Hoppin John - Oh So Good

Good Monday friends.  Hope you survived the fall back.  Our daughters, who have young children, are suffering the time change with children getting up really early according to the new clock setting.  I must laugh because we have been there and certainly done that.  They just don't remember what it was like because they were the small children.  What goes around....as they say.

Today, I am sharing a recipe for Hoppin John.  My son, John, taught me how to make this years ago and it is absolutely wonderful.  Hoppin John is a combination of rice and black eyed peas and other goodness like bacon and onions and bell pepper.

My research tells me they are not sure where the name comes from, but Hoppin John was mentioned in cookbooks as far back as 1847.  Chances are, this was a dish made by slaves since there are similar dishes eaten in Africa.

Hoppin John is often served on New Year's Day in the south as a symbol of good fortune for the coming year.  The black eyed peas stand for coins.  Sometimes a few coins are placed under the plate of guests.  Corn bread is served for the color of "gold" and some kind of greens - like turnip or collards - which stands for money, are also served. Supposedly, if you eat this you will have good fortune and prosperity throughout the year.

I don't want to wait until New Year's Day to eat this delicious dish.  It is easy to make and very nutritious.  I promised my friend Linda, who lives in Texas, that I would post this recipe today.  She LOVES black eyed peas and wants to make this recipe.  Here is what you need:

6-8 slices of bacon, cut crossways
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed*
2 cups rice
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pot, brown the bacon until crisp.  Drain most of the bacon fat off, leaving enough to brown the onions, bell pepper and garlic.  When the onions become translucent, add the garlic, bacon, drained black eyed peas, the rice, and chicken broth.   Cook until the rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed.   Stir several times so the rice doesn't stick.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  I didn't add any salt.

*I used Bush's black eyed peas with bacon and jalapeno to add a little kick.  They are not hot, just have a little more flavor.  Try it if you like a little something extra.

This can be a complete meal if you wish, or served as a side.  Delicious!  It also reheats well.

If you are looking for some new winter recipes, this one is a good one to try.  It is easy, nutritious, and delicious.  Remember to serve it on New Year's Day for extra good fortune in the coming new year.  We can all use more good fortune!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember

“How people could actually get themselves all worked up about saving the grizzly bear of the Rockies, and sit calmly by while such a magnificent dish as South Carolina Hoppin' John faces extinction, was more than I could ever understand.”

Sheila Hibben (1888-1964)

Pumpkin, Caramel, and Pecan Cheesecake - WOW!

 Hello everyone!  Yes, October is winding down.  It's almost Halloween.  How is that possible?  Where has this month gone?  The leaves are finally starting to change.  The transition is later this year because it has been so warm.  It's so nice to see the colors in the trees and the variety of hues on the hillsides.  It definitely means fall is here!

Our first born celebrated the 11th anniversary of her 30th birthday on Saturday.  We sat with her boys while she and her lovely husband had a date night.  They don't get a lot of those.  So, we celebrated with the family at our house on Sunday evening.  I cooked dinner for everyone and instead of the standard birthday cake, I made this fabulous pumpkin cheesecake.  The recipe is in the new Bon Appetit and the Food Network Magazine.

It is a Philadelphia cream cheese advertisement and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it.  Why? Because it sounded absolutely amazing and guess what?  It is absolutely amazing!  Talk about a dessert you are going to want to make for any and all upcoming occasions.  Things like Thanksgiving, Christmas, the new moon, the full moon, the sun shining, the dog got a haircut.  Just pick something.  It's worth it, believe me.

Here is what you need:

1/2 cup chopped pecans divided
38 Ginger snap cookies, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup butter, melted

4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
25 Kraft Caramels
1/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (notice, it's NOT 350)

Chop 1/4 cup nuts finely, place in medium bowl.  Add crushed ginger snaps and melted butter.  Mix well.  Press into bottom of 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until blended.  Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla, mix well.  Add eggs 1 at a time mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.  Pour over crust.

Bake for 45 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool completely.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Make the sauce when you are ready to serve.  Microwave the caramels and milk in a microwaveable bowl on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds.

