Baked in the South

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded smoked gouda cheese 3 ounces cream cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper 8 ounces of smithfield country ham, chopped 16 ounces cooked macaroni Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Whisk in butter to make a roux.  Stir until smooth.  Whisk in milk and evaporated milk. Stir for 3-5 more minutes until slightly thickened.  Stir in gouda cheese 1 cup at a time and mix until cheese is melted.  Add cream cheese, salt and red pepper.  Stir until blended.  Stir in chopped country ham.  Stir in macaroni.  Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes until hot & bubbly.  Recipe adapted from the Junior League of Hampton Roads Cookbook My Mama Made That

  Ingredients: 2 frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 large red onion sliced thin 2 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chives 1 egg 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon salt 3 ounces goat cheese   Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil.  Saute onions until soft and carmelized.  Add the green onions and the chives.  Set aside to cool.  In a bowl, mix the egg, heavy cream, and salt.  Stir into the onion mixture.  Lay puff pasty out on a lightly floured cutting board.  Spread the carmelized onion mixture on top of entire puff pastry.  Crumble the goat cheese on top of onion mixture.  Roll the pastry jelly roll style, from the short end, into a roll.  With a sharp knife, slice the roll into 1 inch pieces and lay flat on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes until brown.   

I could literally eat this meal every night.  You can throw in any kind of veggies and/or meats you have on hand.  Just be sure to use cooled left-over cooked rice.  It is best when the rice has been in the fridge over night and loses some of it's moisture.  Don't use freshly cooked rice, which I have done, it comes out to be a soggy mess.  You can also make this vegan by omitting the eggs.  Throw it all together and viola!  dinner is served! Ingredients: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 eggs 4 cups cold cooked white rice 1/2 cup shredded carrots 3 green onions chopped 1/2 cup bean sprouts 1/2 cup mushrooms 1 cup napa cabbage 1/2 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup snap peas 1/2 cup onion diced 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add eggs and scramble until firm.  Add remaining ingredients and saute until vegetables are tender.  Modifications: Vegan: omit egg More Veggies: add baby corn, broccoli, water chestnuts, or bamboo shoots Meats:

Spicy Orange Chicken 3/4 cup orange juice 3 tablespoons of soy sauce zest from one orange 1 tablespoon cornstarch Mix these ingredients in a small bowl and set aside 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 lb chicken breast, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, seasoned with salt & pepper 1 cup snap peas 1 small red onion sliced thin cooked jasmine rice Saute the onions & crushed red pepper in the olive oil until translucent, add chicken and cook for 6-7 more minutes until chicken is cooked though.  Add snap peas and orange juice mixture and let simmer until the liquid is reduced and thickened. Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with bean sprouts, green onions, jalepenos, or chopped cashews.   Recipe Adapted from Epicurious

  Ingredients:   1/4 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon bourbon 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 package puff pastry thawed 1 lb brie   Directions:   Heat butter in medium saucepan and add the pecans and bourbon.  Toast pecans slightly and then set aside to cool.  Lay out puff pastry on a cutting board and using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut out rounds of puff pastry.  I got about 16 rounds out of the two pastries, which made 8 bites.  Lay 8 of the rounds on a greased cookie sheet.  Place about 1 tablespoon round of brie in the middle of each pastry.  Top with the browned pecans and some sugar.  Lay another round of pastry on top and using a fork, seal the edges.  Repeat with remaining pastry.  Brush with egg and bake for 20-25 minutes until brown.

Dave's Smoked Country Ham   In his own words when I asked how he made it:)   "The country ham? This is kind of my own experimenting. " "It was just a 7 lb shank end of whole country ham. Soaked overnight in water to get rid of some of the salt. Set up big green egg at 225 degrees. Put ham on rack, set rack in drip pan with water in it. covered ham/rack   with aluminum foil-keeps ham moist . didn't put any seasoning on ham. Cook skin side up. At 225 takes about an hour per pound till reach 165.   I didn't add any smoke chips but my egg has a lot of old hickory flavor to it but not too strong since I didn't add any new chips. That's it. add some water once or twice . Take out at 165, cut off skin. Sit 15 min covered with foil. Slow cooking over water comes out moist. If you want a fancy look, after take out of egg and cut skin off, make a honey /butter topping in pan on stove. Put on ham after skin off. Make knife slit pattern in ham for effect.

  I made these for Christmas Eve and they were delish!  I would recommend using slightly less bisquick, as they were a little dry. Ingredients:   1 lb cooked ground sausage 2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix (her recipe calls for 3, which is way too much in my opinion:) 4 cups grated sharp Cheddar 1/8 tablespoon pepper   Directions:   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well with your fingers. The mixture will be very crumbly. Form into 1 inch balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together. Place the balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

  I will be blogging about our holiday recipes over the next few weeks.  We had so much good food and this ham was on the menu Christmas Eve.  Kai's dad Dave roasted this ham in the big green egg smoker at 225 degrees for about an hour per pound.  This ham was about 8 pounds, so it smoked for about 8 hours.  It was amazing!    

     Ingredients:   1 lb. cooked linguine 3 tablespoons butter 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves) 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined black pepper 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/2 lemon, zest grated 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes   Directions:   Cook linguine according to the directions on the package in salted water.   In large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.   When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss we

  I made this the other night for the boyfriend and he loved it.  I served it over parmesan risotto and roasted asparagus.  It was so good!  I used lamb chops instead of a rack, which I am sure would be just as delish.  I also didn't have any of the fresh herbs, so I used dry instead.  The original recipe calls for lamb necks to make the sauce, which I omitted as well.  The sauce was super rich and had great flavor.  You can use any dry red wine to make the sauce, just make sure you save some for drinking!   Sauce   1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence 4 1/3 cups Pinot Noir or other dry red wine 3 cups low-salt chicken broth   1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour   Lamb:   1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh thyme 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 5 tab

  oh. my. goodness.    this is one of my all time favorite recipes from Giada.  it is super easy to make and takes seconds to put together.  i know the poor thing can't possibly be eating any of the food she makes.  have you seen her?  she weighs like 90 lbs.  but she sure can cook, and this recipe it totally bangin.  Ingredients: 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded flat into cutlets salt and pepper 3 T. flour for dredging 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped cooked linguine Directions: In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then coat the chicken in the flour on both sides. When butter and oil start to sizzle, cook chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until browned. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to warm plate. Now in the same skille

  These are very popular at our house.  I usually make a bunch up and keep them in the fridge for dipping.  They also make a great party appetizer.     To assemble layer refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese until cups are full.  Top with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips or fritos.  Couldn't be easier!  

  i know this post is a little late:)  but I still had to share this picture of my little louis by his tree