Happy Thanksgiving! Menu & Recipes

Thanksgiving Delights

 

On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for

Our blessings all year through,

For family we dearly love,

For good friends, old and new.

 

For sun to light and warm our days,

For stars that glow at night,

For trees of green and skies of blue,

And puffy clouds of white.

 

We’re grateful for our eyes that see

The beauty all around,

For arms to hug, and legs to walk,

And ears to hear each sound.

 

The list of all we’re grateful for

Would fill a great big book;

Our thankful hearts find new delights

Everywhere we look!

 

By Joanna Fuchs

www.poemsource.com

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My Family's Thanksgiving 2010 Menu

Cheese Ball & Crackers

Roast Turkey

Pan Gravy

Cornbread Dressing with Bacon & Onions*

Buttery Corn Pudding

Mashed Potatoes

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Honey-Nut Crunch Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries

Pumpkin Yeast Rolls*

Sweet Peas with Pearl Onions

Simple Pumpkin Mousse

Crustless Pumpkin Pie*

Pumpkin Bread Pudding*

Banana Bread

Apple Crisp*

Vanilla Ice Cream

*Recipe follows

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Hints for a Delicious Turkey

I don't inject my bird. I don't deep fry it. I don't really do anything special. But my turkey is always the moistest, most delicious around. How do I do it? Well, Grammy always taught me that the most important thing about cooking is paying attention to detail. Not skill. Not talent. But rather taking care...doing the job at hand and doing it well. Pay attention to the foods you're cooking. My biggest turkey tip:

Baste it. A lot.

Keep squirting or spooning the juices over your bird. This keeps the bird moist and helps even browning.

More tips:

Rub your bird, inside and out, with a high-quality olive oil. Then, rub in your favorite herbs. I like to use garlic, pepper, and salt..only those three. You can get fancier, but I find that those three make the best flavor.

To stuff, or not to stuff?

I've done both. I prefer unstuffed. I like to cook my dressing on the side, and I stick a whole onion (stick it with a fork a few times first), a couple cut-up carrots, and some celery in the cavity to add flavor to both the bird and the drippings -- which you'll use for gravy later!

Use a meat thermometer. These are available at low cost. They're tremendously useful. Another way to tell when your bird is probably done: The wings and drums will wiggle loosely in their sockets. A meat thermometer is your best bet, though.

Avoid cross-contamination.

Defrost in the fridge. I pulled out my turkey on Sunday and it was perfectly thawed this morning.

Emergency thawing: place the WRAPPED turkey in a clean sink full of cold water. Change the water every thirty minutes until the turkey is thawed.

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Thanksgiving Recipes

Cornbread Dressing with Bacon & Onions

I rely on boxed stuffing mix for this quick, delicious variation on dressing. It's a favorite with my entire family.

What You Need:

• 2 boxes of cornbread stuffing mix
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 1/4 lb bacon, diced

How it's Done:

1. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a skillet. Add bacon and onion. Cook and stir until onion is translucent and bacon is cooked.
2. Bring to a boil 3 cups of water.
3. Put the dry stuffing mix in a large mixing bowl. Cover with the bacon and onion. Top with the rest of the butter. When the water boils, pour it over the entire thing.
4. Let the stuffing stand for five minutes.
5. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Transfer the stuffing to the dish. Pack it down tightly. Bake in the oven with your turkey for the last hour of cooking.

Pumpkin Yeast Rolls

These beauties are just a spin off of my favorite sweet potato rolls. They're easy to make and taste delicious.

What You Need:

• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 to 4 cups flour (I used White Lily all-purpose flour)

How it's Done:

1.Proof your yeast: In your mixing bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir it up and then let it sit undisturbed for ten to twelve minutes. It should get bubbly and double in volume. (If it doesn't, don't proceed, because it means your yeast is dead. Go out and buy new, fresh yeast. Yeast should be used by the expiration date. If you buy it in a jar, use it within 6 months of opening.)

