Grandma's Chicken Pie

Grandma Lavender’s

 Chicken Pie

My Grandmother,

Janie Mae Lavender was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and later raised in Sumter County, Alabama. She married John David Lavender in 1933.They were married 69 years.

They had 5 children and raised their family in Sumterville, Alabama. It’s just 15 minutes from Livingston, They later retired in Livingston, Alabama.

Their farm joined her parents, James Arthur Ozment and Hassie Parker Ozment. The Ozments had 16 children.

Grandma Lavender was a special person. She was known in the area for her love of gardening.Her yard was filled will an assortment of plants,but she was partial to daylillies and daffodills. She had extremly large beds of both that trailed along their yard. She would have an open house when her garden was at its peak of the season. Young brides in the area would plan their weddings around Mrs. Janie Maes gardens, they would come and gather the beautiful flowers and take them to the florist to have them arranged. She loved to share her plants with family and friends.  She had a very green thumb.

She told me once to "always share your plants and your recipes, you never know when you might lose one. If you shared it, you can always get it back. "                

Grandma gave me this recipe about two years after I married Wendell. He loves the crust. I usually make 1 ½ or twice as much crust. The buttermilk gives it a very tangy taste that we really like.

Pre-heat oven to 375⁰. Spray 10x10 inch pan with Pam cooking spray.

Filling:

 2 cups cooked chicken, deboned and shredded

2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes)

1-10 oz. Campbell’s cream of chicken soup

2 boiled eggs, sliced

 Optional: 2 cups mixed vegetables sautéed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season vegetables, We like it both ways. My children like it best without veggies.

In a bowl whisk the soup and broth,

then stir in the chicken.

Mix in the vegetables and pour into

a casserole pan.

 Put slices of egg over the top. (One son only likes the white, so I put them on one end)

Crust:
1 stick butter or margerine
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self- rising flour

Melt margarine or butter, in a medium bowl.

Heat 1 cup buttermilk in the microwave for aprox. 30 seconds, just take the chill off. Add to the butter.
 (When you add cold buttermilk to the warm butter it will harden the butter and make it globby.)

Whisk in 1 cup self-rising flour, until smooth.

Pour over the filling. Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown.

for the regular recipe use a 10x10 in baking pan.

I usually double the recipe, bake in 13x15 inch pan.

When I’m cooking chicken, I usually cook extra and freeze 2 cups of chicken and 2 cups broth in a bag, for easy fixing later.

Cinnamon Pecans

Cinnamon Pecans

This recipe was given to me by a friend and they are so delicious, before they were cooled they were disappearing fast.

They are very simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pecan halves

1 egg white

1 tsp. cold water

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ cup sugar



In a medium bowl beat egg white and water till frothy.



Mix sugar and spices in a small bowl.



Stir in pecans to coat with egg.

Sprinkle pecans with half of sugar mixture, stir, and sprinkle the rest of sugar over the pecans to coat well.

 Preheat oven to 225^o. Spray large cookie sheet with Pam cooking spray.

Place pecans in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Bake 1 hour, Stirring every 15 minutes.

My Pecans were frozen, I cooked an additional 5 minutes.

Share Your Family's Thanksgiving

Make pictures of your favorite Recipes and send them along with the ingredients for me to share.

Send to ashworthlinda@bellsouth.net

Breakfast Casserole

              Breakfast 

              Casserole

1lb. Bacon or ground Sausage
1 small onion chopped
20-oz. shredded potatoes,
(1 Tbsp. oil if using Sausage)
 2  tsp. salt (divided)
1 tsp onion powder (divided)
3 cups sliced bread, cut into 1inch cubes
8 eggs
4 cups milk
8 oz. sharp cheddar or favorite cheeses combined.

In large frying pan over medium heat fry bacon until crisp and reserve 1/3 of the grease, if using sausage drain, wash frying pan and add 1 tbsp. oil.

Over medium heat using the same pan add the onions and scatter the potatoes. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon each, salt and onion powder. You want to let this to brown on the bottom. After about 4 minutes using a spatula flip, spatula size areas until all the potato- onions have been flipped. Sprinkle ½ tsp. onion powder and salt over this side. Again cook until this side is brown. Flip again and this time stir some to get the middle to browned. Some of the potatoes will still be white. (Cook aprox. 12-15 minutes.)

While the potatoes are cooking cube the bread and scatter evenly to cover an 11x15 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Time to assemble the casserole, first is the bread, scatter the potato-onion mixture, bacon or sausage, 2/3 of the cheese.

In a bowl whisk eggs then add the milk and 1 tsp. salt. Pour over the top of casserole. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake  350 ⁰for 40 minutes until it has puffed up. You will notice the outside puffing first. As soon as the middle puffs it is ready. If you cook much more it will be tough.
Suggestions: By using a long casserole dish this cooks more evenly. If you use a shorter,deeper dish it will take a long time to cook in the middle.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake or Cup Cakes

Chocolate Cream Cheese

Cake or Cup Cakes                


    

Thomas and John ask for Chocolate Cream Cheese Cup cakes for their Birthdays or any holiday gathering. They are best made the night before and chilled.
The cream cheese mixture turns into cheese cake.

