Pea-Can or Pe-Cahhwn?

I love Pecans (you can guess how I pronounce it) and I remember growing up in south Arkansas giving my teachers a big bag of pecans as Christmas presents- wish my students would do that for me!  I have been known to make them go and help me pick some up from the tree behind my classroom!

I was given a big ole bag of pecans last week - about 5 cups worth- so what to do, what to do?  Pie? Well, duh, but I wanted to step out of my box.  I have been thinking of making some Whiskey Sticks since I got some at Christmas, and we have some whiskey (shocker, huh?) so I decided to make Whiskey Pecans.  I looked at recipes and found one that I thought worked best, but of course, being me, I had to do my own thing. I also wanted to cut down a little on the sugar. 

Drunk Pecans

Finished Drunk Pecans..... mmmm mmmm good!

    1/4 cup whiskey
    2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar -mix
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/ 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    1 teaspooon garlic salt
    2 cups raw pecan halves
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
   
preheat oven to 300*

1   Combine In  small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper and stir until well-combined. Set aside.

2.  Place the pecans in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until they just start to brown and smell toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir until the butter is completely melted and the pecans are coated.

3  Add the sugar and spice mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and immediately pour in the whiskey. Stir for 1-2 minutes more, off heat, until everything is well incorporated.

4  Return the pan to medium heat and continue to stir everything in the pan until the liquid thickens and a glaze forms on the pecans, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pecans to baking sheet and separate pecans into single layer.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and cracker black pepper.

5.  Bake pecans for 5 minutes, take out stir; bake another 5 minutes and then turn the oven off... open the oven door slightly and allow pecans to remain in oven for another 5 minutes.

6. Allow the pecans to cool completely. Once the pecans have cooled, store in an airtight bowl.


These are absolutely YUMMY... The whiskey is not too discernable, but that is a good thing.  I added the sprinkle of garlic salt at the end and I think it really helps to make a big differenc. However, just don't overdo the salt.  The recipe I used called for these to be more 'gooey', but I think with this type of food, you don't need gooey.  You need dry as it's a hand food so I used the oven at 300 and watched the pecans while they were toasting.  Yes, some are blacker than others, but YOU simply have to watch these! 

Finally, these are Dave tested and Dave approved. 

this is how they came off the stove... too much goo! 

Well, it's good ... for not being pork.

Dave goes on a golf trip each year to Myrtle Beach over MLK weekend. He looks forward to this trip and has a great time each year.  I admit, I get a bit lonesome for him after one day so I eagerly awaited his arrival all day today.  He tends to get lonesome for my cooking after eating out for five days!

I had promised him home cooking when he got home so I went to Pinterest for inspiration... and I found a chicken dish that I hoped would satisfy the Dave- And one that would actually make him forget that the meal was chicken and not pork.  As you now, he is NOT a fan of chicken! 

Baked Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2.  In small  pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
     Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of  brown sugar.
3.  Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Bake covered (with foil) for 15 minutes then remove foil, and cook an extra 10-15 minutes.  Check internal temperature and if ok, sprinkle the reserved brown sugar on top and broil for 2-3 minutes to add great color to the top of the chicken.




This was a wonderful surprise meal... I was very happy with how it turned out!  Dave was too...even if it wasn't pork.  I, however, got bonus points for  mac and cheese on the side!

A Drunken Porkfest.....

So as mentioned before, the Dave is a fan of the PORK (he married me after all, right?)... therefore, I am constantly trying to create new ways to fix up a chop.  I rarely fry them because I love them grilled.  I didn't just want to do that same ole thing so I began opening the cabinet doors at random, hoping for inspiration....

I opened the middle cabinet and what did I spy?  A lovely bottle of Crown Royal Reserve.... and my mind went "oh my" !!  And this is what I came up with....


Brown Crown Chops

2 Center cut bone in pork chops
3 tablespoons Crown Royal
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic minced or pressed

1.  Combine the Crown, brown sugar, oil, garlic and pepper in a plastic bag.  Add chops and marinade for at least an hour. I went a good four hours.
2.  Grill chops - 5-7 minutes on each side- basting chops with reserved marinade. 
3.  Serve with drunken onions on top- no sauce required!

The brown sugar carmalizes and creates a very unique crust that made my mouth explode with flavor. Dave did not even smother these in BBQ sauce!   Needless to say we were very pleased with these chops.  Definitely Dave tested and approved.

Drunken onions for a later day....

Sweet cup o' joy!

Oh those wonderful peppermint mochas from Starbucks... or basically anywhere!  I LOVE peppermint and chocolate!  But the calories.. hmmm, that is another story.  So I developed a way to have my peppermint mocha and well, lose those calories. 

