Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Another recipe inspired by Paula Deen. (I think it was the same episode as the Oven Fried Chicken). I used the basic ingredients but changed up the dressing. An excellent salad: hearty, filling and fresh.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad



Ingredients:
2 cups Chopped Romaine
1 Avocado (peeled and sliced)
Juice of One Lemon
1 cup Corn Kernels (drained)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
Salt and Pepper

Mix all the vegetable ingredients in a large bowl. Top with juice of lemon, salt and pepper. I served with my Homemade Ranch Dressing drizzled over it. My husband was actually a fan of this salad (which is probably a good thing since he didn’t eat much of the chicken I served with it. LOL)

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to post since Thanksgiving. It's one of those simple things that everyone has a take on but is always included at Holiday meals. Unless you are me, and your baby just happens to get on a Sweet Potato Casserole kick and demand it of you every other week until your husband wants to throw it at you every time it shows up on the dinner table.

I can honestly say we have eaten Thanksgiving dinner several times since then, including yesterday (which is after Christmas). Sweet Potatoes are a super food though, so I have regulated the guilt to the back of my mind, though I could probably attribute a few of these 20 lbs I've gained in the 27 weeks of pregnancy to sweet potato casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup drained crushed pineapple (or more if you like it)
1 cup light packed brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
4 tbs butter (optional really but I'm from the south, we like butter with everything)
Large or Small Marshmellows (your choice and I vary it depending on what I happen to have on hand).

Directions:
Boil sweet potatoes in salted water until tender. Process through a Potato Ricer or mash until smooth. Place all ingredients in a casserole dish, mix well and top with Marshmellows. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until Top is browned but not burnt.

Cracker Barell's Hash Brown Casserole

This has always been one of my favorite dishes. Fortunately it is also one of the easiest in the world, no mess, no fuss, quick to prepare and great for Holidays, Breakfast, dinner, potlucks, etc. This dish is so versatile that it should be in EVERY person’s arsenal of emergency dishes.



2 lbs Frozen Hashbrowns
½ cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 11 x 14 pan with cooking spray. Mix ingredients and bake 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly on top.

Zucchini Casserole II

I use zucchini and squash in various ways: zucchini bread, fried squash cakes, zucchini crab cakes, squash pie, calico squash casserole, stuffed zucchini parmesan and even Zucchini Almond Biscotti.

This year I am on a mission to expand my repertoire for this versatile, healthy and abundant vegetable. First up for the year? A new version of a simple zucchini casserole.

Ingredients:
4 ½ cups peeled zucchini cut in cubes
1 can Healthy Request Cream of chicken soup
1 container of light sour cream (8 oz)
4 large carrots peeled and coined
1 medium white onion chopped
1 stick of butter
1 sleeve Ritz Wheat Crackers
1 small can of French’s Fried Onion topping
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil Zucchini until just tender. Meanwhile, sauté carrots and onion in butter until tender. Drain zucchini. Remove carrots and onions from heat. Add soup and sour cream, salt and pepper directly to carrots and onion mixture. Stir in zucchini. Crumble ¾ of the crackers into mixture and stir gently. Pour into a greased casserole dish ( I used an 8 inch round corning ware soufflé dish). Top with the rest of the crackers crumbled and the can of French’s Onion topping. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Goat Cheese Potato Gratin

Recipe from Cooking Light, October 2001

My husband actually really enjoyed this dish. He’s a meat and potatoes kinda guy but my use of goat cheese in some dishes is questionable to him. I should have known I just have to mix it with potatoes! For me personally, it was a little dry for me so I think I would like to add a bit more cream sauce but it was good. Well flavored.

Goat Cheese Potato Gratin
Ingredients:
1 cup half and half
1 tbs flour
1 cup (4 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups thinly sliced Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 2 ½ lbs)

Directions:
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 tbs of half and half with flour in a large bowl (whisk works best). Slowly whisk in the remaining half and half until smooth. Crumble the goat cheese into the mixture and add in the milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir gently. Spread a single layer of the potatoes in pan and pour 1/3 of the mixture over potatoes, coating them. Add another layer of potatoes and repeat with the mixture. Add the last potatoes (will not be a full layer) and pour the remaining cheese mixture. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Ina Gartens Cole Slaw

We attended a birthday party yesterday for my "nephew". ( I say that in italics because he's not really kinned to me but it's my BFF's boys so I call them nephews). Being a gracious Southern guest I asked if I could bring anything and it was suggested cole slaw to go with the grilled chicken and baked beans. Given that my BFF's family hail originally from the great Upstate New York, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try out Ina Gartens coleslaw.