3-8oz. cream cheese (1/3 less fat) softened

1-1/2 Butter or margarine, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

3tsp. vanilla

With mixer, use large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and margarine until smooth add the vanilla then, turn mixer to low and gradually add powdered  sugar.  Have three dozen cupcake papers in cupcake pans. Lightly spay papers in the center with 
Pam. Preheat oven to 300^0.

In a new mixing bowl mix a devil food(Or your favorite chocolate) cake as directed.  Spoon 2 tablespoons cake mixture, then 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each cupcake paper. I have a cookie scoop that is the perfect amount. The mixture should fill the paper 2/3 to ¾ of the way to the top.  Bake the cupcakes for  25-30 minutes until the cake portion is done.  The cream cheese will still be a little giggly. Cool in pans then put pans in fridge to chill. After chilled, put in a closed container or cover pans with foil. The cheese will fall and make craters in the cake. 

*Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake. Prepare cheese mixture and set aside. Grease 13x15 baking pan or 2 smaller pans (11x11). Prepare Devil’s Food Cake. Pour cake mixture into pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over the chocolate cake, using the back of a serving spoon, swirl through to marbleize.

Bake at 300⁰  for 50-60 minutes, making sure the cake part is cooked through. Cool then refrigerate. Best served  chilled.

Southern Tomato Gravy

 

Tomato Gravy

In a large frying pan

2 Tbsp. oil or Bacon grease 

3 Tbsp. flour

Whisk together over medium heat. This should be a smooth mixture if not add small amount of oil.

 Continue to whisk, It will turn brown; when it starts to lightly smoke add

 1-14 oz. can of tomatoes crushed along with a can of water.

 Whisk until smooth.

Add ½ tsp salt and cover

 turn down and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

My sons like for me to use my immersion blender to blend the tomatoes almost smooth. leaving only a few bits of tomato.

This is wonderful over biscuits or rice.

I also like to fry cubed steak and cover with this gravy and bake until the steak is tender. Yummmmm! 

Salted Pecans

Salted Pecans

A cousin  gave me this recipe. It is so simple. I use it for lots of candies during the Holidays. I freeze these ahead of time so I'm not so rushed when I need them for the Holidays. Go ahead and make some. I'll share some candy recipes soon.

I used this process to salt peanuts also. They turned out real well.

3 Tbsp. Salt (I swell real easy so I cut back to 2-21/2 Tbsp. Salt)

2 cups hot water/ plus

4 Cups Shelled pecans

In a two quart microwaveable bowl, bring water to a boil and add salt and stir.

Put pecans in salt water and add more water to cover if necessary. Stir well.

 Because they float I put a small plate on top of pecans.

Soak for 2 hours. Drain well in a colander.

In a 10x10 inch microwavable pan layer the pecans.

Microwave for 5 minutes, stir,  then 3 minutes x 2 more times. Then 1 minute at a time until desired crispness. Stirring after each setting.

If you soak longer than 2 hours they will be more salty.

I set microwave and walk away doing choirs. Sometimes it may be 10 or 30 minutes before I turn them back on.

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pesto

Serves 3,easily doubled for 6 people

This is such a QUICK dish to prepare, it takes about 15 minutes.

 Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Penne' pasta

4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

2 Large or 4 small cloves garlic

Pinch salt and Pepper

1/2 cup fresh sweet basil leaves, (about 12 leaves)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)

4-5 slices crisp bacon crumbled, Panchetta or( Real bacon pieces)

Basil sprigs (for garnish)

While 1/2  pound of Penne’ pasta is boiling (ale den ta') in salted water.(according to directions on pasta package.)

Blend in food processor until smooth

Sun-dried Tomatoes, cloves garlic, salt and pepper.

Add: basil leaves

Blend until smooth

Add: 1 tablespoon olive oil,

½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Pulse several times to combine.

Place tomatoes puree’ in a serving bowl, Ladle a spoonful of pasta water and rinse processor bowl out into serving bowl. With a large slotted spoon drain pasta, 1 spoonful at a time into serving boil.
If you completely drain the pasta in a colander it would become too dry.
Toss tomato and pasta together, may need 1 more ladle full of pasta water.
The water and pasta are very hot. Some of the water evaporates.The pasta soaks up the rest.
Sprinkle extra grated Parmesan Cheese and bacon over the top.

Place a couple basil sprigs for garnish.

Serve with garlic bread and a garden salad.

Gardening tip: When your basil flowers at the top. Let the blooms die (turn brown), cut the tops off for seed. Store in a baggie until the following spring. Crumble and sprinkle the seed over a pot or in a prepared flower bed,  water then and about once a week. It will take a 4-6 weeks and whala, you'll have so much basil you'll be sharing with friends.

Nanny's Salmon Patties

Nanny’s Salmon

 Patties

My mother in law makes these wonderful Salmon
 Patties. They have great texture: The outside has a crispy crust, but the inside is moist and delicious.

