Fried Beef Tenderloin with Grits and Gravy

As a southerner, when you put beef, grits, and gravy together, I don’t think you can go wrong.  Paula calls this stick to your ribs comfort food, and it sure is.  At first I was a little skeptical with the grits, most of the time I would use rice with a dish like this, but I think the grits added a whole new level and are much easier to cook than rice.  This meal was quick, simple and filled with down home goodness. 

Fried Beef Tenderloin with Grits and Gravy pg. 132

1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin tips, cut into 1 inch pieces	Salt and black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting the meat	1 stick butter
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped	2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
1 ½ cups whole milk	Hot sauce
6 cups cooked grits

 

1.        Beat the beef tenderloin with a meat mallet or a skillet until about ¼ inch thick.  Season with salt and black pepper, then sprinkle a little flour over the meat.

2.       In a large skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter, cook half the meat until golden brown, remove then repeat the step with the other half of meat. Once completed, tent with foil, but don’t seal as it will keep cooking.

3.       Throw in your onion and cook until soft and tender then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt.  Add the 1 ½ tablespoons of flour and cook for about 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk, making sure to whisk until smooth, then simmer until thickened.  Season the gravy with salt and pepper to your taste, personally I like a lot of pepper.

 

 

Skillet Corn Bread

What better southern staple for dinner than a good piece of hot corn bread.  I loved when my mom made cornbread and then I would slather it up with some butter, you were in heaven.  My mom always told me, to make good corn bread you have to have a cast iron skillet, I know you can make it in other skillets, but cast iron really does work best.  Up until now, I have never tried making homemade cornbread, and now I wish I had been making it more after I realized how easy this was.  I

I will say this, I personally like my cornbread a little sweet, even though I didn't add any sugar to this recipe, I probably will in the future.  Also, I will probably cut the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon was a little much for me.

Skillet Corn Bread pg. 273

1/4 cup lard or shortening
2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Heat the lard over medium heat, once melted make sure you coat all sides of pan with it. 

In a large bowl whisk together all your dry ingredients, then in small bowl whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.    Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. 

Pour the batter into your skillet,  make sure your skillet is really hot, this is the key to a nice crust.  Bake until golden brown, serve hot and enjoy.

Skillet Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

You've got to hand it to creole cooking, they have some of the best, most flavorful and spicy dishes around.  Jambalaya is one of the staples of creole cooking.  The great thing about Jambalaya is you probably have most of the ingredients on hand.  Its mixture of rice, chicken, sausage, and peppers.  With that kind of mixture you really can't go wrong.  Paula's take on this makes it so simple, everything goes in one big skillet and voila!!! you got a full meal. 

Skillet Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya pg. 171

2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
3/4 pound Andouille or smoke sausage
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in to 1 1/2 inch pieces
salt and black pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( or more if you're like me and like it really spicy)
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
2 bay leaves
3 cups chicken broth
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

In a large skillet, brown your sausage in the oil and butter.  Remove the sausage and add in your onion and bell pepper and cook until tender.

Season your chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then add the garlic and the chicken to your skillet.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink but not completely cooked.

 Add your thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, celery seeds and bay leaves and cook about 20 -30 seconds.  Add in your tomatoes and broth and bring the mixture to a boil and then season to taste.  Once seasoned mix in your sausage  and then sprinkle the rice evenly over your mixture. 

Put the lid on your skillet and reduce your heat to low, and cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is tender around 15-20 minutes.  Don't forget to remove the bay leaves.  Let stand for about 10 minutes and eat up!!!!

Praline French Toast Casserole

I'm sure you're starting to notice a trend with breakfast!  Breakfast really is one of my favorite things.  Growing up, my whole family liked pancakes more than I did...I always loved French toast.  With my love of French toast, I was excited to try Paula's Praline French Toast Casserole.  The idea of piles of French toast, topped with sugary pecan topping made my mouth water just thinking about it.  One bite into this casserole, and you will be in French toast heaven!  I will say, Paula makes her own raspberry syrup, but I think I liked it better with some good ole fashioned maple syrup..