It was delicious! (and since I don't have access to my pictures right now, I used the picture on Food network!)

Cole Slaw
Ingredients
1 pound white cabbage (1/2 small head)
3/4 pound red cabbage (1/2 small head)
5 carrots
2 cups good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Fit a food processor with the thickest slicing blade. Cut the cabbages into small wedges and place horizontally into the feed tube. Process in batches. Next, fit the food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches and mix in a bowl with the grated cabbages.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, celery salt, salt, and pepper. Pour enough of the dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten them (I used all of it-I'm southern, we like things DRENCHED/swimming in sauces and gravy LOL). Serve cold or at room temperature.

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce

Don't worry, this is not a variation of my Creamy pea Pasta. They are actually NOTHING alike. Last night I was planning on Asparagus and Goat Cheese Lemon Pasta. However, for the second time in a row, the asparagus I bought from a particular vendor at the Farmer's Market was molded inside the bunch. Given the fact that I do have a mold allergy, I have to throw the whole bunch away. (which last night was two bunches). That's $6.00 in the trash. I was highly pissed and scrambling for something to substitute for dinner. I pulled out one of Giada's recipes and let it inspire me to suit what I had on hand. It came out very well, though I believe next time I would prefer to saute off the onion's and garlic first. I will definately be making this again in the future. It's so easy and quick.

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion
4 ounces Goat Cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:
Boil noodles in salted water till tender. Drain.

In a food processor, chop onion and garlic. Add spinach, salt and pepper and blend. Add Goat Cheese and mascarpone and pulse until mixed well. Pour mixture over hot noodles and mix until well blended. Top with Parmesan. This is a "dry" recipe. The "sauce" just coats the noodles but do not look for an actual sauce. You can add some pasta water to loosen the mixture up a little bit if needed.

Eggplant Gratin

I'm sure I've said this many times before and will say it again: I rarely use a recipe exactly. I get inspiration from many sources but to suit either my pantry, my budget or my tastes I can look at a recipe and change it before I ever try it. I do try to give credit where credit is due though and I *barely* adapted this recipe from Ina Garten. (It's Ina, she rarely needs adapting ya'll, now how easy is that?)

It was a gooey soft eggplanty goodness. We have officially determined that my husband does not like nor appreciate eggplant though. Alas, I guess I will be making eggplant dishes for just me! (Oh darn, I have to eat all the eggplant by my lonesome, whatever shall I do? LOL)

Eggplant Gratin
Ingredients:
Good olive oil, for frying
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus some freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes in juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour your can of tomatoes into a blender with a dash of salt and pepper, pulse until a fairly smooth thick sauce.

In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Layer half the Riccotta sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie

This is probably one of my new favorite recipes. The Hubby wasn't too happy because "Where's the meat?" but he survived. My sister enjoyed it and said it was light and a tad sweet. Apparently my mom enjoyed it as the leftover's I sent home didn't even make it to my Dad. LOL I'm going to make this again but with a homemade crust. As I was working on cleaning out our stores of food though, this is what came out of it and I have to say, for getting inspiration from an episode of Barefoot Contessa and running with what I had on hand, this dish was phenomenal. I love those "accidental" masterpieces! I think I could live off of this stuff and feel NO GUILT whatsoever! It's that good. Creamy sauce, sweet and savory vegetables and a flaky crust! YUMMMMMMM!

*and I know, I am WAY behind on my pictures. I promised I have pictures for 99% of the posts from the last three weeks...still on the camera*

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 large Sweet Onion
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup flour
2 3/4 cups chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons half and half
5-6 Yukon gold Potatoes Diced
1 large Sweet potato skinned and diced
2 cups Frozen Green Peas
3-4 carrots, peeled and coined
2 yellow squash, diced
1 zuchini sliced lengthwise in strips and cut in chuncks 1/2 inch
1 box (2 shells) of Pillsbury Pie Crusts
One Egg

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

While sauce is going, cook the potatoes (Gold and Sweet) in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the carrots, zuchini and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, and green peas to the sauce and mix well.

