June 19, 2010 · 4:12 pm

Peanut Brittle

“Aunt Carol wasn’t a very good cook, but she could make peanut brittle.  They lived next door to us and her children always wanted to eat over at our house, because my mom’s cooking was great.” -Pat

recipe by Aunt Carol Borel

2               cups  sugar
1               cup  light corn syrup
1               cup  water
1/2          teaspoon  salt
2 1/2      cups  peanuts — raw
1               teaspoon  baking soda

Combine all ingredients except baking soda in a large sauce pan.  Boil until hard boil stage.  Peanuts will begin to make a popping sound.  If you cook it too much, the peanuts will burn.  Remove from heat and add baking soda stirring as it foams up.  Pour over buttered tin foil or parchment paper.  Cool then break apart.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert

June 19, 2010 · 1:20 pm

Orange Pecans

Granny and Paw Paw mark the Christmas season with the ripened fruit of their Satsuma, Louisiana Sweet and Bloody Navel trees.  With all of that fruit, there is plenty to share. Pecans are also in season, which makes the combination of  the two a natural pairing.    These yummy Orange Pecans are a Christmas tradition.  Set out with Candied Orange Peel and Fantasy Fudge.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

Ingredients

3/4     cup  sugar
1          Tablespoon  water
3          Tablespoons  orange juice
1           teaspoon  orange peel — grated
1 1/2  cups  pecans (Elizabeth uses 2 cups.)

Method

Cook all but pecans until soft boil stage.  It doesn’t take long.  The syrup will begin to thicken.  Pour in pecans and stir until it begins to turn white.  Turn out on wax paper and separate.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert, Holidays, Lunch Box

June 19, 2010 · 1:16 pm

Martha Washingtons

Granny always made these at Christmas when Pat was a child.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

2             pounds  powdered sugar
1             cup  sweetened condensed milk
1             stick  butter
1             quart  pecans — chopped
1/2        pound  candied cherries — chopped
1             Tablespoon  vanilla

1            package  Baker’s semisweet chocolate
1/3       cake  paraffin (wax)

In a mixer, cream butter, add sugar , milk and vanilla.  Fold in cherries and pecans.  Mixture will be very stiff.  Form in small balls.

In an electric rice cooker, melt chocolate and paraffin.  Dip balls in chocolate using 2 forks. Let drip, then place on wax paper or parchment paper.

*Sometimes I cut the recipe in half because it makes so much.

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June 19, 2010 · 1:12 pm

Cajun Cake

by Granny–Dolores Borel

Cake:

1              tsp  salt
2              cups  flour
1 1/2      cups  sugar
1               tsp  baking soda
2               eggs
1               large can  1lb 4 oz crushed pineapple — undrained

Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured sheet cake pan.  Bake 350 35-45 minutes. Top with icing.  Serve warm.

Icing:

3/4          cup  sugar
1               small can  evaporated milk
1               stick  butter
1               cup  coconut
1               cup  pecans

Icing:  Cook sugar, milk and butter 5 minutes stirring constantly.  Add coconut.  Pour on cake while hot.  Sprinkle with pecans.

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Filed under Cakes, Dessert

June 19, 2010 · 1:10 pm

Blackberry Cobbler

When I (Elizabeth) was a little girl in the 1980s, PawPaw took us to pick blackberries at the old McFillen Air Park in Lake Charles.  When our buckets were filled, we’d pass them on to Granny who would put together a cobbler that made all those splinters worth it.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

Ingredients

2            quarts  blackberries
1 1/3    cups  sugar
2            Tablespoons  cornstarch

2 1/4    cups  Bisquick® baking mix
1/2        cup  milk
3             Tablespoons  sugar
3             Tablespoons  butter — melted

Method

Place berries, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and heat to boiling.  Pour into 9 x13 baking dish.  Combine all other ingredients to form a batter.  Pat out or roll out small biscuits.  Place on top of liquid berries.  Bake 375 until biscuits are golden.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

*Sometimes I substitute blueberries for blackberries.  I add about a tablespoon of lemon juice.  You could also brush the crust with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it.

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June 19, 2010 · 12:49 pm

Banana Nut Bread

This is a great way to use over-ripe bananas. Granny always made this with bananas that turned black.  Mary Ellen loves to make it for her children.  Elizabeth sometimes makes two or three mini loafs and freezes the extras. Walnuts can be substituted for pecans. 

by Granny–Dolores Borel

1           cup  sugar
1/2      cup  butter
2          eggs
4          banana — mashed
2          cups  flour
1          teaspoon  baking soda
1          teaspoon  salt
1          teaspoon  vanilla
1/2     cup  pecans

In a mixer cream butter and sugar.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour in greased loaf pan and bake 350 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Mini-loaf pans should be filled about 3/4 full.  Lessen cook time and test centers with a cake tester to determine if they are finished baking.

