Pecan Peach Cobbler

This is a great homemade dessert that is pretty easy considering that it's made from scratch!  We had this tonight when company came over, and it was a hit. The only hitch I had was that there was a piece missing from my ice cream maker so the guys had to run to the store and buy some vanilla ice cream.  I know it would have been better with homemade, but it was still delicious.  Enjoy!

Pecan Peach Cobbler

Filling:

10 peaches chopped (I leave the skin on - just wash them!)

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tablespoons corn startch
1 cup chopped pecans

Crust:

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter - chilled and cubed

3/4 cup milk

1 egg white

1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix filling together (except pecans) and cook on your stove top until bubbly

pour into a 9x13 pan and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together

Cut the butter in with a fork or your fingers until you get a sandy mixture (No big clumps of butter)

Pour your milk in a little at a time and mix together until it forms a ball (I use my hands)

Knead the dough into a rectangle shape to fit over the 9x13 inch pan.

Put on top of filling and tuck the edges in. 

Brush with egg white and sprinkle sugar on top

Bake 40 minutes or until golden .

Enjoy!

Savory Shrimp and Grits with Sausage

Here in Alabama, a restaurant owner by the name of Frank Stitt made the dish Shrimp and Grits famous.  His version is pretty fancy, but here is a down home version that is easy to make and delicious to eat!  Your family will think you are a gourmet chef when they taste this dish!

Shrimp and Grits with Sausage
Serves 6



1 lb medium size shrimp peeled and veined (You can even buy the precooked frozen shrimp!)
1 lb kielbasa
8 strips of bacon chopped
1 cup chopped scallions
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 lemon
1/4 tsp thyme (crushed)
Garlic Powder
1 cup chicken Broth
salt/pepper to taste


Grits

1 1/2 cup old fashion grits (or quick grits, but not instant)
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes



In a large sauce pan, bring 6 cups of water and tsp salt to a boil
Add grits and stir until they thicken
Add milk, cream, butter, garlic powder and pepper flakes
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add cheese, stir and serve with shrimp.

Start this step when the grits have about 20 minutes left.
Fry bacon on medium heat
Remove bacon pieces, but leave grease in pan.
Brown kielbasa and remove
Add shrimp and cook until pink
Add juice from lemon
Add chives, chopped garlic and crushed thyme, bacon and sausage
Add chicken broth
Simmer one minute. Serve over grits.

Enjoy!

Kickin' Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

I wasn't going to cook tonight. Really.  I even told my husband to grab him something on the way home, because this kitchen is closed! Then, I got this craving for rice, and of course I couldn't just eat rice. Something had to go with it! Something....hmmm...well, chicken, of course...and I have these water chestnuts...and this broccoli that I really need to use... Oh, I will just go ahead and make a casserole.  Why not? This is going to be easy and delicious. I opened the refrigerator and found  the ''Why not" - no cheese, no sour cream, no crackers for toppings; but my taste buds were already committed to the idea therefor, off to the store I went - no small feat when you live in the boonies like us!  The pressure was on.  If I was going to go through this much trouble for my taste buds, it had better be worth it!   Gladly, it was. :)


Kickin' Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
Serves 6

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked broccoli
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (3 or 4 chicken breast boiled for about 30 minutes until tender)
1 onion chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can water chestnuts (give them a rough chop)
1 can cream of celery
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning (Such as Tony's)
1 cup of crumbled butter crackers


Preheat oven to 350F

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray

In a large bowl, mix:
chicken
1 cup cheese
onion
sour cream
mayo
water chestnuts
cream of celery
garlic powder
pepper
cajun seasoning

Layer cooked rice on the bottom of the pan, and layer cooked broccoli on top, followed by your chicken mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes in oven.

Mix crumbled crackers and 1 cup of cheddar cheese together and sprinkle on top of casserole.
Cook for an additional 10 minutes (Til the crumbs are nice and golden)

Enjoy!

Crownies...?

Somedays, I am faced with making really hard decisions. Choices that will effect my whole family. I am talking about a tough, impossible, life altering, mind blowing, heart stopping, Sliding Dooresque choice.  Brownies or cookies?  Well, today, I answered that question by creating a cross between the two...The Crownie!  It is made like a cookie, but it has more of a brownie thickness and texture.  Whichever you may think they are more like, I do hope you enjoy them! These are a new favorite for us, and they are Chewly Awesome!

