Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast Pizza
by Mama Jade
Ingredients:
1 pizza crust
3 extra-large eggs
1/8 cup milk
1/2 cup breakfast sausage
1/2 cup bacon or ham
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup tomato, diced
Oil or butter
1 small can tomato sauce
1 bag shredded cheese (8 or 16 oz)

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil or butter and add sausage and bacon. Sauté until no longer pink, breaking the meat up into small crumbles. Add onion, green pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté until tender. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl or mug and pour into skillet, scrambling until fluffy. Remove from heat.

Place the pizza crust on a cookie sheet and spoon tomato sauce over the crust. Spread the contents of the skillet over the crust and top with cheese. Bake until crust is done and cheese is melted. Serve by the slice!

Tips:
Try sprinkling taco seasoning over the cheese and serving with a dollop of sour cream and salsa for a southwest kick!

Any ingredients you can put in an omelet can be served on your breakfast pizza, your imagination is the limit.

Orange Soda Ice Cream Recipe

by Mama Jade

This is an easy ice cream to make, really more like a sherbert. The recipe was originally developed for an old fashioned ice cream maker that used ice and salt, but it will make up equally well in the new counter-top models.

Ingredients:

• 2 liters of orange soda (Crush, Sunkist, Fanta or generic)
• 1 can crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 can mandarin oranges, well drained
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Chill the soda and pineapple in the refrigerator and freeze your ice cream maker reservoir. Carefully mix the ingredients and add to the frozen ice cream reservoir.

Assemble your ice cream maker according to instructions and churn.

This recipe will not always cause the ice cream maker to stop churning when it is ready. You will likely hear the machine struggling a bit harder than it did in the beginning. The ice cream should be “soft serve” by this time. Remove the ice cream reservoir and freeze it until the ice cream is hard or pack the ice cream in a different container to freeze.

Tips:

This recipe also works with pineapple and mango flavored sodas. The carbonation imparts a soft, almost fizzly texture to the ice cream.

This recipe can be made without the pineapple and oranges, or other fruits can be substituted.  Try strawberry soda and sugared strawberries or other combinations.

If you have a large ice cream maker, double this recipe.

The Perfect Cake

By Diane Watkins
The perfect cake is easily recognizable.  It’s shape is perfectly symmetrical with a  golden brown crust.  It has a  feathery velvet texture, and is moist and light.  The taste is pure heaven.  You can certainly recognize a perfect cake, but can you make one?

When making a cake it is important to follow the recipe exactly.  If you try to skip a step you may have less than desirable results.  Skip the sifting step and your flour will be heavier than it should, creating a heavy, dry cake.  Over-mix and your cake will be tough and chewy, more like a good bread.

So, what are the steps in making a good cake?  Lets explore these separately.

The Right Ingredients
First, use the right ingredients and measure carefully.  If the recipe calls for cake flour, you will have best results with cake flour.  All-purpose flour can be substituted, but will not make as tender a cake.

Mixing
Beat the liquid ingredients well before combining with the dry ingredients.  Once the dry ingredients are added, the cake should be stirred gently, unless the directions tell you otherwise.  If your cake is course and dry, or has tunnels, you have probably over-mixed.
All-purpose flour has a higher gluten content, and this will affect your results.  Also realize that all-purpose flour varies according to the region of the country it is produced.  Southern brands of flour are a softer gluten than those in the northern US.  If you must substitute all-purpose flour, either use a southern product, or use 2 Tablespoons less per cup of flour suggested.

Leavening Agents
There are three different leavening agents used in cake making.  Baking powder, baking soda, and air.  Occasionally, you may see a recipe calling for yeast, but this is not the norm.  If the recipe does not call for either baking powder or baking soda, then your leavening agent is air and your beating step is very important.  Pound cakes, sponge cakes, and angel food cakes all use air as their leavening agent.  Many cakes use a combination of leavening agents, including air.

Baking powder also comes in different varieties, including regular and double acting.  If your recipe specifies a variety, be sure to use the one called for.    Most recipes that call for baking soda require buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar.  Do not substitute regular milk for buttermilk without adding acid, as it is necessary for the leavening.

Shortening, Oil, and Butter
Again, using the correct shortening is important.  If substituting, be aware of the liquid content.  Everyone is aware of the need to decrease the liquid when using oil, but you may not know that butter contains more liquid than shortening, requiring an increase in volume and a decrease in the liquid added to the recipe.