Praline French Toast Casserole

French Toast                                                              Praline Topping
Butter for baking dish                                                2 sticks butter (room temperature)
1 load French bread 13-16 ounces                             1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 large eggs                                                                1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups half and half                                                    2 Tbls.  light corn syrup
1 cup whole milk                                                        1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbls. Sugar                                                              1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon                                                        
pinch of salt

Raspberry Syrup
1 cup raspberry preserves
2 Tbls.  Raspberry liqueur or sub orange juice

Grease your 13x9 pan with butter and slice your bread into 1-inch slices and layer up in your dish.

Combine your eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix with a mixer until a custard like mixture.

Pour the custard over the bread and make sure they are covered evenly.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

When you are ready to bake,  preheat your over to 350 degrees.  Now we can make the praline topping. 

Combine all the ingredients with a fork and spread over the casserole.  Bake your casserole until golden brown about 45 minutes.

 

And now enjoy!!!

 



 

To make the syrup combine the two ingredients with 3 tablespoons of water and stir until a hot and syrupy consistency.

Eggs Baked with Grits and Ham and Buttermilk Pancakes

I've mentioned it before, but I simply love having breakfast for dinner!  Throughout this blogging endeavor, you will probably see me cook breakfast more for dinner than for actual breakfast.  If you ever have difficulty deciding what to do for dinner, breakfast is always a great way to go!

Paula's Eggs Baked with Grits and Ham is a great and simple breakfast dish.  Its as easy as 1-2-3.  This dish includes all your favorite breakfast foods: eggs, country ham, and grits.  The only real problem I found with this recipe is that it contains too much salt.  When using country ham, you really don't need to add the extra salt she calls for in the recipe.  Even being a little too salty, this was still an excellent dish.

Since this was such a simple dish, I decided to serve it with Paula's Buttermilk Pancakes.   I can't really say too much about the pancakes,  It's not too difficult to make pancakes and there wasn't anything special about them.  This is a good pancake recipe if you don't already have one. 

Eggs Baked with Grits and Ham

1/2 cup quick cooking grits                                    Salt and Black Pepper
1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese                              1/8 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup chopped country ham                                4 large eggs

1 to 2 Tbsp. scallions

Preheat your oven to 350.  Grease an 8-inch square dish.  Cook the quick cooking grits to the directions on the package.  Once done, stir in 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, the country ham, salt, pepper and garlic powder and keep stirring until the cheese is melted.

Pour the grit mixture into the 8-inch pan.  Make 4 indentions and crack one egg into each indention.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for about 15-20 minutes.   I like my eggs runny so you may only have to bake 10-15 minutes, but if you like them well done, cook until the yolks are firm. Then garnish with scallions.

 

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour                                             1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar                                                             4 Tbls. butter, melted
2 tsp. baking powder                                                 2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda                                                       1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt                                                                     Maple syrup


Grease your griddle with butter.  Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl whisk the buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla.  Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until combined.

Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto your hot griddle and cook until golden brown then flip your cakes and finish cooking until golden brown on the underside.

 

 

 

 

Southern Chili In A Biscuit Bowl

As the weather begins to cool, we all seem to crave hearty soups and stews, and who doesn't love a good bowl of chili?  Despite being known as a cold weather dish, this chili would be a hit any time of year!  Despite the rather simple list of ingredients, this chili is packed full of flavor!  Unfortunately, I couldn't locate one of the ingredients, Mexican-style Stewed Tomatoes, so I used regular Stewed Tomatoes and added 1 can of Hot Rotel instead.  The dish was fantastic regardless! 

 

The Biscuit Bowls are quick and easy too.  Paula kicks them up a notch by adding a little cayenne pepper to give them a slight kick.   I loved eating the chili out of these bowls.  The bowls are so good you won't need any tortilla chips or crackers with this chili! 

Southern Chili In a Biscuit Bowl pg 134
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/chili_in_a_biscuit_bowl/

To make the Biscuit Bowls
 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Take a muffin pan and flip it over and spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine the Bisquick, milk, and the cayenne pepper.   Shape into a ball, dust your work surface with flour, and knead the dough about 3-4 times.  Then cut the dough into 6 balls.

