Biscuits, sausage, and strawberry jam.
I wish I could tell you how to make my mother's biscuits, but I can't. It's a lot of: "until it looks right," and "wet...but not too wet."
As for the jelly, I got the recipe from Marissa McClellan of Food In Jars. It's her Small Batch Strawberry Vanilla Jam.
As for the jelly, I got the recipe from Marissa McClellan of Food In Jars. It's her Small Batch Strawberry Vanilla Jam.
- 1 quart strawberries (a little over 1 1/2 pounds, should be approximately 4 cups of chopped berries)
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Wash and chop berries. Toss them with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla beans/seeds and place in a large jar or bowl.
- Allow the berries to macerate for at least 2-3 hours and up to 72 hours.
- When you're ready to make the jam, prepare three half pint jars.
- Pour macerated strawberries into a large pot and add the remaining cup of sugar.
- Bring to a boil and cook until the jam reaches 220 degrees, stirring very regularly.
- Add the lemon zest and juice in the final 5 minutes of cooking.
- Once the jam has reached 220 degrees, remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour jam into your prepared jars.
- Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in your canner for 10 minutes (normally I'd admonish you not to start your timer until the water has returned to a boil. However, as long as your water is quite hot when the jars go into the canner, the time it will take to return to boiling should be minimal).
- When time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a towel-lined counter top.
- When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and check seals.
- If any jars are not sealed, store them in the fridge and use them first.
- Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/artichokes_orig.jpg)
Stuffed Artichokes
I don't really have a recipe for this, but here goes:
Ingredients:
artichokes
bread crumbs (seasoned, or add oregano, basil, S&P)
garlic cloves
olive oil
Cut off artichoke stems and trim sharp tips.
Stuff bread crumbs in between leaves. Slice a clove of garlic or so for each choke and shove slices down in between leaves.
Drizzle generously with olive oil.
Put chokes in large pot and fill with water about halfway up the outermost leaves. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until the leaves pull off easily, about an hour. Add more water if necessary so it doesn't evaporate. I made these ahead and reheated under the broiler.
I don't really have a recipe for this, but here goes:
Ingredients:
artichokes
bread crumbs (seasoned, or add oregano, basil, S&P)
garlic cloves
olive oil
Cut off artichoke stems and trim sharp tips.
Stuff bread crumbs in between leaves. Slice a clove of garlic or so for each choke and shove slices down in between leaves.
Drizzle generously with olive oil.
Put chokes in large pot and fill with water about halfway up the outermost leaves. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until the leaves pull off easily, about an hour. Add more water if necessary so it doesn't evaporate. I made these ahead and reheated under the broiler.
Grandmother's Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
-Chicken (You can buy a pre-cut up one so you don't have to do it, or whatever pieces you like. I've done both skin on and without.)
-Flour
-Salt and Pepper (dash of each)
-Milk (buttermilk if you want it to be really yummy)
-Crisco
1) Wash the chicken and trim the fat, pat dry.
2) Heat a few tablespoons of crisco in the pan on about medium. You want the pan about 1/3 full of melted crisco.
3) Prepare a few bowls: one with milk, one with flour, salt and pepper.
4) Bread your chicken: dip in milk, then flour.
5) Fry the pieces, start with your thickest piece first (breast) until golden brown. You will want to make sure you are not letting your heat get too high, if anything slowly lower it. As a frame of reference, it should take about 12 minutes for a breast to cook, and 6-8 for a thigh.
6) When done, drain half the crisco out. Reduce heat to medium/medium low. You will want to add about 1 tbs of flour at a time until it has soaked up most of the crisco/fatty goodness. It will look like a rue. Then you add 1/4 c of milk at a time to the pan to turn it back into a gravy to appropriate thickness. Season to taste.
Ingredients:
-Chicken (You can buy a pre-cut up one so you don't have to do it, or whatever pieces you like. I've done both skin on and without.)
-Flour
-Salt and Pepper (dash of each)
-Milk (buttermilk if you want it to be really yummy)
-Crisco
1) Wash the chicken and trim the fat, pat dry.
2) Heat a few tablespoons of crisco in the pan on about medium. You want the pan about 1/3 full of melted crisco.
3) Prepare a few bowls: one with milk, one with flour, salt and pepper.
4) Bread your chicken: dip in milk, then flour.
5) Fry the pieces, start with your thickest piece first (breast) until golden brown. You will want to make sure you are not letting your heat get too high, if anything slowly lower it. As a frame of reference, it should take about 12 minutes for a breast to cook, and 6-8 for a thigh.
6) When done, drain half the crisco out. Reduce heat to medium/medium low. You will want to add about 1 tbs of flour at a time until it has soaked up most of the crisco/fatty goodness. It will look like a rue. Then you add 1/4 c of milk at a time to the pan to turn it back into a gravy to appropriate thickness. Season to taste.
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 package german sweet chocolate (4 oz.)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks, unbeaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites
Directions:
melt chocolate in 1/2 cup boiling water. cool.
cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
add egg yolk one at a time, beat well after each addition.
add melted chocolate and vanilla. mix well.
in a separate bowl, sift together salt, baking soda and flour.
add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk, beating until smooth after each addition.
in a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. fold into batter.
pour into three 8- or 9-inch cake pans lined with paper.
bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Coconut Pecan Frosting:
combine in a saucepan:
1 can of condensed milk
1 cup of sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 pound of shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens - about 12 minutes.
add:
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
beat until frosting is cool and thick enough to spread.
makes 2 1/2 cups.
1 package german sweet chocolate (4 oz.)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks, unbeaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites
Directions:
melt chocolate in 1/2 cup boiling water. cool.
cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
add egg yolk one at a time, beat well after each addition.
add melted chocolate and vanilla. mix well.
in a separate bowl, sift together salt, baking soda and flour.
add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk, beating until smooth after each addition.
in a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. fold into batter.
pour into three 8- or 9-inch cake pans lined with paper.
bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Coconut Pecan Frosting:
combine in a saucepan:
1 can of condensed milk
1 cup of sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 pound of shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens - about 12 minutes.
add:
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
beat until frosting is cool and thick enough to spread.
makes 2 1/2 cups.