Southern American

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (w/ Ham)

Posted Sun, 01/03/2021 - 21:08 by Audrey

This is a delightfully easy and delicious rendition of a creamy (vice baked casserole style) macaroni and cheese. I will admit that it is reminiscent of boxed mac n' cheese, but it is one of the few hot dishes our toddler will share with us. And although I have included ham here, it is entirely optional (and frankly just a great way to use up leftover Christmas ham). A tweaked version of this Southern Living recipe.

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Chicken Pot Pies

Posted Fri, 03/20/2020 - 20:32 by Jon

This recipe is built off of The Kitchn's review on The Pioneer Woman's recipe. We doubled the recipe and used most of two rotisserie chickens.

Pie crusts (we like bottom crusts as well as on top)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup EACH Finely Diced Onion, Carrot, Celery (mirepoix)
2 rotisserie chickens, Shredded
1/2 cup Flour
3+ cups Chicken Broth, Plus More If Needed
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Chopped Fresh Thyme To Taste
1 cup Cream

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Fried Chicken

Posted Sun, 12/23/2018 - 19:55 by Jon

2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 3–4-lb. chicken parts (just boneless breasts worked fine)
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 qt Peanut oil (for frying)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

Posted Fri, 11/25/2016 - 15:07 by Audrey

Courtesy of the internet and tweaked to address some errant sweet potato purchases. The tweaked version was a big hit!

Fills a ~9x13 oval dish.

Base
1 pound purple or white sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)

Filling
2.5 pounds orange sweet potatoes (about 4-5 medium)
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

Topping
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup melted butter

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Dill Cucumber Salad

Posted Sun, 05/29/2016 - 13:55 by Audrey

A cool, refreshing side dish. Inspired by these two recipes, but mostly a notional recipe.

1 large English cucumber, sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick
1/2 small red onion, also sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup mix of your favorite vinegars (I used mostly white vinegar + cider vinegar + red wine vinegar)

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Chile-Corn Custard Squares

Posted Sun, 05/29/2016 - 13:50 by Audrey

A nice side for a BBQ, courtesy of Bon Appetit.

3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese mixed with 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided
1/2 cup sour cream (plus additional for garnish, optional)
1/2 cup canned creamed corn
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chiles

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Posted Sun, 11/22/2015 - 10:07 by Jon

6 medium sweet potatoes (more or less, depending on size) Skin-off or on per choice
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
Marshmallows

Do-ahead option: pre-roast the sweet potatoes: Wrap them in foil and bake them whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees before slicing them - this provides a softer texture.

Alternatively, slice the raw potatoes thin and add them directly to the casserole; this method results in a firmer texture.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

Maurine's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Posted Fri, 12/20/2013 - 12:16 by Jon

Cake Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick butter
1/2 cup Crisco
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon**
1 tsp vanilla**

Frosting Ingredients
1 stick butter
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/3 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Making the Cake

Preheat oven to 350/375 (depending on your oven).
Grease and flour a 11 x 16 inch shallow pan or 9 1/2 x 14 x 2 1/2 inch pan.

Sift together sugar and flour.
Add salt.

Mix together buttermilk and soda.

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Double Layer Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake

Posted Fri, 11/15/2013 - 06:00 by Jon

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

Cribbed from a co-worker's recipe:

This has been adapted from a few recipes. I made a bourbon glaze, but you can also just put
the bourbon into the batter as described here.
!
Also, two points from Cooks Illustrated:
!
- For a smooth and creamy texture, we blotted the canned pumpkin puree with paper
towels to remove excess moisture before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. (see
step-by-step instructions below)
!
- Baking the cake in a water bath in a moderate oven also helped give our pumpkin

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Deviled Eggs

Posted Tue, 11/05/2013 - 20:00 by Audrey

For some reason, I always get compliments on my deviled eggs. They're really not that hard to make. I typically go to deviledeggs.com for advice on cooking, peeling, etc. the eggs, but their tricks don't always work that well. I usually find inspiration in one of their recipes, but frankly it's not that difficult. This here is what I call a "notional" recipe because you can and should adjust the proportions to your liking.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)