2.Stir in egg yolk, butter, and salt. Add pumpkin puree and stir to combine.


3.Half a cup at a time, stir in your flour. If you're not using a stand mixer, a wooden spoon is the best tool for this job. Your dough will be slightly sticky when all the flour is stirred in.


4.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. You could also use your stand mixer for this job. By hand, it will take about 8 minutes.


5.Form the dough into a ball. Coat lightly with oil and place in a large mixing bowl. Cover gently and let rise until doubled in size. This will take anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes.


6.Punch down your dough. Divide it into 10 equal parts. Roll each piece into a rope. Roll cinnamon-roll style, pinching the end seam to seal. Place each on a cookie sheet that's been oiled and dusted with cornmeal. Cover loosely. Let rise again, until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.


7.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.


8.Immediately upon removal from oven, brush rolls with melted butter.
 
 
 
Crustless Pumpkin Pie (a.k.a. Pumpkin Pudding)

This wonderful dessert will satisfy your desire for pumpkin pie and you won't even miss the crust! Better still: you can make it in your slow cooker, freeing up time AND oven space!

What You Need:

• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

How it's Done:

1. Beat eggs well. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep stirring until it's uniform in texture and color.
2. Pour into a greased slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for three to four hours. Start checking for doneness at the 3 hour mark. You'll know it's done when the center is set and it looks like a pumpkin pie.
4. Serve as is or with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Make the most out of this favorite American fall food. Who says you need to stop at pumpkin pie? Try this delicious twist on a traditional bread pudding. I've used milk in place of heavy cream to cut down on calories, but make no mistake: this is a very rich dessert that's full of sugar. A little bit will do you well.

What You Need:

for the pumpkin bread:

• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

for the custard:

• 3 cups milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

for the nonalcoholic vanilla sauce:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• vanilla bean, scraped

How it's Done:

1. Bake the pumpkin bread.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line three loaf pans (8x5 is fine) with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set them aside.
2. Beat together the pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, soda, and all the spices.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients all at once and stir only until combined.
5. Divide amongst loaf pans and bake for about an hour, until a pick inserted near center comes out clean.
6. Let the loaves cool completely. I like to wrap mine and store them overnight before use.
7. Cut two of the loaves into 1/2" cubes. Spread them out on cookie sheets and bake at 325 for about 20 to 30 minutes, until they're toasted dry. You can use the other loaf another time.
8. Set the cubes aside and prepare the custard. Bring the milk and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat, stirring very frequently to prevent scorching.
9. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
10. Slowly drizzle in the heated milk, stirring the whole time to prevent the eggs from cooking.
11. Butter a 9x11" baking dish. Spread the pumpkin bread cubes evenly in the dish.
12. Drizzle the custard over the cubes, stirring and pressing the cubes to fully saturate them with custard. Let it stand up to 30 minutes so that the bread soaks up the custard as much as possible.
13. You need to cook this in a water bath, so find a pan bigger than the one you're cooking it in. Place the bread pudding dish into the larger dish and position the whole thing on the middle shelf in your oven.
14. Pour hot water into the bottom dish.
15. Bake for an hour. You want to see it puffed up, but the center will still be a bit jiggly. Take it out of the oven and out of its water bath. Let it stand 30 minutes before topping with sauce and serving.
16. While it sits undisturbed, make your vanilla sauce. Bring all the ingredients (just the seeds of the vanilla bean, not the bean itself) to a boil in a sauce pan with high sides. Cook and stir for two minutes. Remove from heat.
17. You can either drizzle the sauce over the entire dish, or you can drizzle a bit over eat individual serving. For additional flavor and eye appeal, sprinkle each serving with a combination of ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to taste.

