Barbecue Brisket

Sometimes, a well-seasoned, slow-cooked beef brisket is even better than a steak. You don't need any special equipment... just a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. The following is adapted from The Deen Bros. Cookbook by Paula's sons, Jamie and Bobby, who like this sauce slathered over grilled chicken.

Barbecue Brisket

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. beef brisket
House Seasoning (see below)
1 1/2 to 2 cups Barbecue Sauce

Season both sides of meat liberally with House Seasoning. Sear both sides of brisket over medium high heat. Pour sauce over brisket. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover, basting occasionally. To ensure tenderness, simmer meat fat side up. Cook brisket for approximately 3 hours. Shred meat and serve with additional sauce, if desired.

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon House Seasoning

Whisk together ingredients; refrigerate any remaining sauce.

House Seasoning

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Macaroni & Cheese

It seems there are as many recipes for this classic comfort dish as there are cooks. This one, perfect for Sunday dinner, is a little lighter than some. You could easily add an additional 2 or so ounces of shredded fresh or whole milk mozzarella to take this over the top. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, put them in a buttered baking dish, add a dash of milk and cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake until lightly browned on top.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb. elbow macaroni
4 oz. medium cheddar, shredded
4 oz. American cheese, cubed
2 cups hot milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta (according to package directions) in a large pot with ample amounts of salt (1 to 2 tablespoons).

As the pasta cooks, make a roux with the butter and flour. Add the hot milk and bring up to medium high, careful not to boil or scald the milk (or it will curdle). Add the shredded cheese when the béchamel has thickened nicely, stirring until completely melted. Add seasoned salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the pasta thoroughly and toss with the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with additional cheddar if desired.

Macaroni & Cheese II

Sure, we all have dysfunctional families. You've probably had the misfortune of eating at a dysfunctional family restaurant, too. This recipe is from a long ago shuttered eatery in my hometown. The food was great, but the service… unbelievable. Hours of the restaurant varied daily. Workers didn't show up for their shift if they had something better to do. And when they did, they might not bother to make many of the menu items. This is a keeper, though. Feel free to reduce the amount of butter (a few tablespoons is fine) and be sure to use aluminum foil or your dish will be dry as a bone.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

22 oz. of elbow macaroni
4 oz. sour cream
¾ cube butter
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta in a large pot with ample amounts of salt (1 to 2 tablespoons) until tender.

Drain macaroni thoroughly and pour into a greased baking pan. Add sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese and milk. Mix well. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I saw a recipe in the March/April 2007 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen for these truffles and knew I had to make them. Who could resist cookie dough enrobed in chocolate? What's even better, you won't have to worry about eating raw egg with these little goodies. I added an additional 1/4 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips, omitted the nuts and used semisweet chocolate instead of of the 1 1/2 pounds of chocolate bark candy coating originally indicated. You could also use milk chocolate chips or dip them in cocoa powder.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Add mini chocolate chips (and nuts, if desired). Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on wax paper and chill for 2 hours.

Melt chocolate with vegetable shortening according to package directions. Dip in cookie balls, covering completely. Place on wax paper and chill to set. Keep truffles refrigerated. Makes approximately 5 dozen.

Symphony Brownies

Be prepared for a symphony of taste with this recipe, adapted from Paula Deen & Friends: Living it Up, Southern Style. Don't underestimate just how amazing a dessert you can make with a box of Duncan Hines.

Symphony Brownies

1 17.6 oz. box plain brownie mix
3 6 oz. Symphony bars with toffee chips and almonds

Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with aluminum foil; spray with cooking spray.

Prepare brownie mix according to the directions on the package. Pour half of batter into pan. Place unwrapped Symphony bars atop mix, then pour remaining batter over candy bars.

Bake according to directions on package. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Coca-Cola Cake

What's not to love about a recipe that combines two of the most wonderful things on God's green earth... Coca-Cola and chocolate? This is really more of a rich, fudgie brownie, but traditional Southern recipes have always called it cake. Hopefully, you'll call it great. This version is adapted from The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner), which will leave you with your sides aching and your stomach grumbling. I've reduced the sugar a bit (it's still very sweet), and added an additional tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Coca-Cola Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar, salt and flour; set aside.

Melt together butter, shortening, cocoa powder and Coca-Cola over medium heat and add to the flour mixture. Stir in buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, vanilla and miniature marshmallows, evenly distributing marshmallows.

Pour batter into greased and floured 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes.

As soon as cake is removed from the oven, cover with Coca-Cola chocolate glaze.

