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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!




I think white chocolate is good in just about anything sweet, but when you pair it with macadamia nuts it just makes it extra special.  These cookies are so easy to make and the flavor is just wonderful.   They are soft and chewy and stay that way if you don't over bake them and store them in an airtight container. 

 Here is what you need for these: 

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup macadamia nuts, crushed
12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.   Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Combine flour, soda, salt and baking powder in another bowl.   Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing after each addition.

Stir in the nuts and white chocolate chips.   Drop on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for approximately 9-10 minutes.  Don't over bake them if you like them soft and chewy. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet. 

For the best results when making home made cookies, use a good heavy cookie sheet, not a thin flimsy one.  The thin cookie sheets burn the bottom of the cookies and they don't rise as much.


White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!

Kentucky Hot Brown...a Derby Favorite!


The Hot Brown was invented and made famous at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky by Chef Fred Schmidtt.   Back in the 1920's the Brown Hotel had about 1200 guests each night for dinner and dancing into the wee hours of the morning.  The partiers would get hungry and tired and would end up in the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat.  They were getting tired of the same sandwiches and wanted something  a little different so Chef Schmidtt created the 'Hot Brown' and it was an instant hit. 


 Here is what you will need to make two Kentucky Hot Browns:

3/4 lb thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
6 slices bacon cooked crisp
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of cayenne
2 cups half and half cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
four slices of toasted bread  (Texas Toast or Italian Bread)

First make a Mornay sauce, which is just a fancy schmancy word for a white sauce with some Parmesan cheese in it.   Melt the butter and flour together and cook the flour just a little, slowly add the half and half, salt pepper, and cayenne.   You can do this on the stove top or I do it in the microwave.  Whisk it together and bring to a gentle boil and then turn it down and whisk again.  If doing it in the microwave,  microwave on high about 3-4 minutes and whisk until smooth.


Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk to melt and blend until smooth.


Toast the bread and arrange it like this.  If you are using Texas Toast, you can just use one piece.  I prefer this Italian bread for this.




These are placed under the broiler, so either arrange them in individual serving dishes that are ovenproof or in a baking dish and then transfer them to a plate with a wide spatula.  Stack the turkey slices and pour the sauce over each one.


Place two slices of tomatoes on each serving.  Place under the broiler until they are starting to brown and are bubbly.  When they come out place three strips of bacon crisscrossed on each and sprinkle with more Parmesan. 

Kentucky Hot Brown!

German Chocolate Upside Down Cake!




This recipe takes a German Chocolate Cake and turns it literally upside down.  It's the slightly less attractive cousin to the more traditional, layered and beautiful  German Chocolate Cake !
However, what it lacks in good looks, it more than makes up for in deliciousness.  It's also a lot easier to make than a layered German Chocolate Cake.   This actually might be one of my all time favorite cakes!   Here is what you will need to make this:


1 box German Chocolate Cake mix, prepared according to the package directions
1  1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1  (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 lb. box of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1  1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9"x 13" baking pan with nonstick spray for baking or grease well.  Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box. 


Pour over the chopped pecans.

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until whipped.  Add vanilla and slowly beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Fold in the coconut. 


Drop the cream cheese mixture by spoonful evenly over the cake.  This doesn't have to be perfect, as you can see in the picture, because it will sink to the bottom as it bakes and the cake will rise over it.



Bake for 42 to 45 minutes.  It's best to place a baking sheet under the pan in case this rises over the edge.  Every now and then I have had it do that, but usually not.   As you can see, it's not a beauty, but the taste makes up for it.


  If you are serving guests, you can sprinkle the top with powdered sugar to make it prettier or just sprinkle each piece individually. 


Or a dollop of whipped cream is also pretty! 




Spicy Taco Pork Chops!



These "Spicy Taco Pork Chops" take plain old boring chops and kick them up a notch or two, depending on your tastes.    You oven fry these and they turn out so moist and flavorful. 