Pour into a deep dish baker or individual stonewear dishes. Cover with pie crusts. (I had multiple dishes so needed both pie crusts). Whisk egg with a bit of water and brush over shells. Cut steam vents in center of shells and Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and pie is bubbly.

Grown-up Mac and Cheese

When you get a hankering for comfort food, it can be an overwhelmingly powerful thing. I had a massive craving for Macaroni and Cheese but trying to eat well without all the preservatives doesn't bode well for the cherished blue box with the name of Kraft. It's been quite a long time since I've made homemade Mac and Cheese but I decided it was definately time to try again.

Much like Brownies, mac and cheese really is one of the easiest things in the world to make. There is absolutely no need to keep the cheap boxed stuff around unless it is merely a money issue. Just remember a few easy steps: blend of cheese, basic Rou. EASY PEASY.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese (based loosely on Ina Garten's version)
Ingredients:
6 slices of Turkey Bacon
2 cups elbow macaroni noodles
1 1/2 cups heated milk
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs flour
1/3 cup grated Gruyere Cheese
1 cup shredded mild cheddar
1/4 cup asiago cheese (grated)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Panko

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake bacon slices for about 15 minutes or until crispy.

Cook macaroni in salted water until tender. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pot and add flour. Whisk until smooth about 2 minutes. Slowly add heated milk (heated through but not boiling) whisking constantly until smooth. Off the heat add the cheeses, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Once sauce is smooth and melted add macaroni noodles and stir gently. Pour into baking dish and top with Panko and crumbled bacon. Bake for about 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly and browned.

Twice Baked Potato and Broccoli Casserole

Sometimes the biggest mistakes can turn into new and amazing adventures in life. Tis the same with cooking. Things that don't work out like you planned can often create new and exciting dishes.

I had thawed out a small container of Eagle's Chili for Stephen and planned on making simple broccoli stuffed twice baked potatoes. For some reason even after an hour my potatoes still were not soft. They were cooked but not all the way. So when I tried to scrape out the halves, they broke apart. Frustrated, I threw everything in a casserole dish and rebaked. It actually turned out really well and the leftovers were phenomenal. Thus a new dish was born.

Twice Baked Potato and Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients:
Two cups boiled or steamed broccoli florets
2 large baking potatoes
One small carton of Sour Cream
1 cup mild shredded cheddar
1/2 stick butter
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Panko or Seasoned Bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:
Bake Potatoes at 350 for one hour (wrapped in tinfoil). Rough Chop cooked potatoes and place in casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Stuffed New Potatoes

I found several new recipes that were pleasing to my husband...you know, the meat and potatoes guy? Well, ofcourse this was a potato recipe. He liked it so well, that he asked if I could add the potato filling back to the sauce and make it in BIG potatoes as twice baked. GO ME! I think this is a much better plan since using a tiny melon ball scooper to dig out baby Red potatoes was a pain in my ass anyway. But they sure were tasty (if a little messy since my filling was more like a sauce..whoops.)

*And I profusely apologize for my picture quality lately. They look good and then I download them and they are blurry. I don't know WHAT The deal is!

Stuffed New Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 oz softened cream cheese
1 lb New Red Potatoes
4 tbs butter, softened (mine was melted thus the liquidy texture)
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil potatoes in salted water till tender. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking process immediately and cool down enough to handle. Cut the tiniest sliver off the bottom so potatoes "stand up" and use a small melon ball scooper to scoop out the tops for filling.

With electric mixer combine the rest of your ingredients and whip till fluffy. Pour into a pastry bag or ziploc bag (twist and clip the end for a makeshift pastry bag)and pipe filling into potatoes. Chill.

YUM!

French Onion Soup

This is my adapted version of French Onion soup. There are many out there and some use more herbs and flavors but I'm still being careful what I eat (due to previous allergy attack). This recipe is simple, hardy and good and really, there is no reason to try to add to it too much. Let the onions, sourdough bread and gruyere take center stage because really, you can't beat that combination anyway. It's Heavenly!

