Pecan Pie

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
4 tablespoons ice water
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup pecans, finely crushed
1 cup pecans, quartered
1 cup pecan halves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Crust: In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and white sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually sprinkle the water over the dry mixture, stirring until dough comes together enough to form a ball.
On a floured surface flatten dough ball with rolling pin. Roll out into a circle that is one inch larger than pie dish. Place pie shell into dish and refrigerate until pie filling is complete.
To Make Pie Filling: In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, light and dark corn syrups, brown sugar, butter, salt and finely crushed pecans. Spread quartered pecans over bottom of refrigerated pie crust. Pour syrup mixture over top of pecans, then arrange pecan halves on top of pie.
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for one hour or until firm; let cool for one hour before serving.

Buttermilk Fried Plantation Chicken

Jennifer S.

This is really good when making chicken nuggets or chicken strips too!

3 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp White Pepper (optional)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder

Combine the seasoning mix.

1 smallish Chicken (3 to 4 pounds) or a combination of Legs and Thighs. I used boneless, skinless breasts cut into strips
1 Cup Whole Buttermilk (not the low fat stuff)
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (Seasoned with about 1 Tbsp of the seasoning mix)
Lard or Peanut Oil for frying.

Season the chicken very liberally with some of the seasoning mix, I use a spice shaker. Toss to coat evenly. You will have seasoning mix leftover. Cover the chicken with plastic and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight to allow the seasonings to penetrate the meat.

Then remove the chicken from the refrigerator, toss in the buttermilk, then dredge very well in the seasoned flour. When the chicken is well coated, shake off any excess, then set on a platter to let sit for about 1 to 2 hours. Flouring ahead like this will make for a crisper crust. Letting the chicken sit out will keep your fat temperature from dropping too much when you add the chicken to the pan. Putting it in right out of the fridge is like dropping in a handfull of ice cubes.

Add enough of whichever fat you choose from to come about half way up the sides of a large cast iron skillet. Heat the fat until a sprinkle of flour sizzles, or when the temperature reaches about 350 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Fry the chicken in batches, DO NOT overcrowd the pan or your chicken will not be crisp. Fry equal size pieces in batches together so that they will be done at roughly the same time. About 5-7 minutes per side for boneless, skinless strips.

Turn the chicken often for even browning, maintaining a good sizzle in the pan, with a target frying temperature of about 300 degrees F.

The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Let cool for a bit to let the juices settle in.

Mom's Roast Turkey Recipe

Jennifer S.

1 turkey, approx. 18 lbs.*
Salt and pepper
Poultry seasoning
Olive oil or softened butter
1/2 onion, peeled and quartered
Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery
2 carrots
Baking bag (in the foil aisle, make sure you get one large enough) and 2 TBS flour

Remove giblets bag and neck from turkey body cavity and pat bird dry. DO NOT RINSE!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove top baking rack and move bottom baking rack to lowest position.
Generously salt and pepper, and Poultry season the INSIDE cavities of the turkey. In the abdominal cavity place the onion, celery, carrots and turkey neck (these will all season the stock made while cooking the turkey).
Butter or oil the outside of the bird, then salt and pepper, and Poultry season to taste. Tuck the wings back to prevent burning the tips.
Prepare the baking bag according to directions, adding flour to bag. Place turkey in baking bag. Place into large roasting pan and place in oven. Follow baking bag suggestions for cooking time. Approx 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and let rest before carving. Use stock from cooking bag to make gravy.

GRILLED RIB-EYE STEAKS

Jennifer S.

Rib-eye steaks (3-4 inch to 1-inch in thickness)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Garlic salt
Kitchen bouquet
butter (use 1 stick or 1/2 cup for 6 steaks)Optional

Sprinkle generous amounts of the three seasonings on the steaks. Use each in amounts to suit individual tastes. Pour some kitchen bouquet over the steaks, each side, and rub salt and liquid well into the meat. Wrap in foil together until ready to grill.

Grill steaks until desired doneness, basting with the butter as needed.Optional.

Remove from grill when ready to wrap back in the foil to take to table. Let rest in foil for 8-10 minutes. Serve with baked potato and veggie of choice.

Mom's Favorite Peach Cobbler

Jennifer S.

2 (16 ounce) cans peaches in heavy syrup
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Empty peaches into the bottom of one 9x13 inch pan. Cover with the dry cake mix and press down firmly. Cut butter into small pieces and place on top of cake mix. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Easy Heidi Rolls with a Bread Machine on Dough Setting

Heidi P.

Important: Keep the yeast and salt separate from each other so it does not die. Follow the order of ingredients. Start after lunch to have by dinner. After dough setting is complete, let it rise a second time in the machine after the dough cycle, then form into rolls with a little chilled butter hidden inside. Let them rise about an hour or until double, after forming into rolls and bake at 350 for 20 min. (longer in a gas oven).

1 1/4 c. milk (if using powdered milk, add 1 1/4 c. water with 1/3 c. instant powdered milk, half of the powder if not instant)
1 1/8 teaspoon dried yeast
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ Tablespoons oil

Top with butter after they are out of the oven. Only cook in the middle of oven, with nothing underneath. If cooking with something else on the same level, just allow for a little more time. Golden brown is what you are looking for.

Also, I use 25% wheat flour in almost all my recipes.

Blanche's Cinnamon Rolls

Kelli R.

6 c. hot water
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. shortening
heaping 1/2 c. sugar
little less than 1/4 c. salt
1 1/2 c. powered milk powder
Mix together, wait for it to cool to warm.
When it cools add heaping 1/2 c. yeast. Wait till it bubbles than add 1 to 2 c. shy of 5 lbs. flour. Bosch on High for about 5 mins. Let it double( you can use this to make bread or rolls too).

Roll dough out. Put melted butter on it add brown sugar and cinn. I just spread enough brown sugar to cover my rolled out dough and than sprinkle some cinn on top. Roll up your dough into a log, use dental floss to cut them into the size you want. Bake at 325

Frosting
2 lbs of powered sugar
1 pkg. of cream cheese
2 cubes of butter, yes thats 1 c.
1 T. vanilla
enough milk to get it as thick or thin as you like it. I like mine thicker.