5 Recipe Series Available Worldwide for the Holidays!

The first two books in the 5 Recipes series are ready to help you through the holidays. Find everything you need to keep your guests and family well fed and happy! Available for Kindle, Worldwide at Amazon.com.

Five Recipes Every Southern Cook Should Master: Armed with the basic five recipes and their variations you will impress your family, even the mother-in-law, prepare foods that are easy on the budget yet tasty, be prepared for any Southern event.

5 Slow Cooker Recipes Every Southern Cook Should Master: With these slow cooker recipes you will impress your guests and have the time to spend with them. All the recipes are quick to prepare and require little to no supervision. Build your Southern Kitchen Repertoire with these great eats!

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Release Day…Five Recipes Every Southern Cook Should Master

Five Recipes Every Southern Cook Should Master…Armed with only these five recipes you will impress your family, even the mother-in-law, prepare foods that are easy on the budget yet tasty, be prepared for any Southern event.

The very first Tea and Cornbread book is available on Amazon for Kindle download. I hope this book helps new and established cooks to get in and out of the kitchen in record time, all the while dazzling your family and friends with amazing dishes.

I use each of these 5 recipes with my family and they are husband and teen approved. Enjoy!

It Is Time To Get Our Punch On With: T&C’s Sweet Nectar

T&C’s Sweet Nectar

• 12 oz can of Dole frozen pineapple juice
• 12 oz can Minute Maid frozen limeade
• 2 liters of Sprite (freeze four ice cube trays of soda)
• 3 cups of Santa Cruz Apricot Nectar
• 1 quart of sliced strawberries (or frozen if doing slushies)
• 1 sliced lime for garnishes and added tartness

Mix all of your ingredients expect the frozen soda cubes. Chill the concoction until ready to serve. I like to make this in the morning and bring it out after 4 hours. When ready to serve add frozen soda cubes or if you want to make slushies, freeze all the soda into cubes and blend with chilled punch and bagged frozen strawberries.

Get this little beauty at Amazon.com

Comeback sauce…Southern Classic Sauce Series

This is the basic Wikipedia definition of Comeback sauce: a distinctive dipping sauce and salad dressing often seen in the cuisine of central Mississippi. Similar to Louisiana remoulade, the base of the sauce consists of mayonnaise and chili sauce.

Well, lands Almighty, that’s not quite right.

Now comeback is one of the quintessential Deep South sauces. Much like the definition above it does have similarities to remoulade but it also harkens to a familiarity with Thousand Island dressing. But in my humble opinion the best comeback sauce has one requirement that the other two sauces do not:  Worcestershire. Without this touch of the old country, comeback sauce loses some of its traditional flavor and uniqueness.

There are recipes all over the Internet for comeback sauce.  Many agree with Wikipedia and have a chili sauce component that makes it redish, but what you need for true comeback sauce is a good quality mayo and ketchup. That’s the base of the sauce.  Then you add in minute quantities of Worcestershire, garlic, onion, and cracked pepper. Oh, the cracked pepper is so important to get the proper texture and flavor that is the unique central Oxford, Mississippi style comeback sauce.

Now the good thing about comeback sauce is you can make it in a myriad of ways and styles. There’s the epicurean way where you make your own homemade mayonnaise in the French Method along with heirloom tomato ketchup bottled by monks in Spain. Then there’s the Martha Stewart/ Junior League variety where where quality ingredients like Duke’s Mayo and hand crushed peppercorns are involved. Then there’s my way where you can pick your stuff up at the local Kroger. Or perhaps you’re in a  bit of a pickle, like Grandma Agnes is coming for a visit and Bubba-Jo ate the last of the comeback sauce with his tater tots and you need to make a dash to the Dollar General. Either way you choose your comeback sauce will turn out perfectly if you follow these basic directions and proportions.

• Equal parts mayo and ketchup
• Equal parts Worcestershire and black pepper
• Equal parts garlic and onion powder
  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the spices are  is thoroughly incorporated and the sauce is all one color.

I’d do it like this: 1/2 cup mayo and ketchup, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire and black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and onion powders

Now I always like to tinker with recipes but like my great aunt Ida always said, simple made well is a classic in the making. But sometimes you just have to take the pig to the county fair.

Lisa’s Roasted Garlic and Green Onion Comeback Sauce

1/2 cup mayo and ketchup
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire and freshly cracked tricolor peppercorns
1/8 cup of mashed roasted garlic and finely chopped green onion
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly incorporated and the sauce is all one color.

Now when that flavor combo hits your mouth you’ll swear you have been transported to a picnic underneath the Oaks at Faulkner’s place!

