Category: USA

Old-Fashioned Cornbread (recipe courtesy by Paula Deen)

I have to admit that it took me a little while to appreciate the good old southern cornbread. Mostly because many of the cornbreads I have tried were simply not that good; they were either dry and crumbly or sweet and greasy. But a few months ago my mother-in-law gave me one of Paula Deen’s…

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Southern New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas

I wasn’t familiar with black-eyed peas until I have married into a Southern family. Those small, creamy-flavored beans with a ‘black eye’ where they were joined to the pod are a Southern good luck tradition for New Year’s Day, one with deep roots in African-American culture. People in the South will tell you that the…

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Slice and Bake Butter Cookies

These basic cookies are a perfect dessert that can be prepared ahead of time and kept on hand for surprise guests. They can be frozen, thawed and baked and still retain the delicate buttery mouthfeel.

Baked Sweet Potato

Any variety of orange- or red-skinned, orange-fleshed sweet potato can be used in this recipe. When shopping, look for sweet potatoes that are uniform in size. Personally, I prefer smaller potatoes. Top potatoes with butter or with one of my two suggested sauces; Garam Masala Yogurt or Garlic and Chive Sour Cream (recipes follow).    

One – Hour Broiled Chicken and Pan Sauce

If you want to put a juicy, crisp-skinned roast chicken on your dinner table quickly, you might want to do it the American Way! The secret to getting a whole chicken roasted in just an hour is to butterfly the bird, start roasting it in a cold oven and then crank up the broiler.  

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

This classic beef stew is the ideal cooking project for a chilly day like today. Beef, onion, carrots, potatoes and red wine come together in beautiful harmony. If you are feeding a crowd, good news: It doubles (or triples) easily.