Take each ball and flatten with your hand into a 6 in round then form the round the cup of your pan.

                                     

 

Bake at 450 until golden brown, about 10 - 12 minutes

 

Remove the biscuit bowls and set aside.

 

 

 

 

To make the Chili

 

In a Dutch oven (or stockpot), brown the beef until almost all the pink is gone over medium heat.

 

 

 

Add your onion and pepper and continue to cook until the beef is browned and the onion and pepper are tender.

 

 

 

Drain off any fat, then add the tomatoes, beans, chili powder and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 35 minutes. 

 

 

 

Serve the chili in the biscuit bowls and top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

 













Cinnamon-Glazed Sour Cream Apple Bundt Cake

What better cake to kick off the Fall season than an Apple Cake?   This bundt cake is loaded with apples along with tons of flavor and topped with a cinnamon glaze.  It's extremely moist and smells wonderful while baking.  You'll want to dive right into this cake as soon as it comes out of the oven! This cake is a great way to get you in the Fall spirit, and if you love apples, you will really enjoy this cake!

Cinnamon Glazed Sour Cream Apple Bundt Cake pg 374

Cake
2 sticks of butter (room temperature)                                     2 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 3/4 cup sugar                                                                       1/4 tsp almond extract
4 large eggs                                                                            2 medium granny smith apples, peeled,
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour                                                        cored and finely chopped
2 tsp baking powder                                                               Glaze
1 tsp baking soda                                                                   1 cup powdered sugar sifted
1 tsp salt                                                                                 1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sour cream                                                                   2 to 3 Tbl. whole milk
 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Grease your Bundt pan.  Make sure you grease it well to make sure there is no problem removing the cake.  

Beat your butter until smooth.  Mix in the sugar until well blended and fluffy.  Add your eggs one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated.
In a medium bowl combine remaining dry ingredients and in a small bowl combine the sour cream and the extracts.   Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture to your butter, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Once combined well, fold in your apples. 
 

Pour into the Bundt pan and bake for an 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Glaze
Whisk the sugar and the cinnamon together.  Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the glaze is thick but still able to be poured on the cake. 

Fall off the Bone Ribs

One thing I love about southern cooking are most things are cooked with something pork. So how can you go wrong with some oven barbecued ribs?  These ribs are cooked low and slow to make sure you get the most tender and juicy ribs possible.  Up to this point, I have never tried to make any ribs, but Paula made this as easy as possible.  Where I grew up, I was used to ribs covered in a thick ketchup style barbeque sauce. Those are good, but I took Paula's suggestions and covered them in her Daddy's Tangy Grilling Sauce.  This sauce is simple with just Worcestershire sauce, butter and lemon juice. When I tasted it, I really was a little worried about how they would turn out but, the sauce really is the key to these wonderful ribs.  As the ribs cook, they soak up this tangy sauce and it makes the ribs so succulent and tender you will think they're finger licking good. 

What goes better with barbeque ribs than Paula's Best Braised Southern Greens?  Paula uses some good 'ole bacon grease, butter and onions to flavor this dish. We all know you can't go wrong with butter and bacon for flavor in the south!   Overall the greens turned out really good, but I do think they needed to be cooked way longer then what Paula suggests.   I don't know about the rest of you, but I love my collard greens cooked soft. I don't want any crunchy greens!  In the recipe, Paula says to only cook these about 20 minutes total. To me they could have cooked for longer, but that is how I like them.

BBQ Pork Ribs pg. 143

5 pounds bone in country style ribs
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Daddy's tangy grilling sauce.

To make the sauce take 1 cup of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 stick of butter and the juice of 2 lemons and combine in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

For the Ribs:

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then cover and refrigerate for 4 or more hours. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Pour half of the sauce in your roasting pan, making sure to coat the ribs with the sauce.  Cover your pan with foil and bake 1-1 1/2 hours.  Then pour the rest of your sauce over your ribs and bake until tender around another 1 1/2 hours.  Once they are done make sure you let them rest for a few minutes before you serve them.