Smacktacular Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup of butter, softened or your favorite butter spread (for a Vegan option use coconut oil)
• 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 cup of cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs (vegan egg substitute)
• 3 cups of self-rising flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the butter and sugars together until a past is formed. Add vanilla and eggs and incorporate completely. Dump in the flour and mix carefully until a dough is formed and all the flour in the bottom of the bowl is mixed in.

Line your cookie sheets with foil and spray with nonstick. Using a tablespoon, measure out 9 cookies per pan, evenly spaced. Cook for 10-12 min or until just golden on the edges. Cool before eating.

Double Moist Cornbread

Let me tell you about a new ingredient that I am going to add my pantry staples list…Chia Seeds. Now, no I have not lost my mind and gone on some Hippie bender. Chia seeds are an old, ancient, ingredient that has seen a revival in culinary use in the last few years. I will admit right here that I did not buy the bag that I have in my house. One of my Hubs’ friends gave him a bag and the Hubs has been using it in his smoothies. But the bag kept calling to me. 😉 Finally I succumbed to the Chia’s siren song and I used it in a bowl of oatmeal…and it was good! It added a bit of nutty flavor and just a hint of crunch. My experiment got me thinking what other uses I could come up with for the tiny miracle seeds. Miracle seeds? Yes! They aren’t really on the miracle scale of the Parting of the Red Sea or say Water into Wine…but they are a nutritional powerhouse of Omega-3 fatty acids (more than flax), calcium and numerous other minerals, protein, and one serving has nearly half the fiber a person needs for one day. Ok but why add them to cornbread? When Chia seeds are added to liquid a gelatinous coating develops around each seed. This not only adds size and loft to the seeds but it makes seeds a great way to add more moisture to the overall recipe. The seeds are even the base of a drink south of the border called Chia Fresca which is considered an energy drink. As any Southern cook can attest, only so much moisture can be added to cornbread before the cohesion of the cooked product is destroyed. The addition of the chia seeds to the milk a few minutes before mixing adds moisture and the chia gel binds with the cornmeal. This small addition of chia gives you what I will be calling: Double Moist Cornbread.

Double Moist Cornbread—Lisa M. Collins

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. oil
2 cups Aunt Jemima Self-Rising White Cornmeal Mix
¼- ½ cup of chia seeds (less if you are new to using them)
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425. In a 9-10 inch cast iron skillet add 2 tbsp. 
of oil and heat in the oven for 5 mins. In a large bowl add cornmeal mix, 
chia seeds, 1 tbsp. oil, milk, and eggs. Beat until just incorporated. 
Pull the hot skillet out of the oven CAREFULLY. Slowly pour the batter 
into the hot oil, then place back in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins 
or until as golden as you like.
*recipe is copyright Lisa M. Collins 

Oven Roasted Green Beans…Super easy!

For this recipe you will need the most basic of all veggies. Two cans of regular cut green beans drained, salt and oil. The true genius of this recipe is the Ranch Seasoning I mixed up earlier.

Ranch Seasoning: In a clean jar or spice shaker, add 2 tablespoons 
of Onion powder, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of 
ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of dried dill, 
2 tablespoons of dried parsley. I usually crunch up the dried 
herbs so that they are more incorporated. 

Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil all of the green beans (2-3 tablespoons) and place them in one layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle liberally with the ranch seasoning I added a bit of salt to mine, but my green beans are the no salt added variety  If you use regular canned beans you will want to taste one of the beans to check for the salt level. You can also add extra pepper if you prefer at this time. Roast the beans for 20-30 minutes. I like some of the beans just starting to brown. I find the browner they are the more like deep fried okra they taste…Yummy!

These beans are my new favorite thing. I make a pan of them and roast until nearly crunch and pop the in a bowl…Roasted Green Beans is the new popcorn!

Cabbage and Onions…Old World Side Dish for Your Updated Table

I got my recipe for cabbage and onions from my friend and Nutritionist Carol King Kennard. (Check out her site when you get a chance.) 

This simple recipe is quick and I serve it along side baked tilapia or roast chicken, but really, you can serve it anytime you want a green side.

Cabbage and Onions

• One head of green cabbage, chop 1/3 of the head into bite size pieces
• One small yellow sweet onion, chop into small dice
• 1 Tablespoon of oil…I use canola
• Salt and Pepper for taste

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat and add the oil and onion. Saute until the onion becomes translucent. To this add the chopped cabbage and toss to coat with the oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to low and stir occasionally until the cabbage begins to turn golden at the edges. You do not want the cabbage to brown or it will become bitter.  Take the skillet off the heat and taste for seasoning.

I love this dish cold as well. I have made extra and added it to a canned soup the next day work. It also reheats easily in the microwave.

I hope that you enjoy this very versatile and easy side.

Wordless Wednesday