Serve cheese cake by spooning the caramel over each piece served and sprinkle with nuts.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.  We desired, it's just not in the picture.  YUMMMMMMY!

This cake is really easy to make and is even better the second day.  Oh so good.  Give it a try, especially if you are a pumpkin lover or a cheesecake lover.  It is a marriage made in heaven!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Because you don't live near a bakery doesn't mean you have to go without cheesecake!
Hedy Lamar

Chocolate Macadamia And White Morsel Cookies

 Let's talk about cookies.  Who doesn't love a good cookie?  Especially a home made cookie!  Do you have a favorite cookie?  We have many, but this cookie is in the top five.  It may actually be in the top two.  Yes, it's that good.

Let's discuss why this cookie is so very good.  First, it is chocolate.  Need I say more?  Second, it has Macadamia nuts.  (OMG)  Third, it has white morsels in it.  So, let's recap.  It's chocolate, has Macadamia nuts, AND white morsels in it.  How could it be any better than that I ask you?  Seriously?

I found this recipe years ago in some magazine or the other and decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe immediately went into my poor falling apart handwritten recipe book so that it would never be lost because this was many years before the advent of the internet and/or blogging where I put a lot of my recipes for reference.  It's a great place to keep recipes because the recipes don't get all smudged with stuff from your hands while you are cooking and the ink doesn't run when you get liquid on the page AND you can share it with lots of other people.  I have some favorite recipes that are nearly unreadable.  Nuff said.

You are definitely going to want to make these cookies.  Why you ask?   Because they are fabulous and you will not be able to eat just one at a time (don't ask how I know this), and because they are fabulous.

Let's talk about Macadamia nuts for a moment.  LOVE them.  How about you?  They are not the cheapest nut to use in a cookie, but they may be the absolute best!  I find them at Target in small 2 ounce packages and it takes 2 packages for this recipe.  What do you know about Macadamia nuts other than they are sooooooo good?  I did a little research and this is what I found:

Macadamia:

a hard-shelled nut somewhat resembling a filbert and produced by an Australian evergreen tree  

of the protea family that is cultivated extensively in Hawaii —called also macadamia

No wonder they are a little on the pricey side since they only grow in Australia and Hawaii.  Trust me, it's worth the little extra for these wonderful nuts.

Now, here is what you need to make these cookies:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sat
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups white morsels (1 12 ounce package)
3/4 cup chopped Macadamia nuts (rough chop - you want good sized pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture.  Stir in morsels and nuts.

Drop by well rounded teaspoon full onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, remove from baking sheet with a spatula.

YUUUUUUUUUUUM!  Try not to gorge yourself on these beauties.

You are looking at these and drooling aren't you?  I know you are even if you won't admit it.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies.  I got 5 dozen out of the recipe.  If you want them a little bigger, be my guest, just make sure they are completely baked when you remove them from the oven.  They are not soft cookie.

Next week is Halloween and if you are having a party, try this recipe.  Or, try this recipe because it's fall.  Or, just make them because you need to. Share them - if there are any left.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

The Macadamia is named after a scientist by the name of John Macadam who first wrote about the tree and it's fruit (nuts) in 1865.

Baked Pear Spinach Salad With Mascarpone, Cashews, And Champagne Vinegar Dressing

Here it is Tuesday, October 22nd already.  How did this happen?  Where is it going?  Why am I not ready for cold weather or the fact that I had to put on closed shoes on Sunday because it suddenly got cool?  Bye bye sandals until next spring.  Sigh.  It makes me so very sad when sandals have to go.  My feet are not very happy.  I'll be waiting until the first warm day to drag them back out.  Believe me.

One of the really nice things about fall though is the abundance of tree fruit like apples and pears.  YUM!  I like apples, but I LOVE pears.  Dan is not a fan.  He doesn't like the texture which to me is unfortunate, but to each his own.

