Bacon Swiss Tarts

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Ingredients:

  • 1 can flaky biscuits
  • 8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
  • 1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 3 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut each biscuit into thirds and press into greased miniature muffin cups.
  3. Combine the bacon, tomato, onion, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise and basil in a bowl and mix well.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cups.  Do not overfill.
  5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Yield 30.
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French Silk Chocolate Pie

Sweet Homemade French Silk Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 refrigerated pie crusts, softened
  • oz unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup butter, softened 
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 pasteurized eggs
  • 1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
  • Chocolate curls, if desired

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  2. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
  3. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Coconut Meringue Pie

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten
  • 2 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Meringue:
  • 5 to 6 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Sprinkle coconut in crust; set aside. Stir together sugar and cornstarch.
  2. Place egg yolks in a medium heavy saucepan; whisk in sugar mixture and milk alternately until smooth.
  3. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until boiling and thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; pour over coconut in crust.
  4. For Meringue: In a deep bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce mixer to low speed; add cream of tartar.
  5. Gradually beat in sugar, one tablespoon at a time; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spoon Meringue over hot filling, sealing carefully to edge of crust.
  6. Bake at 325 degrees until meringue is lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Southern Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue Sauce and Brush

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups ketchup

  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 5 tablespoons light brown sugar

  • 5 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder

  • 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer.
  3. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
  2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pecan-Herb Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:

Cornbread

  • 2 cups self-rising white cornmeal mix
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup salted butter (4 oz.)
  • 3 cups chopped sweet onion (from 2 large onions)
  • 2 cups chopped celery (from 6 stalks)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for topping
  • 1 (14-oz.) pkg. herb-seasoned stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm)
  • 10 cups chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Prepare the Cornbread: Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine self-rising cornmeal mix and, if desired, sugar in a large bowl. Stir together eggs and buttermilk in a medium bowl; add to cornmeal mixture, stirring just until moistened.
  2. Heat butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in preheated oven 5 minutes. Stir melted butter into batter. Pour batter into hot skillet.
  3. Bake in preheated oven until cornbread is golden, about 25 minutes; cool in skillet 20 minutes. Remove from skillet to a wire rack, and cool completely, 20 to 30 more minutes. Crumble cornbread. Freeze in large heavy-duty ziplock plastic bag up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator.
  4. Prepare the Dressing: Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high; add onion and celery, and cook, stirring often, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add sage, thyme, and rosemary, and cook, stirring often, 1 minute.
  5. Stir together eggs in a very large bowl; stir in crumbled Cornbread, onion mixture, pecans, flat-leaf parsley, stuffing mix, chicken broth, black pepper, and kosher salt until blended.
  6. Spoon mixture into 2 lightly greased 13- x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dishes. Cover and freeze up to 3 months, if desired; thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. (Uncover and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.)
  7. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven until lightly browned and cooked through, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Garnish with additional chopped fresh parsley.

Shoofly Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  •  teaspoon salt
  • ¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup molasses
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 single crust pie pastry

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Make the crumb topping: Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the consistency resembles cornmeal.
  3. Combine molasses, water and baking soda and pour into pastry shell. Spoon the crumb mixture evenly over the top. Bake 15 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer, or until set and firm.

Orange Cream Pie with Figs and Blackberries

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Ingredients:

  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 6-ounce graham cracker pie crust
  • 1 8-ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 pint figs, quartered
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • 2 tablespoons of honey

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, orange juice and lemon juice in a bowl; pour into pie crust.
  3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until center of pie is set.
  4. Cool completely; cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
  5. Spread whipped topping over chilled pie; garnish with figs and blackberries.
  6. Drizzle with honey.

Black-Eyed Pea Bruschetta

Ingredients

Avocado-Pineapple Shrimp Salad

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Ingredients:

For the Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Shrimp

  • 16 Jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 8 slices of fresh pineapple
  • 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, cut into chunks

Directions:

  1. Whisk all ingredients for the vinaigrette together in a bowl; set aside.
  2. Toss shrimp with pepper, paprika, salt, and cayenne.
  3. Heat oil in a large saute pan over high. Add the shrimp and cook until brown on one side, about 1 minute. Turn shrimp, saute another 30 seconds, then deglaze with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette; saute until shrimp are cooked through.
  4. To serve, arrange 2 pineapple slices and some of the avocado on each serving plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette, then top with 4 shrimp.