Apple Crisp

What You Need:

• 3 lb tart apples, cored (peel them if you want to. I left my peels on for color and texture)
• big bowl of water with Fruit Fresh added (for dipping the sliced apples)
• 2 Tbsp apple cider, orange juice, apple juice, lemon juice, or water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, I omitted them today)
• 1/4 cup softened butter

How it's Done:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the apples thinly as you would for pie. Dunk them in the Fruit Fresh water ( I leave all the slices in the bowl until I'm ready to proceed).
3. In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp all purpose flour. Toss apples in sugar mixture.
4. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Pour the coated apples into the dish and distribute them evenly.
5. Drizzle with whatever juice you prefer.
6. Combine the topping ingredients: softened butter, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if using). Sprinkle topping evenly on apples.
7. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and dish is bubbling.
8. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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I'd like to leave you with one final verse:

May your stuffing be tasty,

May your turkey be plump.

May your potatoes & gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious.

May your pies take the prize.

May your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off of your thighs.



How to Host a Dinner Party

How to Host a Worry-Free Dinner Party

courtesy of All Home Cooking. All Year Long., Buitoni Riserva Pastas & Sauces, & FoodBuzz

1. Prepare. Invite guests. Plan a menu based on the number of guests, your chosen theme, and your time constraints. Be sure to choose an appropriate number of hot and cold appetizers, beverages, main courses and salads, and desserts. A theme makes this easier, as it gives you a place to start and keeps you on track throughout decorating, choosing menu items, and choosing music.
2. Be everywhere all at once. Be the cook, the server, the cleaning crew, and the enchanting, charming hostess. Stay clean, stay fresh, and stay on the ball. Remember, you're doing it all alone, but you must make it look easy!
3. Serve delicious foods right on time to a fawning crowd of appreciative diners.Keep smiling like it's effortless.

Before you throw your frying pan at my head, read on. Dinner parties can be home-prepared AND easy. Really! Thanks to Buitoni, I was able to single-handedly pull off a dinner for ten people without being frazzled, frustrated, and feeling left out of the fun. Here's how I did it:

I picked my theme. I knew my dinner would focus on Buitoni Riserva Pastas & Sauces, so I went for a charming, homey Italian dinner. I decorated in red and white and had Italian music playing softly in the background. I served on white plates.

I planned my menu. I chose a variety of foods I could either prepare ahead or that went together effortlessly minutes before serving. Here was my menu:

• A platter filled with marinated cherry peppers, kalamata olives, hot peppers, and bruschetta -- I bought the peppers and olives. The bruschetta I made from scratch. It took 15 minutes thanks to some prior planning and preparations.
• Toasted Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti: These took 15 minutes to fry.
• Pasta & Salad for the main course: I chose Buitoni Riserva Chicken 7 Four Cheese Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce, alongside the Spicy Beef & Sausage Ravioli with Marinara Sauce. I chose the Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti, with both sauces, for the vegetarians in my party. Keeping with the red & white theme, I served a stacked tomato-mozzarella salad drizzled with olive oil. The pairing was beautiful and delicious. Using prepared pastas and sauces makes a dinner party come together with simplicity and ease. Using prepared items doesn't have to mean sacrificing flavor, value, or quality. Buitoni pastas are high-quality, high-flavor, good value items. The ingredients lists contain all items I recognize and am comfortable serving. The pastas are stuffed to the gills with delicious fillings, allowing you to taste everything in them, unlike other ravioli products that have only a tiny bit of filling. The flavor combinations are unexpected, both simple and complex at the same time. A dance for your taste buds.
• For dessert, an assortment of classic yummies: cheesecake, tiramisu, cannoli, and strawberries with strawberry-pecan cream. Again, prior planning and preparations minimized kitchen time when I would rather be mingling with guests.

I served my guests. Since Buitoni did part of the work, and most of the rest was done ahead of time, I was free to have fun with my friends and family. Easy as a pizza pie. ;)

Thank you, Buitoni and FoodBuzz, for this unique opportunity. It was amazing.

