Cornbread Dressing

Growing up with a Korean mother and an Italian/Welch father, our holidays were atypical.  Thanksgiving was always a huge feast, of course, but it was always a variety of Korean dishes as well as the traditional "American" meal.  Stuffing was usually made from a bag, and I loved it.  However, Jane Vaughn (an employer and long-time friend) introduced us to the most moist and delicious cornbread dressing I have ever had.  I would even dare to say that it tastes better than Cracker Barrel's!  GASP!  Thanks to my sister, Jean (who knows just how to ask politely for recipes and who could probably manage to get even the most treasured secret family recipes with her smile and panache), I now have that recipe!  I always get great complements when I make it. My motto on this on is "One's you go homemade cornbread dressing, you never go back!"



1 skillet cornbread (see "Cornbread" recipes)
3 boiled eggs, chopped
1 lg onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1- 49.5 oz can chicken broth
1- 14.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of water
3 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste (I usually don't add any salt)

Crumble cornbread in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  Heat chicken broth, soup, water, onions and celery in medium stock pot, cook until onions and celery are tender.  Add chopped eggs, sage, salt, pepper and soup mixture to cornbread and mix well.  Mixture will be soupy.  Bake in a 9 x 13" baking dish for 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until golden brown).




Giblet Gravy Recipe (optional)

1 can cream of chicken soup
2 small cans of chicken broth
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 boiled egg, chopped
1-2 TB cornstarch
1 c. water

Saute onions and celery in oil until tender.  Mix soups and broth together in a med. saucepan.  Add onions and celery to saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook approx. 20 minutes.  Add cornstarch to 1 c. water, dissolve and then add to mixture, cook until thickened.  If sauce is too thin, add more cornstarch (with water) and if too thick, add more liquid.

Grandma's Meatballs

The meatballs Grandma Katherine made were amazing!  But of course, we took it for granted and never really wrote down a recipe.  We watched her make them for years and this is how we remember it.  It's not EXACTLY the same taste, but it's pretty good and close.  

These are the ingredients:

ground beef

slice of 2 day old bread, no crust, crumbled by hand

onion, chopped coarsely

garlic powder, to your taste

parsley, dried

whole egg

Mix the ingredients together.  Roll them into balls and fry them in a pan until they are practically done.  Put them in the sauce.

**I've tried to lessen the fat in this recipe-- I know, don't mess with a good thing, but I bake them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes and I also do half ground turkey and half ground beef.

Sauce the way Dad remembers it:

chop up onion and place in frying pan.  Add tomato paste and a little water.

Savory Crock Pot Roast

This is an absolutely tender and wonderful recipe.  It will literally melt in your mouth!


2-4 lbs sirloin tip roast
garlic slivered
all-purpose flour
salt, pepper, garlic
olive oil
beef bouillon or beef base
onion powder
1 3/4 cup water
potatoes (optional)
carrots (optional)
mushrooms (optional)

Insert slivered garlic into small slices randomly around the outside layer of the meat.  Dredge meat in flour and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.  Brown/sear meat in oil in pot on MED-HIGH heat.

Place meat in crockpot and pour pot drippings over meat and put pot back on stovetop.  Add more minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add bouillon and water and bring to a boil.  Pour over meat.

Cook meat on HIGH for ~3 hour s and then place potatoes, carrots and mushrooms in crockpot under meat.  Make sure enough liquid covers the meat and veggies (if not, add boiling water) and cook for 30-60 minutes on HIGH until veggies are tender.  Serve.

Pa Jun (Korean scallion pancake)

This Korean pancake recipe is easy to make and always yummy.  It can be a snack, appetizer or side dish.  You can tweak it to your own tastes.  Mom used to like to add jalepenos sliced, kimchi, white onions.  Also octopus, shrimp (small and chopped), carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms are also good options.  Jean and I ate these seafood pa jun while we were on our trip to Korea.


If you use ready-made batter (Buchimgae) from the Korean store, add 3/4 cup water to every 1 cup of dry mix and whatever other ingredients you want to use.


2 cups flour (can use some sweet rice flour)
2 eggs, beaten (optional)
1.5 cups water
1 bunch scallions, halved and cut into 2-3" lengths
salt and pepper to taste
oil for cooking

Mix 1st 4 ingredients together and let sit ~10 minutes.  Check consistency before using.  Should be a little bit runnier than American pancake batter, so that the pa jun cooks quickly and evenly.

Heat a pan (skillet) over MED heat and coat with a thin layer of oil.

Pour batter to fill pan in a thin layer (~1/3 of your batter should fill a regular saute pan).  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until set and golden on the bottom.