My daughter and I were talking about pears last week and she mentioned she had baked some.  Baked pears?  Why had I never thought of that.  When I got home, I headed straight to the world wide web and researched some baked pear recipes.  This is one I created by combining several things together for this fabulously delicious salad for dinner.  (The dressing recipe is my own.)  Are they good?  Let me count the ways.  My, oh my.  Here is what you will need:

Pears - as many as you want to bake (I used Bartlett)

1/2 to 1 stick butter

1 container Mascarpone cheese

Cashews, rough chopped (I used about a cup)

Home made Champagne Vinegar Dressing - recipe below

To check if pears are ripe, push around the stem to see if it's soft.  If so, they are good to go.  You want ripe pears for baking.

First, if you have never baked pears, this is how I did mine.  I used Bartlett pears and cut the pears in half, scooping out the core in each half.  I used a teaspoon to core the pears.  You can bake 2 halves, or as many as you want.  I did 3 pears the first time which was 6 halves.  Sunday, I did 5 pears for 10 halves.  I melted a half stick of butter in a baking dish for the 6 halves and a whole stick for the 10 halves.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the butter in an appropriate sized baking dish and melt the butter in the oven.  As soon as the butter is melted, remove the baking pan from the oven and coat the pears in the melted butter.  I rolled them on the skin side, then placed them cut side down in the butter.  Bake for about 45 minutes until they are fork tender.  Sunday, I baked these and this is how they look when they come out of the oven.  Heavenly.

Now, turn the pears over to expose the cut and cored side.  Place large dollops of mascarpone cheese in each pear half and stick them back in the oven for about a minute or two until the cheese melts.  Don't let it all run out of the pears.  It's the really good part.

If you are not familiar with Mascarpone cheese, it is an Italian cheese that sort of has the consistency of cream cheese but tastes like whipped cream.  Double yum.

I decided I wanted salty and sweet to go with the fresh spinach, and I had a can of cashew halves on hand.  I rough chopped them and sprinkled them over the melted mascarpone cheese.  I put several hands full of fresh baby spinach on salad plates and put a pear in the middle of the spinach.  I sprinkled more chopped cashews on the spinach.  Now to make the dressing.  I don't always measure when making dressing, but this is pretty close and you may want to adjust it to fit your taste.  It is sooooooo good, especially the tanginess with the sweet and salty.  Yummo.

Champagne Vinegar Dressing

Finely mince about 1/4 of a small shallot, super fine.

Using a large clove of garlic, make a paste out of it by putting about 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt on a cutting board and mashing the garlic with the flat side of the knife.  Work the knife back and forth, pressing and mashing until you have a paste made from the garlic clove.

In a bowl, pour about 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil in and add the shallot and garlic paste.  Add about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. (two big squeezes) Add the juice of one lemon and two big splashes of champagne vinegar (probably about 2 TBSP).  Add one small pinch of salt if needed and fresh cracked black pepper.  Whisk until combined and drizzle over the spinach and the pear.  Serve.  Consume.  Just try to savor each bite.  Delicious.  (The dressing is so good I could probably drink it with a straw.)

This is such a pretty salad to present with whatever entree you are serving.  Perhaps you will just want to eat the salad with some good crusty bread.  Or, maybe you would prefer the baked pear without the spinach and dressing and consider it dessert.  It all works and it is wonderful any way to choose to eat it.  Truly.  They also keep nicely in the refrigerator (covered) and can be eaten the next day.  I ate mine cold and it was delish!

Sometimes things just come together in an oh so right way.  If you like pears, this is a great way to enjoy them.  Yes indeedy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Pears have been cultivated and enjoyed for thousands of years.  Homer referred to them as a "gift from the gods" in the Odyssey.  healthdiaries.com

  

Cleaning Microfiber Furniture - It's Quite Easy

We bought the sofa in these pictures in the year 2000.  It was our first piece of microfiber furniture.  Microfiber is durable and very comfortable.  The sofa is very light in color and it did fine while it lived at our house.  No, it did not look like this when it lived at our house.

