Cock Of The Walk Pickled Onion Rings

There was a restaurant in Mobile called the Cock of the Walk.  It had some of the best skillet cornbread and pickled onion rings.  They closed down several years ago and I've missed them.  I took to craving the pickled onions and decided I'd check the Internet for a recipe and, lo and behold, there I found it.  I made them this weekend and they're delicious.

2 cups cider vinegar

4 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

4 cups of sliced sweet onions

Combine all except onions in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Drop in onion slices and turn off heat.  Let cool and then refrigerate.

Fresh Tomato Tart

I love summer tomatoes, fresh tomato sandwiches, and fresh tomato tarts.  I bought two tomato plants this year and have gotten several tomatoes from them.  I love this recipe.  it comes from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi's cookbook.

Basic pastry dough

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

4-5 ripe tomatoes, cut into slices

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 10" tart pan with pastry dough (or use pie shells).  Spread bottom of pastry with cheese and sprinkle with basil (may use dried).  Cover with tomato slices, arranging to cover as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Garnish with fresh chopped basil.  Slice in wedges and serve at room temperature.

Apple Cake

This was one of my father's favorite cakes.  I entered it in the Greater Gulf State Fair several years ago and it won a blue ribbon.  It's easy to make and goes great with coffee.

Sift together:  3 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of soda

1 teaspoon of salt

Mix with dry ingredients:  3 cups fresh chopped apples

1 cup broken pecan pieces

Combine in bowl:  3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup Wesson oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Add egg mixture to dry mixture and apple mixture.  Mix well by hand.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours in ungreased tube pan.

Chicken Salad

I like a good chicken salad.  I don't like the kind that includes boiled eggs because they make it taste too much like tuna salad.  This is a good recipe.

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2 c. cream cheese

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

2 cans chicken

1 c. grapes, halved

1 tsp. sugar

Chop celery and onions.

Cream together cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream.  Add chopped onions and celery.  Add sugar.

Add grapes and chicken to mayonnaise mixtures.

Serve on a croissant.

That's What's for Supper.

White Chili (Chili Blanco)

Dave is having a "bring it in a pot" supper at church tomorrow night and wanted me to make White Chili.  I've got to go to Baldwin County, so I went ahead and made it tonight.  He can simply reheat it tomorrow.  Matt also wanted to make some for his roommates, so I figured I'd put up the recipe online so he would know how to make it too.

Just a quick side note about Matt's German roommates.  They live in an apartment that sits on the back of a complex and overlooks some wetlands.  They recently noticed some baby alligators and other animals around the area.  They got all excited earlier this week when they noticed a really wierd looking turtle.  Matt went to take a look and said it turned out to be an armadillo.  He explained it was an armadillo and threw a stick at it to show them.  It jumped up and curled into a ball.  They thought it was funny.  Now they know that we don't have wierd turtles in America; we have armadillos.

White Chili

1 large onion, chopped

1/4-1/2 c. butter

3-4 tsp. cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white pepper

3 cans white chicken meat, drained (or 1 lb. fresh cubed chicken breast, cooked)

4 c. chicken stock/broth

2 c. milk

1 4-1/2 oz. can chopped green chiles

1 tsp. jalapeno pepper, chopped (or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped)

2 cans white beans (Great Northerns, cannellini, or navy), rinsed and drained

Melt butter in pot.

Add onions and garlic and saute.

Add cumin, salt, and pepper.

Add green chiles and jalapeno peppers.

When onions and peppers are tender, add shredded chicken and mix together.

Add chicken broth, milk, and beans.  Simmer.

Top with sour cream and/or Parmesan cheese.  Serve hot.  That's what's for supper.

(This looks a little greener than normal because I added some leftover bell pepper.  Delicious nonetheless.)

Frittata

I'd never made a frittata until today.  I'd never even eaten one.  The only reason I knew about it was because I was recently searching for a recipe that could use leftover pasta.  The recipe said it was a good way to use leftovers.  This is my own recipe, using leftovers, and it was delicious!  If, when I ask Dave if he wants me to make it again, he says, "Yes," then I know it's a pretty good recipe.

Chop up any vegetables you have.  I had broccoli, tomato, green pepper, onion, and snow peas.

Saute the vegetables in a cast iron skillet with a little oil until tender.

Scramble about 6 eggs, a little milk, salt and pepper, and add to the vegetables.  Also add any type of cooked pasta.  I used whole wheat spaghetti.  Cook the eggs like you would an omelet, gently pushing back the edge of the egg into the center and tilting the skillet to allow the liquid egg to flow underneath.  When the egg mixture is thickened, turn off heat, top with shredded cheese, and bake in a 350-degree oven until bubbly.  It took about 20 minutes.

Serve hot.  Delicious.

It reminds me of quiche.  Real men may not eat quiche, but they do eat frittatas.

That's what's for supper.

Collard Greens

We have a 21-year-old son who is rooming with three Auburn tennis players from Germany.  It's been a good experience for all four of these young men so far.  Matt said Lukas wanted to try grits today, so he made him some.  Now, I'm pretty sure they were the instant kind, which don't measure up in my opinion, and nor did they in Lukas' opinion because he quickly spit them out.  LOL!  That got me to thinking about Southern cooking and how to explain it to a non-Southerner or foreigner.  I'm not sure I'll be able to that because I'm certainly not a cook and defninitely not Paula Deen, in fact, I had to call my best friend to tell me how to cook collard greens today, but I'll certainly try.

We're blessed to live in a small community made up of genuinely loving people who care for their neighbors.  I came home late this week and found a bag of collard greens on my front porch swing from Mr. Walker.  Mr. Walker enjoys two things, talking and gardening.  He brings me such joy every time I see him because he's full of stories and he reminds me so much of my father.  He has been in poor health recently and has difficulty keeping a garden, but has a very large one nevertheless.  His daughters recently told me that their mother told him that he shouldn't be out there, if he died in  his garden she was simply going to leave him there and cover him up.  :P

Since I haven't cooked collards in ages, I had to call my best friend, Cynthia, for help.  This is her recipe.  Thanks, friend.

First, you have to clean the greens.  Cynthia uses sissors to cut out the middle stem from end to end.  My dad simply tore them away.  Either way is good.  Then soak them in cold water and clean throughly to remove any dirt.  You don't need any grit in your greens.

Second, layer several leaves together, roll tightly, and cut into thin slices.  Here again, my dad used to tear them into bite-sized pieces.  Either way is good.  (And, yes, that's my hubby helping deomonstrate and, I know, that's an old 1980's Tupperware cutting board, but that's what I use.  If it's not broken, don't fix it.  I'll keep them both, thank you.)

After thoroughly washing, cleaning, and cutting, put the greens in a pot, adding just enough water to cover.  Add bacon (yes, I use the fully cooked kind, although the regular with the drippings is probably more flavorful), salt and pepper to taste, and about 3 tablespoons of sugar to cut the bitterness.  Cover and cook on medium-high until boiling and then reduce the heat to or a softer boil.

Cook until done.  Cynthia said that you can add some butter or bouillon for more seasoning, although mine was perfect without.

Serve up with fried ham and black-eyed peas and that's what's for supper.