Coca-Cola Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on taste)

Combine butter, cocoa powder and salt in a sauce pan and cook over medium-low to medium heat until melted. Take off the heat and stir in powdered sugar. Pour over the hot cake.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

I discovered this recipe recently in a Better Homes & Gardens collection of Christmas goodies. It's the perfect dessert to make with kids... utterly delicious and couldn't be more simple. Serve with a glass of ice cold milk.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

1 package yellow or white cake mix
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 12 oz. jar seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 13 x 9 pan with foil; grease foil.

Mix cake mix and oats. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Press 1/2 of the mixture evenly onto the prepared pan.

Combine jam and water in a small bow. Spread jam over crumb mixture within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spread remaining crumb mixture over jam.

Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool before serving. Place waxed paper between bars before storing.

Banana Bread

If you're like me, you've experimented with countless quick bread recipes. I've finally found one for banana bread from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen that's a real keeper. The hint of vanilla is mine.

Banana Bread

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, room temperature
3 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then incorporate bananas.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry mixture to shortening, sugar, egg and banana mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Blend until just combined. Stir in vanilla (and nuts).

Pour batter into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 1 loaf.

Appetizers

I tend to keep things very simple when it comes to appetizers... a little antipasto platter with artichoke hearts, giardiniera, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella and sliced salami or proscuitto. My niece, Meg, is much more adventurous. She belives you shouldn't be afraid of the fryer… embrace the fryer... even if you set off the smoke detector the first couple of times you try. I still remember the smell of those lovely little potato cazzilli I made a lifetime ago, which I could barely see through the thick smoke. I may live to fry another day, however.

Keep in mind you could also serve these little goodies as the main dish, a la “Will & Grace.”

Potato Croquettes (Cazzilli)

This classic Sicilian recipe is adapted from Rao's Recipes from the Neighborhood by Frank Pellegrino. Once again, I've substituted a cow's milk Romano for the Pecorino Romano. You could form the croquettes into little eggs or forms about the size of your thumb (in keeping with the humorous meaning of the word cazzilli).

4 larger Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup Romano cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (whole milk is best)
2 tablespoons Italian parsely, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
Canola or vegetable oil for deep frying

Cook the potatoes in ample, salted water, drain and run through a ricer. Combine potatoes, cheeses, parsely, salt and pepper. Shape the croquettes into a cylinder about the size of your thumb. Dip croquettes in the egg wash and roll in breadcrumbs. Refrigerate until firm, about two to three hours.

Fry croquettes in oil (about 350 to 375 degrees) until they're nicely browned.

Dubliner Artichoke Dip

Easy and indulgent. You can use either frozen or canned artichokes. Just be sure to drain the artichokes if you opt for the canned variety.

½ cup artichoke hearts (thawed or drained)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sour cream
6 oz. Dubliner cheese, grated
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Slowly add the Dubliner cheese, stirring until melted. Add artichoke hearts, salt and pepper.

Put mixture in an ovenproof dish; bake for 15 minutes. When done, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and additional pepper. Serve hot or cold with slices of baguette or bagel chips.

Bruschetta

If this authentic garlic bread seems too easy to be good, don’t be fooled. It also uses up that day-old bread just sitting on the counter. What could be better? Top the toasted bread with diced tomatoes (unless you have Meg’s tomato phobia, seemingly shared by my daughter), minced garlic and fresh basil or white beans mixed with minced garlic and rosemary. Use your imagination. Kosher salt is especially important here.

Slices of Italian or French bread
Garlic cloves, smashed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast the bread in the toaster or grill on the barbecue or under the broiler. Once the bread is lightly browned, remove and rub with garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade Chips & Salsa

The chips were Meg’s idea. I’ve been serving this salsa ever since clipping the recipe out of the local newspaper back in the mid-1980s. Be sure to wear gloves when mincing, seeding and de-ribbing the jalapeño, or you’ll be needing some serious eye drops.

Chips
8 whole white corn tortillas
Canola oil
Salt to taste

Slice tortillas into ½-inch thick strips.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in deep fryer or frying pan. Fry tortilla strips until hardened and only very lightly browned. Remove immediately and place on paper towels. Season liberally with salt.

Fresh Salsa

5 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Combine above ingredients and serve.

Egg Rolls

Egg roll wrappers
½ green cabbage, finely chopped
½ bunch scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, beaten
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees.

Saute cabbage in canola oil until softened; add green onions. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper.

Arrange cabbage and onion mixture in the center of the square wrappers. Brush the wrappers with egg and seal.

Fry in canola oil until lightly browned. Serve with additional soy, plum or sweet and sour sauce.