Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is a dish that brings back wonderful memories for me.  My grandpa, Pap-Paw, owned a cafe here in Rush Springs and chicken and dumplings was one of his specialties.  Unfortunately, Pap-Paw didn't really have recipes, so we've had to come up with our own.  It's very, very close to what he served.  This is also a rare recipe where Mom and I each have our own version.  The variations are slight, but I'll point them out where they exist.

Chicken Chilaquiles

After two days of Christmas leftovers, I was in desperate need of something different today.  I woke up craving Mexican food, so I decided to make chicken chilaquiles for breakfast.  It's probably not meant to be a breakfast food, but it reminds me of great brunch food and I love it for that.

Jack's Pumpkin Doggie Treats

There is little that Mom, Jason, and I agree on, but there is one thing that we all believe wholeheartedly - King Jack the wonder mutt is the coolest member of our family.  Jackson is a German Shepherd-Chow Chow mix that Jason adopted from a shelter nine years ago.  He's an 80-pound moose that not only shares our house, but dominates it.  He naps on Mom's bed, spends the night on the couch, and has the three of us wrapped around his big, furry paw.  Given how spoiled he is, it's not surprising that he's the best fed member of the family.  He's only allowed to eat organic food and Mom cooks his treats for him to ensure they're the healthiest possible thing we can give him.  Since Mom and I are still consuming the mountains of leftovers from Christmas, I thought I'd share this recipe for our four-legged friends.

Feijoada

The Barefoot Contessa  has done two shows on roasted fruits and vegetables today.  On one of her shows, she said roasting is a great trick for the wintertime when vegetables have less flavor, because it concentrates the flavor.  I've been on a roasted vegetable kick lately, so it's all I can do not to go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of veggies, and spend the day roasting away.

Anyway, Mom is feeling much better today.  She's buzzing around like a very annoying little bee, putting away all the Christmas decorations.  I told her if she'd chill for a bit, I'd gladly help her.  Her response was, "I can do it.  And, if I'd a felt like it yesterday, it'd already've been done, ya'll."  Buzz, buzz.

Although she's feeling better today, yesterday was probably the worst of Mom's cold, so I was on my own to concoct dinner with a house full of food.  Brother Jason and I ate at a Brazilian restaurant in OKC last week and I had an amazing dish called feijoada, which is Brazil's national dish.  It's a black bean stew with pork and beef served with rice and collard greens.  Since I didn't have access to all the ingredients included in a typical recipe, I came up with my own using the ham leftover from Christmas dinner.

Cornbread Dressing

Of all the things Mom cooks, her cornbread dressing is by far my favorite.  It's one of the best things on earth.  Around September of every year, I start getting giddy thinking about having it at Thanksgiving, and there's nothing better than waking up on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings to the smell of onions and celery sauteing in butter to start off the cooking process.  

The recipe provided below is basically an estimate and one that was very difficult to compile because everything is done to taste, without any measurements.  However, if you get close, you'll be close enough to know you're eating something special.

Mom's Cornbread

Mom's cornbread is the stuff of legends.  It's perfect, and there's not much else I can say about it.  I will be kind enough to share the recipe with you.

Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is not my favorite thing on earth, but it has been a part of my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for longer than I've been alive, so I dutifully eat a tablespoon or so a couple of times a year.  I know that's not a glowing endorsement, but a lot of people love it.  If you dig green beans, give it a shot.

Bing Cherry Salad

I frequently make a dish or pass along a recipe and am surprised when the person on the receiving end comments about the "Southernness" of the recipe.  This usually happens with things like black-eyed peas, okra, and beans-only dinners - all things common here in Oklahoma.  This recipe, however, is decidedly Southern.  It's strange, highly processed, and includes an odd combination of ingredients.  I would turn my own nose up at it, but it's so good that I can't.

Corn Casserole

My grandmother's corn casserole recipe has been around since the beginning of time and is one of those things that everyone loves.  I don't even like corn and I love this casserole.  It makes appearances at all our family events, from Christmas to Easter to Thanksgiving to any birthday dinner.  Trust me, even if you think it sounds strange, you'll love it.  Combine that with the fact that it's extremely simple to make, and it may become a staple at your house, too.

Pineapple and Brown Sugar Ham

A few years ago, Mom got really sick right before Easter and spent several days in the hospital.  She was still pretty weak once she got to come home, so some of her teacher friends cooked Easter dinner and brought it to our house the Friday before Easter.  She had a appointment with her doctor that day, and when we got home we walked into a house that smelled incredible thanks to her good friend Beth's amazing pineapple and brown sugar ham.  Since then, we have co-opted this recipe into our family's recipe repertoire.  

Merry Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas!  I hope you're enjoying a dinner as tasty as ours.  On the menu today is Mom's pineapple brown sugar ham, cornbread dressing, bing cherry salad, corn casserole, and green bean casserole.  All the recipes will be up once I'm out of my food coma, which will likely be tomorrow.

