Good morning and welcome back to Miz Judi’s Kitchen. We hope everyone is doing well this morning.
We’ve been getting a little rain the last couple days and we’ll take it. Our okra is still pumpin em out, and we just fertilized it and our mustards. Matter of fact we pickled 17 pints of okra last night. Man, that is so good.
We planted a row of cabbage and broccoli to see if it just might come in before it gets too cold. Down here you just never know. Dale asked to plant a row or two of collards and we told him to plant whatever he liked.
He’d told us earlier that he didn’t particularly care for mustards. I replied, “Really…that’s the main reason for planting them…cause you don’t like them!” He just laughed and said that sounded just like me!
A quick story on Dale. Deb and I had gone to a good friend of ours in Apopka last week. She’s my best friends Mom, and honestly she is just a doll! Deb and I both love her to no end and she is one fine, fine lady.
Well, what we had done was make lunch for her, and took it to her. Now this isn’t because of her being not able to fend for herself or anything, cause Mrs. C. is a go-getter. She gets along great, but we really enjoy visiting with her, so we asked if we could come and do lunch, and we did.
So, Deb and I cooked a couple prime rib roasts, a BIG ole pot of peas, and a pot of rice. We also brought her several quarts of different types of canned peas, some fresh cut okra, and some pickled okra. When we arrived she had a sqaush casserole (it was primp by the way) , and cornbread. My, oh my, did we eat good.
On our way over, we stopped by my Mom and Dad’s and dropped enough of all of it for their supper as well. Mom was like THANK-YOU!! We had to go right by, so we saved her from cooking that night too.
Anyway, by the time we had gotten everything cooked that morning, we were already a little late. So, we asked Dale when he came up for lunch, would he cleanup Deb’s kitchen some.
Dad-gum people, when Deb walked inside after Dale had gone home she hollered for me to come in and look at something. I thought Dale must have broken something of Deb’s and I was like, “Uh-oh!”
I went in and Deb says to check out her stove and even the microwave. People…it was unbelievable. Both were absolutely immaculate! They looked as if they were brand, spankin new! I told Deb, “Dern, the man is one heck of a maid, ain’t he?”
Now ole Deb will have em both lookin good when sure turns in a cleans them, but DALE?? I gotta tell ya…if there’s any of you “he” females out there, this guy would make you one heck of a housewife!!
So, the next morning Deb sits Dale down and talks with him while I was getting another cup of coffee. Actually I had gone to the bathroom, but Deb told me to tell you I was getting some more coffee. What’s up with that??
Anyway, I came back outside and deb was just a laughing. I look at her and dale, and Dale tells me Deb had a mean streak goin on. He told me when she came out that she told him they needed to talk.
She had told him that with winter coming on the grass was slowing down, the garden was slowing down, it looked like our paving business was slowing down, and this meant less income coming in. With this being the case it looked as if we probably weren’t going to need Dale’s services outside.
Well, ole Dale was like, “Man, I hate to hear that cause there’s not much of anything going on in our area workwise, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Deb said that she too was sorry, and hated there wasn’t anything going on outside either, BUT, don’t sweat it cause the dern kitchen looked so good, that she was taking it upon herself to move him INSIDE! He’d be furnished an apron and cleaning supplies, and his job description now was… “housekeeper!”
Ain’t she mean?? Had that guy all shook up…and thought it was funny! One thing about it though. Next time she asks him to clean her kitchen in a pinch…he better do it right, cause now she knows just how well he can do it.
I told Dale he put the noose around his own neck, and from here out…he better perform! Dub’s a heck of a lot easier to work for than Deb, and I believe Dale’s seein it already. I thought it was funny, cause Dale just took some pressure off me as well. Awwwww…life is good!
The recipes today come from the cookbook, “At My Grandmother’s Knee,” and was written by, Faye Porter. It was published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee.
Well, let’s quit gabbing and fire off the cook stove…ya ready?
Creamed Chicken on Cornbread:
- ½ stick of butter
- 2 tablespoons minced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced onions
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute’ the celery and onions for 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken. Simmer until heated. Remove from stove.
The Cornbread:
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup self-rising flour
- ½ cup self-rising cornmeal
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup of buttermilk
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in an 8 inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven until melted. Remove from the oven (do not allow the butter to brown.)
In a medium bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, eggs and buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the hot, cast-iron skillet.
Bake for twenty minutes, or until lightly browned. To serve, slice the cornbread into 8 slices and cover with the hot, creamed chicken.
Kelly Simms
Franklin, Tennessee
Grannie’s Mac ‘N’ Cheese:
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- ½ stick of butter
- 2-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup of milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon paprika
Preheat your oven to 350.
Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain the macaroni well and return it to the pot you cooked it in. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Add 2 cups of the cheese.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the milk. Stir in the mustard and onion.
Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and stir well. Pour the macaroni into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking pan. Top with the remaining half a cup of cheese and sprinkle the paprika on top.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned.
Lisa Glasner
Nashville, Tennessee
Mamaw’s Strawberry Pudding Cake:
- 1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 box (1.5 ounces) instant vanilla or lemon pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups mashed strawberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 12 maraschino cherries, halved
Preheat the oven to 350
Add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water to a large bowl and miz well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan.
In a small bowl combine the pudding mix with the milk and beat until all lumps are gone. Pour the prepared pudding over the top of the cake batter.
In a separate small bowl mix the mashed strawberries with the sugar. Spoon the strawberry mixture on top of the pudding mixture.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake completely. Before serving, spread the whipped cream topping on top of the cake and decorate with the maraschino cherries. Refrigerate any leftover cake.
Alison Harris
Murfreesboro, Tennessee