Best Braised Southern Greens

8 slices of bacon cut into pieces
1 medium onion
1 stick of butter
2 pounds collards
salt
hot sauce

In a large sauce pan fry the bacon pieces until crisp then add your onions and butter and cook until the onions are soft and tender.

Add about 2 cups of water,  I needed a little more than 2 cups, and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.  Add your collard greens and cook until tender.  Paula says 20 minutes, but I say you will need longer. 

 

 

 

Millions Of Peaches!

Peaches and Cream…need I say more?  I was so excited about this pie. I love peaches and anytime you can pair that with pie it is always going to be great!  Paula’s Peaches and Cream Pie is fantastic and easy to make.  While making this, I didn’t end up cooking it for as long as I needed to, so when I do this again, I will be sure to cook it for a little longer.  This pie is served cool, so it would make a great picnic item. It was not as sweet as I expected, but that was just what you need in a peaches and cream pie.  This will definitely be a summer recipe favorite! My friend Stephen complained that it wasn’t sweet enough and Jill heated hers up a bit.  It works to be heated and also goes well with vanilla ice cream.

Peaches and Cream Pie pg 333.

Place a prepared 9 inch pie crust in a pie plate and refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together 3 cups peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons of instant tapioca and a little salt.  In a small bowl whisk 1 cup heavy cream, 2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Place the peaches in the pie crust and pour the egg mixture over the peaches making sure the peaches are covered.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degree then reduce to 350.  This is a step I forgot so I bakes at 350 but had to back a little longer.  Let the pie completely cool and enjoy.

The Lady and Sons Chicken Pot Pie

One of the best comfort foods is Chicken Pot Pie.  It is such a song of the south on a crisp fall day, or winter night.  Frankly it is good anytime in my book!  My mother never made Chicken Pot Pie, so I never had it growing up.  My first experience with it was probably in college in the cafeteria. From then on it was love at first taste. Paula’s Chicken Pot Pie is one of the best ever.  This is thicker than Pot Pies I have normally had.  The buttery crust paired with cheese and chicken make this dish a winner.  My friends Stephen and Jill enjoyed this dish with me along with making a photo just like the book!  We all had seconds!

The Lady & Sons Chicken Potpie pg 168

1 cooked chicken                           Pastry
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup          3 cups all purpose flour
1 can cream of celery                    1 teaspoon salt
!/2 cup whole milk                        1/4 baking powder                  
1 med. onion chopped                   3/4 cup solid shortening
10 ounces frozen peas                   1/4 cup ice cold water
3 carrots                                        butter
salt                                                
Pepper                                         
                                                      
Take the skin off and pull the chicken off the bone and rough chop

 

Heat the soups and milk, Stir in the chicken onion, peas, carrots salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

 

 

 

 

For the pastry.  Sift all the dry ingredients together.  Cut in the shortening. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and gently take a fork and push dough to the side until dough is moistened then form into 2 balls.

 

Flatten one ball and roll out to about 1/8 inch thick to fit a dip dish pie plate and fit to the pan.  Then fill with chicken pot pie mixture. 

 

Roll out the second ball to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into half inch strips and lay over pie in a lattice style.  Top with butter and bake until golden brown about 40-45 minutes.

 

 

 



Epic Fail On Strawberry Jam

As long as I can remember, people in my family have made jams and jellies.  Up until a few days ago, I have never tried but always depended on my mom to make her wonderful strawberry jam.  I never really appreciated how much work actually went into this process and how many things really could go wrong!  

 

My mom has had years of experience making jams, I don't think I ever remember her ever having any problems or anything going wrong.  Well, I can't say that.  My first attempt of making jam didn't go so well.  Before I started this process, I read Paula's instructions (at least 100 times) just to make sure I really understood the process.  She said to sterilize the jars, lids, and screw tops in boiling water, so I did and made sure they were completely dry.  I then made the jam, per the instructions, and let them get to 220 degrees and then filled the hot jars with the jam.  I then placed them in a water and brought them to a boil and then took them out.  

