Southern Fried Cabbage Recipe
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This recipe is really not fried, but rather sautéed. Being from the South everything is “fried” – it’s a Southern thing, you know!
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Homemade Salsa Dry Seasoning Mix
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Are you looking for a quick but flavorful salsa? This dry ingredient recipe is what you are wanting. It is quick and easy and you’ll be able to eat salsa as soon as you are fixed mixing everything together. The longer it sits, the better the flavor comes through.
Read MoreHealthy for You: Asparagus and a Recipe
/Asparagus is one of those vegetables you either like or you don’t. We never ate it while growing up so I honestly didn’t know if it was something I would like. My dad loves it and shared a bite with me at a restaurant about 10 years ago. It was in a salad and I couldn’t get over the woody taste. That taste caused me to wait seven years before I would try it again.
Because of my sister talking about them, I tried cooking Asparagus and Brussels sprouts. She told me to make sure the Asparagus stem snaps in the natural area it wants to bend. This would keep from getting the part of the stem that has the woody taste. Although the Brussels sprouts won my heart, my husband continued asking for Asparagus. Oddly enough, I researched Asparagus and found it to be on the high purine list of vegetables. This worried me because of my husband’s gout, when you watch someone suffer from the pain and effects of gout, you want to avoid any purines if possible.
Healthy for You - Asparagus
Back in February, I cooked Asparagus because it had been asked for and I cringed while cooking because I knew what was going happen. I was ready for the “I told you so” part that would come in the next day, but it never came. For several days afterwards, my husband talked about how good his ankles felt even after long days of driving. So, I bought another pound of Asparagus and we tried it again the next week. The only thing I did differently, I divided the Asparagus up for several days because the feel good feeling didn’t last longer than several days.
I researched Asparagus again, this time for all the health benefits it has to offer. Let me tell you, these little vegetables are packed full of healing benefits.
One cup of Asparagus contains vitamins A, C, E, K, and several B vitamins along with folate, copper, iron, calcium, protein, and fiber. There are also anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and the cancer fighting compound, glutathione.
No wonder my husband was feeling so well after eating this little miracle vegetable. Those anti-inflammatory properties are a huge benefit for joint pain.
A whole cup of Asparagus only has 20 calories. That calorie count should be a little encouragement for those dieting.
While Asparagus has a higher count of purines than many other vegetables, plant purines are less concentrated than animal purines. This means the rise in uric acid levels will not be as high a risk like animal purines. For my husband, I tend to worry a little so I make sure he is not eating anything that could trigger his gout when eating Asparagus. As long as he is not seeing any bad side effects, I’ll continue cooking this little vegetable for him.
I was a little surprised to find this little vegetable to be a wonder pill for my husband. But thankfully, it’s a food we don’t have to sacrifice eating. Because of the health benefits in Asparagus, I think I could learn to love them.
There are many yummy recipes for asparagus. But since I cook only a handful at a time most nights, I sauté them. If you are cooking a full pound of asparagus, you can double the seasonings for your taste.
Simple Sautéed Asparagus
Ingredients:
Asparagus
Oil - enough to coat the stems
Pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning
Directions:
In a small container mix the dry ingredients with oil. Toss the asparagus with the oil mixture and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
Disclaimer: I am NOT a healthcare provider. I am simply a wife who is sharing what she has learned from research and a trial and error routine of finding healthy foods for my husband to enjoy.
Grits and Greens a Recipe for New Year's Day
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New Year’s Day brings traditional good luck foods to the forefront in many homes. In the South, peas, greens, pork, and cornbread are found on a lot of tables. The greens vary, for my family, it has always been Collard greens. For others, Turnip greens and even Cabbage are considered the tradition. Several years ago, I found a new tradition for my little family - Grits and Greens.
Grits and Greens a New Take
When I was a little girl, our family went to south Georgia to visit a favorite great aunt on New Year’s Day. Only the older generation were there that day, and the food was not like that of the family reunion each summer. This time the food was simple; food I grew up eating. We always visited my grandmother and ate ham on New Year’s but this particular day I saw pork in a whole different light. My sister and I were out on the back porch and there on the shelf out of the way sat a crock pot, we asked a great aunt what was in it. We heard “chicken”, so we lifted a lid and found that it was not chicken, but chitlins (pig small intestine). That was a light I never wanted turned on. While it is a tradition food in the deep south, it will never be a tradition found in my kitchen.
Let’s be honest, okay. I’m not a big fan of collard greens because they are more on the tough side than turnip greens. The bigger the leaf, the tougher they are. So I always make a small batch with turnip greens for me.
When I first found this recipe, I used garden grown greens I cooked and froze during the summer months. While we were living in Montana and could find nothing but bags of fresh greens that were mostly stems, I used canned (27 oz) greens. I drained and rinsed them in water. Fresh greens are always best, but if you can’t find them, use what you can find. A bag of fresh or frozen greens will always work.
