Southern Green Bean Casserole

What makes this Southern-style? It's the addition of two extras...cream cheese and buttery cracker crumbs!

Ingredients:

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 (9-ounce) packages frozen French-cut green beans, thawed and drained

1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers

1/4 cup (½ stick) butter, melted

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, combine soup, cream cheese, and salt; mix well.
 

Stir in beans and spoon into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.
 

In a bowl, combine crushed crackers and butter; mix well.
 

Sprinkle cracker mixture evenly over beans and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and topping is golden.

 

Source: mrfood.com

Broccoli and Cheese Cornbread

Ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten
2 sticks melted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ounces cottage cheese
1 package chopped broccoli, thawed
2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup bacon drippings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the bacon fat to a well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the fat and heat the skillet.

Mix together eggs, butter, onion, cottage cheese and broccoli. Add corn muffin mix and bacon and stir until mixed well. Carefully remove skillet from oven and pour in batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then very carefully turn the cornbread out onto a plate or platter to preserve that nice crispy crust!

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

 2 lbs cut-up chicken

Sauce mixture

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup hot sauce (I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, Tabasco might be hotter)

Seasoning blend

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Dredging mixture

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Heat peanut oil in a large deep pot to 350°F (do not fill more than half full--you don't want a hot-oil spill-over accident!).
2. For sauce mixture: in a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with the water.
3. Add hot sauce and whisk together well.
4. Pour this mixture into a large plastic zip-top bag.
5. For seasoning mixture: In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
6. For dredging mixture: In a another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
7. Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces with a paper towel.
8. Cut breast pieces in half across ribs.
9. Sprinkle chicken generously on both sides with seasoning blend.
10. Drop a few chicken pieces of chicken into bag of sauce mixture and squish around to coat thoroughly.
11. One piece at a time, roll chicken in flour mixture and drop into hot oil.
12. Don't crowd chicken pieces--I cook about half the chicken at a time.
13. Fry chicken until brown and crisp.
14. Drain on paper toweling.
15. Dark meat will take about 14 minutes, white meat about 10 minutes.
16. Remember smaller pieces cook faster than the larger ones.
17. You can check for doneness by piercing to the bone in the thickest part with a fork.
18. If the juices run clear, it is done.

Southern Cornbread

Ingredients:

2 c. self-rising white corn meal
2 c. self-rising white flour
2 1/2 c. milk or buttermilk
1/4 c. sugar
4 to 5 tbsp. bacon fat
6 tbsp. bacon fat to grease baking pan
2 eggs

Directions:

Set oven to 425 degrees. Preheat oven while preparing cornbread mix. Grease baking pan with 6 tablespoons of bacon fat. Place pan in oven just to heat and take out. Mix corn meal and flour into mixing bowl. Stir in milk and mix well. Add sugar, eggs and bacon fat. Mix well. Batter should be pourable. If not add 4 tablespoons of milk, and mix. Pour batter into greased pan. Spoon bacon fat from the insides of pan and spread on top of cornbread batter. Bake until springy and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Try some butter, try some syrup when serving hot. Use deep baking pan.

Serves 18 to 20.

Southern Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breast (with bone and skin)
water
1 stick of butter
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place chicken and butter in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Boil on medium-high until chicken is done. Remove chicken, debone, and pull apart.

Return chicken to broth and set heat to medium.

Dumplings: Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add milk and vegetable oil. Stir to make a firm dough. Knead dough a few times until dough is no longer sticky. Add more flour, if necessary.

Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut into strips. Drop dough into broth. Stir frequently. More water may be added to make a larger quantity without diluting flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook 10-15 minutes on low.