Turn over with the help of a spatula or plate and finish by cooking 1-2 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.

Serve with soy sauce or spicy dipping sauce (recipe below)

Spicy Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB chili pepper flakes (Kochukaru)
1 TB scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely chopped garlic

*great with dumplings, myung bean pancakes and tempura dishes too.  Can make in large batches and store in fridge for a couple of weeks.

Jap Chae ("Chop Suey")

My mother never wrote down her recipes, but this tastes like hers.  This is a dish we used to have on special occasions-- even American holidays like Thanksgiving.  She always used to make two separate batches.  She made one recipe like this but with sugar added for Kyong, my brother.  The other batch was similar to the one listed below.  Believe me when I say that no one can cook Korean like my mother could!  She was a culinary genius!


Beef:
~1/2 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 TB soy sauce
2 tsp mirin (optional, Mom didn't use this)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients together and cover.  Marinate in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

Noodles:
~1/2 lb sweet potato glass noodles or rice vermicelli noodles or myung bean noodles *
2 TB soy sauce
drizzle sesame oil

Prepare the noodles according to the package (boil for about 3 minutes), drain and rinse in cold water.  Place in a mixing bowl with the soy sauce and sesame oil.

Omelette:
1 TB or less vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
little salt and garlic to season

Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over MED-LOW heat.  When hot, pour in the eggs to make a thin omelette.  Cook slowly 3-4 minutes, to avoid browning the omelette, then flip over and cook the other side until set.  Slide the omelette onto a chopping board and cut into 5 mm strips, season with a pinch of salt and garlic and set aside.

Vegetables:
2 TB vegetable oil
1/2 lg onion sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 spring onions, cut on the bias, thinly
1 carrot, julienned
1/4-1/2 cup canned mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms
*optional: 150g spinach leaves
1 TB sesame seeds
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB soy sauce (optional)
1 TB sugar (optional)
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
garlic powder to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide, deep-sided pan over medium heat.  Tip in the onions and garlic and fry gently without browning, until soft and translucent.

Increase the temperature to MED-HIGH heat and add the marinated beef and juices in the bowl and cook for ~2 minutes.  Stir in the green onions, carrots, mushrooms and spinach (cooked separately in soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds for about 30 seconds, drained).  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Tip in all the remaining vegetable ingredients, plus the noodles and omelette and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until the noodles are glossy and hot through.  Serve at once or cold.  I like it both ways!

Chicken and Dumplings

Now this is a modified Paula Deen recipe my kids love.  This tastes like a good southern dish that could easily compete with Cracker Barrel's recipe and win.


Chicken:
1-2 1/2 lbs chicken with skin and bone (I used 2 large fryer breasts)
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1-10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of celery.

Dumplings: (* I usually double this)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
ice water (~3/4 cup)

Place chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon and seasonings in a large pot.  Add 4 qts of water and simmer over medium heat.  Simmer the chicken until it is tender and juices run clear (~40 minutes).  Remove the chicken from the pot and when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones.  Return the chicken meat to the pot, keep warm over LOW heat.

To make dumplings: mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl.  Beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour.  Using your fingers and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate ~3/4 cup of ice water.  Knead the dough and form it into a ball.

Dust a good amount of flour and sprinkle some salt onto a clean work surface.  Roll out the dough (it will be firm) working from center to 1/8" thick (like flour tortilla).  Let the dough relax for several minutes.

Add the cream of celery to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over MED-HIGH heat.  Mix together 2 TB cornstarch** and 1/4 cup of water and whisk into soup (unless doubling the dumplings).  Cut the dough into 1" pieces.  Drop into simmering soup.  Repeat.  Do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added.  Gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly.  Cook until dumplings float and are no longer doughy, 3-4 minutes.

Ladle up and serve!

**Note: you don't have to add so much cornstarch ~1 TB needed if you are doubling the dumplings recipe.

Spicy Seafood and Sausage Gumbo

This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe that is awesome!  It's our favorite seafood gumbo recipe and it tastes like something you would eat at a fine dining restaurant in New Orleans.  It's best served with a scoop of white rice.  2 cups of uncooked white rice will make enough for 6 servings.


