Nothing motivates one to get in the kitchen more than a funeral. We all seem to harbor that primordial need to comfort with food. And there are fixed ideas – recipes that we keep in mind, or maybe on a card at the front of the recipe box for easy access. A hearty, comforting dish that we know how to make and how to make well that we can whip up the instant the call comes. … [Read more...] about Tomato Aspic
Southern specialties
Coconut Cloud Pie
I have a funny relationship with coconut. I don’t buy coconut candy bars, I leave the coconut balls behind in the assorted chocolate box, would order caramel over coconut cake and don’t do coconut rum drinks. But when I happen to be served a coconut sweet, I always love it, and wonder why I don’t eat, and bake with, coconut more often. Recently, my Dad requested a coconut … [Read more...] about Coconut Cloud Pie
Pralines for Idiots
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
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
