Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad

1/2 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, diced
1 large ripe peach, peeled and diced
2 or 3 fresh pineapple rings, diced
2 Tbsp instant vanilla or cheesecake flavored pudding mix (dry)

Dice all the fruit about the size of the blueberries.  Sprinkle with dry pudding mix and stir well.  Serve immediately or cover and chill for an hour.

Yum!

Caramel Pecan Upside Down Muffins

Caramel Pecan Upside Down Muffins

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

pecan halves, 3 to 4 per muffin cup

1 cup flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Blend brown sugar with 2 tablespoons butter. Evenly pat brown

sugar-butter mixture into muffin cups. Arrange pecan halves on top of

mixture.

In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and

baking soda. Cut butter into mixture.

Blend egg with buttermilk and stir into flour mixture until just

dampened. Spoon batter into muffin cups, on top of pecan halves. Bake

for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

I found this online somewhere but I can't remember where.  They were OK.  I wouldn't waste my pecans on it again though.  

Orange Pancakes with Sunshine Orange Sauce

Orange Pancakes with Sunshine Orange Sauce

2 cups biscuit mix
3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups orange juice, divided
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine biscuit mix and 3 Tbsp sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. 

Combine eggs, 3/4 cup orange juice, and milk in a small bowl, stirring well; pour into well of biscuit mix mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges appear cooked; turn and cook other side.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and remaining 3/4 cup orange juice; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute.

Serve pancakes with warm orange sauce.

Seriously, these may be the BEST pancakes I've ever eaten in my life!  I loved them!!  From Mr. Food.

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

1/2 cup butter
4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tsp minced fresh parsley

Cook butter in a 2-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or just until butter begins to turn golden brown. Immediately remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a small bowl. (Butter will continue to darken if left in saucepan.) Remove and reserve 1 to 2 Tbsp. browned butter.

Bring potatoes, salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Reduce heat to low. Return potatoes to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until potatoes are dry.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in remaining browned butter, buttermilk, pepper, and more salt, if needed, stirring just until blended.

Transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with reserved 1 to 2 Tbsp. browned butter. Garnish, if desired.

Note: To make ahead, prepare recipe as directed through Step 3. Place in a lightly greased 2 1/2-qt. ovenproof serving dish; cover and chill up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Drizzle with reserved brown butter, and garnish, if desired.

This is a Southern Living recipe and it's very tasty!  The recipe also called for regular milk, but I omitted it, because I like my mashed potatoes thick and kind of lumpy.  

Herb Fried Chicken with Black Pepper Gravy

Herb Fried Chicken with Black Pepper Gravy

FOR THE CHICKEN COMBINE:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp minced fresh parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cutlets

Canola oil

FOR THE PEPPER GRAVY COOK:

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

For the chicken, combine flour, parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt in a shallow dish.  Place buttermilk in a second shallow dish.  Dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip in buttermilk, then dredge again in flour mixture.  Chill coated breasts on a rack placed over a baking sheet at least 5 minutes. 

Heat 1/4 inch oil in a saute pan over medium-high until shimmering.  Fry chicken until golden on one side, about 6 minutes.  Flip chicken and fry until brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes more.  Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.  

Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. oil.  For the pepper gravy cook garlic in same saute pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Whisk in flour, pepper and thyme; slowly whisk in milkand bouillon granules.  Boil gravy, whisking constantly, until thick, 2-3 minutes.  Serve gravy over chicken.

Adapted from a recipe found on Pinterest.  The chicken was delicious!  The gravy needed help so I added the chicken bouillon trying to give it some flavor.  Served with Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes and Corn Niblets.  I'll definitely make the chicken again!  

Sweet Iced Black Tea with Cream

Sweet Iced Black Tea with Cream

4 cups boiling water

8 tsp loose English Breakfast tea (or 8 tea bags)

1/2 cup sugar

Crushed ice, for serving

1/2 cup heavy cream

Pour water over tea and steep for 5-7 minutes.  Strain.  Bring tea and sugar to a boil in a saucepan.  Let cool.  To serve, pour 1/2 cup tea over crushed ice in 8 glasses and then top each with 1 Tbsp cream.

I have no clue where I found this recipe, but I'm glad I tried it!  This is delicious!  

Awesome French Toast

2 eggs
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp sugar
Pinch salt
1 drop vanilla extract
1 drop almond extract
Pinch cinnamon
4 slices Brioche, about 1-inch thick
Butter
Honey, if desired (preferably from a local source - I used Palmetto Honey today)

Combine the eggs, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  Beat witha fork until very well mixed.

Heat a griddle over medium/medium-high heat.  Slice off a pat of butter and let it melt on the griddle until it sizzles.  Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture (both sides) and place them on the griddle.  Cook until browned on the bottom, flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned.  Only takes a couple of minutes.

Serve hot with butter and honey.

This is my absolute favorite French Toast!