 

Luckily, I was able to get them to seal, but after about 48 hours I realized the only thing I made was strawberry syrup!  I will have to say this would go great on waffles or ice cream but it doesn't make great jam for a warm buttery biscuit.  I think I know where I went wrong, in the process of bringing them jam to a boil, I did not bring it to a hard boil which caused my jam not to set.  So, this weekend, there will be another attempt on Paula's Strawberry Jam.  This time I hope all goes well!  If anyone has any suggestions on jam making I would love to hear them. 

Strawberry Jam pg. 424

First make sure your jars, lids, and screw tops are clean, and then boil them in water for about 10 minutes.  Let them completely dry.

 

 

Combine the 3 lbs of strawberries with about 3 cups of sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally until the sugar is almost dissolved, about an hour.  Then mash with a potato masher.

 

 

Add the zest of one whole lemon and about 1/3 cup of lemon juice and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Reduce to a simmer and bring to 220 degrees, stirring occasionally.  Skim off the foam.

 

 



Fill the jars with the jam and leave about 1/2 inch of room at the top.  Place on screw tops and the lids and place in a pot of water on a rack of a folded up towel and bring to a boil, covered and boil for 10 minutes.  Place on kitchen towel for 24 hours, once sealed you should hear a pop. If they are sealed your lid should be concave.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=SEa1NJxPngAC&pg=PA424&lpg=PA424&dq=paula+deen+strawberry+jam+recipe+southern+cooking+bible&source=bl&ots=am-iKE7zp2&sig=XKIx2tCurtJBGW7uE5kVLDCVyTs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2X08UqzYHI7m8wTdjoCYBQ&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=paula%20deen%20strawberry%20jam%20recipe%20southern%20cooking%20bible&f=false



My Birthday Cake

I know this post is a little late but it's all about my birthday cake!  My friend Jill let me pick the cake I wanted for my birthday and as soon as she said it, I already knew what I wanted.  She thought she was smart and said "I already know which one you will pick", but she was wrong!  She thinks just because she has known me for about half my life she knows everything about me, but I guess she doesn't know everything.  She thought I was going to pick the Blackberry Cobbler, which she is right, this is one of my all time favorite desserts, but I ended up picking the General Robert E. Lee Cake. 

 

As soon as I read this recipe I knew it was something I would love.  The cake is filled with the refreshing flavors of lemon and orange and then is frosted in a bright citrus buttercream frosting.  I love anything citrus.  Citrus reminds me of sitting on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean with some sort of island cocktail.  One thing that attracted me most to this cake was the lemon curd filling.  Up until recently, I wouldn't eat anything lemon flavored, but lately I can't seem to get enough.  Everywhere I go I seem to be getting something with lemon.  The lemon curd really makes this cake bright and refreshing.  The only thing that I was disappointed in was the citrus buttercream.  The buttercream tasted great but I have never seen a buttercream made the way Paula made it.  She whisked the egg whites together and then put the bowl on top of simmering water and cooked to 140 degrees and then beat until soft peaks formed.  I don't know if we did something wrong, since I have never made a frosting like this but, the texture was a little lumpy and grainy.  But even with the frosting this cake was still a winner and I will be making this again to see if I can figure out this icing recipe.  Maybe I need to get a lesson from the master, Paula Deen herself!  

 
General Robert E Lee Cake
Pg. 386
 
Lemon Curd
Combine all the ingredients except the butter and cook over medium heat until thickens about 10-15 minutes.  Take off the stove and stir in the cold butter and strain then chill for at least 2 hours.
 
Cake
Beat the butter until creamy; then add sugar and all the zest and beat until fluffy then add one egg at a time until they are well combined.
 
In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients, then in a small bowl whisk together the, buttermilk and vanilla.  Alternating the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture combine into the egg mixture making sure you begin and end with the flour mixture. 
 

Pour into 3 - 9inch greased pans and bake at 350 degrees until done, about 25 minutes. 
 
Buttercream Frosting

First bring a pot of water to a simmer.  In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy then add the orange and lemon juice until combined.

