• 1 pound fresh sugar snap peas
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil or grape seed oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• Sea salt and pepper for seasoning

Prepare the sugar snap peas by removing the ends and strings from each pea.  Rinse them under cold water and spread them in a single layer over paper towels and pat them dry.  In a large skillet add the oils and turn heat to medium-high. Add the peas and sesame seeds to the skillet and sauté them for about 5 minutes or longer if more tenderness is desired.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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Looking for a hearty dish to make around the campfire?  Dutch Oven Apple Pie is a people pleasing way to keep all your campers happy.  This one turned out perfect and was simple to make with store bought pie pastry and some apple pie filling with fresh apples added.

• 1 box refrigerated pie crust sheets
• 1 can apple pie filling
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 stick real butter cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup water

Light 25 charcoal bricks and assemble the apple pie while waiting for charcoal to heat and turn grey.

Allow pie crusts to warm to room temperature out of the cooler for 10-15 minutes.  Unroll on of the refrigerated pie pastries and line the bottom of a 10″ Dutch oven with one of them,  pressing the edges up onto the sides of oven.  In a large bowl add the apple pie filling, sliced fresh apples, sugar, and cinnamon.  Pour mixture into Dutch oven.  Dot the apple filling mixture with the butter cubes.  Pour water over the filling.  Top the mixture with the other pie crust sheet.  Press edges to the sides and into the other pie crust.  Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over the top pie crust.  Cover Dutch oven with lid and place over prepared charcoals.  Place 8 hot charcoals under the Dutch Oven and 17 hot charcoals on top of the lid.  Every 15 minutes rotate Dutch oven 1/4 turn clockwise, then rotate the lid 1/4 turn counterclockwise.  Cook Apple Pie approximately 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Remove from heat and cool slightly before serving.

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Tags: Apple, Apple Cobbler, apple pie, Dutch Oven

I’m glad to live in Tennessee if for no other reason than the fresh strawberries grown in this state.  I’ve never had a sweeter,  juicer strawberry anywhere else.  Strawberry Tiramisu is the perfect dessert to welcome summer and makes an impressive presentation for minimal effort.

• 2 cups strawberries – washed and stems removed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• juice from one lemon
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 pint whipping cream – whipped
• 2 cups fresh strawberries – washed, stems removed, cut into slices
• 3 3 oz packages ladyfingers

Add the 2 cups whole strawberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice into a blender.  Puree mixture until smooth. Pour the strawberry puree mixture into a medium sauce pan.  Set heat to high until the mixture begins to boil.  Whisk frequently while mixture boils for 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar.  Beat with an electric mixer until well combined.  Fold the whipped cream into the cheese/sugar mixture.  Beat for 1-2 minutes or until a fluffy consistency is formed.

Cover the bottom of an 8×8 Pyrex with a layer of ladyfingers.  Brush a generous amount of the strawberry puree mixture over ladyfingers.  Next spread about 1/3 of the cream mixture over the glazed ladyfingers.  Then top the cream layer with fresh sliced strawberries.  Repeat this layering process 2 more times.  Save any remaining strawberry puree and fresh sliced strawberries for garnish.  Refrigerate the Strawberry Tiramisu, berries, and puree 2 hours or more before serving.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

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Lasagna Soup

This recipe is a keeper! It is a crowder pleaser and is so easy to make – just brown beef, open cans, add cooked noodles and enjoy.

• 1 pound browned ground beef
• 1 can 28 oz can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 2 NO BEEF bullion cubes + 4 cups water (or use a 32oz box of beef broth + 1 NO BEEF Bullion cube)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cooked spiral noodles (cook about 1 cup dry spiral noodles – do not add cooked noodles until almost ready to serve)
• Fresh grated parmesan cheese

In large Dutch oven  brown the ground beef.  Add bullion cubes, water (or beef broth) and tomatoes. Bring to boil and dissolve bullion cubes in liquid. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste buds. Reduce heat to simmer at 20-30 minutes. While the beef, broth, and tomatoes are simmering, prepare 1 cup of dry pasta spirals according to package directions.  Cook until al dente, drain, and rinse with cold water.  Add cooked noodles to soup mixture before serving and let simmer another 5 minutes. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Plain diced tomatoes can also be used along with 1-2 teaspoons of dried Italian seasoning

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I spent a good part of Tuesday “degreasing” and organizing my cook top and drawers under it.  It was a messy sticky icky job.  One of the tasks involved with this project was organizing the spice drawer.  I’ve had jars and boxes of spices thrown into this drawer for a decade.  The spices would spill out into the drawer, and were in no order whatsoever.  Part of my spices were stored in this drawer and the rest in another drawer on the other side of the kitchen.  Locating a spice wasn’t easy and left me frustrated.  Solution?  36 Ball jars, 4 oz size, filled with spices, stored neatly and clearly labeled with CHALKY TALKY chalkboard peel and stick labels.  I ordered these labels and the CHALKY TALKY liquid chalkboard pens from Amazon.  The cool thing about the labels is the liquid chalk can be wiped off with a damp paper towel and reused.  There were 40 labels which fit standard size jars.  I plan to order another pack of 40 standard labels along with wide mouth labels for another organization project.  For now, I am one happy happy OCD gal!