*If you don’t have four over ripe bananas, peel the ones you do have and freeze them in a ziplock.  Later, defrost and add to batter.  Don’t worry if they turn brown and have made liquid.

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Freezes Well

June 19, 2010 · 12:34 pm

Chocolate Yummy

This is also known as Chocolate Pudding Delight and Chocolate Pie-Pie.

Elizabeth’s mother-in-law, Jane, likes this dessert because it’s “cool for the summer.”

Melba was Granny’s best friend. She was the first one to share this recipe, which has become a family staple.

Ingredients

1               stick  butter
1/2          cup  pecans — chopped
1               cup  flour

8               ounces  cream cheese — softened, but not warm
1               cup  Cool Whip
1               cup  sugar (I use 3/4 cup.)

2               small boxes  instant chocolate pudding
3               cups  milk

Top with more  Cool Whip

Method

Crust:  Mix butter and flour with fork until mixture is crumbly. Mix in pecans.  Pat into 9 x 13 pan and bake 325 for 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling 1:  Cream cream cheese and sugar together.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Spread over cooled crust.

Filling 2:  In a mixer, combine pudding and milk and beat until thickened. Pour over cream cheese mixture.

Topping:  Cool Whip.  You can sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

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June 19, 2010 · 12:29 pm

Dreamy Pumpkin Pie

Kathy always made this for Thanksgiving.  It’s the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.
I made it for a dinner party once.  I put it in little coffee cups instead of in a pie plate and stuck cinnamon sticks in to serve.  It was cute and a hit.

By Kathy Kohrs–Pat’s sister in North Carolina

2/3          cup  sugar
1               envelope  unflavored gelatin
1                tsp  cinnamon
1/2          tsp  salt
1/4          tsp  nutmeg
3               eggs — separated
3/4          cup  milk
1                cup  pumpkin — cooked or cannned
1/3          cup  sugar
1               graham cracker pie crust, 9 inch
1/2          cup  whipping cream
1/2          cup  coconut — toasted

Combine sugar, gelatin, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a saucepan.  Combine egg yolks and milk.  Add to gelatin mixture.  Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thick.  Stir in pumpkin.  Chill until spoon mounds slightly.  Beat egg whites and fold in.  Pour into crust.  Chill.  Whip cream in a chilled bowl and add sugar.  Top pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

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June 19, 2010 · 12:26 pm

Party Potatoes

It is so much easier to serve this instead of baked potatoes at a dinner party.  Everything is already mixed in. For an autumn touch to your Thanksgiving buffet, heap potatoes into a hollow pumpkin or squash shell.

I (Pat) omit the onion and garlic salt and increase the butter to 4 tablespoons.  I also combine Panko bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top then bake.

By Pat Savoie

5           pounds  Idaho® Potatoes — peeled and quartered
1/2      pint  sour cream
1           8-ounce package  cream cheese
1/4      teaspoon  pepper
1/8      teaspoon  garlic salt
1           teaspoon  salt (or to taste)
1/4      teaspoon  onion salt
2          tablespoons  butter
Paprika

In salted water, boil potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.

Mash until smooth.

Add next seven ingredients, beat until light and fluffy.

Place potatoes in greased 2-qt. casserole and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with paprika and run briefly under broiler.

NOTES : This dish may be refrigerated for two weeks or frozen.
You can use the recipe to top Shepherd’s Pie.

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Filed under Freezes Well, Holidays, Side Dish, Vegetarian

June 19, 2010 · 11:42 am

Braised Shallots

This was a great hit at Mom’s dinner party as a side dish served with stuffed pork loin.

By Elizabeth Savoie Dronet from the book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madsion

1         Pound  Shallots

1        Tablespoon  Butter
1        Tablespoon Olive Oil
1         Bay Leaf
2        Sprigs  Thyme — fresh (1/2 tsp dried)
2        Teaspoons  Sugar
Salt and Pepper
1/2           Cup  White Wine

Drop shallots into boiling water 2 minutes.  Cool.  Peel.  Pull apart at natural division lines.

On medium heat brown shallots in skillet with butter, olive oil, sugar, bay leaf and thyme for 10-15 minutes.

Add  salt and pepper and white wine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until tender.  Stir occasionally and add a little water the pan looks dry.  Uncover and reduce to syrup.  Serve warm.

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Filed under Side Dish, Vegetarian