Candy making is not something I typically try my hand at. All that talk about thermometers and stages and testing methods. Those recipes always look like the kind of thing I don’t have the patience for. Plus, once you’ve been badly burned by hot sugar, it makes you candy-shy. But this is an exception. I call it Pralines for Idiots, because it really does away with all that … [Read more...] about Pralines for Idiots
Southern specialties
Cream Cheese Wafer Biscuits
I have stumbled across this recipe in many community cookbooks over the years, and after seeing it so many times, I just had to try it to see if it’s for real. It’s so easy, I had a suspicion it was too good to be true. But, lo and behold, it works. I have seen the recipes titled cream cheese biscuits and cream cheese wafers, but neither is really completely accurate. … [Read more...] about Cream Cheese Wafer Biscuits
Green and Gold Collards
Greens on New Year’s Day are an important tradition here in the South. It’s a wish for prosperity in the new year, you see, greens representing the foldin’ money you hope to have in your pocket. Collards are a traditional green and here you can add a little wish for some jangly change in your pocket too with the golden coin-like dumplings. Serve them with some black-eyed peas, … [Read more...] about Green and Gold Collards
Bourbon Rosemary Pecans
I love a flavorful toasted nut, but I have always found it difficult to get enough flavor into nuts without burning them, or the seasonings just fall right off. My solution has become to soak the nuts in a flavorful liquid then toast them until perfect. My Lemon Garlic Cashews were my first foray into this method, and these salty-sweet bourbon soaked pecans are … [Read more...] about Bourbon Rosemary Pecans
Sweet Potato Cobbler
I’m going to go all Southern on you again with this delicious, old-fashioned, homey dessert perfect for the autumn table. I’m not, however, going to get into a discussion on what exactly a cobbler is – biscuit top, crumble top, pastry top, whatever. This is how I make cobbler, and that’s good enough for me. But really, is there any more comforting dessert than a cobbler, … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Cobbler
