Southern Hot Pepper Vinegar

Bumper Crop Leads to Beautiful Vinegars

We had a bumper crop of peppers this year -- jalapenos and chiles as well as milder banana peppers.

We made a hot pepper vinegar.  It's very easy.

Simple Ingredients

In a saucepan start with 4 cups of white vinegar.  Add 2 tablespoons of course salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Bring to a boil for two minutes. Let mixture cool.

Fill sterilized bottle with a combination of fresh peppers, with stems trimmed.  Use a chopstick to position them in the bottle and to poke neat holes in the peppers in order to bring out their heat and flavor.

Putting it together

Pour vinegar over peppers and allow a few minutes for it to "settle," before adding more. Place stopper in bottle and wait a week or so before using.

We used blackboard paint on each bottle to add our "brand" in chalk.

Bon appetit.

A Hearty Collard Dip -- Yes, As In Collard Greens

Greens for Luck

Along with most everyone, we cooked collard greens and black-eyed peas to welcome the New Year.  The peas will bring us luck, we hope, and the greens will bring us wealth.  However, we had more greens than we could conveniently prepare on New Year's Day -- so we made them again on January 2 and Steve ( @SteveMoffett ) transformed them into a hearty dip.

How We Cook Greens

We start with two slices of diced bacon, half an onion thinly sliced, some green bell pepper, also sliced -- and let the ingredients slowly saute in two tablespoons of olive oil.  We season this mixture with sweet basil, salt and pepper before adding the greens and allowing them to sweat. (The hosts of "Posh Nosh" would say perspire or be humiliated.)

Our 2014 greens were excellent -- we actually cooked a generous portion of kale with the collards -- and were quickly consumed with our homemade hot pepper vinegar as well cornbread and black-eyed peas.

Next Day Dip

On Friday, we cooked our remaining collards (no kale this time) in the same manner, and Steve decided to use them to make a hearty dip.  

First, after they were done, we allowed the collards to thoroughly cool in the pan. 

Then, we put them in the processor and added one teaspoon of mayonnaise and one tablespoon of olive oil.   Steve added two or three shakes of Cholula Hot Sauce.

Serve on Saltines and with Cheddar Cheese

The results were flavorful -- with a little kick from the hot sauce. 

We served this humble dip on an equally humble saltine -- with a sliver of cheddar. 
 

No Partridge in this Pear Pie -- Just Pears

 

My Grandmother Lottie Epperson Griffith was famous in several counties for her piemaking abilities.  She was perhaps best-known for her pecan pies, but she made many different kinds and I've never been afraid to experiment with pie.

My Mom and my Dad were also great in the kitchen.  My Mom, Betty Jo Boyd Griffith, could create anything and make it beautiful.  My Dad, Bob Griffith, wasn't afraid to experiment and combine unlikely ingredients.

We had some gorgeous Riviera Pears from Harry and David that were ripening too quickly for us to enjoy so I decided to make a Pear Pie.

A few weeks ago my sister gave me a 58-year old Dormeyer mixer that had belonged to my mother who passed away last year.  It seemed only logical to use that mixer-- and it still worked!
Ingredients include

Pastry to make 9-inch pie crust
2 pears sliced (I don't peel -- peel adds interest and texture)
1 cup white sugar plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Slice and arrange pears -- slightly-layered like cards -- in bottom of pie plate.
Sprinkle pears with tablespoon of sugar and set aside while you make filling.
Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs. Add vanilla and flour and beat until mixed.
Pour mixture over arranged pears.
Bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a slice or perhaps just a shaving of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

In our family, homemade pimiento cheese and ginger ale punch are part of the Christmas Eve tradition. Aunt Grace started that, declaring that it was rich, but not too filling; "save those calories for Christmas Day Dinner."
But, we loved this  Texas Monthly story about the King Ranch casserole (thank you, Sara Ivey) and wanted to share this on our blog.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/king-ranch-casserole#.Uq0r0alOEj5.facebook
The King Ranch Casserole didn't originate on the King Ranch; more likely, according to this article, it was a Junior League take on Chicken A La King.
Aunt Grace also had a wonderful Chicken A La King recipe, which we'll share soon.
In the meantime, this could become our new Christmas Eve dish.  Thanks, Sara.

King Ranch Casserole

Grace Alice Boyd

Nigella's Chocolate Cherry Trifle -- Great Downton Abbey Dessert for a Holiday Party or Ice Party

After four days of being ice-bound, we're ready to reembrace our healthy eating.  But, there was one last gasp yesterday as we created a chocolate cherry trifle.  We couldn't find our trifle bowl, so we improvised.  Husband Steve Moffett (@SteveMoffett) put this together twice yesterday -- once for our friend Christine and her family for so generously hosting our son during this ice-mageddon and once for a family dinner last night with Aunt Barbara Anne and Uncle Doug who braved their way through the ice and snow all the way from next door.

We've made this dessert several times for parties and it's always a palate-pleaser and an eye-catcher (especially if you can find the trifle bowl.)  There's about 15 minutes of prep, a half-hour execution -- but the secret is to let it chill for several hours, even overnight, before serving.

As for calories, don't ask.  With apologies to Pamela Foster, whose Twitter account I follow (@Downton Cooks,) this dessert is -- in my American perception, at least - definitely "Downton Abbey Edwardian" in richness and presentation. Plan to eat fruit and Tracy's Tacos for several days afterward in order to compenstate.

Here's a link to Nigella's original recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-feasts/chocolate-cherry-trifle-recipe/index.html

Tracy's Table -- Low-Cal Taco Salad

My sister Tracy -- through healthy eating and sensible exercise -- has improved her health immeasurably in the past year. 

She's also "invented" a number of wonderful recipes that are tasty as well as healthy.  I've been so impressed with her cooking I asked if I could share a few of her recipes.

Here is 

Tracy's Table Taco Salad

You'll need

3-4 cloves fresh garlic
1 large onion
Bell peppers
coconut spray or organic coconut oil
1 lb ground chicken
taco powder seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes
Fresh chopped lettuce
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop fresh garlic, onions and bell peppers and saute in skillet, using coconut spray or 1-2 Tb of organic coconut oil (we use Spectrum brand, but there are several fine products.)
As onions become "glassy," add
1 lb ground chicken and cook very well.
Then, add taco powder seasoning -- as much as 1/4 cup -- thoroughly incorporating the powder and making sure all ingredients are "chopped" finely.
Finally, add one can of Rotel tomatoes.
Arrange meat dish over plate of finely-shredded lettuce and serve.

You can store/refrigerate this mixture in one-cup containers and reheat (for approximately 1 minute) in the microwave.

Each serving is approximately 230-245 calories.

Legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas Dies at 92

Pioneering journalist Helen Thomas has died.  This Associated Press obituary shares the highlights of a persistent nature that tormented presidents -- and delighted the rest of us.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/pioneering-journalist-helen-thomas-dies-was-an-irrepressible-white-house-correspondent/2013/07/20/80f2dce8-f146-11e2-b2e0-0ecd9d3227c0_story_1.html