Cranberry Pecan Swedish Tea Ring

Mom is still dealing with her cold, so she decided not to make her more-fabulous-than-fabulous cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning.  She's so delirious, drugged out on NyQuil, that she decided I should cook Christmas breakfast.  Not being brave enough to attempt her cinnamon rolls, I decided on this cranberry pecan Swedish tea ring, a recipe that I found in Healthy Cooking.  Having never cooked something that involves yeast and rising, it took more than one attempt to get it made, but I finally succeeded.  It's delicious, so it was worth the effort.

Sausage Balls

Yet another easy recipe, we fix sausage balls fairly frequently and they are always on the Christmas Eve appetizer dinner menu.  Because of Mom's cold, brother Jason was assigned sausage ball duties tonight.  He did well.

Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese is one of those Southern dishes that sounds disgusting, looks even more disgusting, but tastes delicious.  I refused to eat it for the first 25 years of my life, only to regret all of those missed opportunities once I finally tasted it and realized it was heaven in a bowl.  Normally we only have this during the summer, but it made its way onto the menu for this year's Christmas Eve appetizer dinner.

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!  I hope you all have plans to spend time with your families today.

At the Lindsey house, we will begin our traditional family activities tonight with our annual "appetizer dinner," a tradition that started when Jason and I had one of our typical arguments over the appetizer to be served on Christmas Eve several years ago.  In an effort to appease both of us, Mom prepared both appetizers, which were eaten in mass quantities while the entree went largely untouched.  Since then, we have had a dinner that consists only of appetizers every Christmas Eve.

Tonight's menu isn't terribly exciting, but the three of us enjoy it immensely.  We'll be having sausage balls, little smokies, pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and an assortment of Christmas candies.  I'll post pictures and recipes once the food is prepared.

Enjoy your day!

Divinity

Divinity is another incredible, high maintenance Christmas candy, but Mom loves it as much as I do, so she never complains about making it.  While we do have a traditional family recipe for this, Mom prefers the recipe that is included in her mixer's cookbook.

Fair warning - Mom considers divinity "high maintenance" because it's difficult to make.  It's very finicky.  The humidity has to be very low, you have to whip it just enough, you have to use a candy thermometer to get the temperature just right, and pastry chef terminology (hard ball, soft peaks, etc.) comes into play.  It's something I'm afraid to try to make.  Fortunately, I don't have to because I live with Paula the master chef.

Roasted Pepper Soup

  

I've been battling a cold this week.  Usually, sickness of any kind in our household results in a large pot of my grandmother's potato soup.  Unfortunately, Mom also has a cold, so I was on my own for dinner tonight.  Neither Mom nor I have been to the grocery store in several days, so I had to make do with what was in the house, resulting in a surprisingly good and very simple roasted pepper soup.  It even got Mom's approval, which rarely happens when I cook.

Family Cookbook

After six months of hard work and collaboration with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, Mom has completed the Dowling-Spears-Lindsey family cookbook.  It includes four generations of our family's favorite dishes.  From the raisin pie my grandmother always made for her father on his birthday to the baked chile rellenos I concocted to fill the void left by the unavailability of Trader Joe's chile rellenos microwave dinner, there is a little bit of everything in this book.  At some point, most of the recipes that are in it will be included on this blog.  However, if you'd like to order one for yourself, here's the link where you can purchase it.  Mom will receive no money from your purchase, so you shouldn't feel any pressure to buy one.  If you do decide to purchase one, enjoy!

Peanut Brittle

Traditional peanut brittle recipes are difficult to make, requiring constant vigilance, stirring, and precise temperatures that can only be maintained with a candy thermometer.  Mom's recipe is the complete opposite and requires only a microwave and a few minutes of your time.  That, of course, makes it both fabulous and easy.

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Since it's Christmastime and the house is full of sweet treats, I have been subsisting off candy all day.  I had turtles for breakfast and chocolate balls for lunch.  Fortunately, Mom came through with a nourishing meal for dinner, making one of her two fantastic pot roast recipes.  She even added some green stuff to the plate.

Chocolate Turtles

Mom hates making turtles because, as she says, "They are a pain in the butt."  Sadly for her, they are my favorite Christmas candy and it doesn't seem like Christmas until she has made them.  Every year when I request them, she whines a bit and then declares that it's only fitting that her high maintenance daughter's favorite candy is the most complicated of her recipes.  Then I tape her mouth shut and lock her in the kitchen, forcing her to ransom herself with said turtles.  Because I'm such a good daughter (and because I want to learn how to make them myself), this year I offered to assist in the candy's preparation.  It's not even close to being as complicated as she said, so don't be intimidated.

Christmas Chocolate Candy Balls

Every Christmas that I can remember has involved mountains and mountains of Mom's (via her mom, my Mam-Maw) homemade Christmas candy.  The chocolate candy balls are my third favorite of her candy recipes.  Last night, for the first time ever, I was allowed to help make them.  Although there were hints of disaster and lots of Mom telling me I wasn't quite competent enough to know all the techniques involved, they turned out as well as could be expected when I am fiddling with a family tradition.