Kielbasa or smoked sausage with sweet and tangy sauce made with apricot preserves and dijon mustard.
Everybody loves Little Smokies. You know, the cocktail wieners with the grape jelly and barbeque sauce?? And I love them too but two things crossed my mind the last time I had them…
1) I’m over the grape jelly, and
2) Why couldn't you make the same thing with kielbasa or smoked sausage? It would be cheaper and you could serve it for supper without feeling like you’re in a retro cocktail lounge.
So guess what I did this weekend?
And I’m here to tell you…. I love the sauce! It’s still sweet without being cloying and has a tiny little bite from the mustard! These are awesome as a main dish but would be stellar as appetizers too. Plus, it's just nice to have a new twist on an old classic!
Kielbasa Bites
2 pounds kielbasa or smoked sausage*
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup dijon mustard
Cut kielbasa into 1-inch pieces; set aside. Combine apricot preserves and dijon mustard in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add kielbasa and preserves mixture to a crock pot and cook on low or high until heated through. Serve immediately or reduce heat to “warm” or “keep warm” setting until ready to serve.
Note about this recipe: I made these Sunday. I tasted them just after they came to temperature and they were AH MAZE ING. Then I left them cooking on low while we went to Brutus’ baseball game and I didn’t love them as much after they’d cooked 97 kajillion hours. Don’t overcook yours like I did :o)
*I prefer the original varieties of these rather than the all-beef. And can totally use cocktail wieners with this recipe if you want!
An easy baked spaghetti casserole recipe that's a cross between spaghetti and lasagna (sometimes called spaghagna or spasagna) with no cream cheese or condensed creamed soup.
When the kids were younger, I made half-batches of this all the time because when I’d make spaghetti, we always had leftovers. Now that they’re bigger, they eat more so I rarely have leftover anything.
As a matter of fact, we’re now in that zone where I often don’t have enough of whatever weeknight meal I've made and I end up eating a kid-sized portion to make it stretch (not that I couldn't stand some breathing room at the trough).
Anyway, it’d been a long time since I’d made one of these so I decided to make it for supper this weekend. And because the kids apparently have the memory of a gnat, they couldn't remember ever having it and thought it was something new and special and got all excited about it.
Suckers.
I think this is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. A spaghagna, if you will. Or spasagna. Or whatever. Let’s just call it baked spaghetti. Because that’s easier to say and doesn't make my head hurt.
Better Baked Spaghetti
Yield: 12 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 45 M
An easy baked spaghetti casserole recipe that's a cross between spaghetti and lasagna (sometimes called spaghagna or spasagna) with no cream cheese or condensed creamed soup.
ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper
1 24-oz. jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning blend
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken in half
Cook ground beef with onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Drain off fat then stir in spaghetti sauce; set aside.
Combine ricotta cheese, egg, milk, parmesan, salt, garlic and oregano in a large bowl and stir well; set aside.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation in liberally salted water. I break the uncooked noodles in half to make things easier to prepare and serve later. Drain pasta well then add to ricotta mixture; stir to combine.
Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray then spread pasta mixture evenly over bottom of dish. Top pasta evenly with meat mixture. Top meat mixture evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly and cheese starts to brown.
baked spaghetti, casserole, best, better, lasagna, spaghagna, spasagna, no cream cheese, no condensed creamed soup, without, recipe, easy, italian, leftover
This is the pecan pie that almost never was. I tried so hard to screw this pie
up. And it came out perfect anyway.
This pie has tenacity, y’all.
First of all, let me explain what I think was (is still) wrong with me. I’m on
steroids. And I’m functioning like a bull in a china shop. I’m clumsy and
rough and awkward. I broke the lid off the shampoo bottle because evidently
I’m The Hulk now.
I've never taken steroids before but it’s like my brain and body aren't in
sync. One of them thinks I’m capable of performing faster (and better and
stronger and
GARGH! Why do I look sunburned?! Brutus, I need you to crush that ball
today... CRRRUSH IT!!
It’s normal to want this much ice water, right??).
I’m not paying attention to the little things. I’m hammering through
everything like it’s a race and I. MUST. WIN.
