Parmesan Cheese Tater Tots

Yes, sometimes it's the perfect time to open a package of tater tots and let them bake while you prepare the rest of your meal. These little bites of cheesy goodness were great served alongside the Sloppy Renzo sandwiches.

Cook the tater tots according to the package directions. Immediately upon removing from the oven, sprinkle with salt, dried Italian seasoning and then grate Parmesan cheese all over the top of the hot tater tots. Wowza. These were great!

Pork Sausage Patties (with some extras!)

Harold found this recipe in a new recipe book I received this week Taste of Home Brunch Favorites. When I saw that is was simply titled "Pork Sausage Patties," I thought why would you need a recipe for sausage patties? You just slice and fry them, right? Then I read through the recipe and realized that this one has some extras added in before forming into patties and heading to the cast iron skillet. These were different, that's for sure. I'd like for you to try them and give me some feedback on how YOU liked them.

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 T. all purpose flour

1/8 t. salt

dash of pepper

1/8 t. ground sage

1/8 t. granulated garlic

1 pound pork sausage

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble sausage over mixture and mix well. Shape the mixture into eight patties.

In a large cast iron skillet, cook patties over medium heat 6 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink, turning occasionally.

Sloppy Renzo

I know you're asking what on earth is a Sloppy Renzo? Well, just imagine that it is Sloppy Joe's hot and spicy cousin. No opening of a can of Manwich here. An added bonus is there's (whisper) hidden vegetables in this rich, thick sandwich filling.

Served on toasted Ciabatta bread that's been spread with an Italian Herb Garlic Butter before broiling, this sandwich will be enjoyed by everyone. I used hot Italian sausage, but of course, you can use mild or sweet sausage. The 1/4 cup of wine is entirely optional but it does add another flavor that adds to the richness.

1 pound hot Italian sausage (casings removed)

1 T. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 small carrot, small diced

1 rib celery, small diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dried Italian seasoning

1/8 t. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

2 T. tomato paste

1 t. anchovy paste (optional)

1/4 cup Shiraz (optional)

8 oz. can tomato sauce (roasted garlic flavor)

8 oz. can tomato sauce (basil, oregano flavor)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Ciabatta rolls for serving

Provolone/Mozzarella slices for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and break it up some with a wooden spoon. As it begins to brown add onion, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. Continue cooking, stirring often, until vegetables have softened and sausage has browned. 

Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 more minutes.

Using the wooden spoon, push the mixture away from the middle of the skillet and add the anchovy paste (if using) and the tomato paste. Let cook for a minute or so and then stir to combine. Add in the wine and let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Next add the tomato sauces and Worcestershire. Lower heat to a simmer and let cook for about 5 more minutes until mixture thickens. Just before serving, add the fresh parsley and stir to combine.

Spoon over toasted Ciabatta rolls and top with cheese slices. Serve immediately.

Toasted Ciabatta Bread with Italian Herb Garlic Butter

This is a great go to bread for serving with spaghetti or any baked pasta dish. I made a new Italian version of a Sloppy Joe tonight and used these Ciabatta Rolls for serving those. 

Here's the recipe for the butter:

1/2 stick butter, softened

pinch of salt

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 - 10 oregano leaves

3 - 4 medium basil leaves

Using a small food processor, add all ingredients and pulse a few times to begin to combine. Once the garlic is minced, process on high speed for a 5 - 10 seconds to completely blend ingredients. Use immediately or transfer to a covered bowl and refrigerate.

Spread a small amount on Ciabatta rolls and place on a baking sheet. Place under a hot broiler for a few minutes until butter has melted and bread is toasted. Serve immediately.

Italian Herb Garlic Butter

I mixed up this delicious butter to spread on ciabatta bread for toasting for a sandwich. After tasting it, I can honestly say it would be awesome on simply prepared pasta noodles, baked potatoes, corn on the cob....Oh my, yes! POPCORN.

Mix up a small crock full and store in your refrigerator so it's ready to use any any opportunity. Yes, it's that good.  

1/2 stick butter, softened

pinch of salt

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 - 10 oregano leaves

3 - 4 medium basil leaves

Using a small food processor, add all ingredients and pulse a few times to begin to combine. Once the garlic is minced, process on high speed for a 5 - 10 seconds to completely blend ingredients. Use immediately or transfer to a covered bowl and refrigerate.

