Paula Deen’s Cheese Biscuits

1 cup buttermilk
¼ stick butter, melted
¾ cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups self-rising flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at 1 time just until blended. Do not over stir. Drop by tablespoonfuls or use an ice cream scoop, onto a well greased baking sheet. Brush dough with melted butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yield 16 – 20 biscuits

Stuffed Strawberries

The picture above is one taken by Karen Prince. Following is her scrumptious recipe. Then following her receipe is another I found. Karen's are BEAUTIFUL!!!

Cream - 1-80z cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 cups Cool Whip
Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, fold in Cool Whip.

1st - Wash the strawberries, leaving the green leaves attached, place them upside down to dry.

2nd - Cut the strawberries, from the small tip almost all the way to the green stuff.

3rd - Stuff with the cream, Karen uses this tool from Pampered Chef.

4th - Melt a little chocolate bark in a ziplock bag, barely snip one corner (the smaller the hole the better) and just start squeezing the chocolate all over. Sometimes she sprinkles with powdered sugar.

5th - ENJOY!

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

20 whole large strawberries, hulled
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Southern Dinner Menu

Good Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise following will be my dinner menu for tomorrow night. It just sounds simply SOUTHERNLY delish! (granted to be totally southern I'd fry the chicken)

Grilled or Baked Chicken

Red Potatoes N Onions

Fresh Cream Style Corn

Purple Hull Peas

Sweet Cornbread

Ice Cold Watermelon

For the chicken remove the skin from chicken breasts. Then season heavily with Italian Seasoning. I'll either grill or bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

For the Red Potatoes select the smallest (new) red potatoes you can find. Scrub the peelings and then slice rather large. Melt one stick of margarine in a skillet and saute thinly sliced white onion rings. Add the potato slices. Add salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste. Cook until tender over medium low heat.

My recipe for FRESH cream style corn follows in a previous post. Scroll down and enjoy!

Of course I prefer fresh from the garden Purple Hull Peas. When that isn't possible I purchase frozen NEVER canned Purple Hulls. Cover with water, add 3 - 4 slices of raw bacon. Season with lots of salt and black pepper to taste. These peas require lots of salt for some reason. Cook over medium heat until tender (about 1 hour).

I cheat on my cornbread. I purchase 2 Cornkit packages. I prepare according to package direction EXCEPT add 1/3 cup of sugar. While oven is preheating to package temperature melt 1 stick of margarine in an iron skillet. Once melted pour cornbread mixture over melted margarine in skillet. Do not mix the melted & cornbread mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. The cornbread will be crusty and pull away from the edges of skillet. Immediately invert onto dinner plate or platter. Serve with butter....Yummy!!!

During the summer we keep watermelon in the refrigerator. It's just a great refreshing snack for a TEXAS hot Summer day. It's a great Summer dessert, too!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

4 eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups sugar
5 cups milk
4 cups whipping cream
4-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar

In a large mixing bowl, gradually add sugar to eggs, beating until stiff. Add milk, cream, vanilla and salt and mix well. Refrigerate. Melt butter and sauté pecans. Add brown sugar and stir until melted. Cool well. Add to ice cream mixture and freeze in ice cream freezer.

Frozen Lemon Mousse

4 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
Juice of 3 lemons
2 (6-ounce) cans evaporated milk, chilled
Box of graham cracker crumbs


Cook egg yolks, sugar, grated lemon rind and lemon juice for three minutes, stirring constantly. Fold in evaporated milk, that has been chilled and whipped, and the stiffly beaten egg whites. Place 1/4-inch of graham cracker crumbs in bottom of 8-inch square dish. Pour in mousse. Place another 1/4-inch layer of crumbs on top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer, preferably overnight. Do not remove until ready to serve.

SERVES: 8

Ronda Hurst's Meat Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Dash red pepper flakes (more if you want it spicy)
Salt
Pepper
Accent
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or a 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped
1 sm. can tomato paste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook about 5 min, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the ground beef, season with salt, pepper and accent. Cook until brown and done. Add tomatoes with liquid. (Don't forget to chop the tomatoes). Add tomato paste and basil. Stir all ingredients well. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 min. If the sauce is a little dry add some tomato sauce or even water.

Note: If the sauce is too acidic for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.

Serve over pasta of your choice. Ronda serves over Grilled Chicken Breasts with a side salad and asparagus or other vegetable.

Fresh Creamed Style Corn

12 ears of corn
1/3 cup of sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 sticks of Margarine
3/4 cup water

Shuck the corn removing all silk. Wash corn. Carefully scrape all corn from the cobs. Then scrape the 'milk' from the cobs. Melt margarine in large dutch skillet. Add creamed corn and remaining ingredients, mixing well. Cook over medium heat stirring often for 1 - 1.5 hours or until tender.

This quantity made enough for 4 adults plus I froze two more servings for four adults.

NOTE: Can season with bacon drippings, that's what Mamaw Ingram would have done!!!

Monday Night Menu

This may not all "go together" perfectly but it's what I'm craving. Hence, it's what I'm grilling/cooking for dinner. Mom's out of town but Popsie is going to join Kent, Redonia, and me.

Grilled New York Strip Steak
Grilled Pecan Smoked Sausage
Baked Potatoes
Fresh Green Beans
Fresh Cream Style Corn (yes, I'll scrape the cobs!!)
Yeast Rolls with butter
Sweet Tea

I'm sure some sort of dessert will make it's way to the table, too.

Easy Spoon Cornbread

2 slightly beaten eggs
1 (8 1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix
1 (8 oz.) cream corn
1 (8 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheese

Combine eggs, muffin mix, cream and whole kernel corn, sour cream, sugar and
butter. Spread in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle
cheese on top. Bake 10-15 minutes more.

Heavenly Angel Food Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375°. Line bottom and sides of a 13- x 9-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides of pan. (Do not grease pan or foil.) Sift together first 3 ingredients.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in sugar mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, folding just until blended after each addition. Fold in vanilla and lemon juice. Spoon batter into prepared pan. (Pan will be very full. The batter will reach almost to the top of the pan.)

Bake at 375° on an oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Invert cake onto a lightly greased wire rack; let cool, with pan over cake, 1 hour or until completely cool. Remove pan; peel foil off cake. Transfer cake to a serving platter. Spread Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add lemon juice, beating just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in lemon zest.

Garnish can be a small icing flower, pink rose petals, a strawberry slice with a mint leaf, a lemon curl with a mint leaf or your own creative idea.

Saucy Baked Pork Chops

6 pork chops
1 onion - sliced in thin rings
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons catsup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large frying pan brown chops on both sides in small amount of oil. Drain and place chops in a baking dish. Place sliced onions on top of each. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over chops and cover. Simmer for one hour or until done.

This recipe makes a yummy gravy! Make sure to serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Roffie Ensey's Chicken Enchilada Recipe

In honor of Cinco de Mayo I post the following recipe. Calah, our daughter-in-law, is 1/4 Mexican. We are going to have Tres Leches Cake after Choir practice tonight, too! Any reason to have cake and celebrate is great for this Southern girl.....

Do enjoy this receipe. Sis. Ensey prepared it for a Minister's Wives Dinner I attended last month. It was delicious! It sounds so easy and I can hardly wait to prepare it for my sweet family.

1 small onion chopped
8 oz. cream cheese
15 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and chopped
1 sm. can diced green chilies
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, grated
1/2 pint of whipping cream or more


Sauté onion in butter. Add green chilies and cream cheese. Simmer until cheese melts and mix well. Add chopped chicken and mix lightly.

Place 1/4 cup of mixture in flour tortilla and roll up. Place in greased baking dish. When dish is full, sprinkle grated cheese on top and then pour cream over cheese.

Bake @ 350˚ for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.