The first thing I did was drop my frozen pie shell in a sink full of dirty
dish water. The oven was heated, the eggs at room temperature, everything was
ready to go and then BOOM no pie shell. So I had to make one homemade which
was NOT what I wanted to be doing at the last minute because I’M IN A HURRY
FOR NO APPARENT REASON!!!
About halfway through the cooking time I always cut out a ring of tin foil to
lay over my crust so it doesn't brown too much before the pie gets done. I
popped open the oven, laid the foil over the crust and went about my business.
And then I smelled something burning. Like, ON FIRE, burning. I whip all over
the house looking for the source of the smell, run outside to check there and
can’t find the fire! I run back through the kitchen and that’s when I see the
flames in the oven. I fling open the oven door to discover I’d dropped a pot
holder in there and it had caught on fire.
The oven and kitchen are filled with smoke, the fire alarm is going off, the
babies are running around screaming and I’m standing there at the sink on the
verge of tears running water over the scorched remains of the pot holder in
the sink.
And all I could think about was that damn pie. That stupid, pain in the butt
pie sitting in the oven probably looking like a chunk of charcoal when I need
it to look magazine-perfect so I could take photos of it for y’all.
I think the universe may have actually bent in response to the sheer force of
will that was coming out of me for the pie to make it. I’d almost burnt my
house down but all I could think about was wanting the pie to be perfect.
And guess what? She made it. And she turned out pretty after all.
I wish I could have gotten a good picture of the inside of the pie for you but
this one was coming with us to some friends house and I didn’t want to butcher
it.
I can tell you what it looks like though, if that helps! The filling is smooth
and almost like caramel or dulce leche once it has set up completely. The nuts
float up through the filling so the top of the pie is a layer of almost
caramelized, toasty pecans. It is heaven!
NOTES ABOUT MAKING CLASSIC PECAN PIE
Having the eggs at room temperature makes the filling smoother. Ice cold eggs will cause the melted butter to coagulate a bit which can make the pie appear slightly curdled. TIP: to quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for about 5 minutes!
You can use light or dark brown sugar and light or dark corn syrup. I prefer the lighter color from the light corn syrup so I use dark brown sugar for a little more flavor.
Don’t skip the salt. There’s A LOT of sweetness happening here so we need the salt to balance it a bit.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using pre-made frozen pie shell, set out to thaw.
Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until beaten well. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, salt, vanilla and butter then stir until completely smooth, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar if necessary.
Using a fork, gently pierce the bottom and sides of the pie pastry to perforate (about a dozen total pokes should be good).
Spread the pecans evenly over the bottom of the crust then gently pour filling over pecans.
Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until pie is mostly set (a slight jiggle in the center is OK), placing a piece of aluminum foil over the pie after about 35 minutes to prevent the crust from browning too much.
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter.
Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together.
Turn dough out onto a clean surface and shape into a small disk (about 5 inches in diameter). Sprinkle dough with a little flour and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for one hour (up to 24 hours).
When ready to prepare the pie pastry, roll dough into a 12-inch circle (about 1/8 of an inch thick) with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Carefully place pastry into a 9-inch pie plate then trim edges to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish (using kitchen shears or a sharp knife). Shape edges as desired either by crimping with your fingers or pressing down with a fork.
Perforate the bottom of the pastry by piercing with a fork 4-5 times (to ventilate and keep the crust from bubbling up on the bottom) then fill and cook as directed by pie recipe.
Notes
Having the eggs at room temperature makes the filling smoother. Ice cold eggs will cause the melted butter to coagulate a bit which can make the pie appear slightly curdled.
To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for about 5 minutes!
You can use light brown sugar or dark corn syrup. I just like the lighter color from the light corn syrup so I use dark brown sugar for a little more flavor.
Don’t skip the salt. There’s A LOT of sweetness happening here so we need the salt to balance it a bit.
So I've been doing this blogging gig for two years now. Sometimes it seems like it’s been way longer than that, sometimes I can’t believe it’s been that long. Anyway, just like with any adventure, there have been stops and starts, ups and downs, the good and the bad.
And you know what one of best things that’s happened? I've made new friends. I've made friends with all of you, of course, but (and I didn't expect this) I've also made friends with other bloggers.