Andouille Sausage & Vegetable Stew

Oh, how I love the stews and soups of Fall! The smokiness of the andouille paired wonderfully with the rich vegetables. As we most stews and soups, this one is better after it sits in the refrigerator overnight. As always, vegetable soups are very forgiving and you can mix or match whichever vegetables you and your family enjoy.

1/2 pound andouille sausage, cubed

1 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 quarts chicken stock

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups large lima beans

1 bay leaf

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups chopped kale

In a medium Dutch oven, add olive oil and andouille sausage, over medium heat. Let sausage begin to render a little of its fat and begin to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper, stirring occasionally. After vegetables begin to soften and the onions are turning translucent, add garlic and let cook for a minute or two more.

Increase heat and add chicken stock, potatoes, lima beans, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover.

Let stew cook for an hour or two, stirring occasionally. Add kale and let cook for an hour or so more. Stew will thicken up nicely. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with corn bread or crusty French bread.

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Creamy Italian Dressing

I'm doing everything I can to NOT purchase ready made salad dressings. The main reason is the sugar content. The other reason is all the preservatives and ingredients which I can't pronounce. And when you stop and think about it, when you have all the fixings for a delicious salad dressing in your fridge and pantry, why wouldn't you just whisk up a great dressing in just a few minutes?

This dressing gets better a day or two after making it and it's also very easily doubled. The  ingredients as I list them make about 3/4 cup. But since this is great on not only tossed salads, but on pasta salads, burgers, roast beef sandwiches or wraps.....go ahead and make the doubled recipe version.  

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 t. dried Italian seasoning

1/4 t. dried minced garlic

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

dash of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 T. mayonnaise

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients except olive oil to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. Slowly add olive oil while you whisk like crazy. You can store in the fridge about 2 weeks, but it won't last that long.  

Roasted Potatoes with Italian Seasoning and Parmesan

These are the perfect easy side dish for roasted meats and especially to go alongside meatloaf. I made individual Italian styled meat loaves and decided while they were baking to put the potatoes in to roast along with them at the same time.

I used red new potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled. I usually go with 2 - 3 small potatoes per person and then add 1 or 2 extra.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into quarters, and again if needed. You will want them as close to the same size as possible so they will cook evenly. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes. Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried Italian seasoning and granulated garlic. You can also had dried red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.

Toss the potatoes with your hands to make sure all are covered in this delicious goodness. Place potatoes in oven and let them roast for 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven and using a metal spatula, toss the potatoes and return to oven for another 15 minutes or until they are cooked through and browned. 

Just before serving, grate fresh Parmesan over the potatoes. Serve immediately.

Individual Italian Meat Loaves

I usually only post one photo at the top of the blog post before I share the recipe. But I honestly couldn't decide which one to use. So, you got three! Using a small divided baking pan ensures that the meat loaves cook faster, which is great for weeknight meals. These little loaves of heaven are seasoned with Italian seasonings, freshly grated Parmesan and fresh parsley. And an added bonus, IF you have any leftover, they make great sandwiches the next day on Italian rolls.

Let's make our sauce first:

10 oz. can of tomato puree

2 cloves garlic either minced or microplaned

1 t. dried Italian seasoning

1 t. beef bouillon

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. dark brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 t. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients over low heat and let simmer while you prepare the meat loaves. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

Now for the meat loaves:

1 lb. ground chuck

1 T. olive oil

3 T. finely chopped yellow onion

3 T. finely chopped green bell peppers

1 clove garlic, minced or microplaned

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs with 2 T. dried Italian seasoning mixed in

2 T. fresh chopped parsley (plus more for topping)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, bell peppers and garlic. Let vegetables soften, 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, add ground chuck, and break apart gently with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and, using your hands, mix together. Next add 1/2 cup of the sauce and using a spatula combine all ingredients.

You can either use a regular loaf pan or make them individually like I did here. Divide the meat loaf mixture into four equal parts and lightly place in lightly greased pan.

Gently spoon the remaining sauce over the top of the meat loaves and place in oven.  

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes and remove from oven. Grate additional Parmesan over the top and place back in oven for 5 minutes or so.

Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Cajun Butterbeans with Andouille Sausage

I'll admit, I am not a butterbean fan.  Pintos, yes. Red beans/black beans yes, yes, yes. But Harold Lee does enjoy this type of bean. My goal is to be able to cook them like his mama did for him. I continue to try and usually cook them after the holidays when I have a ham hock to add to the pot. But I had some andouille sausage left from making the gumbo yesterday and decided I'd dice some of it up into bite sized pieces and go ahead and cook the beans with the "trinity" of onions, bell peppers and celery. Seasoned with Cajun seasoning and cooked with beef stock, this pot of beans won me two thumbs up! The photo above shows his bowl with the beans served over crumbled up cornbread hot from the oven. He had more bean broth after I took the photo because that's the way he likes them. Give this version a try.  I think you may like them, too!