A tip or two: If you are using canned or frozen Collards you won’t need all the chicken broth. You'll want to use enough broth to cover the greens and heat them through.
Grits come in instant, quick, and old fashioned/stone ground. Don’t use the instant grits for this recipe. Quick grits cook between 5-8 minutes, this is what I use. Old fashioned grits take about 15- 20 minutes to cook. If you are new to cooking grits - TIME them - You want them to be thick similar to oatmeal.
• 6-8 pieces of bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups grits (not instant) I use quick cooking grits
• 1 bunch of fresh greens, chopped ** see tip above
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (reserve 1 cup)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• up to 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a hot skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside to cool for crumbling. In the drippings, cook onions until translucent and add to pot when cooking greens.
In a pot large enough to hold your greens, add 4 cups of chicken broth and cook your greens until tender. (You may need a little more while cooking) ** see tip above** Drain and squeeze out as much liquid from the greens as possible. Reserve the liquid to be used in cooking the grits.
In a large pot, melt butter and add the reserved greens liquid plus enough cups of broth to equal 6 cups. (a total of 6 cups of juice/broth) Add heavy cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits and return to a boil, turn down to low and simmer. Stir occasionally to keep lumps from forming and sticking to the pot. When the grits are done according to the type you are using, {quick 5-8 minutes, old fashioned 15-20 minutes} add the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, stir until well combined. Add the drained greens and onions, mixing well.
Pour into a well buttered 9x13 baking dish. Top with the remaining Monterey Jack cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Do you have a favorite New Year's Day tradition food?
Grits and Greens a New Take
on an Old New Year's Tradition
When I was a little girl, our family went to south Georgia to visit a favorite great aunt on New Year’s Day. Only the older generation were there that day, and the food was not like that of the family reunion each summer. This time the food was simple; food I grew up eating. We always visited my grandmother and ate ham on New Year’s but this particular day I saw pork in a whole different light. My sister and I were out on the back porch and there on the shelf out of the way sat a crock pot, we asked a great aunt what was in it. We heard “chicken”, so we lifted a lid and found that it was not chicken, but chitlins (pig small intestine). That was a light I never wanted turned on. While it is a tradition food in the deep south, it will never be a tradition found in my kitchen.Let’s be honest, okay. I’m not a big fan of collard greens because they are more on the tough side than turnip greens. The bigger the leaf, the tougher they are. So I always make a small batch with turnip greens for me.
When I first found this recipe, I used garden grown greens I cooked and froze during the summer months. While we were living in Montana and could find nothing but bags of fresh greens that were mostly stems, I used canned (27 oz) greens. I drained and rinsed them in water. Fresh greens are always best, but if you can’t find them, use what you can find. A bag of fresh or frozen greens will always work.
A tip or two: If you are using canned or frozen Collards you won’t need all the chicken broth. You'll want to use enough broth to cover the greens and heat them through.
Grits come in instant, quick, and old fashioned/stone ground. Don’t use the instant grits for this recipe. Quick grits cook between 5-8 minutes, this is what I use. Old fashioned grits take about 15- 20 minutes to cook. If you are new to cooking grits - TIME them - You want them to be thick similar to oatmeal.
Grits and Greens
Ingredients:• 6-8 pieces of bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups grits (not instant) I use quick cooking grits
• 1 bunch of fresh greens, chopped ** see tip above
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (reserve 1 cup)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• up to 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a hot skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside to cool for crumbling. In the drippings, cook onions until translucent and add to pot when cooking greens.
In a pot large enough to hold your greens, add 4 cups of chicken broth and cook your greens until tender. (You may need a little more while cooking) ** see tip above** Drain and squeeze out as much liquid from the greens as possible. Reserve the liquid to be used in cooking the grits.
In a large pot, melt butter and add the reserved greens liquid plus enough cups of broth to equal 6 cups. (a total of 6 cups of juice/broth) Add heavy cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits and return to a boil, turn down to low and simmer. Stir occasionally to keep lumps from forming and sticking to the pot. When the grits are done according to the type you are using, {quick 5-8 minutes, old fashioned 15-20 minutes} add the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, stir until well combined. Add the drained greens and onions, mixing well.
Pour into a well buttered 9x13 baking dish. Top with the remaining Monterey Jack cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Do you have a favorite New Year's Day tradition food?
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin, Not Your Momma's Recipe!
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As a girl visiting a classmate’s home, I was served a dish I loved. It was a new potato dish, the thinly sliced potatoes covered with cheese looked as if it had been made for a magazine. To this day, I can recall sitting at the dinner table and my friend’s mom giving me a big spoon of those potatoes. I remember how the potatoes where carefully arranged in a 9x13 baking dish so they would be stacked with no gaps and how the cheese was a bubbly golden brown. I can’t remember anything else about that meal except that Potatoes Au Gratin.
