Meme’s Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
  
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  
• ½ cup margarine, at room temperature
  
• 3 cups sugar
  

Direction

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 16-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large glass liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
   
2. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, margarine and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the butter mixture in 3 batches, starting with the dry ingredients and ending with the wet ingredients. Make sure this mixture is well combined, but do not over beat. While beating, occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Pour into the prepared bundt pan.
   
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake an additional 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top of the cake is gold brown. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, while cake remains in bundt pan. Then invert cake onto rack to cool completely. Store for one week in an airtight container. Yields one 10-inch cake.
   

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

 

Savannah-Style Marinated Shrimp

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 3 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
  
• 4 fresh bay leaves
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• Coarse salt and black pepper
  
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• ½ cup canola oil
  
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the shrimp, onions, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
   
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour marinade over the shrimp.
   
3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over salad or in lettuce cups. Serves 4 to 6.
   

 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

Vidalia Onion Confit

Ingredients

• 6 Vidalia Onions, chopped (about 1 ½ pounds)
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
  
• ½ teaspoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
  
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• ¼ cup dry red wine
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  

Directions

1. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oils over medium heat. Add the onions, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
   
2. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and reduce the heat to medium-low after 2 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the onions begin to caramelize and turn golden brown. Stir in the thyme and serve over toast, chicken, or pork. Yields about 2 cups of onion confit.
   

 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

Olive Oil Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons milk
  
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted (or whatever you have on hand)
  
• Powdered sugar, for sifting
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.
   
2. Blend together the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vinegar and milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toasted pecans until just mixed. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top of the paper liners. Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes. Sift powdered sugar over the muffins and serve.
   

 

Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

 

Mama’s Apple Pie

Ingredients

• Double recipe All-American Pie Crust, in 2 disks
  
• 7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling pie
  
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  

Directions

1. Prepare the pie pastry. To shape the crust, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of the dough into a 13-inch round, 1/8-inch thick. Roll dough around pin and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold excess dough over and flush with rim of the pie plate. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
   
2. To make the filling, place the apples in a bowl; sprinkle with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss with hands to coat. Pour the apple mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter bits.
   
3. Roll out the remaining half of the pie crust on a lightly floured surfaced. Cover the filled pie crust with the round of dough, and fold over so that a thick edge is formed. Crimp the edges using a fork; chill in the refrigerator until the crust is firm, about 15 minutes.
   
4. To bake the pie, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the top of the pie with the water. Sprinkle over a few teaspoons of sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes.
   
5. Transfer to a rack to cool before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Yields one 9-inch pie.
   

All-American Pie Crust (double this recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 4 tablespoons margarine, chilled and cut into pieces
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
  
• 3 to 8 tablespoons ice water
  

Directions

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour and salt. Then add the cubed margarine and butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
   
2. With the processor on pulse, add enough of the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together without being sticky or crumbly. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes in refrigerator.
   

 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

Shrimp Cakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (raw) shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 1 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• ¼ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
  
• ½ cup brown rice flour
  
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil, for sautéing
  

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse the shrimp until finely chopped.
   
2. In large bowl use your hands to mix together shrimp, onion, garlic, lemon juice, honey, salt, chili powder, eggs, and bread crumbs. Form patties. Roll each shrimp cake in brown rice flour; tapping off any excess flour (you should get 12 patties). Refrigerate shrimp cakes for 30 minutes.
   
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of peanut oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp cakes and sauté 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan; work in two batches if necessary. Serves 4 (3 shrimp cakes per person).

Real Meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
  
• ½ pound ground pork
  
• 1 ¼ cups gluten free breadcrumbs
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf-parsley
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
  
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
  
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  
• 1 cup good red wine
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

Directions

1. Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, eggs, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 1½ to 2-inch meatballs. You will have 24 to 28 meatballs.
   
2. Pour canola oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
   
3. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
   
4. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes; uncover and simmer an additional 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened. Serve hot on cooked brown rice spaghetti or spaghetti squash. 
 

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Aunt Julia’s Chocolate Pie

 Ingredients

• All-American Pie Crust, recipe below
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 2 cups whole milk, divided
  
• 3 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
  
• 3 large eggs, separated
  
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• Pinch of kosher salt
  
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
   
2. For the pie filling, in a medium sauce pan combine the 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of the milk. Stir and set aside.
   
3. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, the flour, and the cocoa powder. Whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes frothy and set aside.
   
4. Over medium-high heat, heat the saucepan with the milk and sugar mixture until it begins to simmer. Then slowly add the milk and flour mixture and stir to combine. Bring the filling to a boil. Add the egg yolks, whisking constantly, until the filling returns to a boil. Once the filling comes to a boil, immediately add the vanilla and remove it from the heat. Pour the filling into the baked pie crust and set aside.
   
5. For the meringue topping, places the egg whites in a medium size bowl with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Using a hand held mixer, beat the whites on high speed until foamy. Continue beating the whites and gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Whisk egg whites until glossy and stiff peaks form.
   
6. To finish the pie, spoon the meringue over the pie, making sure it touches the edges of the pie crust. Bake until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes (keep a close eye on the oven because meringue burns quickly). Move to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight to allow pie to set. Yields one 9-inch pie. 
 

 All-American Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 4 tablespoons margarine, chilled and cut into pieces
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
  
• 3 to 8 tablespoons ice water
  

Directions

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour and salt. Then add the cubed margarine and butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
   
2. With the processor on pulse, add enough of the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together without being sticky or crumbly. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes in refrigerator.
   
3. Flour a clean work surface and a rolling pin. Place dough disk in center of floured surface. Roll dough out slowly to 1/8-inch thickness. To transfer dough to pie plate, roll dough around rolling pin and slowly unroll in 9-inch pie plate. Fold any excess dough under itself along the rim of the plate. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes
   
4. To bake pie crust, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
   
5. Cut a piece of parchment paper to line bottom of pie crust. Crumble the parchment paper and then spread back out and line dough. Weight the paper down with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice (this keeps dough from puffing up while baking). Bake the crust for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

Meme’s Braised Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
  
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and chopped (about 8 cups)
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

 
Directions

1. In a large sauté pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and sauté until it begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Then add the chicken broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
   
2. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour (30 minutes for crunchier cabbage or 1 hour for softer cabbage). Remove the bay leaves and serve. Serves 4 to 6.
   

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all

Chickpea Patties

Ingredients

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
  
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

 

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper just until coarsely chopped and the mixture comes together when gently squeezed. Form into eight, ½-inch thick patties and coat with flour, tapping off excess.
   
2. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties, turning carefully, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
   

 
Recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine

Sara’s Crusted Okra

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons peanut oil
  
• 2 pounds okra, sliced into ½-inch pieces, stems trimmed
  
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour

 

Directions
 
In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the okra and stir to coat. Cover and cook until bright green, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir to coat. Drizzle over the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the okra is tender, browned, and crispy, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, Y'all