1/2 pound large limas (or butterbeans!), soaked in a bowl of cool water for a few hours and drained

1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cubed

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups beef stock

1 bay leaf

2 t. Cajun seasoning

In a medium Dutch oven, over medium heat, add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and celery. Let cook, stirring often, until sausage begins to brown and vegetables begin to soften, 8 - 10 minutes. Add garlic and let cook an additional minute or so.

Now add the beans, beef stock, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaf.

Lower heat so you will have a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and let everything simmer away for a few hours. Stir the beans occasionally and add additional water if needed. When the beans are tender, they are cooked through and you're ready to eat!

Don't forget to cook some of Lolly's Cornbread

 

Apple-Pecan Crumble Pie

Once again, my favorite pie cookbook didn't fail me. If you only have one pie cookbook in your library, let this be the one: Southern Pies by Nancie McDermott. Thank you Ms. McDermott, I now have a new favorite apple pie recipe!

This is a very simple pie to make. In fact, it was so simple, I made two at the same time. One to keep and enjoy and one to give to friends.

You can, of course, use a pre-made crust or make your own. 

Salted Pecan Crumble

2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2 T. packed light brown sugar

2 T. granulated sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

5 T. cold butter, cut into pieces

Filling:

6 - 8 apples, such as Jonagolds, Staymans, or Granny Smith (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup sugar

3 T. Steen's pure cane syrup, sorghum, molasses or dark corn syrup (I used Alabama made Golden Eagle syrup)

2 T. cornstarch

1 1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch pie pan with crust and crimp edges. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the salted pecan crumble: Scatter the pecans on a baking sheet or in a cake pan and bake until they are aromatic and lightly browned, 5 - 10 minutes. Turn the pecans out onto a plate and spread them out to cool for about 15 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon and 1/3 cup of the cooled pecans.  Process the ingredients briefly, just to grind the pecans, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and pulse the machine on and off, just until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and add the remaining 1/3 cup pecans. Using your hands, crumble and squeeze the mixture to form large clumps. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until you are ready to complete the pie.

To make the filling: Peel the apples, core them, and cut them into slices 1/2 inch thick. You'll need about 4 cups. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cane syrup, cornstarch, and nutmeg and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Add the apples and lemon zest, and then toss to coat the apples evenly with the sweet spice mixture.

Pour the apple mixture into the piecrust. Distribute the apples into a fairly even layer, and then sprinkle the chilled crumble evenly over the top of the apple filling, gently pressing the crumble to set it into place.

Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch drips and place it on the center shelf of the oven. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Place the pie on a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lolly's Supreme Queso Dip

We've all eaten the canned spicy tomatoes and Velveeta dip. Okay, if you haven't eaten it, you've been to a party where it was served or at least heard about the dip. But I decided if you're going to go to the effort to make that dip, let's take a little bit longer and make this dip SUPREME. How about some chorizo, beans, onions, chilies.....see? It IS Supreme!

Remember, if you like heat, you can leave the seeds and membranes in the jalapenos. If you like less, simply remove them while you're dicing.

This was the perfect dip for our Saturday SEC football watching marathon. Easily doubled, this recipe could be placed in a crock pot for your friends and family to snack on for hours.  

1 pound chorizo or ground chuck

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 14.5 oz. cans fire roasted petite diced tomatoes

1 small can diced green chilies

1 14.5 oz can chili beans

1 - 2 T. chili powder

16 oz. Mexican style Velveeta, cut into cubes

8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/4 milk (optional)

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, brown chorizo or ground chuck. Add onions and bell peppers and, stirring occasionally, let the vegetables begin to soften about 5 - 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, stir and let cook for 2 minutes. 

Add next four ingredients, stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Begin adding the Velveeta and cream cheese a few cubes at a time. Let cheeses melt before adding a few more cubes. After all the cheese has been added and thoroughly blended in, taste to see if you want to add additional chili powder.

If you like your dip a thinner (because this is a thick, dippable dip!), add a little heavy cream or milk to thin to your liking.

Top with chopped green onions, sour cream and/or cilantro.

Serve with Fritos Scoops or other thick tortilla chips.