 Here is what you will need for these:

6-8 boneless loin pork chops
4 Tbs. butter, melted
2 cups dry, unseasoned bread crumbs (I used Progresso)
1 cup Mexican cheese blend
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, depending on your taste for spiciness)

In a large Ziploc bag, mix the bread crumbs, cheese, taco mix and other seasonings until well blended.  Place the melted butter in a shallow dish and dip each chop in the butter to coat.

 Place two pork chops at a time in the Ziploc bag and shake to coat the chop on all sides.  Remove from bag and place on a baking sheet that you have placed a sheet of foil on and sprayed liberally with nonstick spray. 

 I used the nonstick foil made by Reynolds Wrap for this.  It gives anything you 'oven fry' a nice crispy coating and does not allow it to stick.   When I finish coating all of the pork chops, I take the rest of the coating mixture and sort of sprinkle it on top of each pork chop for a little more 'crust'.  



Place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Do not turn them while they cook.  They will brown on both sides.  


That's it's!  Add some rice or potatoes and a green vegetable or salad and dinner is served!

Yummy! 







2 - Ingredient Pineapple Cake with a Warm Pineapple Sauce!





This is another one of those two ingredient recipes that I am fairly sure originated in a cookbook put out by they American Heart Association for their 'heart healthy diet plan'.   My late father-in-law had a heart attack in his early forties and he and my mother-in-law really tried to follow that diet fairly religiously.  All of their changes in diet and exercise must have worked, because he never had any further heart problems that I was aware of.   It seems that I remember my late mother-in-law making this little fat free cake from that book.  At the time, I thought it sounded very strange.   However, it's a good cake to be so easy and fat free, although I did dress it up a bit with a pineapple sauce. You know I couldn't just leave a fat free cake alone.  You can serve it plain if you don't want the additional calories, but the sauce does make it taste sort of like a lower calorie version of a pineapple upside down cake...not quite the same, but a good knock off version...lol.  

This is another recipe that is so easy the kids can help make it.  Here is what you need:

1 Angel Food cake mix
1 (20 oz.) can of crushed pineapple with the juice

Pineapple Sauce

3 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (20 oz.) can of crushed pineapple with the juice
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the angel food cake mix with the crushed pineapple in a mixing bowl with a large spoon.  Mix just until well blended.  DO NOT use an electric mixer.  That will beat too much air into this. 

 Pour the batter into a 9"x13" baking pan that has been sprayed well with nonstick spray.   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.   Mine was done in 25 minutes. 


Remove from oven and cool.  Before cutting in squares, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan. 
To make the pineapple sauce, melt the butter in a deep sauce pan on medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until it has dissolved and slightly caramelized.  Add the pineapple and salt.  Mix the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup cold water until smooth.  Stir into the pineapple sauce and bring up to a boil for a couple of minutes.  Don't let it boil over and stir frequently.  Remove from heat and stir the vanilla in.  Serve while warm over cake slices.   This also makes  a great topping for vanilla ice cream.










Easy Cheesy Santa Fe Rice!




This is a really quick and easy side dish that goes great with any type of Mexican food...tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, whatever!   You can also add some meat to it and make it more of a main dish casserole. 

Here is all you need for this tasty side dish:

2 cups instant rice
2  1/2 cups water
2 Tbs. butter or vegetable oil
1 can Rotel tomatoes (use mild if you don't like too much heat)
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 Tbs. taco mix
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash of hot sauce (optional if you like more heat)
2 cups Mexican blend or cheddar cheese, shredded

***If you want to make this into a main dish casserole you can add 1lb. browned ground chuck, 1 lb. browned sausage, or 2 cups diced cooked chicken after you microwave the rice and before you add the cheese topping. 


In a 2 quart casserole mix all of the ingredients except the cheese.  Microwave covered on high for about 3 minutes.  Carefully remove the lid and stir around to mix again.   Microwave on high for another  2 1/2 - 3 minutes, depending on your microwave power.  