Peppermint Coffee with Chocolate Creamer

Coffee
Sugar free peppermint candies
creamer
cocoa powder

1.  Brew coffee with about 4-5 candies in the pot.  As the coffee brews the candies melt and infuse the coffee with the peppermint!
2.  Five tablespoons creamer (use what you'd like to use), 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 5 packs of sweetner (your choice).  Mix together and store in an airtight container.  You might need more sweetner - this is a matter of taste.
3. Use this creamer with your coffee and ENJOY!  Wonderful and less calories than Starbucks.

Heaven on a biscuit.....

I mean seriously, is there anything better than gravy?  I mean it takes many different flavors colors, and styles, but gravy is so uniquely southern that, well, I will let you in on a secret as to why we FRY "everthang"-- for the gravy!  Don't get me wrong, I love to fry most things- hello chubby southern girl- but I do so love the gravy that normally comes with the frying.  I mean, brown gravy on french fries, white gravy on rice/potatoes, or my absolute favorite: sausage gravy!

 

PS :  Little known fact, it was in the Four Dice Cafe in Fordyce, Arkansas  that Keith Richards  had brown gravy on his french fries at the suggestion of a waitress.... within the hour, he was arrested for marijuana possession and use.

I don't know that you can READ a recipe and KNOW how to make gravy.  My first attempts were not great attempts and sometimes the gravy just didn't hold together- if you know what I mean.  It's a thing you simply get a feel for.  You just have to do over and over again.... but don't skimp on the grease in your pan!

What is better than waking up to fresh biscuits and gravy in the morning?  NOTHING!

Southern Sausage Gravy

    4 ounces breakfast sausage- I use a hot sausage
    1 tbsp bacon drippings
    1/3 cup flour- perhaps more
    1 cup fat free skim milk
    salt and pepper, to taste
   
1.  Cook sausage in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up with a spatula. I like to turn up the heat a bit at the end of the cooking to give the sausage a couple of good and done pieces- but DON'T burn your grease!

2.  With a slotted spoon, removed the browned crumbled sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. You have to leave the grease in the skillet!  This is NOT a low fat thing- no way around it!

3.   I add one tbsp of my bacon drippings at this point.  You don't HAVE to do this but in total opposition to my momma, the more grease/fat= the better the gravy.  You can substitute shortening, vegetable oil, or lard (dear God, NO- why would anyone in this day and age have LARD in the house?).  Add flour, stirring until blended and bubbling with a whisk making a roux.  Gradually add milk; continue stirring and cooking until thickened and bubbly. Too thick is fine at first! 

4.  Add the crumbled sausage.   Check the thickness and thin it out if need be- be very careful because if you get it too thin now, there is not going back.  Taste and add pepper and garlic salt!  I like the garlic taste!  You can add anything you'd like to make it YOURS!

Serve over hot biscuits- but as my Papa said 'you have to have enough gravy to cover the whole biscuit'- words of wisdom from J.H.Kinder  of Smackover, Arkansas that I will be happy to live my life by!

Yankees can't handle the greens

I like to serve my peas and greens in one bowl 

The name of my blog is entitled "Black eyed Peas and Collard Greens?" for a reason- the story is explained on the home page, but the short story is Yankees don't do this New Years Tradition and Dave claims I tried to kill him with it... how silly is that?  We weren't married yet so I had no claim to his money- he should, however, be leery of anything now, huh?

So I normally do black-eyed peas on the stove, but decided this year to try the slow cooker method- and come in from NYE festivities and turn on that crock.  That way, they can cook while I sleep as late as I want on my last day of Winter break (yeah, I said winter).  And that is the ONLY way to do it!  We came in from NYE and put those peas on- I had combined everything into one Tupperware container in the afternoon so all I did was dump! 

  New Years Southern Goodness-- Black-eyed Peas

   1 pound dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
   1 medium onion- diced
   2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced
   1/2 red bell pepper-diced
   1/2 green pepper- diced
   1 jalapeno- seeded and minced
   big ole hunk of hog jowl-cut up into smaller pieces.
   1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning (or more to taste)
   1/2 tsp cumin
   garlic salt, to taste
   1 tsp ground black pepper
   4 slices of turkey bacon- cooked and cut up

1.  Wash and drain peas. This is pea picking fun! NOT
2.  Place peas in crock pot with hog jowl, onions, peppers, and seasoning. 
3.  Cook on low 8 -10 hours or on high for about 4 hours. 
4.  Cook bacon and crumble- add to the final 30 minutes of cooking when removing the hog jowl.
     (NO, I do NOT eat that!) 

Serve with greens in one bowl as I do. Some people add red wine or apple cider vinegar, but I love to put a dash (or two or three) of Louisiana Hot Sauce to my bowl.  I also LOVE to serve over cornbread- now that's southern to the core!  I can't believe I only do this ONCE a year when this is perfection as a meal! 

We enjoyed our peas and greens at lunch time- Dave having a small spoonful of greens (we are waiting for disasstor to happen), but tonight, I will grill a nice ole pork chop, add  green beans ( to stand in for Dave's greens), and butter up some beer bread- Happy New Year!