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Fall is arriving slowly, but surely, here in North Alabama. The last few days have been rainy, cool, and dreary. Yesterday seemed the perfect stay in and cook gumbo day. I had purchased some andouille sausage in New Orleans months ago and it had been waiting in the freezer for its opportunity to shine. This recipe is entirely  a lovely original.  I hope you enjoy.

All good gumbos begin with the roux. The secret to a great roux is patience. It can take up to 25 - 30 minutes of continuous stirring to reach the proper color. If you slip and let it burn, toss it and start over. It's the only way.  

For the roux:

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/2 cup flour

For the gumbo:

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1 - 2 T. Cajun or Creole seasoning 

1 t. dried oregano

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced in half lengthwise, and the cubed

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 quarts chicken stock (let stock simmer in another pot until needed)

2 bay leaves 

1 pound okra, ends trimmed and sliced 

3 T. chopped fresh parsley

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Cooked white rice

First make the roux:

Heat the peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed Dutch oven. I used my 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven. Let the peanut oil heat for a minute or two and then whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium low. Stir, and stir, and stir. For this recipe I let it cook for about 25 minutes until the roux was the color of peanut butter.

At this point add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Stirring constantly, let vegetables cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Now add the garlic, seasoning, and oregano. Let this cook about 1 minute and add sausage and chicken and stirring constantly let sausage brown and chicken cook for about 5 minutes.

Begin to ladle the stock into the gumbo a few ladles at a time. Add the bay leaves and okra and reduce heat to low.

Let gumbo simmer for one hour or several hours. The longer it cooks the thicker the gumbo will be. When ready to serve, remove bay leaves and add the parsley and stir to combine.

Ladle into serving bowls and add a few spoonfuls of white rice and a sprinkling of green onions on top. Serve with toasted French bread.

Sausage Balls

Yes, I've blogged this recipe several times. But it remains one of the most popular recipes on the blog. So this morning when I mentioned on Fleur de Lolly's Facebook page that I had a batch in the oven I received requests to post the recipe one more time. Here ya go!

1 pound breakfast sausage

2 cups Bisquick or baking mix

2 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 t. ground mustard

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients until completely incorporated. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. It makes VERY quick work of combining all the ingredients.

Using your hands, roll the mixture into individuals sausage balls about the size of a large walnut. Place on baking sheet as you go. Bake for 17 - 20 minutes until sausage is cooked through.

Let cool slightly and dig in!

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Fall Tortilla Chips

This was a fun activity with the granddaughters this afternoon.  I used my Pamper Chef cookie cutters in the pumpkin, leaf, and apple shapes.  The girls loved making them and really enjoyed having them for their afternoon snack.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using flour tortillas, choose whatever shape cookie cutter you'd like.  Press down with the cookie cutter and twist slightly to cut though the tortilla.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and as you cut out the tortilla shapes, place them on the baking sheet.  When you have all the shapes on the baking sheet, lightly brush each shape with melted butter.

We sprinkled some with cinnamon sugar and some with pumpkin pie spice.  Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.  Enjoy!

Sausage, Butterkäse & Pumpkin Ale Soup

Let me list the adjectives that describe this soup:  warm, earthy, cheesy, yummy, satisfying, smokey, fall-spicy...is that a term? Well, it is now.

If you're not familiar with Butterkäse cheese, it's a semi-soft, cow's milk cheese which definitely has a buttery flavor and appearance. If you'd can't this cheese, Gouda or muenster is a good substitute.

I used Blue Moon's Pumpkin Ale in this batch. It adds a nice subtle hint of Fall spices. You can either puree the soup just before it's time to add the browned sausages back into the pot or you can leave the vegetables in nice chunks. Your choice.

Here's the ingredients:

4 uncooked bratwurst sausages, cubed

2 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 T. caraway seed

2 T. flour

1 - 12 oz. bottle of seasonal pumpkin beer

32 oz. of chicken stock

1 cup water

3 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup half and half

1 t. mustard powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups shredded butterkäse cheese (or Gouda or muenster)

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar

3 - 4 T. chopped fresh dill

Heat 1 T. of the oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Brown the cubed bratwurst on all sides.  Remove the sausages and set aside.

Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and saute the onion, carrots and caraway seeds for about 10 minutes until the onions turn translucent.

Sprinkle in the four and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.

Pour in the beer, chicken stock, and water, whisking to combine the flour and liquid. Add in the potatoes and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are cooked.

Remove the bay leaves and add the Worcestershire sauce, half and half, mustard, salt and pepper.

