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Recipe of the Week

Succotash with Bacon and Sour Dough Croutons

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This is a nice change from your ordinary succotash. The bacon adds a lot of flavor and goodness to the vegetables. We love the croutons on top for that extra crunch.

Succotash with Bacon

Get-
½ pound bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic chopped
2 cups diced roma tomatoes, drained
1 pound fresh or frozen Butter peas (cooked according to directions and drained)
1 11 oz can mexicorn
1 11 oz white shoe peg corn
¼ cup basil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

Let’s do it-
Get your large black skillet out fry that bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble. Pour off all of the drippings but about 1½ tablespoon bacon fat. Add oil to bacon fat and cook onions over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Add your garlic and tomatoes; cook until tomatoes are heated and garlic is fragrant. It should be smelling pretty darn good right about now. Add bacon, peas, corn and basil. Stir around making sure that all of the vegetables are coated in that goodness. Cook until veggies are warm. Taste mixture and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Toss with sour dough croutons and serve immediately.

Croutons:
What you need-
2 cups of sour dough bread, cut in cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garlic salt to taste

How to-
Brush bread with oil and season with garlic salt. Lightly oil a frying pan and heat over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Grill bread until golden brown and toasted on both sides.

Roasted Squash and Eggplant

Roasted Squash and Eggplant

Ingredients:

4–6 yellow squash, cubed
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons basil
¼ cup olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss vegetables with seasoning and olive oil. Bake for 25 -30 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Pine Nut Pesto

Roasted Root Vegetables with Pine Nut Pesto

Gather these ingredients-

½ pound carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
½ pound turnip roots, peeled and quartered
½ pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound parsnips cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut in 1 ½ inch pieces
2 large shallots cut in half
4 thyme sprigs
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
¼ cup pine nuts
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup of parmesan cheese

Let’s make it-

Turn your oven to 475 degrees and let it preheat. Get you a large bowl and toss vegetables, shallots, thyme and ¼ cup of olive oil. Season it up good with plenty of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 35 – 40 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. While the veggies are roasting lets make the pesto. Get you a small skillet and heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the pine nuts and cook over low heat. Don’t burn them, you must stir constantly for about 2 – 3 minutes. Add you some butter and garlic and cook, stirring, until the pine nuts are browned and the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. The smell will be unbelievably good. You need to let the pine nuts cool, then transfer to a small processor. Add the parmesan cheese and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse. Taste and season the pine nut pesto, with salt and pepper, to your likings. Toss the roasted vegetables with the pesto and serve on a large platter. Garnish with Parmesan slivers.

“Sho Nuff” Crock Pot Louisiana Sweet Potato Souffle

When you give Thanks, you will get Thanks! You will certainly get plenty of Thanks when you serve up this scrumptious dish. This dish works excellent in a crock pot. The beauty of using a crock pot is it frees up the stove or oven and it allows you to load up the ingredients and walk away. This is a clever way to enjoy all your family and friends this Thanksgiving holiday.

* In Louisiana there is a tradition of Lagniappe, which means a little something extra! The Lagniappe for this recipe is to add raisins on top for that extra goodness.

Ingredients

1- can sweetened condensed milk

2 -29 ounce cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup apple sauce

2- eggs, beaten

Topping:

1 cup pecans (whole or chopped)

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Spray interior of crock pot with Pam or grease with butter by hand.
In a large mixing bowl, blend sweetened condensed milk, sweet potatoes or yams, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, brown sugar, eggs and apple sauce.
Once well mixed, pour carefully into crock pot.

Topping:

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and melted butter. Add pecans. Stir well.
Spread the mixture over the sweet potatoes.
Cover, and cook on High for one hour; cook three hours on Low. I turn the crock pot back to High for the last hour. If you need to make this early in the day, it will be fine to let it cook six or more hours on Low. Just do not open the lid!

Sinful Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Sinful Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups pecan halves and pieces

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Stir together melted butter and next 2 ingredients. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoonful butter mixture into each cup of 2 lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, and top each with 1 rounded tablespoonful pecans.

3. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together pumpkin, next 2 ingredients, and 2/3 cup water; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling three-fourths full. Place an aluminum foil-lined jellyroll pan on lower oven rack to catch any overflow.

5. Bake at 350° on middle oven rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert pan immediately to remove muffins, and arrange muffins on a wire rack. Spoon any topping remaining in muffin cups over muffins. Let cool 5 minutes.

The Sister’s Brined Turkey

The Sweet and Savory Sisters were introduced to brining meats a couple of years ago. We were skeptical about using so much salt. We spoke to two of our friends that are chefs and they assured us that it would not be too salty and we would be very pleased with the results. We brined our Thanksgiving turkey and it was unbelievable how moist and delicious it made the turkey. It is well worth the time that you put into it.

Brine for Turkey
Ingredients:

2 gallons water or vegetable stock
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 ½ teaspoons allspice berries
2 bay leaves
14-16 lb. turkey

Directions:
Combine stock, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries and bay leaves in a large stockpot. Heat over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Allow the broth to cool, add ice. Combine the brine and turkey in a 5 gallon bucket or a stainless steel pot. Place the turkey in the brine breast side down; making sure that the turkey is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours. Remove bird and rinse inside and out, discard the brine. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.

Compound Butter
Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion tops
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons basil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1¼ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using. Using a long, thin flexible rubber spatula or your hand, slowly slide the tool between the skin and the flesh of the breasts on both side of the breastbone. The skin is pretty tough and won’t tear if you do it carefully. Do this on both sides of the breastbone but leave the skin attached along the center of breastbone itself. Stuff the compound butter under the skin on both sides. Rub the butter on the skin of the turkey, legs and wings. Place the bird in a roasting pan, breast side up. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2½ hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Creamy Eggplant Dip

Creamy Eggplant Dip

Gather up:

2 large eggplant
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
2 small cloves garlic, crushed

How to fix it:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large broiler pan with aluminum foil. Cut eggplant lengthwise in half. Bake eggplant until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove pulp from skin and place in food processor with mayonnaise and garlic. Pulse until blended. Stir in 1½ cups cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until warm and cheese has melted. Serve with toast points.

Shrimp Étouffée

Son of a gun you are gonna have big fun on the Bayou with this one, Sha’! This would have to be one of the sister’s signature recipes, right here. We love to sling this dish to all of our friends, especially during the SEC football games. Hint, hint The Almighty LSU Tigers that is. This recipe is just what the doc ordered when you are feeling blue or just need to add a little spring to your step. Don’t be dumb go on and get you some… Make sure you have plenty of rice and French bread with this dish. It’s also wonderful served on grits.

Shrimp Etouffee

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 8 ounce can shrimp
Shrimp shells
1 onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, cut into big chunks
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
1 stick butter
½ cup all purpose flour
3 cups onions, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 ½ cups celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chilies
3 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (may omit if you don’t like it real spicy)
Cajun Seasoning to taste
3 cups shrimp stock
2 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves

Directions:
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, can shrimp with juice, onions, celery, 2 sprigs thyme and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often, until the shells are pink and the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of water and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. In a large Dutch oven melt butter. Slowly add flour and stir continuously to make a roux. Stir the roux over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, about 8 – 10 minutes. Watch closely and do not burn the roux. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to the roux, and cook, stirring often, for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with chilies to the pot and season with the bay leaves, salt, cayenne and Cajun seasonings. Cook for 3 minutes and then whisk in the shrimp stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the etouffee, for 40 – 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off and remove bay leaves. Season the shrimp with Cajun Seasoning and then fold shrimp into etoufee and cook until shrimp are done. Add parsley and add seasoning if necessary. Serve on a bed of rice.

Pumpkin Bread

I hope you will enjoy this recipe!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

16 ounces canned pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray and flour (2) 9 by 5 loaf pans

Stir together sugar and oil

Stir in eggs and pumpkin

Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl

Blend dry ingredients into wet mixture, add water

Divide batter between two loaf pans

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until done

Let stand for 10 minutes

Remove from pans and cool

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