MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (optional)
whole milk, start with 1 Tablespoon, at room temperature or warmed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.

Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Servings: 2 to 3 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

BEEF VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:

1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup cut okra, fresh or frozen
1 cup frozen butter beans
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced green beans, fresh or canned
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
1 tablespoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
2 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
3 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
4 quart cold water
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (if using chuck roast)
2 1/2 to 3 lb beef short ribs or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast*
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2 teaspoon Accent

Directions:

If using chuck roast, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the roast in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the roast from the ski8llet and cut it into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes; discard the fat. Place the beef cubes in a large stockpot. (If using short ribs, you can put them right in the pot with no preparation). Add the water, seasonings, onion, and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. If using short ribs, remove them from the pot and cut the meat from the bones, discard the bones and fat, and return the meat to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables and the macaroni and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add Accent, if desired, and adjust the other seasonings to taste. Just before serving, add fresh parsley to pot. To remove excess fat from the surface of the soup, swirl a lettuce leaf around the surface-it will pick up a lot of the fat.

*The chuck roast will yield more meat, but the bones from the short ribs give the soup an incredible flavor.

Servings: 8 quarts
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy

NEW RED POTATOES IN CREAM SAUCE

We used to go to the garden with MeMa at sunrise while the dew was still on the plants and gather fresh vegetables. We picked butter beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and dug new potatoes.

MeMa would give us a fork to poke into the ground underneath the potato plants until we located a potato. We would then use a spoon and extract it from the ground.

After the potatoes were washed, MeMa took a spoon or knife and scraped away the tender skin. They were then placed into a pot of salted water and boiled gently until done but firm. She then added black pepper, milk and slurry paste of water and flour (or corn starch) and fresh country butter. Once the liquid became a creamy sauce, it was ready to serve.

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.