At this point, if you choose to, you can take an immersion blender and blend the soup briefly, so it was thickened but there were still whole veggies left. Of course, you can just leave it chunky if you want to as well.

Add the sausages to the pot. Bring the soup back to a simmer, then take it off the heat to slowly add in the cheese, stirring until the cheese has completely melted and the soup is smooth. Sprinkle in the dill just before serving.

Adapted from The Maine Food and Lifestyle.

Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches

I love to cook with boneless pork chops. When I have prepared schnitzel before, I would buy a family sized package and go from there. But for these little sandwiches, I bought a pre-packaged one pound pork loin. It was about $7. But after slicing the loin into 1 inch pieces and then pounding the slices out thin, I had 18 pieces of pork! Talk about being able to feed a crowd on a budget!

The Dijon mustard mixed in with the egg wash portion of the prep adds a huge difference in the flavor. Set up a breading station with seasoned flour, egg wash, and then the bread crumbs. The pork will fry very quickly and you will be able to rotate the slices in and out of the oil easily as they cook.

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 - 2 pound), sliced into 18 - 20 pieces

1 cup self rising flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 T. Dijon mustard

4 pieces of white bread, processed into bread crumbs

2 - 3 T. olive oil

2 - 3 T. butter

Soft rolls or buns

Lightly flatten the slices of pork, one at a time, while layered between plastic wrap. 

In a shallow dish or plate, mix together flour, salt, and pepper.

In a shallow bowl, add eggs and mix in Dijon mustard.

In a shallow bowl or plate, place the breadcrumbs.

Coat each piece of pork in flour, then dip into egg wash, and then coat in breadcrumbs.

You will work in batches to cook the pork. Add 1 T. each of the oil and butter. Heat the oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet until it bubbles. Add a few pieces of pork at a time, and cook, 2 - 3 minutes per side. Drain on a rack placed over a baking sheet.

You can serve these as sandwiches like I did (with a whole grain or German hot mustard), or as a main dish alongside buttered potatoes or noodles.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Spiced Apples with Pecans

This is such an easy side dish for Autumn meals. It's ready in a flash. When served alongside a nice pork dish or roasted chicken...yum. The pecans can be omitted, if you'd like, but they certainly add a nice crunchy texture.

3 - 4 T. butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 - 5 apples peeled and thinly sliced (I used Jonathan apples, but any firm cooking apple will do)
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 t. corn starch
1/3 cup chopped pecans

In a medium skillet over low heat, melt butter. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine with the melted butter. Add apples and mix in well with the melted butter and sugar. Add spices. Let apples cook for 30 - 40 minutes until they are softened.  Sprinkle with cornstarch and stir to combine.  The cornstarch will thicken the butter and sugar mixture.

Stir in pecans to mix well. Serve immediately.

Dilly Ranch Dressing and/or Dipping Sauce

If you have a bottle of ranch dressing in your refrigerator or pantry, go take a look at the ingredient list. Hmmmm. Are there lots of things you can't pronounce? I thought so. Now take a look at the ingredient list below. See? You can pronounce all of them can't you? I thought so.

Take a few minutes and whisk these ingredients together the next time you need a salad dressing or the kids need a dipping sauce for chicken fingers or veggies or even pizza crusts!

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh dill

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

1/2 t. granulated garlic

Whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you'd like it a little thicker for dipping, cut the buttermilk down to 3/4 cup and up the sour cream or mayo by 1/4 cup. Enjoy!

Spicy Fried Dill Pickles with Dilly Ranch Dipping Sauce

While watching SEC football this past weekend, I decided to attempt one of my favorite snacking foods.....fried dill pickles! A quick check of online recipes, showed dozens of different versions. I combined several and added my own twists to come up with this recipe.  I hope you enjoy.

1 cup self rising flour

1/2 cup self rising cornmeal

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. granulated garlic

1/4 t. onion powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

4 - 6 T. pickle juice

2 - 3 T. water

oil for frying

pickle slices

Whisk together first seven ingredients. Add pickle juice and water and stir until you have a smooth batter.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. You will need enough oil in the skillet to allow the pickle slices to float, 1 - 2 inches depending on the size of the skillet.

Add a few pickle slices at a time into the batter and once oil is hot enough for the batter to sizzle, add them to the oil. Lower heat to medium high and let pickles fry until they are golden brown on one side and then, using tongs, turn them over to cook on the other side. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with Dilly Ranch Dipping Sauce.

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh dill

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

1/2 t. granulated garlic

Whisk together all ingredients.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.