With a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt and place the bowl over then simmering water and heat until 140 degrees.  While over the water, make sure you whisk by hand.  remove from the pot and beat until mixture cools completely and soft peaks form.  Add the butter mixture a little at a time and beat until well combined.

Assemble the cake

Place cake on plate, spread half of the lemon curd filling top with second layer and spread the remaining lemon curd filling.  Place the final layer of cake on top and frost with the Butter cream frosting. 

Birthday Dinner Part Two

Cajun Flank Steak With A Kick
pg.218

Who doesn't love steak?  For my birthday dinner, my friends Jill and Stephen made me Paula's Cajun Flank Steak with a Kick.  This steak combines two of my favorite things, steak and spicy.  This was a perfect selection for my birthday meal.  I can say my friends know me very well and usually nail what I like on the head.  I know a lot of people who, even though they love steak, cannot grill a steak to save their lives, but my friends cooked this steak to perfection!  It was medium rare to medium, tender and juicy.  With all the spice and the perfectly cooked meat, you won't need steak sauce for this bad boy.  Since I live in a condo in downtown Wilmington NC, we didn't have access to a grill so, to do this, my friends used our grill pan and it still turned out wonderfully.  If you love steak, you gotta try this one!  

Season the steak with some salt, then combine remaining ingredients and rub this mixture into the steak and all sides and let marinate overnight.

Grill over medium high heat and cook until your desired temperature.  Paula recommends 4-5 minutes for medium rare.  Once you remove this from the grill, make sure you let this rest for about 10 minutes before you cut into it.

 

1 1/2 pounds flank steak                         4 tsp. Cajun seasoning

salt                                                           1/2 tsp. hot sauce

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil                          Pinch of cayenne pepper

 

*****Could not find a link for this recipe

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
pg. 252

Everyone knows steak and potatoes go great together.  My friends paired this meal with Paula's Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary.  Paula uses a mixture of red potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes for this dish.  The mixture of rosemary and garlic are perfect compliment and give the potatoes awesome flavor.  We made this as per Paula, and she takes her potatoes out when they are tender, but I prefer my roasted potatoes a little on the crunchy side, so, if you do too, you may want to let them cook for a little longer than she recommends. 

Combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper together.  Toss with the potatoes and pour out on a baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and tender about 30 minutes.

http://books.google.com/books?id=SEa1NJxPngAC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=Roasted+Potatoes+with+Rosemary+paula+deen+southern+cooking+bible&source=bl&ots=am-iED4Fp-&sig=yQoD9GIGopRlN9Ly4yVEtO5tMUg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pSUzUpvbKY6I9AS98IGIBQ&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Roasted%20Potatoes%20with%20Rosemary%20paula%20deen%20southern%20cooking%20bible&f=false



Maque Choux
pg. 261

My friends also decided to make Maque Choux, which, to be honest, I have never heard of and I am now sorry I have never tried this before.  Paula says this is an authentic Louisiana recipe and the ingredients definitely demonstrate that.  This side dish is filled with summer vegetables: corn, bell pepper, celery, scallions, onion, and tomatoes.  So, if your looking for a dish to make sure your eating your vegetables, this may be the one.  After she cooks these vegetables for a bit, she then adds a little bit of heavy cream and then reduces.  So far, this may be my favorite side dish I have tried in the Southern Cooking Bible!

Over medium high heat add onion, pepper and celery and cook in the butter until soft. Add your corn and scallions and reduce your heat to a medium  and cover, cook for around 5 minutes.

Add the tomato, thyme and cayenne pepper (I would add more than just a pinch, but I love spicy) and cook until the tomatoes are soft. 

Pour in the heavy cream and cook this for a few minutes until the cream has reduced slightly.  Season salt and pepper to taste.

3 tablespoons butter                                        1 large chopped tomato
1 medium yellow onion chopped                    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped                           pinch of cayenne
1 celery stalk, chopped                                   1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups corn kernels                                         1/2 teaspoon salt
3 scallions chopped, tops for garnish             1/4 teaspoon pepper

****Could not find a link for this recipe