Try this on for size: the Luther [Vandross] Burger. It consists of one pound of ground beef, fried egg, cheese, and five strips of bacon.
Sounds over the top?
Replace the buns with Krispy Kreme donuts and you’ve got yourself a Luther burger. And a shortened life span!
Fresh Strawberry Cobbler
Ingredients
Filling:
4 cups medium strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 cup sliced fresh peaches
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Biscuit topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To prepare the filling, combine strawberries and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. Spoon strawberry mixture into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate or 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. To prepare the biscuit topping, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, working with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk. Drop dough by tablespoons over strawberry mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
“Relish the Season,” May 2006.
This recipe came to me via the great State of Wisconsin… as you can tell, it proudly boasts their legendary export… cheese!
Four Cheeses Baking Powder Biscuits
Yield: 10 Servings
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup white cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup American cheese, shredded
2/3 cup milk
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in cheeses. Add milk, stirring just until moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by gently folding and pressing dough 10 to 12 strokes or until nearly smooth.
Pat or lightly roll dough to 1 - 2 inch thickness. Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 450F oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm.
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This recipe won the blue ribbon at the 1988 Texas State Fair.
French Pork Chops Baked With Cabbage
8 loin pork chops — no bone, and not thinly cut
3 lb cabbage, finely chopped (8c)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
6 quarts water
Parmesan cheese — grated
Dry bread crumbs
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Bring water, salt to a bubbling boil, add cabbage for 5 minutes. Drain.
In a 10-12 inch skillet, melt 2 tbsp of butter over moderate heat. When foam subsides, cook the onions and garlic, stirring constantly for 3 - 4 minutes, or until they are soft.
Stir in the cabbage, 1/2 tsp salt and a few grindings of pepper, cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes, or until almost all of the moisture in the pan has evaporated, and then set aside.
Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbsp of butter with oil over moderate heat. Brown chops about 3 minutes on each side. Then set them aside.
Pour off almost all fat from skillet, leaving only a thin film on the bottom. Add the wine and boil rapidly until color is golden brown and wine has reduced to 1/4 cup.
Mix the reduced wine into the cabbage. Spread about 1/2 of the cabbage in the bottom of a heavy flameproof casserole at least 4 inches deep, large enough to hold 6 chops in single layer, chops on top of cabbage.
Add another layer of cabbage, more chops, finish with rest of the cabbage. Preheat oven to 350F.
In a small saucepan scald the cream by heating it over moderate heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Pour the hot cream over cabbage and pork. Then cook in oven 1 hour with cover on dish. Remove cover, sprinkle cabbage with cheese (layer from side to side). Then put crumbs over cheese.
Bake casserole for 30 minutes longer or until the top is browned and crusty. Then serve.
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Dipped Coconut Shortbread
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in coconut. Cover and chill for one hour or until firm.
On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4″ thickness. Cut with 2 1/2″ cookie cutter. Place, 2″ apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 300F for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool completely.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Dip cookies halfway into chocolate. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until set.
Monday Night Football!
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Children and men love this recipe… namely because it can be eaten with bare hands! However, it can be messy because of the flaky crescent rolls. So, plates should be available.
This is a great recipe to use as an introduction to cooking for children and novice cooks. Additionally, it can be contoured to a crowd and will not break the bank. In fact, it can be used as the main dish at your football party when it is accompanied with a number of fun dipping sauces such as Tom Brady BBQ, Joe Montana mustard’s (Dijon, honey, yellow), Pittsburgh Steelers’ sweet & sour, Joe Flacco fiery salsa, etc. Be creative!
Big Pigs in Big Blankets
8 hot dogs, partially split along length
Cheddar cheese, cut into strips
8 ounce can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
Fill each hot dog with strips of cheese.
Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Place hot dog on each triangle and roll up.
Place rolled hot dogs onto a greased cookie sheet (cheese side up) and bake at 375F for 10 – 12 minutes.
Mark hales from Newhall, California, and comes from a chili family. His father, Charlie Ward, and Charlie’s wife, Barbara, call themselves the “Travelin’ Chiliheads” who cross the country each year cooking chili and sending a full report to the International Chili Society office in an attempt to keep us all informed of what’s happening everywhere.
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The International Chili Society (ICS) is a non-profit organization that sanctions chili cook-offs with judging and cooking rules & regulations. These events are world wide and benefit charities or non-profit organizations.
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Mark Ward’s World Championship Salsa
2 cans tomato sauce, (8 ounces)
8 ripe tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
5 fresh Serrano peppers
1 medium avocado
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt (to taste)
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Chop peppers, cilantro, onions and tomatoes.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Yield: 3 pints.
This four ingredient recipe is very easy and can be made in advance. However, I have found that it has a limited ‘life’ as the tortillas are highly absorbent. Pretty much every four ingredient recipe is a shell which allows for countless variations. Think outside the box, be creative and consider adding something unique to make this recipe yours.
For a kick to this recipe, add more taco seasoning or a dash of hot sauce. Jalapeno peppers (finely minced) can also be added to the cream cheese. Remember, the cream cheese mixture will need to be ‘rolled’, so no large pieces.
Tortilla Roll-ups (Pinwheels)
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp taco seasoning
1/3 cup picante sauce
12 flour tortillas
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add taco seasoning, picante sauce and mix well.
Spread mixture on each tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly. Place seam side down in airtight container. Chill at least 2 hours. Slice each roll into 1-inch slices forming a pinwheel.
Arrange on plate to serve.
Sunday – September 28th
Dear Foodies,
Last week, I wrote about how my Sunday’s were spent as a young man… and that post reminded me of many Lord’s Day meals spent with friends, family and visiting clergy. Our home was always open to church leaders and if I can brag a bit, they all raved about my Mother’s fine cooking!
My family would often eat Sunday dinner at the home of Emory & Bobbie Johnson. ‘Miss Bobbie’ is a wonderful cook from Alma, Georgia, who always fried chicken to perfection. Her meals never included fancy recipes, but always featured fresh vegetables and desserts made from scratch. An invitation to Miss Bobbie’s is coveted as you are guaranteed a fine Southern meal.
Below are four incredible recipes that I consider synonymous with a Southern Sunday dinner. Because I now live in the city and folks here rarely cook, I will welcome an invitation to your home when you try these fine dishes!
Good cookin’
Ben
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I have had more compliments on this chicken than anything else I cook. The crust is crispy, and the meat is tender and juicy. I hope you enjoy it too!
Chef Rick
Chef Rick’s Southern Cooking
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Rick’s Southern Fried Chicken
1 whole chicken, cut into 9 pieces or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups self-rising flour
3 to 4 cups vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons salt, divided
I teaspoon pepper, divided
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
Place buttermilk in a l-gallon plastic bag. Mix buttermilk with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Pour over chicken in bag and seal. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Measure flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1 TBSP. poultry seasoning and place in a large double paper bag. Place half the chicken pieces in the bag and shake to coat. Remove the chicken from the bag, shaking off excess flour. Place chicken on wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Spoon out enough shortening to measure 1 inch deep in skillet. Heat to 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces, skin-side down, into the hot oil. Cook for five minutes, lift with tongs to see if chicken is cooking evenly; rearrange if necessary. Continue cooking until chicken is evenly browned, about five more minutes. Turn chicken with tongs and continue cooking until brown all over, about 10-12 minutes longer.
Remove to wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.