Baking Pans
Choose the correct size and shape of baking pan.  The batter should almost fill the pan, without any spillage or bulging.  Baking times and temperature will be dependent on the pan size.  A thinner pan may need a higher temperature to bake the cake without drying it out.

Prepare the pan as directed.  Most recipes call for the pan to be greased and floured.  A piece of waxed paper or parchment paper cut to fit the bottom may be placed in the greased pan if desired.  This will aid removing the cake when done.  If using the paper, grease the bottom and sides, place the paper into the bottom and then flour the sides if directed.

BakingThe Cake
Preheat the oven as directed.  Starting in a cold oven, or too hot an oven will affect the rising and browning of the cake.  A cake started in a cool oven will not allow the cake to rise sufficiently before the crust forms and the cake may fall.  Too hot an oven may cause a crack to develop, and the crust to harden and overbrown.   The cake should be placed in the center of the oven for best heat distribution.  Be aware of your oven, if there are hot spots in your oven you may need to adjust.

The cake is done when it is lightly browned and it springs back when lightly pressed with the fingertip in the center or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and dry.  The cake will have begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan.

Follow the recipe on removing the cake from the pan.  Some cakes can be removed immediately, some need a 5 minute rest, and others must be allowed to cool completely in the pan.  Proper attention to this detail will prevent repairs caused by the cake sticking to the pan and tearing.

Using the proper ingredients, mixing well at the proper time, and careful baking will produce a light tender cake that you will be proud to serve.  Follow the recipe, understand the reasons behind the directions, and you, too will have the “knack” for cakes.

Try these Southern Cake Recipes:

Pound Cake
Strawberry Jam Cake
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Southern Fruit Cake

Gazpacho

What better soup for a hot summer day? Gazpacho uses all the fresh flavors from your summer garden in a delightfully cool soup. Just be sure to make it ahead so that the flavors have time to mingle and develop. The recipe calls for blending, but I like mine a little chunky. Best of all, no cooking required!

Gazpacho Soup Recipe

2 cucumbers, sliced
5 green peppers, diced
½ loaf of hard bread or equal amount of hard rolls, broken into chunks
5 ripe tomatoes, cut up
3 cloves crushed garlic
¼ onion
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup wine vinegar
3 cups tomato juice or v-8 juice
cayenne pepper and salt to taste

1. Place cucumbers, green peppers, bread, tomatoes, garlic and onion in large bowl.  Add oil, vinegar, water and seasonings.
2. Refrigerate together at least 24 hours.
3. Mix in blender and pour into bowl.
4. Refrigerate a few more hours and serve in chilled bowls.
5. Top with croutons or fresh chopped vegetable garnish.  Serves 8 to 10.

Cream of Tomato Soup — Tomato Bisque Recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes. The soup is so easy to make, but the flavors are fresh and rich. I’ve had Tomato Bisque in gourmet restaurants that wasn’t as good as this soup. Make it with fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes for the very best flavor, but canned chopped tomatoes are also good when you’re in a hurry or tomatoes are out of season.

I like to make the soup without the cream and freeze it in individual portions. Then I reheat it and add a tablespoon or two of cream to the bowl of  hot soup.

Tomato Bisque Recipe

5 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil to garnish

1. Put peeled and chopped tomatoes into a saucepan with the chicken broth.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.  Be careful with salt as some broths are salty. Remove from heat.
4. When ready to serve, add the cream.  Garnish with fresh basil.

*Be careful when reheating. Cream will curdle if boiled, reheat gently. Or do as I suggested above and add the cream to individual bowls at serving time.

More Soup and Stew Recipes

How to Make Barbecue Sauce from Scratch

Making homemade southern-style barbecue sauce is just a matter of combining ingredients and simmering it to blend the flavors. Choosing ingredients that combine well, with just the right touch of sweet, sour and spice, can be an art. Start with these flavor combinations and spice it up or down to fit your flavor preferences.

Southern Barbecue Sauce Ingredients

With the exception of the mustard based sauces favored in South Carolina and the white sauces of Alabama, most American barbecue sauce begins with a tomato base in the form of ketchup. You can use pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce instead if you choose, but ketchup is the base most often used.

In addition to the ketchup, you will need to add a balance of sweet and sour as well as spices or heat to add interest. Let us look at each ingredient category.

For acidity or sour, some form of vinegar is commonly used. In addition, lemon juice and orange juice add additional tang and flavor, when included.