Toasted Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti. Simple to make. Just dip them in egg, then Italian breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil 3 minutes. Drain. Serve with Marinara Sauce. This was a favorite among guests. The agnolotti is absolutely stuffed with pieces of mushroom. The aroma is excellent and the flavor is mouth-watering. Perfect!

Appetizer platter with cherry peppers, hot peppers, olives, and bruschetta

These cute tomato dishes from Pier One made the perfect server for my Pesto Bruschetta. To make this appetizer, simply slice a baguette into 3/4" slices and toast under the broiler until crispy. Top with pesto (either homemade or prepared)m sliced, seeded tomato, and fresh mozzarella. Place back under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese.

Want a salad that looks great, tastes great, and goes well with red & white pasta? Try this simple tomato stack. Simply slice a ruby red tomato. Alternate tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and serve! It's eye-catching, fresh, and delicious, but simple enough so as to complement, not overpower, the main dish. Bonus points: It uses the same cheese as the appetizer, cutting your entertaining costs a little bit.

The main course. For our vegetarian guests, Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti in place of the Chicken & Four Cheese and Spicy Beef & Sausage Ravioli. Both groups were served this way, with red & white next to one another. It made a stunning presentation and was gobbled up quicker than I could snap pictures!

The pasta & salad together. A stunning presentation of red, white, and green, don't you think? The flavors worked wonders together. Simple red & white place mats and white cloth napkins kept the mood casual and inviting.

Strawberries & Cream. The cream is simply cream cheese, sugar, strawberries, and pecans blended together.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

A crust of rich chocolate on the tiramisu

Tiramisu. Yum!

*note: I was compensated for my efforts and provided with free Buitoni Riserva pastas and sauces. However, that in no way impacted my opinions, nor was I, at any time, told what to write. My opinions are genuine and completely my own.

Southern Cookin' Sundays #3

Day 80!

Today, I made another Southern Cookin' Menu. On today's plate: Chicken Fried Chicken (LoL), Lima Beans & Corn, Southern Style Biscuits, and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert!

Here are some recipes...

Chicken Fried Chicken (Why do they call it that? Wouldn't Fried Chicken do it?)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/5 lb chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• peanut oil for deep frying

How it's Done:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, and pepper in a pie plate. In another pie plate, combine beaten eggs and milk.
3. Dip chicken in flour, then egg, then flour, then egg, then flour and egg again. THREE dips each dish.
4. Fry 8 to 10 minutes, then flip chicken and fry another 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve with gravy if desired.

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 1 can evaporated (PET) milk
• pie crust for a single crust pie

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a deep dish pie plate with your crust. Set aside.
2. In your food processor, combine eggs, butter, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Add sweet ptoatoes. Process until smooth.
3. With food processor running, slowly add milk.
4. Pour into pie crust.
5. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until almost set. Let pie cool completely before serving.

For a fabulous southern style biscuit recipe, visit Food Network's Alton Brown's recipe here.

Southern Cookin' Sundays #1

Day 66.

 

Today's the first of four Sundays in March that I will use to feature full, traditional Southern cuisine. This is not diet food. In fact, your arteries may narrow a little just reading this entry. But your belly will be very pleased with your culinary selections if you choose to replicate my menu. And your house will smell very nice. It'll smell so nice that you'll wish you could bottle the scent. And you'll open your windows to let in some cool air and your neighbors will smell the yummy scents and you might find yourself with some company this evening.

 

Oh, and by the way: If you make this menu for just your family, you should have leftovers to last several days. Cook once, eat lots.

 

Southern Cookin' Sunday #1

 

On today's menu:

• Barbecue Pork Ribs
• Cole Slaw
• Potato Salad
• Baked Beans
• Hushpuppies (cheated with a mix)
• Peach Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Sweet Tea

Invite a few friends to join you for supper. You'll have more than enough.