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
6-7 LARGE Yellow onions, sliced
2 tbs garlic, minced
3 tablespoon flour
8 cup beef stock (two boxes)
salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough bread
1 cup Mozzerella blend shredded cheese
Thinly sliced Gruyere cheese

Directions
Saute onions in oil over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice bread into 3/4 slices and butter both sides. Toast slices on grill pan until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with a sprinkle of mozzerella blend and then gently place slices of gruyere cheese over top. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined. Bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes (or use the broiler and watch super close).

Sweet Potato Sticks

Another Farmer's Market FIND: Sweet Potatoes! I love these little suckers and they are so good for you! One of my co-workers calls them "veggies on steroids" because of how many vitamins they give you.

As a southern girl, I'm all about adding butter, sugar and cinnamon to my sweet potatoes whether it be baked, fried, casseroled or sweet potato pie. To mix it up a bit though I thought I would try a healtheir version. These came out truly wonderful and the flavor was still sweet but delicate.

Sweet Potato Sticks

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Peel two large sweet potatoes, cut off ends and cut in half (not lengthwise). Julienne potatoes and lay flat on baking pan. Brush with olive oil and gently salt and pepper them. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for about 15 minutes more. (longer if you want them crispy).

Red Wine Risotto

My In-laws left earlier today, but the weekend was filled with family, children, laughs and lots of food. Whenever I have people over I tend to experiment on them as there are people to eat all the food I make. If you want to be a guinea pig, give me a call. *wink*

My FIL and I share a joy of wine. To dress up the traditional New Years fare of Seasoned Greens and Black Eyed Peas (representing Cash and coin), Pork (representing Renewal and success), I added a Red Wine Risotto.

Or as everyone else called it: Purple Rice. So the kids wouldn't eat it and my SIL tried "choking" it down because she didn't want to hurt my feelings, my husband and future BIL just picked on me about it though Josh (future BIL) did admit to me later that it wasn't that bad (ofcourse this was out of earshot of my husband and SIL..LOL). It really was enjoyable IF YOU LIKE WINE. It is very tangy and holds that merlot taste. I quite liked it and FIL went back for seconds so I consider it a success, jeers and all. Afterall, it could not have been that bad since it got gone VERY quickly. So quickly in fact that I didn't have time to snap a picture of it. (Just use your imagination, it really did look like purple rice).

Red Wine Risotto
Slightly adapted from Jane Price's Appetizers

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs crushes/finely chopped garlic
1 tbs dried thyme (I would add 2 but I ran out)
1 cup risotto rice
2 cups Merlot (or dry Red wine)
1 cup grated parmesan

Directions:
Heat chicken stock on stove. After bringing to boil, put on low simmer.

In a skillet, melt butter and add onion and garlic. Saute until tender but not browned. Add thyme and rice. Stir until all are coated.

Add half the red wine and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add half cup of chicken stock, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Add the remaining Red Wine and stir until absorbed. Repeat with two more additions of chicken stock. Once rice is tender and creamy add Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Sourdough Sausage Stuffing

Hands down, one of the best "dressings" I've ever had. The sourdough bread gave it a rich flavor while the sausage and herbs gave it a kick and bite. This was inspired by a Cooking Light Recipe but I modified it and made it truly southern and full of fat and Thanksgiving. It's a holiday, who needs light?

Ingredients:
1 lb sage sausage
1 medium onion chopped
4 ribs of celery cleaned and chopped
3 tbs dried parsley
2 tsps rubbed sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 loaf cubed sourdough bread (little over 1 pound)
1 (16 ounce) can chicken broth

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and spray coat 9 x 13 casserole dish. Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat. Remove sausage and in drippings saute onion and celery about 3-4 minutes. Stir in parsley, sage, thyme, salt, marjoram and pepper. Add sausage back in to pan and heat all ingredients. Place cubed bread into casserole dish, add sausage mixture and mix gently. Pour Chicken broth over mixture and toss until coated. Cover and bake for 15 miutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cranberry Sauce

Nothing is more beautiful during the holiday season than the bright red of cranberry sauce garnishing a place setting. Here is a quick recipe for a tart sauce full of color and flavor.

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:
2 Oranges
3 cups water
2 Granny Smith Apples
1 bag Fresh cranberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup crushed pineapple in juice
1 cinnamon stick

Chopped nuts and coconut to garnish

Directions:
Boil spices and cranberries in water with zest of one orange and juice of same orange. When the first cranberries start to burst add the peeled diced apples, chopped segments of second orange and pineapple. When over half the berries have burst scoop out fruits into a blender with about 3/4 cup of the spiced juice and pulse till a rough sauce consistency.