1 lg yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 lb okra (can use frozen)
1/2 cup canola or veggie oil
6 TB all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices (can use no salt)
5 cups fish stock** or bottled clam juice (I used 2 cups clam juice, 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water)
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 TB creole seasoning blend
pepper to taste (salt should not be needed)
1/2 lb andouille sausage or conecuh (smoked sausage), cut into 1" slices
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup large fresh-cooked crabmeat picked over to remove shell (I've used already picked real crab)
1 tsp file powder (if needed to thicken)
cooked white rice for serving
2 TB finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Dice the onion and the bell peppers.  Set aside.  Trim the stems from okra pods, then cut the pods crosswise into 1/2" thick slices.  In a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat warm 2 TB of the canola oil.  Add the okra and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 6 TB oil for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the flour until incorporated.  Cook the mixture, or roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until dark brown, ~4 minutes.  Do NOT let the roux turn black.  Add the onion and peppers and cook , stirring occasionally, until softened, 8-10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the reserved okra, the tomatoes, with their juices, stock bay leaves, creole seasoning, salt and pepper.  Increase the heat to med-high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Stir in the sausage, shrimp and crab meat and cook until the sausage is heated through and the shrimp are pink, 3 minutes more.  Sprinkle in the fele powder and stir for 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.

To serve, spoon white rice into warmed bowls, ladle the gumbo on top and garnish with the parsley.

** to make fish stock, can use shrimp with shells and heads on, use heads and shells in 4 qt saucepan with 2 qts water, set over HIGH heat and bring to a boil.  Decrease the heat to LOW and simmer for 1 hour or until reduced to 1 qt.  Strain liquid and discard solids.

Steak and Gravy

4 beef cube steaks (~1 1/4 lb total)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 TB vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion

Place rack in center of the oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season them on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl.  Dredge both sides of the steaks in the flour.

Heat oil in a 5-6 qt. heavy, covered, flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over med-high heat.  Add the steaks and brown them on both sides.  1 minute per side.  Transfer the steaks to a plate and add the onion to the casserole.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it softens slightly, 1 minute.  Pour in 2/3 cup of water and stir to loosen up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat off.  Place the steaks on top of the liquid and onions and cover the casserole.

Bake the steaks until they are fork tender and liquid is gravy.  ~1 hour 15 minutes.

Teriyaki Lime Ginger Marinade

This is a recipe Ty whipped up one night for a chicken marinade.  These are great on wings and drummettes.

1/2 cup Teriyaki
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 3 limes
1 tsp or more of chili garlic sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tsp or more of grated ginger
1 tsp cracked black pepper
**set aside 1/2 cup for basting

Marinade chicken (2 lbs) in remaining sauce for 4-8 hours.  Grill over mesquite wood for some tasty good.  Don't forget to baste chicken occasionally.

My Sister Ria's Lazy Chicken

No, there is no 'Ria in our family, but this is a great Rachel Ray recipe.


Balsamic vinegar
11/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (thinly sliced or pounded breast meat)
2 TB EVOO
2 medium white-skinned potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced
Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
10 leaves basil, torn or coarsely chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stem and chopped
1/2-2/3 cup shredded Italian cheese of your choice (provolone, mozzarella, asiago)

Rub a little splash of Balsamic vinegar onto each chicken breast.  heat 1 TB EVOO in deep skillet over med-high heat.  Brown chicken for 2 minutes on each side, remove chicken.

Add 1 TB EVOO to pan.  Add a layer of thinly sliced potatoes and onions.  Sprinkle the potatoes and onion with Montreal seasoning.  Let potatoes and onions cook, turning occasionally but maintaining a thin layer, utnil they begin to brown all over.  Add a little broth or wine to pan.  Spread a thin layer of zucchini across the pan on top of the potatoes and onions and sprinkle with a touch more of Montreal seasoning.  Top with layer of chicken breast.

Dump the crushed tomatoes evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with chopped herbs.  Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and potatoes tender, 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle with Italian cheese.  Place pan under the broiler for a minute until cheese melts and begins to brown. Serve directly from the hot pan and the table, with a green salad on the side.

Spicy Chicken Tacos

This is a recipe from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals.


1 TB EVOO
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. tomato puree
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
a handful coarsely chopped spanish olives
a handful golden raisins, optional
coarse salt, to taste
8 jumbo corn taco shells or 8 flour tortillas

Toppings: shredded cheese (smoked cheddar, MJ or pepper jack), diced avocados, diced tomatoes, chopped scallions, shredded lettuce

Heat a big skillet over medium heat; add EVOO and brown chicken.  Add onion and garlic and cook another couple of minutes to soften the onion.  Dump in tomato puree, chili powder, cumin, olives, raisins and salt.  Bring to a bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.  Warm taco shells or flour tortillas in oven according to package directions.  Scoop filling into shells and top at table.  Serve with chunked vegetables or green salad.  Makes 5 servings.

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

This is a new curry favorite.  Dairy free.  Ty says it tastes more like the curries he had on his mission.