 

Step-by-Step Directions (individual recipes follow):

 

THE NIGHT BEFORE (I began preparing at 7:00 p.m. and went to bed at 10:00 p.m.):

1. In a bowl, place 4 to 5 cups of shredded cabbage, carrots, and raddicchio.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp celery seed, and 2 Tbsp milk. Whisk well. Pour over cabbage.
3. Stir cabbage to coat completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
4. Peel and quarter 3 pounds of Yukon Gold (or other waxy type) Potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with cool water.
5. Bring to a boil and continue boiling about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Don't overcook them or you'll end up with grainy mush.
6. Drain potatoes and move to a large bowl. Let them cool.
7. Meanwhile, cook 1/2 lb bacon to crispy and drain on paper towels. Hard-cook three large eggs and let them cool. Peel and roughly chop the eggs. Crumble the bacon.
8. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp celery seed, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp relish, 1/2 cup finely minced white onion, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add eggs and potatoes. Toss gently to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
10. Pick through and sort 1 lb dried pinto beans. Place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Boil at a hard boil for ten full minutes. Transfer beans and water to a large slow cooker. Make sure the water is at least double the depth of the beans. I prefer to play it safe and triple the water. Cover and cook on low overnight (at least 8 hours, but up to 12).
11. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups whipping cream and 1 cup milk, 1 vanilla bean (scraped, seeds added to cream, add pod, too), and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a slight simmer. Remove from heat and put in an air-tight container. Refrigerate overnight.
12. Take a bath, read a book, watch a movie, or do whatever it is you do to relax. You've worked hard! Your efforts will pay off tomorrow.

THE MORNING OF YOUR SOUTHERN COOKIN' DAY:

 (I began at 9:00 a.m., took a break from 10 to 11:00 a.m., and worked hands-on until 2:00 p.m. Then, it was occasional stirring and flipping until another 30 minute bout of hands-on work from 5:30 till 6:00)

1. Drain your beans. Reserve 4 cups of beans for your baked beans. Bag up the rest and freeze them in 2 cup portions for later use. These can be used in any recipe calling for canned beans. 
2. Remove the vanilla bean hull from your custard. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Look for the custard to double in size. Move to an air-tight container and place in the freezer. 
3. Next, it's time to make some peach pie. Roll out two pie crusts. Position one in a 9" deep dish pie plate. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brush the pie crust with a beaten egg.
4. Place 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used frozen ones) in a collander. Drizzle 1 Tbsp lime juice over the peaches. Let them sit in the collander for about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix well. Pour peaches into mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, then stir to cover with the sugar & flour mixture.
6. Pour the peaches into the pie crust.
7. Dot with 2 Tbsp cut up butter.
8. Cover with the second pie crust. Make vents in the top.
9. Position your pie plate over a large cookie sheet in case of spilling in the oven.
10. Bake 40 to 55 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Let the pie cool a full 2 hours before cutting it. This allows the filling to set. Serve with your homemade vanilla ice cream. But first, on to the sweet tea, then the ribs and beans.
12. Make some sweet tea. It needs time to cool, so make it now. Bring a quart of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
13. Pour 1 1/2 cups of sugar into a 2 quart pitcher.
14. Remove tea bags from water and throw the tea bags away. Pour the tea into the pitcher and stir until the sugar is all dissolved. Add enough ice to fill the pitcher, stirring to melt most of it. Set it in the fridge until dinner is ready.
15. Prepare the dry rub ingredients for your barbecue ribs. In a ziploc bag, combine 3 Tbsp paprika, 2 tsp each red, black, and white pepper, 2 tsp onion salt, and 2 tsp garlic powder.  Close bag securely and shake to mix ingredients. Rub on both sides of 2 racks of ribs and let them stand for 1/2 an hour.
16. If you want to eat at 6:00 p.m., your ribs need to go in the oven at 1:15 or so. Set the oven to 275 degrees and put your ribs in. Bake 2 hours.
17. Meanwhile, start your barbecue sauce. In a large saucepan, combine 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 cups of ketchup, 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (I've been known to use rice vinegar with fantastic results), 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 cups of water, a large onion, diced, 1/3 cup molasses, and 1/4 cup honey. Whisk well, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
18. After the ribs have been cooking for an hour, put together your baked beans. Fry 6 slices of bacon crispy and let them drain on paper towels. When they're cool enough to handle, crumble them. In a mixing bowl, combine bacon, the beans you reserved from earlier in the day, a chopped up onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup molasses. Put them in the oven with the ribs and let them cook for the rest of the time the ribs cook (just over 2 1/4 more hours).
19. When the ribs have cooked 2 hours, flip them over and cook another 2 hours.
20. With 15 minutes left on the ribs, prepare your hushpuppies. I cheated and used a mix that only required water. I wish I'd gone ahead and made them from scratch. Make your balls and set them aside. Preheat your oil to 375 degrees.
21. Now it's time to brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Pull them out of the oven and coat them with sauce. Put them back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the lid from the baked beans and let them continue to cook.