White Chocolate Chocolate Crownies

2 1/4 cups AP flour
2/3 cups Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter - melted and cooled slightly
1/8 cup oil
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Makes approx. 2 doz.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl

Cream the cooled butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth

Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated

Fold in your white chocolate chips

Spoon by large tablespoon fulls or ice cream scoop fulls onto prepared baking pan - six Crownies per pan because you don't want to over crowd them.  Have a good 2 inches between each spoonful  (I use parchment paper)

Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the pan.  Transfer to a cooling rack.


Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

When I was a little girl, I would often spend the weekend at my best friends house.  They had a very large family, and her mom always cooked breakfast for us.  Since I was the early riser out of all of the kids, she would ask me what I wanted for breakfast...my answer (always!) PANCAKES!  Seriously, is there anything better than cake for breakfast???? I think not!  Here is my favorite pancake recipe filled with the yummy goodness that is white chocolate. :) Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Serves 4

1 1/2 Cup AP Flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 lg eggs (room temp)
1 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (plus more for the pan)
1 Pkg White Chocolate Chips (or Milk Chocolate, or Pecans, Or whatever you feel like!)

Preheat your oven to 150 or 170 degrees and have a 9x13 pan ready to put cooked pancakes in to keep them warm

In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (sans the white Chocolate Chips - those are for later)
In a different bowl, beat the eggs and whisk in Milk and Vanilla

Melt a tbsp of butter in your pan over medium heat

Whisk into milk/egg mixture and add to your dry ingredients just until a thick batter is formed *Don't over mix at this point - lumps are okay ;)

With your pan still at medium heat, put about 1/4 cup batter onto the pan for each pancake.  

Add white chocolate chips to each pancake after bubbles break the surface (letting you know that the underside is firm)  When the edges start getting a golden brown (about 2 min. total), flip and cook another minute.

Put the cooked pancakes in your warm oven to keep them hot.

Serve topped with Butter, Maple Syrup, Powdered Sugar, or fresh sliced fruit.

Oh, and DON'T FORGET THE BACON :)

Chicken Burritos with Sour Cream Sauce

When I was a little girl, our family frequented our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Chico, in Brookwood Village.  My dad's favorite dish was the Chicken Chimichanga with Sour Cream sauce.  El Chico closed down many, many years ago, but it continues to be the standard by which we judge all other Mexican restaurants.   Though we have found good chimichangas, we have yet to find one with that yummy sour cream sauce that El Chico had. Now, we don't really do fried foods here, it is just too messy and it makes the whole house smell like grease - no thank you!  Since a chimichanga is basically a fried burrito, I decided to make a recipe that could rival our long time loved El Chico dish.  Success has never tasted so Chewly Awesome!

Chicken Burrito's with Sour Cream Sauce

1 lb Chicken (cooked and shredded)
1 pkg Large Tortillas
1 cup of rice cooked as directed on package
1 can of black beans (optional)
1 7 oz can of Salsa de Jalapeno (found in the Mexican section of your grocery store)
1 tbsp Butter
1 Poblano Pepper seeded and diced
1 Jalapeno (if you want it to be hot!)
1 Medium Onion diced
1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese
2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili Powder

Sour Cream Sauce:
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 stick Butter
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 375 F
In a pan, melt 1 tbsp of Butter and saute Poblano pepper and Onion
Add your chicken, rice, black beans(If using), Salsa de Jalapeno, Cream Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Spices and Chicken Broth.  Stir.

Prepare a 9x13 inch pan by spreading butter on the bottom.

On each tortilla, spoon about 1 1/2 cup of the chicken filling and roll it up - tucking the edges in.

Set each in the pan with the open end down.

If you have any filling left over, you can spread it on top of all the burritos.

Bake in the oven for 20 min.

Sour Cream Sauce:
On the stove top, melt butter, stir in sour cream and garlic powder.  Mix well.

When your chicken burritos are ready, serve them with the sour cream sauce on top.  Enjoy!!