 Remove from microwave and stir again.  If you are adding meat, add it now.   The rice should still be moist.  If it seems too dry, add another 1/2 cup water and stir.  Not all rice is created equal and some of it really sucks up the liquid, others not so much.


 Top with the shredded cheese and place in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  


Easy Cheesy Santa Fe Rice!




Mama's Ham Salad!

  

In the South, we tend to bake a ham for almost every holiday and occasion.  Christmas, Easter and some even add a baked ham alongside that turkey on Thanksgiving for good measure,  will all definitely call for a baked ham.  If someone dies, graduates, has a church potluck or family reunion, somebody is baking a ham.  We just love a baked ham.  A big ole baked ham can feed a bunch of folks and even after they have all gone home, there will usually be some leftovers from that ham.  If there isn't, you didn't buy a big enough ham.  Buy a bigger one next time...lol.


When I was a child and Mama was baking a ham, I knew we were getting ready for  some special event or company was coming! My job was always to stick the cloves in the little squares she had scored in the top of the ham.  The smell of cloves still takes me back to that little kitchen and sitting around that table with Mama and sometimes other family, while they diced celery and peeled hard boiled eggs for potato salad and deviled eggs.  You know those are a given if you are baking a ham in the South!


  Later on, I also knew there would be leftovers and I never minded that.  As a matter of fact, I loved the leftovers.  My father on the other hand, did not and would grumble for days...lol.  He still does according to Mama.  We had ham sandwiches, ham and rolls, casseroles, ham and noodles, quiches, and on and on, but the thing I really loved was the ham salad.  When my creative mother had made just about all of the things you could out of the ham and all that was left were the smaller pieces and ends of the ham, she would grind those up and make her ham salad.  The best ham salad is made with the remnants of a good baked ham.  That sweet glaze you bake the ham in just makes that ham salad so much better.  If you need a good recipe for baking the ham first, try my "Kentucky Bourbon Brown Sugar Ham" or "Nana's Smiley Face Ham"!


Now, on to the discussion of ham salad that I would call the 'real deal'.  We like the ham in ham salad ground up or at least chopped fairly fine.  Big chunks of ham do not spread all that well and for me, it's just not as appetizing.  However, if you like it that way, go for it.   It's best to  grind your ham with a food processor or a meat grinder, but don't over do it.  Sometimes, food processors do too much to food. We are not making pate.  You can use one of those manual food chopper things.  My favorite one is the kind Pampered Chef sells.  You can't chop much at a time, but it gets the consistency just right for things like this.   I also chop my celery for this very fine.  Here is what you will need for this ham salad:


4 cups ham, finely chopped or ground
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (we grind up bread and butter pickles usually)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar (You might need 2 tsp. if your ham was not baked in a sweet glaze)


Mix all ingredients together and serve or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.








German Chocolate Brownies!



I love German Chocolate in any way....German Chocolate Cake,  German Chocolate Pie, anything German Chocolate, so German Chocolate Brownies sounded really good to me!  Guess what, German Chocolate Brownies are not just good they are excellent.  They are also much easier than making a German Chocolate Cake.   Here is what you will need for these:

2 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 (4oz.) pkg. German chocolate, melted
3/4 cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter, melted (1  1/2 sticks)
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine eggs and sugar and beat well.  Add the melted butter and the melted chocolate that has cooled slightly.  Add the flour, pecans, vanilla and pinch of salt.   Combine well.  

Spray a 9 inch square baking pan well with nonstick spray or grease it.  Pour the batter in the pan and place in oven.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Do no over bake or they will get too hard.

To make the frosting,  combine milk, sugar, butter and egg yolks in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat.   Cook and stir until it thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in pecans, vanilla and coconut. . 


Allow to cool and then spread over the brownies.  Cut in squares.


German Chocolate Brownies!

Croissant Bread Pudding with Kentucky Bourbon Sauce!