Through what had to have been some divine intervention, I somehow managed to get thrown in with some really big hitters and have come to truly treasure the gift of their friendship and wisdom.
We’re women (well, Stacey’s not but he’s got a girly name and is the minority so suck it up, Stacey). We cook. We write. We have families. We have blogs. We have spouses and friends and families that are sick-and-by-God-tired of hearing us talk about food blogging. So, it makes sense that we’d find comfort in and learn from each other.
And I can tell you right now, one of these ladies stands out like a beacon to me. It doesn't matter what crazy, cockamamie, fool thing is happening, Christy Jordan of Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate can come in and, with just a handful of words, totally turn my perspective in the right direction. I keep telling her she would make a fortune selling t-shirts with her one-liners.
And I tell you all of this so you’ll know just how honored I am to show you her new cookbook, Come Home to Supper and give you a chance to win a copy for yourself!
Christy sent me a copy a few weeks ago to review and I have literally poured over every single page. The book includes over 200 delicious, down-to-earth, doable recipes (if you like my recipes, you'll love Christy's) and oodles of her little ‘Christyisms’.
And I can tell you right now, you need to go ahead and order at least two of these because once you get yours, you’ll wish you had bought more to give as gifts. That’s a promise, y’all.
CONTEST IS CLOSED A winner has been drawn and contacted! Thanks to all who participated!
Enter to Win! To win a copy of Christy Jordan's Come Home to Supper, simply leave a comment below with your email address (just one per email address, please). If you’re not comfy doing that, you’re more than welcome to send me an email at southyourmouth@aol.com with “Come Home to Supper!” as the subject and you’ll be entered. Done and done! Easy-peasy, bo-deasy! I will randomly select and email the winner after 4PM EST on Friday, November 1, 2013. Giveaway Rules: Giveaway starts today Friday, October 25, 2013 and ends Friday, November 1, 2013. Contest is open to US & Canadian residents only. Winner will have 72 hours to reply to my email or a new winner will be chosen.
Well, I ain’t never heard of such a thing… that’s what I mumbled to myself last week when I spied these on Pinterest. I’d never seen such a thing either, which is what made me investigate. A bright, chewy-looking bottom smothered with an ooey gooey chocolaty layer covered with a caramel colored crackled top… just stop it.
I might not have known what I was looking at but I knew I wanted some! A quick internet search produced dozens of recipes and they all appeared to have Southern roots.
I was already intrigued but then to find out these seem to be of Southern descent and I’d never heard tale of them? What the crap?
So, I did what I always do when I’m looking for a Southern recipe I don’t have, I checked around on some of my friends’ blogs and lo and behold, my sweet friend, Christy from Christy Jordan's Southern Plate had a recipe (buy the cookbook with the original recipe here). And since her recipe seemed to be what everyone else’s recipe was based on, I started with hers as a jumping off point (and p.s... I didn't jump far).
And if you’re not a marshmallow person, don’t let them throw you off. I’m not a huge marshmallow person myself but that’s one of the cool things about this recipe… they mostly melt away. And that brown sugar meringue-ish topping takes the shape of them before they melt which is what gives you all the cool bumps. Seriously, this is one of the most interesting recipes I've ever made. It’s like a science experiment. With chocolate. That you can eat.
So, here’s the first batch of Mud Hen Bars I ever made. And there’s no doubt, there will be many, many more to come.
Mud Hen Bars
recipe adapted from Christy Jordan’s Original Mud Hens at The Southern Plate Bottom layer:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks (reserve whites for top layer)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Middle layer:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts (here's the nut grinder I use)
Top layer:
2 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
Make the bottom layer:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and stir or sift to combine. Set aside.
With an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy (about 2 minutes). Add whole egg, egg yolks and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth (about 1 minute). Slowly add flour mixture and mix until all ingredients are just combined.
Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray (or grease with butter or shortening). Add dough to pan and spread evenly until bottom of pan is covered. I covered mine with wax paper and then used my hands to shmoosh and spread the batter – I’ve found that this is the easiest, cleanest way to handle dough like this on layered desserts and bars.
Assemble the middle layer:
Top bottom layer evenly with chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts.
Make the top layer:
In a cold, clean mixing bowl beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in brown sugar and stir until smooth and there are no lumps.
