Cowboy Stew (aka Mexican Surprise)

This recipe is so special to my family and we still make it often. My husband, Mark, began making it in 1980. The name change came about one night when the children said they didn't want Mexican food, so having already started the dish, Mark said he was making Cowboy Stew. He made up a little song...."Cowboy Stew, I love you...." He sang this song while cooking the Cowboy Stew and the children thought he was something else. Even today they will ask him to sing the song.


1-1/2 lb. ground beef
3 clove garlic, minced
6 green onions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can green chilis, chopped
1 regular can of crushed tomatoes (not the large can)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can Rotel 'Mexican' diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1 can black beans or any bean of your choice
1 package Spanish rice
Cilantro, fresh
Salt & Pepper to taste
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef and drain, saute garlic and onions, add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Top each serving with cheese. This dish is even better the next day....if there is any left.

We eat this dish with Doritos chips and salad. Plain Doritos are the best!

Panini Happy - Mediterranean Vegetable Grilled Wrap

One of my favorite blogs belongs to Panini Happy. Every recipe I have tried has been delicious and easy. Below is one of their recipes for a vegetable wrap. Try it, you will love the flavor. Do you have a panini grill? They are worth their weight in gold...I wouldn't trade mine for anything. (Actually my grill is very old and I need a new one.) You can click on the title and go straight to Panini Happy blog site. You will want to visit their site often.

Mediterranean Vegetable Grilled Wrap
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a few teaspoons for brushing
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Italian or Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/4″ thick
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4″ thick
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2″ strips
4 whole wheat tortillas
7 oz. hummus
4 oz. feta, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the olive oil, parsley, oregano, basil, vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Place the eggplant, zucchini and red bell peppers into the bag. Seal and marinate for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Grill the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until tender and grill marks appear. You will probably need to grill in batches, depending on the size of your grill. Turn off the grill and carefully clean the grates.

Reheat the panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).

Microwave the tortillas on High for about 15 seconds (place a paper towel between each one so they don’t stick together) to make them easier to fold. Spread about a tablespoon of hummus down the center of each tortilla. Divide the grilled vegetables and feta crumbles evenly among the tortillas. Fold in the sides of the tortillas, dabbing a small amount of hummus where the edges meet to seal. Brush olive oil over the top of the wraps (this will help it to crisp and make grill marks) and place two at a time onto the grill.

Grill for about 4 minutes until the tortillas are toasted, the cheese is melted and grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!

New Orleans Cornbread

This cornbread is perfect every time. Trust me on this. I have made more cornbread than anyone I know and I struggle more times than not. This cornbread is so good you could eat it by itself--cold or hot. Excellent choice on these cold days with a bowl of soup or chili.

1 1/2 cups self-rising white cornmeal (Red Label if you can find it.)
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream corn
8 ounces sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. If you cook it in an 8" iron skillet the outer crust will be crunchy...perfect! I have baked it in other pans and it tastes just fine, but you don't get that crunch.

Corn Flake Stuff

This is one of those quick, messy, and sinful snacks you can make this winter.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups corn flakes, plain

Heat first 3 ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat, until melted. Add corn flakes and stir well. Pour onto a large plate or platter. Eat immediately.

Cold Oven Pound Cake

Mamaw McGee, Sue Patrick Richard's grandmother, taught me how to make this cake when I was in 5th grade. She was a fantastic cook and the kind of grandmother you read about in story books.

You cook this cake in a bundt pan and the crust that forms on top is so crunchy and flavorful. This is not your traditional pound cake...this one is very special....an old, old, old, recipe. I can guarantee that you will never cook another pound cake but this one!

Cold Oven Pound Cake
1 cup oil
3 cups sugar
3 cups regular flour
1 cup buttermilk
6 eggs, added one at a time
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract...I use lots more.

This recipe makes a thin batter. Use mixer on low speed, but don't over mix. POUR INTO CHILLED GREASED AND FLOURED BUNDT PAN. DO NOT PRE-HEAT OVEN!!!! COOL EXACTLY 10 MINUTES BEFORE TAKING OUT OF PAN.

Bake 300 degrees 1 hour and 30 minutes. Golden brown and crusty on top!