Bread pudding is a very southern sort of dessert and it's not really hard to make, but it seems like so few people make it anymore.  It's one of the dishes you find served at various Kentucky Derby themed parties and events, usually topped with a Kentucky bourbon sauce, which is just an unbelievably good sauce.  I mean it's butter, sugar, bourbon and vanilla... what's not to like?  If you don't want to use the bourbon, just increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon.  However, the vanilla is just mainly alcohol also and you do boil this so it all cooks out.  

We are using slightly stale croissants for this  bread pudding, but you can make bread pudding out of almost any type bread.  I will say the croissants work wonderfully for a bread pudding because of their flaky layers and light texture.   The croissants just really soak up the custard and it settles in all of the little nooks and crannies.  Do I sound a little too excited about this recipe?  I really am, because it is just one of the best bread puddings I have tried and I just don't think there is any way to mess it up.   Here is what you will need:


9 small bakery croissants or 6 of the large croissants (slightly stale ones work best)
1 cup raisins (optional)
10 eggs
5 cups half and half
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tsp. of vanilla

Kentucky Bourbon Sauce
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbs. white corn syrup
1/4 cup good Kentucky bourbon
1 tsp. baking soda



 Cut the croissants lengthwise.  Place the bottoms in a 9"x13" dish that has been sprayed well with nonstick spray, preferably for baking.  Sprinkle each half with raisins if you are using them. 



Place the top halves back on each croissant. 



In a mixing bowl, mix the eggs, half and half cream, sugars, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.  Pour evenly over the croissants.  Allow to sit for about 15 minutes to absorb some of the custard.  Press each croissant down in the liquid a couple of times. 



 
 Place the baking dish on a large cookie sheet and cover with foil.  With a knife, cut some small vents in the foil all over.  Place in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove the foil and turn the oven up to 350.  Cook for 25 to 30 minutes at that temperature.  The pudding will puff and start to brown.  If it starts to get too brown, lay the foil back over the top loosely and it will prevent it from burning.



This is what it will look like after it sits out of the oven for a bit. 



  
When it's out of the oven, start the bourbon sauce.  Place the butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, corn syrup and bourbon in a deep saucepan and cook on medium until it's all melted and incorporated.  Add the baking soda and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  The reaction of the baking soda will make this bubble and roll, so be careful or it will boil over.  Stir continuously after you add the baking soda and if it  bubbles too much remove it from the heat until it settles back down.   Once it boils for 1 minute, it's ready to serve.  Serve over the still warm bread pudding with a dollop of whipped cream.  This is also good the next day right out of the refrigerator, cold or you can reheat it. 



Croissant Bread Pudding! 










Old Fashioned Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze!


  
So many  of you have asked for an old fashioned spice cake recipe.  This recipe is very old and it makes a delicious spice cake, but what really kicks it up a notch is the caramel glaze.  As I have told you before, I love anything with caramel.  This cake is really good to serve as a coffee cake or even a brunch or breakfast cake also.  

 Here is what you will need:

2  1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup oil or shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Glaze
1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (add a little more if it's too thin)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices together.   Cream the butter, sugars and oil together. Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add flour alternating with buttermilk.   Add vanilla. 

Spray a Bundt pan or a tube pan well with nonstick baking spray with flour or grease with butter and flour.   Pour batter into pan and shake from side to side a few times to be sure there are no air pockets and it's evenly distributed.  

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 50 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool in the pan for about an hour before attempting turn out onto a cake plate.

While the cake cools prepare the glaze.  Melt butter in a heavy saucepan on the stove and dissolve brown sugar in it.  Add the cream and salt.  Bring up to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and beat in the confectioner's sugar and the vanilla. You need to use an electric mixer for this.  If it's too thick add some more cream, too thin, more powdered sugar.   This should be thinner than frosting and pour over the cake easily.

Pour the glaze over the cake after it has cooled some and you have turned it out on your cake plate.