My mom is not adventurous in the kitchen. When we were children and we talked about a new food we tried somewhere else, it was very rarely prepared for our family. It wasn’t until after my husband and I were married and we went to a reunion where I was reintroduced to yummy Potatoes Au Gratin. After trying two or three times of making this cheesy goodness and something not turning out right, I gave up on having my own Potatoes Au Gratin recipe, until now.
One big time saver for me is peel and thinly slice the potatoes before cooking. I usually just boil the potatoes until tender before adding them to the pan.
I made a few slight changes from the original recipe – more bacon and I used a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream. Just yummy goodness when you think about it!
Oh yes, if you don't have a lot of potatoes, you can still make this dish, just dice your potatoes or cut them in bigger chunks. Anyway you cut them will work out. Just remember you may have to cut back on the mayo, sour cream, and milk.
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk. Set aside.
In a hot frying pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve one Tablespoon of drippings in the pan. Add onion and cook until tender; layer with the potatoes, salt, and ½ of the cheese and bacon. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. If using cooled potatoes cook until heated through.
Pour mayonnaise and sour cream mixture over the potatoes and bacon. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes until mayo mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Do you have a favorite recipe that has a similar story as mine?
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
My friend Sue shared her recipe for Au Gratin Peas and Potatoes on her blog. It was a little different from the other recipes I’ve eaten and I knew I had to try it and so I did. While my husband and son love green peas, they asked me to not add them to future dishes, because they wanted to enjoy them by themselves. That’s okay with me because I don’t have to worry about coming up with another side dish. Yeah, I went there.
While my recipe looks nothing like the dish I was served as a girl, I think it tastes a whole lot better!
One big time saver for me is peel and thinly slice the potatoes before cooking. I usually just boil the potatoes until tender before adding them to the pan.
I made a few slight changes from the original recipe – more bacon and I used a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream. Just yummy goodness when you think about it!
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients:
- 8 bacon slices, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon bacon drippings
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cups cooked potatoes, peeled and sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk. Set aside.
In a hot frying pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve one Tablespoon of drippings in the pan. Add onion and cook until tender; layer with the potatoes, salt, and ½ of the cheese and bacon. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. If using cooled potatoes cook until heated through.
Pour mayonnaise and sour cream mixture over the potatoes and bacon. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes until mayo mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Do you have a favorite recipe that has a similar story as mine?
Easy Flavorful Baked Beans
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Baked beans are my favorite childhood food memory. Behind my Maw Maw’s biscuits, baked beans were what I looked for next on her kitchen table during the holidays. Holiday meals at her house brought every family member and a smorgasbord of food with tons of yummy goodness.
No fancy table setting, the kitchen table was spread with food and the counters lined with more food. Because our family was so big, you got your plate and looked for a place to sit and eat. Many times I sat in her back bedroom on the bed or we stood at the dresser in the room. Every room was full of people, many standing to eat and it never bothered them because of the fellowship with each other. Every holiday throughout the year was like that. Everyone enjoyed getting together and eating their favorite foods.
Some aunts became famous for their roast beef or banana pudding while others are not remembered for what they brought. The aunt who brought the baked beans, I don’t remember, but I remember the smoky taste from bacon along with the right amount of sweetness. A comforting food memory I will always cherish.
Over the years, I have been asked to bring a certain chocolaty dessert or salad for gatherings and I have taken one dish on occasion – my baked beans. When I still lived at home, I played with the ingredients my momma had in her pantry while trying different recipes in the old cookbook from the 70’s that our school put together as a fundraiser.
Because each of those recipes called for plain old pork and beans that is what I only use in my recipe and I remove that creepy little piece of pork. Is that even pork? Because it is the texture of a squishy, wet marshmallow. The cans of “baked beans” you cook on the stovetop with crazy flavors are not for me. I want to create a flavor similar to my childhood memory.
It wasn’t until I discovered one ingredient that changed my baked beans – molasses! In the beginning of making brown sugar, I used too much molasses once and had a very dark brown sugar. When I made baked beans with that brown sugar I was amazed! The taste equaled perfection so I knew I had to add molasses to my beans.
This recipe makes a 9x13 pan full, so if you need a smaller batch of beans, just cut the recipe in half. The leftovers, if there are any are even better the next day.
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the juice off of one can of beans and set aside.
In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp and remove. Add the onion to the bacon grease and sauté until translucent and drain.
In a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well. If your beans seem a little dry add a tad bit of the reserved bean juice but not too much or they will become very juicy while cooking. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover your beans and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Do you have a favorite childhood food memory? Let me know, I love reading what you have to say.
