FAVORITES

Alabama Fire Crackers

Ingredients: 16 oz package of saltine crackers 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp black pepper 4 tbsp (2 packages) ranch dressing mix 3 Tbsp red pepper flakes (if you can handle the heat, add more) 2 cups olive oil Instructions: 1. Using a large gallon Ziploc bag, pour in the olive oil, seasonings, and spices. Close the bag and knead to thoroughly mix the ingredients together. 2. Place all 4 sleeves of crackers in the bag, re-seal, and gently turn the bag over several times to coat the crackers with the spice mixture. The more times you do this the better the coating. 3. Let the bag sit overnight. 4. Remove crackers and lay out on a baking sheet. Bake at 250°F for about 15 minutes. (Note: If you are short on time, the crackers still taste great skipping the baking Step 4.) No one knows the big bang moment of fire crackers, but they show the creative resourcefulness of home cooks who can doctor up a store-bought staple to transform it into a homemade treat. It’s the type of recipe that spreads like wildfire through a family and circle of friends, popping up on the pages of community cookbooks across the South and then passed, pinned, and posted all over the place. We love these recipes. As Andy Griffith used to say, “Good cracker. Good cracker.”

Ham Mozzarella Rolls

Ingredients 1 ball pizza dough 8 oz. thinly sliced deli ham 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Optional: Fresh parsley, for sprinkling Mustard or horseradish sauce, for serving Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Press to form a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Arrange slices of ham evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges, and sprinkle with cheese. Starting at one of the short ends, roll up dough to form log. Pinch seam together to seal. Place the log, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8 slices.

Sour Cream Onion Dip

INGREDIENTS ⅓ cup neutral oil, like canola or grape seed 1 medium onion, minced, about 1/2 cup Pinch salt ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 cup sour cream PREPARATION Place oil in an 8-inch skillet, and turn heat to medium-high. When it's hot, a minute or two later, add onion, salt and sugar. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until onion browns, about 10 minutes. Pour onion and oil into a fine strainer; reserve oil in refrigerator for another use. Stir onion into sour cream. If time allows, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve with potato chips or raw vegetables.

Sakura Sauce

Sakura Sauce This is the wonderful seafood sauce served at Benihana. It is sweet and pinkish-orangish in color. There are many variations, but this is more or less the gist of what constitutes the sauce. Ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons melted butter 3/4 teaspoon paprika 3/8 teaspoon garlic powder Method: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate preferably for at least four hours.

A Fruit Salad to Die For

Ingredients 1 can pineapple chunks, in their own juice 1 can mandarin oranges, drained 1 bunch green grapes, halved 2 bananas 1 pkg strawberries, sliced however you want 1 small box of vanilla instant pudding (jell-o brand only – others just don’t taste right) You can also add other fruits that you like to this as you please Directions 1 Pour the pineapple, juice and all into a bowl. Add the pudding mix and stir until creamy. Stir in the DRAINED mandarin oranges. Add additional fruit and stir in completely until covered and creamy. 2 Refrigerate the salad for a while until it is nice and chilled. Don’t let it sit too long or the banana’s will turn brown. You can also serve right after making this without chilling. Personally, I think it is much better chilled.

CUCUMBER, ONION, AND TOMATO SALAD

CUCUMBER, ONION, AND TOMATO SALAD Ingredients 3 Tomatoes, 3 cucumbers, 1 onion, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper, 2 table spoons of sugar 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of olive oil, mix well…thats it. Let it chill for 1-2 hours… That simple…

Cucumbers with a Bang

Cucumbers with a Bang INGREDIENTS Baby cucumber Lemon juice Olive oil Salt and pepper Chili powder Instructions Chop a baby cucumber and add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and chili powder on top.

Secret Ingredient Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS 1 Pound Ground Meat (Beef or Turkey) 1 Egg 1 Box Stuffing Mix 1 Cup Water How to make it Mix everything together, smoosh it into a loaf pan, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. I have made this a couple of times now, and it turns out perfect every time. I love that it doesn’t require guesswork! The consistency is always perfect, and, thanks to the spices in the stuffing mix, it is delicious. From the Stovetop Box: 2 pounds lean ground beef 1 pkg stuffing mix for chicken 1 cup water 2 eggs, beaten 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, divided Heat the oven to 375° F Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs, onion, and 1/4 cup bbq sauce with hands until blended. Shape into a loaf in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining bbq sauce. Bake 1 hour or until done (160° F)

Cube Steak ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Ingredients: 6 cube steaks * 1 medium onion peeled and sliced into rings 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of celery soup 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix 1/2 soup can of water salt and pepper Instructions: Peel, slice and separate the rings of one medium sized onion. Salt and pepper each cube steak. Place 2 cube steaks in the bottom of your crock-pot. Top with onions and repeat. Separating each addition of meat with onions. This will help separate them later and avoid them being one melded mass of cube steak. In a separate bowl, add the cream of soups and water and mix it up. Pour the soup mixture over the meat.. Sprinkle the onion soup mix on top, put the lid on the crock-pot and turn it on low. Soon your kitchen will start to smell delicious and 6-7 hours later you will have a dinner! Add a side of mashed potatoes to help enjoy the gravy an a salad or green veggie and you are ready to eat. Note: If you like cream of mushroom soup, I’m sure you can use that as well. As for me, I’m not a fan, so I opted for a different combination. * I have also done this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts. That's a winner too.

Poor Man’s Stew ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained 1.5 lbs potatoes, diced large 3 carrots, sliced 1 onion, diced 1 garlic clove, minced (I had this on hand already) 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste 2 cups water 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. dried oregano Instructions Add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, onion powder and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time. Serve with buttered sandwich bread.

Two Ingredient Savory Scones *

Ingredients 2 cups self-rising flour 1½ cups (approx.) heavy whipping cream Instructions: Preheat oven to 475º F. Lightly coat rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet with vegetable shortening. Set aside. (I used a baking sheet and a Silpat). Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in heavy whipping cream and stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix. (1 1/2 cups of cream was slightly too much so I added a bit more flour) Pour the dough onto a floured counter top or dough board. Gently pat or roll to about ½-inch thick. Cut out scones using about a 2-inch cutter. Place scones into a skillet or on a baking sheet pan, leaving about an inch between scones to allow them to rise and cook fully. Place in preheated oven and bake about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Notes Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions: Prepare scones as directed in instructions except for baking. Once you have scones cut and on baking sheet, wrap tightly to make freezer safe and place in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to bake, preheat oven as directed in recipe, place sheet pan directly from the freezer to the oven and bake a few additional minutes over the standard baking time. For individual scones: Once scones have frozen, remove from sheet pan and place in a zip top freezer bag up to two months. Remove the number of scones you plan to use and place onto a baking sheet and directly into the oven or toaster. Bake as included above. I recommend using White Lily® self-rising flour in this cream scone recipe. It produces a lighter scone with a great texture and flavor.