 Old Fashioned Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze!







Taco Tater Tot Bake!


It seems like almost every other day I get a request for a tater tot casserole and there are several variations.   What is this obsession with tater tots?   I think there is a certain generation that probably grew up with them and ate them a lot.  Not my generation, even though we did have them later on in school,  but more like my son's generation and a little older.  

Although, when my son went to public school and was exposed to the 'school cafeteria' food,  he came home one day during the first week and when I asked him what they had for lunch, he said, "We had some sort of square/round potato things!   They weren't that bad, but weird. "   For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what he was talking about.  My sister-in-law just happened to be at the house and she starting laughing (mostly at me) and said to me, "It was tater tots, you idiot"!  She meant that affectionately, I am sure...lol.  She couldn't believe I never had served this child tater tots, but I hadn't.  

 I was raised by the queen of 'from scratch' cooking and I sort of cooked the same way, although I did use more convenience foods than Mama did and still do.  It just never dawned on me to buy and serve tater tots.   My mother never even bought frozen French fries when we were growing up.  She cut them by hand and I still do that myself sometimes.  Mama always made the best French fries!   We just didn't buy a lot of things like frozen and ready made foods.  

However, I am not adverse to using such things on occasion.  I use frozen hash browns and French fries and even tater tots for a quick meal.   I am not what I refer to as a 'food snob'. 

Since I started Sweet Tea and Cornbread, I have been subjected to the 'food snobs' of the world and I don't care for them.  They are equally annoying and amusing to me.  You know those people who leave comments, like "I do not use cake mixes, ever" or "Velveeta is poison" or "I will not use canned soup in anything".  When I see those comments it translates to,  "I can't cook, eat things far worse for me than cake mixes, canned soups or Velveeta, and have no life.. so I come on random food blogs to razz people like you"...lol.  

 Now, maybe some of these folks do live this way and don't eat any 'processed'  foods or use any 'packaged' foods or consume any 'trans fats' and that's fine and probably is better for you, but if so, why on earth are they reading a food blog called 'Sweet Tea and Cornbread'?   They aren't all that smart are they?  It's hilarious, bless their lil ole hearts!   Those of us who have cooked for years, pretty much every day of our adult lives, see through all of that pretense and fake superiority pretty fast!   

Any who, on to this Tater Tot casserole.   Every time I say or write Tater Tot now, I think of Ron White...lol.    This recipe is a Mexican twist on the old Tater Tot casseroles and it is so good.  We really enjoy it!  This also feeds a lot of people on a budget.  If you are feeding teenagers and especially teenage boys, you know they can eat you out of house and home.  I know when I fed my son and his friends and my nephews during those years, I could not cook enough food.   This recipe will be a huge hit with them!   

 Here is what you need:

1- 1.5lb. ground chuck
1/2 cup onion,  diced
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 can ranch style beans or chili hot beans, undrained
2 cups frozen yellow whole kernel corn or 1 can yellow whole kernel corn, drained
1 (12 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (32 oz.) bag of tater tots
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (can use shredded cheddar)
2  cups crushed tortilla chips

Garnishes
taco sauce, salsa, additional cheese, sliced green onion, olives, shredded lettuce, sour cream...anything you like on tacos


 Brown the ground chuck with the onion.  Add the taco seasoning and the cup of water.  Add the beans and corn.  Bring to a bubble and then turn down to low.  



 Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray  I used my 3 quart round Temptations Baker, but a 9"x13" baking dish also works.   Pour half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom to cover.



Layer the tater tots evenly over the sauce.  You do not cook them, frozen is fine.



Spread the meat mixture evenly over the tater tots.  Pour the other half of the enchilada sauce over all.


Spread the shredded cheese over the top and place in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  You do not cover this.


Remove from oven and sprinkle the crushed tortilla chips over the top.  Return to the oven for about 10 minutes. 



Serve with the same garnishes you would with tacos and let each person garnish their own serving! 




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