The sofa was given to our youngest son when he moved to Nashville about six  years ago and we purchased a new microfiber sectional.  Dan and Tyler loved this sofa and it is super comfortable.  My problem with it was I felt like the character Edith Ann that Lily Tomlin used to play when I sat on it.  I am only slightly over 5 feet tall and the sofa is so deep that my legs sort of stuck straight out when sitting on the couch.  That is why it went to live with Tyler and he was very happy to have it and I was glad it had a new home.  Dan was sad.

Tyler was about college age when he moved to Nashville and he lived with a bunch of guys.  Need I say more?  College guys?  Yeah, that.  They are not the neatest or tidiest people on the face of the earth.  He has had several room mates through the years, he has moved many times, and the sofa has had a lot of wear.  Actually, it is still in pretty good shape, it just had some gross spills on it and the cushions were a dirty from so much wear.  The arms of the couch were very dirty just from general use.

He recently moved in with a fellow who had furniture and he had things that needed a new place to live because he didn't want to pay for a storage unit.  Our best friends who moved here recently were in need of a sofa until they can buy one they want.  Aha!  Tyler had a sofa that needed a place to live and our BFF's needed a sofa.  It was a match made in heaven.  That is until I got a good look at it in bright light.  Oh my goodness.  It was in need of some real help.

I jumped on the world wide web and did some research about how to clean this sofa.  I discovered this information on Wikihow.

Check the sofa tag for care instructions. Microfiber furniture is typically labeled with one of four codes to indicate what can be used to clean it: W is for a water-based cleaning solvent, S is for a water-free solvent, S/W is for either, and X is for neither (i.e. vacuum-only).

• If your sofa is labeled with an X, your work is done; resist the temptation to use any cleaning solutions, which can stain, spot, or shrink the fabric.

There are also several blogs that had information on how to clean microfiber sofas, most of which recommended clear alcohol, sponges, and a scrub brush.  I could not find the tag that Wikihow referred to, so I decided to go with rubbing alcohol because the poor sofa couldn't look much worse.  

Most sites recommended 99% rubbing alcohol if you can find it, or vodka or gin.  Some clear alcohol.  Tonya had 70% alcohol, so we used that.  It worked great.  The reason you want to use alcohol and not water it that alcohol dries quickly.  Water will cause rings and spotting if things get too wet.  We wanted no spots and no rings!

First, I vacuumed the entire sofa, removed the cushions and vacuumed under the cushions and in all the cracks and crevices.

I started with the worst stain which was on the lower front and side of the sofa as you can see in the picture above.  I don't know what it was - some kind of food spill.  (I really don't want to know.)  Using the spray bottle with nothing but rubbing alcohol in it, I sprayed the stains lightly, let it sit a minute and used a light colored dry sponge to begin rubbing the stain.  It really didn't take long at all and the stain began to come right off!  Hallelujah!  It's was a miracle.  

After the stains were removed, I used the small scrub brush to lift the nap on the fabric and it looked brand new!

The nap has highlights and shadows so don't think those are stains - they are completely gone.  I was amazed.  So, I worked on one end of the sofa and Tonya worked on the other.  It took us about 40 minutes to do the entire sofa and it looks really, really good for a 13 year old sofa that has been moved from pillar to post and had much wear and tear.  The room was full of moving boxes so I couldn't get back far enough to get a picture of the whole sofa, but you can see how nice it looks.

This is one of the arm cushions which was about 10 shades darker when we started.

It is back to it's original color.  Talk about a cheap cleaning solution!  We used 1 bottle of alcohol, 2 spray bottles, 2 sponges, and 1 scrub brush.  Everything but the alcohol came from the Dollar Tree, so that's $5.00 and alcohol is CHEAP at the drug store.  Less than $1.00 per bottle.  So, for about $6.00 and some elbow grease, we cleaned an entire sofa.  It looked great and smelled great.

I LOVE the world wide web for researching things like this.  What did we ever do before?  Oh, we had to go to the library and hope that  you could find the information you were looking for.  I remember now.  All I can say is YAY for technology!  It makes life so much easier.