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into large cubes
1 whole onion, peeled and halved
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 whole small green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 can (156ml) tomato paste
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 TB curry powder
1 TB Garam Masala
1 whole dry red chili peppers (optional for extra heat)
2 TB water
1-1/2 TB cornstarch
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped for garnish

Place chicken cubes in slow cooker.  Place the rest of the ingredients (except chili peppers, cornstarch, water and cilantro) in a food processor bowl and process together until the mix is smooth(ish).  Pour sauce mix on top of the chicken, mix well, add hot peppers if using any, then close the lid.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  An hour before serving, mix together water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.  Add to the chicken curry and mix well.  Place the lid back on for the rest of the cooking time.  Serve on top of steaming white rice, something like jasmine or basmati.  Decorate with cilantro.  So good!

Chicken and Dumplings (Easy and Light version)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded or chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth (low sodium or otherwise too salty)
5-6 flour tortillas, cut into 2" squares
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp celery salt

Place chicken soup and broth in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper and celery salt.  Add tortillas, slowly.  Keeping the broth mix @ a boil.  Lower heat to simmer.  Simmer until tortillas are tender (~20-30 minutes)

Taco Soup

Carolyn's recipe that is so delicious and best served with shredded Cheddar, sour cream, avocado and corn chips or tortilla chips.  This makes a huge batch!

2 lbs ground beef
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
2 cans corn
1 can Rotel
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch mix


Brown beef and chopped onion.  Drain fat.  Add remaining ingredients (including juices).  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 Qt water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

Boil until dissolved

Add small bag of frozen broccoli and simmer for 10 minutes

Melt 1 stick of butter or margarine and then add 1/2 cup flour to make a roux.  Stir into water with a whisk and mix until thick.  

Lastly, add 1/4 big block of veleveeta cheese.

Chicken Pot Pie

My best friend, Christy, is a great cook.  This is one of her easy recipes that yield a delicious homemade taste.

salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. frozen mixed vegetables, dethawed
1-2 chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
2 ready-made pie crusts

Prepare bottom crust and place in bottom of pie pan.  Mix first 4 ingredients together and pour onto bottom crust.  Place top crust on mixture.  Flute pie crust edges and make vent holes on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until filling bubbles and top crust is golden brown.

Sour Cream Chicken

My sister, Jean, gave me this recipe a long time ago and we love it!

4-6 chicken breast halves
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cream of mushroom soup
1 sm. can mushroom pieces, drained (but save the liquid)
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
1 lg onion, sliced

Spray 9 x 13" baking dish with Pam.  Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Lay ck'n in dish and cover with onion slices and mushrooms.  Mix together sour cream, cream of mushroom soup and mushroom liquid.  Spoon mixture atop onion slices and mushrooms.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve with rice or couscous.

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

This is not our favorite Red Beans and Rice recipe, but it is great because it's a Cooking Light recipe and easy for those Sundays when you want lunch to be ready when you get home.


3 c. water
1 c. dried red kidney beans
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
3/4 c. chopped celery
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 (14 oz) package Conecuh sausage (or smoked sausage of choice)
1 bay leaf
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (we love Jasmine rice)
1/4 c. chopped green onion

Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker.  Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 5 hours.  Discard bay leaf; stir in salt.  Serve over rice; sprinkle with green onions.

Yield: 4 servings (1 c. bean mixture, 3/4 c. rice and 1 TB green onions)

Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Sausage

This is a cooking light recipe that we love to make.  It such a filling soup and wonderful on a cold day.

6 oz hot Italian sausage (about 2 links)
1 tsp olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1-1/2 cups dried green or brown lentils
4 cups water
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans vegetable broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 bay leaves

Heat a large Dutch oven over med-high heat until hot.  Remove casings from sausage, cook 3 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble.  Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in pan over med-high heat.  Add onion, celery, and carrot; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in sausage, red peppers, lentils, and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Discard bay leaves.  Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Oven "Barbecued" Ribs

Note the quotation marks in the title.  Ty doesn't believe any food that isn't smoked with love and patience should be called BBQ.  HOWEVER, he does love this recipe that his Mom would make for his birthday and other special occasions. 


3-4 lbs spareribs or loin back ribs, cut in pieces (pork )
1 lemon thinly sliced
1 large onion

Basting Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 or more dashes of Tabasco sauce
1-1/2 cups water

Salt ribs; place in shallow roasting pan.  Roast at 450 degrees about 30 minutes.  Drain excess fat from pan.  Top each piece of rib with a slice of unpeeled lemon and slice of onion. Make basting sauce by combining the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pour over ribs.  Lower temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake 1-1/2 hours.  Baste every 15 minutes.  If sauce gets too thick, add water.