Spread egg white mixture evenly over second layer.
Cook and serve:
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top layer is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for twenty minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container.
p.s.... I let Husband talk me into using roasted peanuts but I don't know that I'd recommend them. I've never thought peanuts finished well in baked recipes - they lose too much of their crunch.
You know what my favorite thing about baking a ham is? Using the leftovers! I
love making a big ol' pot of
Ham & Beans
and making Ham Salad!
And I love it. Like, I love it, love it. As in, get up at
midnight, go downstairs and eat it out of the container with a spoon, love it.
Here’s my recipe for Ham Salad… a.k.a. Deviled Ham Salad… a.k.a Pickle Wrap
Spread or Dip.
I'd learned from readers that a lot of folks make Ham Salad out of bologna
(and still call it Ham Salad) and it seems to almost have a cult-like
following so one of these days, I think I'll have to try it.
I don't typically like sweet relish with the exception of two things: hot dogs
and ham salad. I think it's probably because the sweet balances the salty meat
and the acid from the vinegar balances the fat.
If you hate sweet pickle relish, by all means, leave it out!
NOTES ABOUT MAKING HAM SALAD
I've only ever made this using leftover baked ham so I can’t advise if this
will taste as yummilicious or have the same perfectly perfect texture if you
use some other type of ham (deli, canned, etc.).
I use my food processor to chop the ham but be very careful when doing so
because one too many pulses and you could end up with pink mush. I cut the
ham into cubes (about 1” in size) and pulse in the food processor only 3-5
times. I once thought I’d be clever and throw big chunks of ham, whole sweet
pickles (not relish) and mayo in all at once and I ended up with a grody,
shmooshy mess.
You can also use a meat grinder if you happen to have one of those.
If you do, just know I’m probably moving in with you when the zombie
apocalypse hits because having your own personal meat grinder is some
old-school awesomeness and probably means that you have other cool stuff
like gas lamps and a lye soap.
Recipe for Deviled Ham Salad
Ham Salad
Yield: 8-10 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
A classic sandwich spread recipe made with ground or chopped leftover ham, sweet pickle relish and mayo also called Deviled Ham Salad.
Ingredients
3 1/2 - 4 cups chopped ham
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and stir well. Add more mayo and/or relish to your liking.
Serve as sandwich spread or with crackers. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
I use my food processor to chop the ham but be very careful when doing so because one too many pulses and you could end up with pink mush. I cut the ham into cubes (about 1” in size) and pulse in the food processor only 3-5 times.
My two favorite ways to bake ham used to be 1) in a baking bag with a
can of coke or 2) in an open oven with a glaze made of dijon mustard, brown
sugar and orange juice.
I love the first because it's SO EASY and the texture of the ham is literally
perfect. It caramelizes and gets sort of a rind on the outside and becomes
insanely tender on the inside.
I love the second because the flavors are so perfect together. The salty ham
with the sweet brown sugar with the zesty orange juice with the spicy kick of
the mustard is a culinary perfect storm.
Years ago I combined the two methods into this recipe and I haven't looked
back since! You get the best of both worlds… the ham is super moist from
baking in the bag, the flavors are PERFECT and it's the easiest thing E V E
R.
No basting, no fidgeting, no fooling, it is wicked easy AND it is a delicious
flavor combination. That’s a win/win in my book all day long!
The ONLY negative to baking a ham in an oven bag is that you can't collect the
pan juices for
Greasy Rice
before glazing but I can't live with that. If I'm REALLY wanting Greasy Rice
with my ham, I just pick up a couple ham hocks and make it with them!
RECIPES WITH LEFTOVER BAKED HAM
HAM SALAD
- Also called Deviled Ham Salad, this sandwich spread is made with ground or
chopped leftover ham, sweet pickle relish and mayo.
DRIED BEANS & HAM
- A tried and true recipe for dried butterbeans and ham cooked stove-top or
crock pot that is delicious served as a hearty soup or over rice.
HAM & CHEESE SCALLOPED POTATOES
- Creamy scalloped potatoes from the BEST base recipe for a classic, homemade
scalloped potato casserole plus leftover ham and swiss cheese.