In a medium size bowl:                                  

15 oz. can salmon with juice (there should be about 1/4 cup juice   in the can)

de-bone (round bones and skin removed). Mash with hands, to crush any fine bones.

Add 1 large egg

¼ cup self-rising flour

½ cup self rising cornmeal

¼ cup water, if there’s not much juice in the can you may need 1 or 2 TBSP. more (Should be the consistency of thick oatmeal.

Mix all ingredients together with a serving spoon.

Frying pan with ¼” of oil, heated to about 355⁰.
Sprinkle a few drops of water into oil. If it sizzles it is ready to fry. 

Taking a large serving spoon, roll the mixture,
against the side of the bowl to create a smooth scoop of salmon.

 Place salmon in oil, take the back of spoon and flatten the top of the Pattie, then flip when the bottom is brown.

Flip Patti away from you in case oil splatters. 

Cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

May need small amount of oil added before you add next batch of Patties.

My husband’s family makes a syrup butter to dip these into.

½ butter, ½ cane syrup, mash with fork to combine.

I like this butter on my biscuits.

Pumpkin Crunch

Pumpkin Crunch

                               

Ingredients:

                       1 16 oz. can solid pack pumpkin

            1- 12 oz can evaporated milk

            3 eggs

            1 cup sugar

            3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

            ½ tsp. Salt

Topping:       1 Spice Cake Mix(If you don't like as much spice use yellow,
                         butter or pecan cake mix)

                      1 cup chopped pecans ( not everyone in my family likes pecans.
                         I put them on one end.)

          1 cup melted margarine or butter ( I use 2/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x13 inch pan.

Combine eggs and sugar, and then gradually add the evaporated milk, pumpkin and spices in a large bowl.

Pour the pumpkin mixture in greased pan.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin, (DO NOT STIR) then the pecans.

Drizzle butter over the top.

Bake 350 for 45-50 minutes or until golden. Cool completely.

(Optional)  Serve with whipped topping.

Refrigerate leftovers. (I prefer it cold).

Three Bean Chili

            
     Three Bean Chili



This Chili will warm your bones. 
It is a spin-off of my Black Bean Soup.
Have fun when making chili, put some of your
 family favorites in the pot.

1 lb. hamburger meat
1/2- 1 lb. Conecuh County  Sausage sliced into bite size pieces
     or your favorite sausage. (optional) 
1 medium onion chopped
1 large clove garlic crushed or chopped fine.
1quart jar canned tomatoes
2 -10 oz. jar rotel tomatoes
1-4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
1-26.5 oz can black beans, drained
1- 15 oz. chili beans with juice
2 French's Chili-o seasoning packs
1- 15 oz. can of water
1-15. oz can of whole kernel corn, drained
1-15 oz. can re-fried beans


Brown hamburger meat with the onions and garlic.
Drain. Return meat mixture to pot,  add the rest of the ingredients.
over medium heat bring to a slow boil. Turn down to low and simmer 20 minutes. Stir frequently, seasonings will stick to the bottom and burn.
Ladle into serving bowl and add any of your favorite garnishes.
Cheese, Sour Cream,Green onions, Guacamole.
Then serve something to go along with the chili.
Grilled cheese, tortilla chips or just crackers.

Pumpkin Roll

PUMPKIN ROLL         Linda Ashworth

3 eggs                                                        1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin                                     2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg                                          1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¾ cup pioneer baking mix                      1 cup chopped pecans

Grease and line jelly roll pan 15x10x1 with wax paper.(Grease wax paper also.)

Beat eggs with sugar until fluffy with mixer.(About 3 minutes) Add pumpkin. Mix baking mix and spices in a separate bowl and add next. Stir with whisk or with a spoon, until combined.

Pour mixture onto pan. Spread out to all corners. Carefully shake mixture to smooth batter out. Sprinkle pecans over cake.

Bake 375^o 13-15 minutes. Dark nonstick pan lower temperature to 350 ^o   .Touch center, when it springs back with finger it’s ready. Cool 10 minutes. Lift cake out of pan by the wax paper on the ends. Set on a cool counter top, until completely cooled, About 20 minutes.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese (room temp)          4 oz. butter (room temp)

1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)              1 tsp. vanilla

 With Mixer, In a small bowl, cream, cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla then the powdered sugar. Spread filling over the cake, on end that will be the middle of the roll spread filling thicker than the other end. Use the wax paper on the thicker end to help you lift the cake up to get it started rolling. Have a platter underneath the other end so when it is finished rolling it goes onto the platter. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

I take a piece of cardboard 12x8 and cover with aluminum foil, and use for my platter. Cover  pumpkin roll with foil and freeze. These freeze well.

One can of pumpkin will make 3 rolls. Sometimes I will put 1 cup of pumpkin in 2 rolls, Its just a little more moist. I make extra filling (1 ½ rec )  My family likes it the best.  

This is such a wonderful Fall dessert.
Intermediate level cooking simplified.
I was intemindated by this recipe at first. I just dove in and did it. Sometimes the cake will split slightly. That happens on a platter with curved ends mostly. I have never heard any complaints when it does.