Cookin' Country Style

[Sharikee]

[Sharikee]

Southern Peanut Butter Pie
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 pie shell, 9-inch, baked
Filling
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk, scalded
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Meringue
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
PREPARATION

Combine the crunchy peanut butter and confectioners' sugar; blend well. Spread all but 3 tablespoons over the bottom of the baked pie shell. Save remaining peanut butter mixture for topping.

In a medium saucepan, blend the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in scalded milk then place over medium heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and hot. Quickly stir about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks.

Add the egg yolk mixture back to the pan, along with the butter.

Continue cooking and stirring until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over peanut butter mixture.

Meringue
Beat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Spread over filling. Sprinkle remaining peanut butter mixture over meringue. Place in 325° oven until meringue is lightly browned, about 12 to 16 minutes.

Chill the peanut butter pie, or serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Serves 8.

[Sharikee]

Classic Fried Catfish

Ingredients

4 catfish fillets
cooking oil
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions

Rinse fillets. Do not pat dry.
Heat cooking oil to 350 degrees in heavy skillet.
Combine all dry ingredients in shallow dish. Place fillets into cornmeal mixture. Coat fillets evenly; shake off excess coating.
Fry in hot oil, rounded side down, for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn fillets and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towel.

[Sharikee]

Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

For the Crab Cakes
2 large eggs
2-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
1/2 cup panko
Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
For the Quick Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
1-1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions

For the Crab Cakes
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.
For the Quick Tartar Sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes won't hold together well.

[Sharikee]

Shoofly Pie

Ingredients
Pastry for a 1-crust 9-inch pie
1 cup all-purpose flour
Two-thirds cup light brown sugar, packed
1 rounded tablespoon cold butter
One-fourth teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup light molasses
Three-fourths cup cold water
One-fourth cup hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pie pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan; set aside.

2. In a food processor bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Remove one-half cup of the mixture and set aside. Transfer the rest to a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the molasses and cold water, and blend but do not beat; you don’t want bubbles in the batter. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix the hot water with the baking soda and blend into the molasses mixture. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Pour into the pie shell and top with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 35 minutes. The pie will appear quivery but will firm up as it cools. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before cutting.

[Sharikee]

Apple Pandowdy

For the Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Instructions:
First, make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined. Sprinkle the butter cubes on top and use your fingers to work them in (you want to rub your thumb against your fingertips, smearing the butter as you do). Do this until the mixture looks like cornmeal with some pea-sized bits remaining. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water on top and stir with a fork until the dough begins to come together. If needed, add another tablespoon ice water (you shouldn't need much more). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead three times. Father the dough into a ball, then press into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the Filling
Ingredients:
8 large firm-tart apples (about 4 pounds) such as Granny Smith or Northern Spy, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and set a rack to the middle position. Arrange the apples in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with sides at least 2 inches high. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 1/2 cup water and pour over the apples.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rectangle about 9 inches wide, 11 inches long, and 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into squares roughly 3 inches across. Arrange the squares over the apples, making a concentric pattern, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake the pandowdy until juices are bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to gently press the pastry down into the juices so it's mostly (about 80% submerged) Return the pan to the oven bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the pastry is nicely glazed and the sauce has thickened.

[Sharikee]

Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients

1 (2-pound) bag Southern-style frozen hashbrown potatoes
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¾ teaspoon salt
1 can 98% fat-free cream of celery soup
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
¼ stick margarine, melted
Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients.
Spread in casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

[Sharikee]

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients

10 cups clean, WHITE snow

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large, cold bowl, mix together the snow, condensed milk and vanilla until the mixture reaches the consistency of ice cream.

Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer.

[Sharikee]

Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup frozen small sweet peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Preheat oven to 425°. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in Creole seasoning.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce. Spoon filling into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
3. Cut butter cubes into self-rising flour with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Add cheese, bacon, chives, and whipping cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 3 or 4 times. Roll or pat dough to 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to form 15 biscuits.
4. Bake Chicken Pie Filling at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and arrange biscuits on top of hot chicken mixture. Bake 25 to 30 more minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven, and brush biscuits with 2 Tbsp. melted butter.

[Sharikee]

White Potato Pie - Maryland's Way

1 pound Irish potatoes
2/3 cup country butter
¾ cup sugar (good measure)
Salt to taste
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
½ tsp baking powder
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Seasoning to taste with grated nutmeg, vanilla or ¼ cup sherry wine
4 eggs

Cook potatoes, mashing them through a ricer when done. Add butter to hot potatoes and mix well; stir in sugar, salt, cream, and milk, then baking powder, lemon juice and rind, nutmeg and vanilla or sherry. Beat eggs well and stir into potato mixture. Line a pie pan with thin pastry and fill with the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven until firm and brown.

[Sharikee]

Melt in Your Mouth Pork Chops

What You'll Need:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (1-inch-thick) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup pitted prunes, sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
What To Do:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops 5 minutes on each side, or until browned; drain.

Add remaining ingredients to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 30 minutes, or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.

[Sharikee]

Rice Bake Casserole
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish
1 small onion, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for top
4 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large casserole dish.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions with 2 tablespoons of butter and cayenne until translucent. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.

Add the cheese, rice, parsley, thyme, basil and spinach mixture and combine well. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and serve piping hot.

[Sharikee]

Mocha Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons boiling water

– In a bowl whisk or sift flour with salt, and baking soda. Keep aside.
– In a different bowl, beat the butter with sugar, when well combined add the vanilla, egg, and coffee.
– Add the flour mixture and mix well, then add the oats and mix using a spoon or a spatula.
– refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
– Take a heaping teaspoon from the dough and place on the baking sheet/pan.
– Wet your fingers with cold water and press the cookies down.
– Bake in a preheated oven of 350F, for 9 to 10 minutes, but if you like your cookies a little crispy, then bake for 12 minutes.
– Place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool.