Martha Pearl Villas' Pound Cake.

Martha Pearl's Pound Cake

1 pound (4 sticks) butter
1 pound (2 cups) sugar
9 large eggs
1 pound (4 cups) all-purpose flour
Dash salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer, then gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until well creamed and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour and salt, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and continue beating until well blended.

Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Pour in the batter and ''spank'' the bottom of the pan to distribute the batter evenly. Bake until a straw inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes, taking care not to overcook. Turn cake out onto a rack and let cool.

Snickers Salad.

I tried this for a party, and people could not believe how good it was! It's a new favorite, and is perfect for a quick & cheap make-and-take dish. 

Snickers Salad

1 (8 oz.) container of Cool Whip
1 (3.3 oz) packet of White Chocolate Instant Pudding (or Cheesecake flavor)
1 cup whole milk
4-6 granny smith apples, diced
20 small Snicker’s bars, or 3 standard sized Snickers bars, diced
chopped pecans (optional)

Mix the pudding & milk with a whisk until completely dissolved; then add cool whip and blend together. Stir in apples and Snickers bars. Top with chopped pecans (optional). Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up 8 hours.

Ice Cream Topping.

Ice Cream Topping

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Stir together and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until moderately browned. Cool, and store in airtight container.

Baked Potato Salad.

This one is fantastic!

Baked Potato Salad

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups mayo
1 1/2 pounds bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup creamy italian dressing
dash of worcestershire
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 large baking potatoes, unpeeled - baked & cooled

Combine sour cream & cream cheese in a large bowl, stirring well. Add mayo and next 7 ingredients, stirring well. Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and stir into mixture.

Greek Chicken Pasta.

Greek Chicken Pasta

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
¼ cup butter, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups cubed rotisserie chicken
1 jar (7.5 ounces) marinated, quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbed feta cheese
½ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup sliced, pitted Greek olives
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, melt butter. Add onion; sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook about a minute more. Stir in the flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, artichoke hearts, cheese, tomatoes and olives. Drain pasta; stir into the pan. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley.

Swiss Bliss.

Yet another from my new local cookbook from French Camp, MS. Made it tonight, and it is yummy. I was out of regular stewed tomatoes, and substituted in a couple cans of rotel, and it worked just fine. This is perfect over mashed potatoes, as the gravy is excellent. I made garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, purple hull peas, and fresh fried okra as sides. It was a feast! Served over rice, it's more of a classic pepper steak. (It's also excellent over grits, which my wife discovered on our second batch. She says it's every bit as good as the grits & grillades that she loves at the Court of Two Sisters in New Orleans!)

Swiss Bliss

2 pounds round steak, 1" thick, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp. butter
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 16-oz. can stewed tomatoes, drained (reserve juice)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 cup juice from tomatoes
1 tbsp. A1 steak sauce
1 tpsp. cornstarch
1//2 cup chopped bell pepper
1-2 onions, cut into rings

Line a 9X13 pan with heavy duty foil. Place steak pieces in pan, and add butter, onion soup, bell pepper and drained tomatoes. Stir together mushroom soup, salt, tomato juice, A1, & cornstarch. Pour over steak. Top with bell pepper & onion slices. Close tightly with foil, and bake at 350 for 2 hours.

Squash Hush Puppies.

I need these in my life.

Squash Hush Puppies

2 cups cooked yellow squash
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup cornmeal mix
1 cup diced onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. When thoroughly mixed, spoon into hot oil deep-fryer.

Puffed Egg Surprise.

While in Mississippi this past weekend, we ventured down to French Camp for lunch at the wonderful Council House Cafe. Of course, I wandered through the gift shop, which sells local crafts. I picked up a new local cookbook there, and tried this recipe this morning. I've never seen one quite like it. The dish is currently cooking, and I will post a review later today.

Puffed Egg Surprise

6 eggs, separated
Cheese, of your choosing
Softened butter
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg yolks at high speed until thick & smooth. Add desired salt & pepper. Mix well. Using clean beaters, whip egg whites in a separate bowl until thick and puffy, but not stiff. Fold yolks & whites carefully together until just uniform in color. Coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with butter. Pour half of egg mixture into skillet. Place cheese on top of egg mixture. Piece together to completely cover egg mixture. Pour remaining egg mixture over cheese to completely cover the cheese. Bake uncovered on center rack for 30 minutes or until medium brown on top and puffy. Do not open over door until near end of cooking. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes. Cut into wedges.

Deviled Crab Bites with Remoulade Sauce.

Deviled Crab Bites with Remoulade Sauce

1 lb lump crab meat
2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups mayonnaise
4 eggs
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1⁄2 tsp hot sauce
1⁄2 tsp season salt
1⁄2 tsp old bay seasoning
1⁄2 cup diced bell pepper
1⁄2 cup diced celery
1⁄2 cup diced onion
4 tsp butter

Sauté bell pepper, onion and celery in butter until tender. Thoroughly combine all ingredients and spices except crab meat. Mix well. Pick through the crab meat checking for shells then fold crab meat into mixture. If the mixture appears too moist, add flour to properly combine. If the mixture appears too dry, add 1 egg. To deep fry: Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Using a 1 to 2 ounce cookie scoop, drop the mixture into the oil, like you would a hushpuppie. To pan fry: Preheat about 1⁄2” of oil in the bottom of a fry pan over medium high heat. Form the mixture in the shape of a ball (about an 11⁄2 diameter). Place the crab bites in the fry pan and cook until dark brown then flip and cook the other side.

Remoulade Sauce

12 oz mayonnaise
3 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tbsp paprika 1tbsp horseradish
1⁄4 c diced green onions
1⁄2 tbsp hot sauce
1tsp old bay seasoning

Mix all ingredients well.

Shrimp Enchiladas.

Shrimp Enchiladas

1 medium bell pepper-diced
1 medium onion-diced
2 cans green chilies
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chicken base/flavoring
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper (substitute black pepper if necessary)
1 1⁄2 pounds peeled small shrimp
8 oz shredded cheese
20-8” flour tortillas (at room temperature)
Diced tomatoes-for topping
Diced green onion-for topping
Extra shredded cheese-for topping

Sautee bell pepper, onion and green chilies in butter until translucent. Add cream cheese and sour cream, stirring constantly until melted. Add the soups and the spices then mix well. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Reserve 1/3 of this mixture for topping the enchiladas. To the remaining mixture, add the shrimp and cook until pink. Finally, add the 8oz shredded cheese and stir well. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Once the filling has cooled slightly it will become a little thicker making the enchiladas easier to stuff.

Spray a large casserole dish or baking pan with pan release. One at a time, fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the enchilada filling, placing the filling not in the center of the tortilla but about 1/3 of the way on the tortilla. This makes the tortilla easier to tuck and roll. Place each enchilada in the dish or pan. Once all of the enchiladas are prepared, top them with the reserved mixture. Then garnish with the fresh diced tomatoes, diced green onions and shredded cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes; just long enough to slightly brown the tortillas and melt the cheese. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Toasted Pecan Pesto.

Toasted Pecan Pesto

1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup(2oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
3 large garlic cloves
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Let cool 20 minutes. Process pecans and remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Championship BBQ Sauce.

Another from Big Bob Gibson's......

Memphis-Style Championship Red BBQ Sauce


1 1/4 cups ketchup
1 cup water
3/4 cup vinegar
3⁄4 cup tomato paste 

3⁄4 cup brown sugar 

2⁄3 cup corn syrup 

1⁄2cup pure maple syrup 

4 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons molasses

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon applesauce

1 1 ⁄2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1 ⁄2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 tsp corn starch

1/2 tsp dried mustard powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/8 tsp celery seed

1/8 tsp ground cumin

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium non-reactive saucepan and blend well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool, then transfer to a tightly covered jar or plastic container. Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Dry Rub.

This one is from the Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book. One of these days, I'm going to have to make a pilgrimage to the restaurant.

Dry Rub

1 ⁄4 cup white sugar

1 ⁄4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons garlic salt

2 tablespoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper  

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1⁄4 cup paprika 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander 

1⁄8 teaspoon allspice

Mix all ingredients and store in an air- tight container.

Traditional Potato Salad.

Potato Salad

2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, boiled (or baked and peeled)
3 stalks of celery, diced
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1/4 cup cooked bacon, diced
3 chopped green onions
2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or sea salt)
1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper (or to taste) 

Dice cooked potatoes and combine with celery, eggs and bacon. Combine dressing ingredients well, then add dressing to potato mixture. Adjust salt a little at a time if needed 

Jamie Oliver's Pasta Salad.

Jamie Oliver's Best Pasta Salad

11 ounces small shell pasta
3 garlic cloves
9 ounces yellow cherry tomatoes
9 ounces cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 medium cucumber
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the pasta and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes or until al dente, and drain. Put the garlic to one side for the dressing. Put the pasta in a bowl. Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl. Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and pound in a pestle and mortar. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.


Optional additions:


Artichoke hearts
Sun-dried tomatoes
Diced bell peppers