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Tags: Ball jar storage, kitchen organization, spice, spice rack

I can think of few main dishes with more Southern flair than Chicken and Dumplings.  I do not recall either of my parents making this dish in our home.  Chicken and Dumplings were given the respect they deserved.  Only my Grandmothers were worthy enough to make them.  There was no special family recipe written down. And both my Grandmothers instinctively knew how to prepare this family favorite.  By the way – the Blue WIllow plate in this photo belonged to my great grandmother Hancock.

I think the secret to perfect Chicken and Dumplings is having rich chicken broth.  Although boneless, skinless chicken breast could be cooked and diced, a whole hen with the skin on will produce a richer broth with more fat. Short on time?  Pickup a deli chicken and boil it for a few minutes skin and all before shredding the chicken meat.  Save the broth to make the dumplins.

Remove any bagged chicken pieces or parts from the cavity of the hen.  Rinse her well. Fill a large deep pot halfway with water. Add the chicken and bring water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium or a low boil.  Cook chicken until tender.  Remove chicken from broth.  SAVE BROTH in pan to cook dumplings.  When chicken is cool, pull meat from bones, removing skin if desired.

Dumplings:

• 2 ½ cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• milk

Mix together and add enough milk to make a stiff batter. Knead dough using plenty of flour.  Roll out to the thickness of pie crust.  I use a pizza cutter to cut dough into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces.

Bring chicken broth to a rolling boil.  Drop dough pieces into boiling broth and cook slowly until done.  You may need to cover pot with a lid and allow the excess liquid to cook down.  Add chicken and let stand to blend the flavors.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot!

Printable Recipe

Chicken-N-Dumplings

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Tags: fried chicken, jezebal sauce

Do you need a recipe for all that leftover Christmas ham?  Make my Aunt Debbie’s Ham Rolls.  This recipe can be made ahead, refrigerated, and baked for breakfast. It can be easily put together for a quick snack, party appetizer, picnic, or even a Super Bowl item.

To make good use of any leftover ham, cut it off the bone and place it in a food processor.  Lightly pulse until ham is chopped into fine pieces.  If chopped ham is not to be used right away, fill Zip-Lock bags with 2 cup portions and freeze them.  Use frozen ham later to make ham salad, or this recipe.

• 2 packages twin rolls (these come in rectangular foil pans) cut in half  lengthwise
• 1 1/4 sticks melted butter
• 2 Tablespoons mustard
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 cups chopped ham
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Mix the melted butter, mustard, Worchestershire, poppy seeds, and onion powder together in a small bowl.  Using a serrated knife, cut each pan of rolls through the middle lengthwise and remove the top half and set aside.  Place the bottom half back in the foil pan. Brush the bottom halves with the melted butter mixture.  Put one cup of chopped ham on each lower half, then add 1 cup of Swiss cheese to each pan.  Place top halves back on and brush tops of rolls with any remaining butter mixture. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until tops of rolls are golden brown and cheese is melted.

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These cookies were served to guests of the annual Lebanon Historic Tour of Homes this year.  One guest returned to grab all but one cookie, mentioning the cookies were the best she had ever tasted.  I didn’t really think that could be possible. Thankfully one cookie was left, and I was next in line. I took it. I tasted it.  And I loved it.  Yes these are just about the tastiest cookies I’ve ever eaten.  Thankfully I was able to secure the recipe for family and fans.

• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest

• 1/2 cup sugar mixed with another Tablespoon orange zest for rolling cookies to coat them

In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Cream well with a mixer.  Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to a sifter.  Sift and combine the flour mixture with the butter mixture.  Fold the chopped cranberries and the orange zest into the flour/butter mixture. Stir to combine.  Form 1″ balls with cookie dough.  Then roll the balls into the 1/2 cup sugar and extra orange zest.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 7-11 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned.  I like to lightly flatten each cookie with a spatula before they cool for a softer center.

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I enjoy creating new recipes for Christmas each year.  This recipe was inspired by a photo I thought I pinned to Pinterest but never could find when I wanted to make the dish.  So I have created my own recipe for Christmas Cranbery Salsa.  It can be served with corn chips. But I like to spread the salsa over 2 bricks of soft cream cheese and dip Wheat Thins or Pita Chips in the salsa.  It’s tart and sweet at the same time with a hint of cilantro, orange zest, and a jalapeno pepper.  Remove the seeds from the jalapeno for a milder salsa or leave the seeds for a hotter version.  Either way this dish makes a festive party appetizer.  I took it to my daughter’s Christmas program reception last night and found the following note on my empty dish:

Place the following ingredients into a food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely chopped:

• 1 12 oz package fresh whole cranberries
• 1 handful fresh cilantro (about a cup)
• 1 small purple onion – skin removed and onion quartered
• 1 jalapeno pepper – remove seeds for mild salsa, leave seeds for some heat
• zest of one orange
• 2  1/4 ounce packets of unflavored gelatin
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup sugar – More or less to suit your tastebuds

Pulse all ingredients until cranberries and onions are finely chopped, but not pureed.  Pour salsa into a large bowl, cover and place in refrigerator at least 4 hours.  While salsa is chilling, let 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese set on counter to soften. Spread cream cheese over a pretty plate or dish, then top with the salsa.  Serve with pita chips, Wheat Thins, or Triscuits.  Refrigerate leftovers IF there are any leftover!

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Tags: Christmas, cranberry, dip, Salsa