No fancy table setting, the kitchen table was spread with food and the counters lined with more food. Because our family was so big, you got your plate and looked for a place to sit and eat. Many times I sat in her back bedroom on the bed or we stood at the dresser in the room. Every room was full of people, many standing to eat and it never bothered them because of the fellowship with each other. Every holiday throughout the year was like that. Everyone enjoyed getting together and eating their favorite foods.
Easy Flavorful Baked Beans
Some aunts became famous for their roast beef or banana pudding while others are not remembered for what they brought. The aunt who brought the baked beans, I don’t remember, but I remember the smoky taste from bacon along with the right amount of sweetness. A comforting food memory I will always cherish.
Over the years, I have been asked to bring a certain chocolaty dessert or salad for gatherings and I have taken one dish on occasion – my baked beans. When I still lived at home, I played with the ingredients my momma had in her pantry while trying different recipes in the old cookbook from the 70’s that our school put together as a fundraiser.
Because each of those recipes called for plain old pork and beans that is what I only use in my recipe and I remove that creepy little piece of pork. Is that even pork? Because it is the texture of a squishy, wet marshmallow. The cans of “baked beans” you cook on the stovetop with crazy flavors are not for me. I want to create a flavor similar to my childhood memory.
It wasn’t until I discovered one ingredient that changed my baked beans – molasses! In the beginning of making brown sugar, I used too much molasses once and had a very dark brown sugar. When I made baked beans with that brown sugar I was amazed! The taste equaled perfection so I knew I had to add molasses to my beans.
This recipe makes a 9x13 pan full, so if you need a smaller batch of beans, just cut the recipe in half. The leftovers, if there are any are even better the next day.
Easy Flavorful Baked Beans
Ingredients:
- 4 (15.5oz) cans pork and beans
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 TBSP molasses
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 TBSP ketchup
- 1 TBSP yellow mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the juice off of one can of beans and set aside.
In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp and remove. Add the onion to the bacon grease and sauté until translucent and drain.
In a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well. If your beans seem a little dry add a tad bit of the reserved bean juice but not too much or they will become very juicy while cooking. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover your beans and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Do you have a favorite childhood food memory? Let me know, I love reading what you have to say.
Brown Sugar and Molasses Glazed Carrots
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I’m not a cooked carrot lover, but after making Brown Sugar and Molasses Glazed Carrots, I think I could become one. I normally don’t cook carrots except for with a roast and potatoes because that is the only time my husband and son will really eat and enjoy them. In some of the other recipes I’ve shared that called for carrots, I ended up grating them so the chunks would not be seen. I took a chance on this recipe and didn’t know what the outcome would be, but I’m happy to say, the family loved them enough to ask for more... soon.
I found the recipe HERE but decided to cut them into diagonal pieces because I know my family. They don’t want food that looks fancy schmancy on the plate, they want to be able to dig right in without any hold-ups.
I did make a couple of changes to the recipe like cutting them. I used my homemade brown sugar with a little more molasses than the recipe called for. Because of this, my carrots turned out darker, but that is fine with me because we love the taste of molasses. I also left out the rosemary because I was looking for a sweetened carrot flavor without anything else being tasted.
1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots with salt and pepper, stir to coat with oil. Cook for about 4-5 minutes and add the brown sugar and molasses. Continue stirring the carrots. Cook until carrots are tender and sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. **If needed, add a little water to prevent the sauce from burning.
2. Add butter to skillet and cook until melted, stirring to coat the carrots.
3. Serve
What did I tell ya? Quick, easy and lightly sweetened. If you try this, let me know how you like it.
I found the recipe HERE but decided to cut them into diagonal pieces because I know my family. They don’t want food that looks fancy schmancy on the plate, they want to be able to dig right in without any hold-ups.
I did make a couple of changes to the recipe like cutting them. I used my homemade brown sugar with a little more molasses than the recipe called for. Because of this, my carrots turned out darker, but that is fine with me because we love the taste of molasses. I also left out the rosemary because I was looking for a sweetened carrot flavor without anything else being tasted.
If you had rather have carrots that are not dark, be sure to use a light brown sugar and stick with 1 tablespoon of molasses. I only buy blackstrap molasses so it could be part of the reason why for the extra darkening. This dish is quick and easy with just a little sweetening.
Brown Sugar and Molasses Glazed Carrots
INGREDIENTS- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- ½ cup water ** if needed
- 2 tablespoons butter
1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots with salt and pepper, stir to coat with oil. Cook for about 4-5 minutes and add the brown sugar and molasses. Continue stirring the carrots. Cook until carrots are tender and sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. **If needed, add a little water to prevent the sauce from burning.
2. Add butter to skillet and cook until melted, stirring to coat the carrots.
3. Serve
What did I tell ya? Quick, easy and lightly sweetened. If you try this, let me know how you like it.