Pour into serving containers. Place a few of the whole berries from the pot on top and sprinkle with coconut and chopped nuts.

William Sonoma Potato Ricer

I have an addiction to the Food Network (aka Poor Man's Culinary School). I've seen countless episodes this month of Thanksgiving feast by various chefs/cooks etc. and the one common thread was a Potato Ricer. This little gadget is supposed to produce the creamiest fluffiest mashed potatoes in the history of mashed potatoes. Ofcourse I HAD to have one.


Not just ANY ONE but the RSVP brand that Cook's Illustrated touted as the best one. A piddly $13.00 on Amazon...psshaw..No problem. Except that I figured I would save myself the shipping and just buy one here. No luck. Can't find one anywhere. Back up plan: Target carries one (not as good but reasonably priced). No luck. They don't have them in stock. So the Friday before Thanksgiving I go online to see if I can rush ship one. They went up to $20.00! WHAT?! I was very upset and proceeded to complain and whine about it on a message board when a dear girl I 'know' offered me hers. She said "it's in the attic because the apartment is small, you are welcome to it." Bless her heart. She shipped it to me and behold IT WAS BRAND NEW WILLIAMS SONOMA sent to me just in time for the price of shipping! Thank you, Deborah (Wee), from the bottom of my heart.

I was in TEARS cradling this thing to my chest with my darling husband staring at me as if I had lost my ever loving mind! And it is a dream with potatoes. You HAVE to have one of these things and if you only use it at Thanksgiving it is still worth EVERY penny.

Simple Mashed Potatoes:

Steam diced,peeled potatoes for ten minutes. Rinse in cold water and return to steamer for another 10-15 minutes until tender. (Steaming and rinsing supposedly keeps the starch from breaking down making potatoes "gluey" according to Cook's Illustrated Test Kitchens and I dare say it definately works!).

Process potatoes through Potato ricer and gently mix in butter, salt, pepper and whipping cream. Perfect! Quantities are subjective depending on the size of the crowd. I think this is definately a recipe you HAVE to play with and therefore I'm not giving you measurements.

I can not tell you if the RSVP model is truly better then the Williams Sonoma but the WS one definately gets TWO THUMBS up from me. It is an excellent product! Easy to use, only a little effort to squeeze handle, and comes apart for easy cleaning. Get yourself one before the next holiday dinner!

Paula's Garlic Cheese Grits

I'm putting the cart before the horse here and telling you about the fabulous Paula Deen's Cheese Grits before I tell you about Thanksgiving. You see, I decided hosting family was the perfect time to try out this little southern gem. Not to mention instead of using the called for Chicken Stock, why not make it a true holiday brunch and use leftover TURKEY STOCK. Talk about using your thanksgiving leftovers wisely! I did not change up the original recipe too much which is why I linked it here to give proper credit.

However, the directions below ARE what I used.

Garlic Cheese Grits

Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Velveeta Cubed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cup Quaker Quick grits
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 cup chicken broth
2 cups Turkey broth
1 stick butter (You know its not a PD recipe without BUTTER! God Love Her)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 4 quart casserole dish with Butter spray. Bring the broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a boil. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, mine took about 5 minutes. Add the cubed cheese, half the shredded cheese and milk and stir. Take about 1/4 cup of the grits and mix into the whisked eggs to temper them. Gradually stir in the eggs and cubed butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 35 minutes.


This meal is truly a southern girls dream and lasted us all weekend.

Pear Blue Cheese Salad

A crisp fall salad that will delight your senses and "pear" well with any main meat dish. I served it up next to my Basil Tomato Stuffed Grilled Chicken.

Pear Blue Cheese Salad

10 cups torn salad greens (I used Romaine and Iceberg)
3 large ripe pears, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Blue cheese wedge
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
3 tbs cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all of your ingredients. Grate desired amount of blue cheese over salad (I prefer to do this once its in serving size bowls to make sure each serving gets an adequate amount). In an Italian Dressing jar or any jar with lid, combine dressing ingredients and shake well. Pour over salad and toss gently. Serve immediately. (8-10 servings)