Five Flavor Cake

If you ever dropped by my mother's home, then you probably have had this cake. Margaret always had hot coffee and some type of homemade treat for anyone visiting. Her door was always open. I remember my cousin, Mary Jo, would drop by on Wednesdays, her sisters on Tuesday, and Thursdays, and her best friend, Myrtis, on Mondays. The days and the visitors would vary from time to time, but the hot coffee and cake were always the same.

My Parents: Margaret and Pleasant Adley

Sweet note from Mom's best friend, Myrtis. Myrtis has always had a special place in my heart too.

"Patti, I love your blogs, especially about food. Margaret must be looking down and loving that you are so much like her. I was always a little envious of her natural ability to be sweet and loving to everyone, and to make EVERYONE feel so at ease at her house. Love you so much, Myrtis"

Five Flavor Cake
2 sticks butter
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, well beaten
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs that have been beaten and are lemon colored. Combine flour and baking powder and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in flavorings. Spoon mixture into prepared 10" Bundt pan (or 12 cup pan).

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool pan exactly 10 minutes before removing from pan.


GLAZE
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. each coconut, rum, butter, lemon, vanilla, and
Almond extracts.
Combine ingredients in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil, stir until sugar is melted.
Pour 1/2 of the glaze on to cake while it is in the Bundt pan cooling and the other half after the take the cake out.

Texas Chili

As the weather man is predicting snow flurries and artic temperatures for tonight, I plan to celebrate by cooking this delicious Texas Chili. You only cook it for 2 hours; it's quick and easy!

2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 can Rotel original diced tomatoes and green chilies (2 cans if not adding beans)
2 cans chili beans, optional (I don't like beans in my chili...I know, I'm weird.)
NOTE: If you are not adding 2 cans of chili beans, you will need to add additional liquid. I usually add 1 beer in the beginning anyway.
grated Cheddar cheese, to top each bowl

Brown ground beef, drain. Saute onions, garlic, and jalapeno pepper in oil. Combine all ingredients into the same pot. Cook over medium heat and boil for 1 minute. Cover and simmer for 2 or 3 hours. You can add any of the following if you need to: salt, pepper, beer or chicken broth. If you add beer, do it early in the cooking process.

Cherry Chocolate Cake (also known as ... The Funeral Cake)

My nephew, Patrick Richard, brought this recipe home to his mother when he was in middle school. (He is now 27. That's how good this cake is-we are still making it!) He brought the recipe home, in his pocket folded into a little bitty square, and asked his mother to make it saying it was "the best cake he had ever eaten". The cake tastes like a chocolate covered cherry! Over the years we have started calling this cake "The Funeral Cake" because it is so easy to make with only a few ingredients needed. Who doesn't have the below ingredients in their pantry at all times?

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix (choose any flavor chocolate you like, Butter Fudge, Devil's Food, etc.)
1 can Cherry Pie Filling
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
Mix everything together in 1 bowl until thoroughly blended. Pour into a greased and floured 9X13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before adding the icing.


Icing
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Carnation evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
While the cake is cooling, over medium heat, bring the butter, milk, and sugar to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the fire and add 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until it cools and thickens. Pour over warm cake.

Fresh Apple Cake

Apples are so good this time of year and I'm tired of the heavy, sugary desserts from the holidays. Try a fresh apple cake for an easy, delicious dessert that will give you that warm and snuggly feeling. I bake mine in an iron skillet!


2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 cups apples cut fine
1 cup chopped pecans (optional, but I love them! You can use any nut you like.)

Mix sugar and oil until creamy. Add beaten eggs. Sift flour and dry ingredients
together. Add nuts and apples last. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Can use a bundt pan, but I use an iron skillet

White Rotel Dip

As you watch the NFL football playoffs, you will want to try this delicious variation on the traditional Rotel Cheese Dip. Be careful, it's addictive!

2 cans Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
2 - 8oz. packages of Cream Cheese
1 lb. sausage, browned (The kind in the tube...like Jimmy Dean brand. You may use regular or spicy depending on your taste. I use regular.)

Brown sausage in sauce pan, drain drippings. Add Rotel and cream cheese cooking on medium until cheese is melted and fully combined. Serve hot and eat with Frito chips.