Balance the acidity with sweeteners in the form of molasses, honey, maple sugar or brown sugar. Some recipes even use cola or Dr. Pepper as a sweetener. The amount of sweetener used will depend on which sweetener you choose and how sweet you like your sauce. Start with less than you expect to need and taste your sauce as you add more to get the sweetness you prefer.

Spice It Up

Additional flavorings are common and depend on your preferences. Common flavorings include sautéed onions and garlic, mustard powder or Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper, minced chili peppers or dried chili flakes and liquid smoke. Do not try to overload the sauce with all of these flavors. Start simply with the ingredients that you like.

Simmer your sauce for 30 to 45 minutes to blend the flavors and thicken the sauce. You can thin the sauce with water, orange juice, lemon juice, or sherry if needed.

Basic Barbecue Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup of molasses
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 to 2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chili flakes
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce as desired

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spice it up with and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to taste. Add more or less spice to your own tastes. Simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors and thicken the sauce.

Southern Style Sweet Barbecue Sauce Recipe

1/2 large onion
1 tablespoon butter
chili pepper, chopped and seeded
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Garlic salt
Black pepper

Mince the onion and sauté it in butter for a few minutes until translucent. Add a chopped and seeded chili pepper and stir for another minute.

Add the remaining ingredients. Season the sauce with garlic salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Buttery Peas and Zucchini

If your garden is like mine, you are probably running out of ways to use zucchini. This recipe is a quick and easy side dish for any meal. Cut the zucchini into thin sticks and it will cook very fast.

1- 10 oz pkg Peas in butter sauce, frozen

2 tb Water

1 med Zucchini- Cut into thin strips

1 tb Pimiento; diced

Cook the peas according to package directions. Pour into a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, simmer 2 tablespoons of water and zucchini over medium heat until water is evaporated and zucchini is tender.

Stir in peas and pimiento.

Strawberry Dumplings

These Strawberry Dumplings are a perfect old fashioned dessert for a romantic meal. The dumplings steam and absorb the flavors from the berries.

Serve these warm with vanilla ice cream for a luscious flavor combination.

Ingredients:

Dumplings

* 4 eggs
* 4 tablespoons melted butter
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 4 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 12 tablespoons flour

Berries

* 4 cups strawberries
* 2 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Combine the dumpling ingredients to make a stiff batter.
2. Mash the berries with sugar. Bring to a boil in a large pot with a tight lid.
3. Drop the dumpling batter by spoonfuls into hot liquid, reduce the heat and simmer, with the lid on, for 15 minutes. Don’t lift lid – don’t peek!
4. Remove dumplings carefully to dessert dishes and spoon berries over. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Decadently Rick Chocolate Truffle Cake

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Ingredients:

For Cake

* 1/4 cup unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
* 1 large egg
* 2 teaspoons vanilla

For filling

* 1 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For ganache

* 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 pound fine-quality bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Make base: In a small saucepan melt butter and stir in cocoa powder. Remove pan from heat and add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in flour, walnuts, egg, and vanilla and spread batter evenly in springform pan. Bake base in middle of oven 10 minutes, or just until firm, and transfer to a rack to cool.

Make filling: Arrange walnuts in one layer on top of base. In a small heavy saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and honey and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 280°F. Remove pan from heat and add cream, vanilla, and lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature and pour over walnuts, spreading evenly.

Make ganache: In a saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Finely chop chocolate. Put chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream over it, stirring until smooth. Cool ganache to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks (do not overbeat or it will become grainy).

Spread ganache evenly over filling. Chill cake, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Run a thin knife around edge of cake and remove side of pan. With a large spatula transfer cake to a plate and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

How to Make Molten Chocolate Cake

In this video, chef Kirk Leins shows you how to make a decadently rich Molten Chocolate Cake. The cake is light and moist with a molten chocolate center. Serve it warm to that special someone and you are sure to get rave reviews.

Garnish with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Molten Chocolate Cake (serves 6)

Powder sugar for dusting
4 large egg yolks
4 large whole eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. high-quality, bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cake flour (plus more for dusting)
Vegetable spray
2 sticks unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using vegetable spray, grease (6) 6-ounce ramekins and dust with cake flour.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolks. Whisk in the cake flour.

Evenly distribute the batter among the 6 ramekins, and bake for 10 minutes or until the sides of the cakes are set but the center still jiggles.

Let the cakes cool for 2-3 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and invert onto plates. Garnish with powder sugar and serve with either vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Next Page »