CAJUN HAM & BEANS
- A family-favorite recipe for dried beans and ham using Cajun 15 Bean Soup
beans and leftover ham made on the stove or crock pot.
Recipe for How to Cook Coca-Cola Glazed Ham
ham, baked, bone-in, oven bag, baking, self-basting, coke, coca-cola, best, how to, old fashioned, classic, dijon, mustard, brown sugar, orange, southern
dinner
American
Yield: 18-20 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Coca-Cola Glazed Ham
Classic cola-cola glazed ham recipe with brown sugar and dijon that self-bastes in an oven bag for a super easy, super special baked ham.
Using a sharp knife, score the ham in a diamond pattern making 1/4-inch deep slices. Don't fret over getting this perfect - mine never is!
Place the ham on its side (not face down) in the oven bag set in a large roasting pan. Roll the sides of the bag down so that the bag is open wide and you can get your hands around the ham easily.
Combine brown sugar and dijon mustard in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Rub sugar mixture all over ham.
Place orange wedges in the bottom of the bag around the ham. Pour the coke into the bag. Don’t pour the coke over the ham or it will wash the sugar mixture off – just pour it in near the bottom of the ham.
“Puff up” the bag a little so that the bag isn't touching the ham. Making sure to keep a “loose fit” around the ham, close the bag tightly with the provided tie.
Using a small, sharp knife, make three small slits in the top of the bag for ventilation. Don’t skip this step or the bag will burst and the ham won’t be able to self-baste.
Move your oven rack just low enough that the bag won’t touch the upper elements in your oven then bake at 350 degrees for 2-2.5 hours (2.5-3 hours if using a 13-15 pound ham) or until nicely browned and caramelized.
Remove ham from oven and rest, inside the bag, at least 30 minutes (up to 90 minutes) before slicing and serving.
Notes
Do not use a spiral sliced ham with this recipe.
You can use your favorite dark soda in this (Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke, Pepsi, etc.) but I'm not sure how things would turn out with diet soda.
UPDATE
I have probably received over 200 comments and emails wanting to know why (WHY?!) you can't use a spiral ham for this so I guess I should explain here in the recipe (instead of below in the comments). Only large, solid cuts of meat can handle being cooked this long. If you cook a spiral ham using this recipe it will be dry and tough. In addition to the emails and comments I've received asking why you can't, I've received at least a dozen from people who did anyway and wrote to yell at me that their ham was dry and ruined. You're just going to have to trust me on this one.
A classic, old-school tuna salad recipe with just the right about of mayo just like your favorite deli makes.
Really? A recipe for tuna salad? Well, yes, really. For two reasons: 1) because my friends assure me that people do, indeed, actually need even the most basic recipes and 2) because this the only way Husband likes tuna salad and he feels pretty strongly about it.
Husband doesn't like relish or celery in tuna salad and it must – simply MUST – have diced onion in it or his whole week is RUINED. Ruined, I say!
I grew up eating tuna salad with sweet pickle relish in it (probably because Mama's a yankee and it was her way of getting a little of that Miracle Whip sweetness she would have preferred).
I like it that way too but as I've made it the way Husband likes it I've realized it's very close to what I enjoy in big city delis - just a basic, savory tuna salad that's not drowning in mayonnaise.
I like this simple version because I think it makes wicked good tuna melts! I either make them like a grilled cheese or I spread some tuna salad on a hamburger bun, throw a piece of cheese on it and place it (and the top of the bun, split-side up) under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the top bun is toasted.
This recipe is just a jumping-off point for you. Add whatever you like to this basic recipe and make it yours! If you like celery or relish - go for it! If you hate onions, leave them out! If you like yours a little creamier, add more mayo!
A classic, old-school tuna salad recipe with just the right about of mayo just like your favorite deli makes.
Ingredients:
1 12-oz can chunk light tuna, very well drained
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning*
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions:
How to cook Classic Tuna Salad
Combine all ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning then add more if desired.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on sandwiches, crackers, salads or Tuna Melts.
Notes:
If you don’t have Old Bay, use a little more salt and a pinch of celery seed if you have it.
Add whatever you like to this basic recipe and make it yours! If you like celery or relish - go for it! If you hate onions, leave them out! If you like yours a little creamier, add more mayo!