Crawfish & Corn Chowder

I make this recipe for Christmas Eve along with hot, crusty french bread and wine. I usually double the recipe. When I'm trying to add a special touch or impress my family, I serve this chowder in bread bowls. My son Blake prefers it served in a bread bowl. You can order small bread bowls from La Baguette in Memphis or your local bakery.

This recipe is from The Best of Creole Cooking by Les Carloss.

8 ounces butter (2 sticks) (When doubling this recipe I don't double the butter. You can if you want, but the dish is rich enough without doubling.)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon pureed garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt (I do not double the salt when doubling the recipe.)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound cooked crawfish tail meat
2 cups fresh shucked corn (I use the kind in the tube located in the freezer section.)
2 cups heavy cream

Melt half the butter in a large sauce pan and saute the onion, celery, and garlic over a medium high heat for 4-5minutes, then stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the stock and whisk until smooth, then add parsley, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. (You have to bring it to a boil so the chowder will thicken.) Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, then add crawfish, corn, and cream and continue to simmer for 10-12 minutes, until a desired consistency is reached. Whisk in tablespoon measures of the remaining butter and stir to blend thoroughly.

Apple Juice 4 Everyone

Click on the title to view this wonderful, simply hilarious blog.

Thanksgiving 2008 Menu

Cornbread Dressing with Roasted Hen

Crawfish Pie

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Dirty Rice

Marinated Green Bean Bundles

Pistachio Salad, Five Cup Salad, Orange Salad

Fresh Cranberry Relish

Chocolate Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie

Homemade Hot Chocolate (For the Bocce tournament)

Dear friends brought:

Turkey and Dumplings

Corn Pudding

Sweet Potato Souffle'

Homemade Yeast Rolls

Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Jewish Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

We also served Wine, Sweet Tea, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate

Crawfish Étouffée

The usual staple of an étouffée is seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, or crabmeat. Other meats, such as chicken, or a combination of chicken and seafood, can be used.

The base of an étouffée is a dark brown roux. It is usually seasoned with onions, green bell pepper and celery (a.k.a. the holy trinity), cayenne pepper, garlic, and salt and has a thicker consistency than gumbo. There is typically no tomato in this dish. Most purists believe that once tomatoes are added, the dish ceases to be a true étouffée, and instead becomes a stew or a creole dish.


This recipe is better made the day before or early in the morning. I usually double the recipe because our children like to take some home to share with their friends.


2 sticks butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
Tabasco to taste
2 cups water
2 pounds crawfish tails (sold in the freezer section in 1 pound bags)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup minced parsley, fresh

Make a walnut-colored roux with 1 stick butter and flour. Add green onions, yellow onions, garlic, green pepper, celery, bay leaf, thyme, basil, and the remaining butter. Saute, uncovered, over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add white pepper, salt, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Turn off fire. Add crawfish tails (if frozen, do not thaw), lemon juice, lemon rind, and parsley. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Heat quickly, without boiling, and serve immediately over steamed rice.

Homemade Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is a delicious treat on a hot, summer day. Below are a few ice cream recipes that my family has enjoyed for years. All of these ice cream recipes are no-cook meaning you don't have to pre-cook the ingredients prior to freezing. For best results, use name brand ingredients.

No-Cook Vanilla Ice Cream
5 eggs beaten for 10 minutes
1 cup sugar
1 can Eagle brand milk
1 can Carnation evaporated milk
2 pints whipping cream
2 Tablespoons Vanilla extract
fill container with whole milk
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to the unit's instructions.



Chocolate Ice Cream*
Makes 4 quarts
16 ounces cool whip
1 can Eagle brand milk
1/2 gallon Nestle Chocolate Milk - Use the name brand...it makes a difference.
*If you want to make Butterfinger Ice Cream, add 4 Butterfinger candy bars, crunched at this time.
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to the unit's instructions.



Frozen Passion Ice Cream
1 64 ounce Shasta Strawberry Drink
2 cans Eagle brand milk
1 package frozen strawberries
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to the unit's instructions. You may need to transfer this ice cream to a container to finish freezing it. Delicious!

Memphis Flyer's 2008 Best of Memphis Reader's Poll

I am an avid reader of the Memphis Flyer and I always read 'the best of' and wish I had voted. Now is your chance to participate and have your favorites included. You have until Wed., Aug. 13th to submit your Memphis Flyer's Best Of ballot. Just click on the title of this post and you will be directed to the voting page. That ought to pass some time at the office.

Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

I can't wait to try this recipe: Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes. Compete instructions and pictures are on the Pioneer Woman blog. Just click on the title and you will be directed to her blog.

Cowboy Beef Dip

My cousin, Randy Mason shared this yummy recipe for Cowboy Beef Dip and picture of his beautiful family that was taken while vacationing in Destin, Florida this summer. (Claire, Randy, Lorie, Alicia, and Wyatt)

Cowboy Beef Dip
1 lb ground beef
4 tablespoons chopped onion, divided
3 tablespoons chopped sweet pepper, divided
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper, divided
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1/2 cup salsa
4 tablespoons sliced ripe olives, divided
4 tablespoons sliced pimento-stuffed olives, divided
2 tablespoons chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 to 3 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
Tortilla Chips

In a large skillet, cook the beef, 3 tablespoons onion, 2 tablespoons red pepper, and 1 tablespoon green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in the soup, salsa, 3 tablespoons ripe olives, 3 tablespoons pimiento-stuffed olives, chilies, jalapeno, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish. Top with the cheese, sour cream and parsley sprinkle with the remaining onion, peppers, and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.
Yields: 3 cups

Mouth Watering Drunken Chicken

It's that time of year when it is too hot to cook inside so you fire up the grill. With the heat index at 105 in Memphis we have been using the grill quite a bit. If you are running out of ideas, you should try this recipe; it's easy! The result of cooking your chicken with a can of beer inside is a moist, succulent, and very flavorful chicken. You can change the entire taste of your chicken by using different seasonings. I like to work a little extra seasoning just under the skin of the chicken.

1 can (12 ounces) beer
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of your favorite seasoning concoction
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups wood chips or chunks (I prefer hickory.) soaked for 1 hour, then drained
1 heavy duty foil pan (You are going to throw this away.)

Open your beer and pour off 3/4 cup and pour it in your drip pan for added flavor. Then using the old fashioned can/bottle opener make 2 more holes in the top of the beer can.

Remove the packet of giblets, wash your chicken inside and out with cold water, pat the chicken dry, and cut the extra fat off the neck and cavity area. Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of the seasoning inside the body of the chicken including the neck area. Drizzle the oil all over the outside of the chicken and rub 1 tablespoon of the seasoning all over the outside skin. Pour the remaining 1 teaspoon of seasoning into the beer can (don't worry if the beer foams up).

Hold the bird upright, lower it onto the beer can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod so the chicken will stand upright. The beer can is the third leg of the tripod. Tuck the wings behind the chicken's back

If you are using a charcoal grill, place a large foil pan (drip pan) in the center of your grill under the grate. Now is when you add the 3/4 cup beer you poured off and also add 3/4 cup water to the pan. Build your charcoal fire around the drip pan and add your wood chips on top once the coals are ready. Place your chicken in the center of the grill right over the drip pan. This is called indirect heat cooking. Close the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark, golden brown and crispy. You will cook the chicken for about 1-1/2 hours. You may need to add about 6 new coals on each side of the drip pan after 1 hour of cooking. If your chicken starts to get too brown, but it's not done, put a large piece of heavy duty foil over the top of the chicken, loosely. Be careful when you remove the chicken and beer can from the grill...the liquid will be super hot.

How do you know if the chicken is done? You could test the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh - 180 degrees = done! Personally, I wiggle the leg and if it is loose at the joint, it's done. Either way, BE CAREFUL to support the chicken when testing to see if it is completely cooked. That beer is hot!

Mamaw McGee's DoDo Balls

Mamaw McGee, Sue Patrick Richard's grandmother, taught me how to make DoDo Balls the summer before 5th grade and I have never forgotten the recipe. Sue says I have this recipe down to 'a fine art'. Anyone who has been to my home has eaten DoDo Balls. This is a family tradition!

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 tbl. cocoa
1 stick of butter

Cook above ingredients in heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to low boil for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Don't start your time until they are boiling and do not scorch! Remove from heat, and add:

1/2 cup peanut butter (I put much more peanut butter-more like 1 cup),
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 heaping cups oatmeal (the kind that cooks in 1 minute).

Mix well and drop onto wax paper. I use a melon scoop and make small size drop cookies.