22. Fry the hushpuppies. Drain on paper towels.
23. Your dinner is ready to serve. Go stuff yourself silly.

Here are the individual recipes in case you don't want to make a full, traditional Southern menu.


Oven Barbecued Pork Ribs
makes 2 racks

Ingredients:

• 2 racks (2.5 lb each) pork ribs
• dry rub (recipe follows)
• barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

How it's Done:

1. Rub both sides of the racks of ribs with the dry spice rub.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 an hour. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
3. Cook 2 hours. Flip racks over. Cook another 2 hours.
4. Brush barbecue sauce on both sides. Cook another 20 minutes.
5. Serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.

Dry Rub for Ribs:

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp each black, white, and red pepper
• 2 tsp onion salt (or 2 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp sea salt)
• 2 tsp garlic powder

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Close bag securely and shake to mix. HINT: Double or triple this recipe and store it in your pantry for a quick BBQ rub for any meat!
2. Rub on both sides of ribs.

Barbecue Sauce that'll stop you from buying that bottled junk
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (though I prefer rice vinegar for flavor)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• large onion (I recommend vidalia), diced
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use a whisk to blend them well.

2. Bring to a full, rolling boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Cole Slaw
Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 cups shredded cabbage (can add carrots and raddicchio for variety -- I save the raddicchio from bagged salad for this purpose)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp celery seed
• 2 Tbsp milk

How it's Done:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and milk.
2. Toss with shredded veggies in a large bowl.
3. Cover and refrigerate several hours, or overnight for best results.

Southern Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, rinsed, and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 Tbsp relish
• 1/2 cup finely minced white onion
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

How it's Done:

1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in large pot and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set them in a large mixing bowl. Allow them to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes. Toss gently to combine.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight for best taste.

Baked Beans

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup molasses

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole.
2. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Peach Pie

Ingredients:

• pastry for a double crust pie
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used two bags of frozen sliced peaches)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp butter

How it's Done:

1. Roll out the bottom crust and position in a 9" deep dish pie crust.
2. Brush bottom crust with a beaten egg.
3. Partially thaw peaches if frozen. Place in collander and drizzle with lime juice.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss with peaches.

5. Pile the peaches high in the crust, mounding in the middle.
6. Drizzle with vanilla extract and dot with butter.
7. Position top crust over filling and pinch seams closed. Vent the crust.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 55 minutes. Watch crust for burning. Cover with aluminum foil if the crust browns too quickly.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod and all

• 1 cup sugar

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Heat to barely a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove vanilla pod.

5. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Return to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least two hours.

*You can rinse off the vanilla pod and set it aside to dry. When it's dried and brittle, process it with sugar for a wonderful vanilla sugar.

Sweet Tea
makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 quart water
• 8 tea bags
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• enough ice cubs to fill the pitcher

How it's Done:

1. Bring 1 quart water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags.
3. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups sugar into a pitcher.
5. Remove tea bags from water. Pour water into pitcher. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
6. Add enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher all the way.
7. Refrigerate.