DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper, for taste
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup mayonnaise
7 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
Sweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing
Pimentos, for garnishing

Directions:

Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika, pickles, and pimentos. Store covered in refrigerator.

Servings: 14 eggs
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Difficulty: Easy

FRIED BISCUITS

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce can biscuits
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:

Drop biscuits in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with honey butter.

Servings: 6-8 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time: 3 min
Difficulty: Easy

Variation: Slice in half (2 round pieces) left over Buttermilk biscuits or any homemade biscuit. Drop biscuit halves in hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with soup, chili, stew.

PEACH COBBLER

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup water
2 cup sugar, divided
4 cup peeled, sliced peaches
1 1/2 cup milk
ground cinnamon, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt. Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy

BACK BONES AND RICE

Ingredients:

3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
8 cup water
1 cup chopped onion
3 lb pork back bones, sometimes called country-style ribs
3 cup raw white rice
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

In a stockpot, combine the backbones, onion, butter, and seasonings. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, and cook at a low boil for 40 minutes. Add the rice to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring well. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, add green onions, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until rice is done. Remove the bay leaves.

Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

LEMONADE

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup hot water
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced

Directions:

In a one gallon container, place sugar and hot water, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and water to render one gallon. Stir well until well mixed. Pour lemonade over a glass of ice, squeeze slice of lemon on top, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Servings:
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time:
Difficulty: Easy

GIBLET GRAVY

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 heaping tablespoons reserved uncooked corn bread stuffing mix
2 chicken bouillon cubes
Giblets from turkey (liver, gizzard, and neck) chopped
4 cups turkey stock or broth or chicken broth or stock
1/3 cup cold water
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Directions:

Chop the giblets and the meat that has been removed from the neck. Using a saucepot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the giblets, bouillon cubes, poultry seasoning, and raw stuffing to the mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, and add to the boiling stock, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, to taste, and add the sliced boiled egg.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Servings:
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy

MeMa's SKILLET CORNBREAD "HOECAKE"

What is a Hoecake?

Hoecakes have served as a staple food for many years and have been given a multitude of names. Originally they were made from ground Indian corn and cooked on hot stones over a campfire. The name some Native Americans gave them was “jonican” and many regions now call them Johnny Cakes. Another name they have been given is “corn pone” referring to the ground cornmeal they are made from, or, when cooked over an open campfire where there were ashes, “Ash cakes.” However, here in the South, the thin flat bread cakes were originally cooked on the face of a planting hoe held over an open flame. The hoes used by field hands had a wider face and were a perfect surface for cooking these flat bread cakes. Consequently, the name, “Hoecakes” was born!

Through the years we have thankfully abandoned cooking with a garden hoe. These amazing cakes can be made in a hot cast iron skillet or on a griddle. Sometimes on a griddle, the edges will cook with a bit of a lacy effect, and some people call them “Lacy Cakes.”

No matter what you call them, Hoecakes were a wonderful, easy treat at MeMa and PaPa's House.

Ingredients:

2 cups Arnett's fine ground white corn meal
Very hot water
Bacon grease
Shallow cast iron skillet, about 1 inch deep, griddle or (A cast iron HOECAKE pan) - If you can find one or are lucky enough to have inherited one from your Grandmother.

Directions:

Heat cast iron 'spyder' or skillet with about 3 tablespoons bacon fat on stovetop until water pops and dances when dropped onto it. Mix cornmeal with hot water until consistency is thin. Pour batter into skillet. Cook on high setting on stovetop until initial sizzling stops, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook approximately 8 to 10 minutes until the bread appears dry around the edges. Loosen by shaking the skillet or using a spatula. Slide bread onto a pot lid and flip it over into the skillet to cook the other side. Cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes more. Bread should be crisp on both sides with a softer center. Cut into pie shaped wedges and serve hot with butter. PaPa ate cornbread with buttermilk, sweet milk or pot liquor from greens.

POTATO SALAD

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes
6 hard-cooked eggs, cooled and peeled
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles or sweet relish
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
1 stalk celery, strings removed, finely chopped (optional)
A few dashes celery salt
3 tablespoons of Durkee's Sauce (optional)
Small jar pimientos (optional)
Paprika

Directions:

Peel potatoes, cut into cubes about 1 inch square. Boil in salted water until cooked but firm. Drain in colander.

OR

Cook potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Refrigerate until cool; peel, chop into cubes.

Chop or grate 5 eggs; reserve 1 egg for garnish.

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, except reserved egg and paprika. Quarter or slice reserved egg; garnish top of salad. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve warm, in the German style or chill and serve cold.

Makes: 7 servings

CREAM STYLE WHITE FIELD CORN

Ingredients:

6 to 12 ears of white 'field corn' (grown by farmers mostly for livestock)
Water
Butter
Salt and pepper

Directions:

After shucking and silking each ear of corn, wash thoroughly. Use large bowl or pan and work over the sink to minimize the mess. Take a very sharp knife and split each row of kernels down the center. Slice tips of split kernels into the bowl. Using a large spoon or the back of a table knife, scrape each ear from top to bottom. Ensure these scrapings make it into the bowl with the kernels. Add a little water, salt and pepper and butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook on low, stirring often. Cook until very thick. Serve hot.

The secrets to this dish are:

1. The type of corn,
2. The way the corn is cut,
3. Butter for flavor,
4. Don't burn,
5. Don't overcook,
6. Sharp knives.

FRIED FISH

Fried Fish

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 to 6 fresh fish, bream, mullet, catfish (1/2 pound each), dressed

1/2 cup shortening or lard

1 lemon

Method:

Combine cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in small mixing bowl. Spread onto a sheet of aluminum foil. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture. Heat shortening in large fry pan. Fry fish untilgolden brown and flaky, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Serve hot with lemon wedges or juice.

Makes: 4 servings.

FRIED SQUASH

Fried Squash

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Ingredients:

6 to 9 yellow crook-necked squash

2 onions

salt

pepper

vegetable oil

cast iron skillet

Method:

Wash and slice squash. Slice onions thin and mix with squash in bowl. Put 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet and heat. Add squash and onions, salt and pepper. Place lid on skillet and cook on low, stirring from the bottom occasionally. Cook until tender, then remove lid and cook on high heat to brown. Stir frequently.

GREEN BEANS PORK FLAVORED

Green Beans Pork Flavored

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Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh green beans, broken into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

1 smoked ham bone (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 quart water

Method:

Place beans, bacon drippings, ham bone, salt and pepper in 5-quart saucepot. Add water. Bring to a boil; reduce to low heat; cover and cook for 1 hour. Makes: 10 servings.

PORK CHOPS

Pork Chops

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Ingredients:

5 to 6 thin or medium sliced pork chops

pan of self-rising flour

Crisco

salt and pepper

cast iron skillet

Method:

Heat Crisco in skillet on medium high heat. Salt and pepper pork chops and roll in flour. Cook until done, turning once. Should be golden brown on both sides with crisp crust and tender inside. Remove from skillet; drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Southern Fried Chicken

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Ingredients:

2 to 3 pound fryer, cut up

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup flour

1/2 cup lard or shortening

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Method:

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place flour in brown paper bag; add chicken. Twist top of bag to seal and shake until chicken is well coated. Heat lard and butter in large fry pan with cover. Add chicken, skin side down, and brown quickly on all sides. Reduce to low heat; cover and cook 35 to 45 minutes turning chicken once. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.

To make PAN GRAVY, pour off fat leaving 3 tablespoons in pan. Add 2 tablespoons flour; stir until flour browns. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve over rice.

Makes: 4 to 6 servings.