Before you clean a piece of microfiber furniture, test an inconspicuous place to make sure the alcohol method will work for you.  If it does, have fun!  You will be happy with the results.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Pumpkin Poppers!

 Happy Monday to you one and all!  Hoping your weekend was fabulous, restful, and all that you wanted it to be.  Ours was busy as usual.  We had little league games on Saturday and a birthday party for our seven year old grandson on Sunday.  I baked his cake and cupcakes and that was quite an affair.  I am not a cake decorator, but I do my best.  Will share his baseball glove cake and baseball cupcakes with you one of these days.

Well, fall is upon us and it is time for all things pumpkin.  It is amazing to me how the groceries now turn October in to "pumpkin" month with everything pumpkin you can think of.  I must say we do enjoy some good pumpkin treats, so I thought I would share one with you today that I found on Domestically Speaking.  She calls them Pumpkin Poppers and they are deliciously delectable morsels of pumpkin that are kind of like donut balls only baked in a mini muffin tin.  Yum!

This recipe made 24 of these Poppers in my mini muffin pan.  It's an easy recipe and SOOOO good, especially with coffee.  Then again, what isn't good with coffee?  Here is what you need:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup milk

This is how they look when they come out of the oven before you coat them in the cinnamon/sugar mix.


Coating

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 TBSP cinnamon combined in a bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.   Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine all dry ingredients.  Mix with a whisk until combined.  Mix all wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredients.  Just combine.   Do not over mix.

Fill muffin tins almost full.  Bake 8-12 minutes.  Let cool.  (I baked mine 8 minutes)

Roll in melted butter, then sugar/cinnamon mix.  Serve!

Oh, my.  These are really, really good and it's tempting to not eat all of them at one time.  Restrain yourself if you can - you will want some of these for breakfast, a mid afternoon snack, and evening treat.  They are two bites, three at the most and it's easy to just keep popping them in your mouth.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Give this recipe a try.  It's a great fall treat and super easy.  You are going to love these!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Oh how we love pumpkin season.  You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right?  Winter, Spring, Summer, pumpkin....We anxiously anticipate it every year."     Unknown

Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole Is Superb!

Ever have those days when you are tired of making the same old recipes and  you want something different - something delicious?  You look in the refrigerator to see what's there to use.  Looking back at you are three boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  We all know how it goes with chicken.  It can be fabulous or it can be totally blah.  I wanted fabulous.

I had pinned this recipe on my Pinterest board some time ago because it sounded amazing.  Tonight was the night to give it a try.  I actually had all the ingredients for once.  No trip to the grocery was necessary.  Yay!

This recipe is like a big loaded baked potato with some slightly spicy chicken.  When I say spicy, I mean just a hint.  You could make it much more spicy if you preferred, but our grandsons were coming over so I went with the recipe as written.  It was perfect.  Here is what you need.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in approximately 1 inch cubes
6-8 medium russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup live oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSPS hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

Topping

2 cups grated cheese - cheddar, jack,  or pepper jack (I used Monterrey Jack)
1 cup crumbled bacon  - about 1/2 pound (fry crisp and crumble)
1 cup diced green onions - whites and greens

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and hot sauce together.  Add the cubed chicken and potatoes, stir to coat.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly.  Cook for 55-60 minutes, stirring EVERY 20 minutes.  Fry the bacon while the casserole cooks.  Set aside until cool.  Crumble.

Once the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked (potatoes fork tender), remove the casserole from the oven.  Top with cheese, bacon, and onions.  Return to the oven and bake until the cheese melts.  Took about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve.

I put some sour cream on the table to add to the dish if wanted and extra hot sauce.  This is a dynamite recipe, is so easy to make and could easily be halved and baked in a 9" casserole if you wanted.

Thanks to Singing Through the Rain for this recipe.  Everyone LOVED it.  We will be having it again and it reheats very nicely in the microwave.  Great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Give this recipe a try the next time you want something truly superb and easy to make.  Add a green salad and you are good to go.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Try one new recipe a week just for some variety in your dinner routine.  They are not all keepers, but when they are it is great to have something new to add to the rotation.  donna