 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups of milk
4 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of melted butter
Stir together yeast, warm water and one teaspoon of sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
Beat 2 tablespoons of softened butter and salt at a medium speed until creamy. Add egg, milk and yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until smooth. Turn dough out on a well floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (2 - 3 minutes). Place in a well greased bowl, and turn over to grease the top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) free from a draft. Let rise 30 minutes or until double in size.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Punch down the dough. turn dough out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 24 pieces, shape into balls. Place in 2 greased 9 inch square pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve or let cool and freeze in foil for later use.
Apricot Baked Ham
5-7 lb. fully cooked ham with bone
20 whole cloves
3/4 cup of apricot preserves
3 tablespoons of ground mustard
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
Score the surface of the ham with diamond shaped cuts. Insert cloves into the center of each diamond. Combine preserves and mustard and baste the ham. Pat the brown sugar all over the top of the preserve mixture.
Place ham in a roasting pan and bake at 325 for 20 minutes per pound. Slice and serve.
Asparagus with Lemon and Sesame Butter
2 pounds of fresh asparagus, bottom tips trimmed
2 cups of boiling water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of butter
3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
In a large skillet, place asparagus spears, boiling water and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove asparagus and keep warm. Drain off the cooking liquid. Stir in butter and cook until melted, add lemon juice. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
To roast sesame seeds, place in a Teflon skillet. Shake the pan and toss over heat for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from heat. Watch carefully.
Raspberry Cloud Dessert
Raspberry sherbet, 2 pints
Vanilla ice cream, 2 pints
1/2 pint of fresh raspberries, use three per serving
1/2 cup of seedless raspberry jelly or preserves, warmed and melted down to thin
4 sprigs of mint
2 cups whipped cream, divided into fourths
Slightly soften sherbet and ice cream. Mix together just enough to swirl. Refreeze to a solid, then scoop into nice size large balls. Place 1/2 cup of whipped cream in a sherbet dish, one large ball of sherbet, a drizzle of raspberry preserves, three fresh raspberries on the side and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately. Variation, use orange sherbet and mandarin oranges on the side. You can prepare the ice cream days ahead and keep frozen in a sealed container. It takes 5 minutes to assemble. Recipe serves four. |
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Reader Comments
Comments are limited to 200 words or less.
Debbie P. wrote on Nov 24, 2008 9:39 AM: " Oh, how I loved reading your story; how thrilling to spend all day with Paula Deen! She sure is an inspiration. "
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