Strudel

Dough:
1 ½ sticks margarine, melted
2 egg yolks
1 cup warm milk
3 cups flour

Combine margarine and milk; beat in egg yolks; dump in flour. Mix to form dough; chill overnight in sealed container (dough is thin, but it will thicken). Divide dough into fourths; roll in rectangles as thinly as you can onto clean cuptowels. Onto each rectangle, layer:

crushed cornflakes to cover dough*
½ cup coconut
½ chopped cup pecans
½ cup raisins
½ cup sugar
sprinkling of cinnamon
1 cup raw, thinly sliced apples or pears

Leave about ½” around edge of dough without any topping, so you can seal the edges. Roll up dough, place on buttered foil lined cookie sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until top browns.

Note from Nola:
*This recipe was passed down to me from my mother Elizabeth “Betty” Jarolimek Anthony; her mother Rosie Kouba Jarolimek passed it to her before that. It is Grandma Rosie’s “authentic” Czechoslovakian recipe, but I have no explanation as to the cornflakes being added. I don’t know if they had cornflakes 100 years ago, or if my grandmother substituted them for some other ingredient.

The dough is not thick at all, and you will swear it will not be thick enough to roll out, but it is. The “old timers” would roll it out onto a clean cotton cuptowel, rolled so thin you could see through it. The cuptowel underneath helped make it easier to roll without tearing when you had all the toppings added.

Jamaican Jerk Wings

Last weekend I decided to make some yummy buffalo wings for hubby while he watched the football games. Never one to leave well enough alone, I began playing around with my recipes. Over the holidays I marinated a turkey breast in a brine solution and baked it; it turned out to be the most moist bird we'd ever eaten, so I though I'd try the same thing with my wings. Since we both like spicy foods, I decided to add Jamaican Jerk seasoning to the brine.If you aren't familiar with Jamaican Jerk, it is a seasoning mix of several different spices. The main three spices are chili pepper, allspice, and thyme. It also contains cinnamon, ginger, clove, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, and red pepper. Yeah, it packs a punch!Although my recipe may sound complicated, it isn't, it just takes a little foresight, since you need to start brining the meat a day before you'll be cooking it. Here's the recipe:
Brine:
1 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1 lime, juiced
1 can Dr Pepper
Stir the brine up in a large plastic sealable container; add about 2 dozen chicken wings and enough water to cover. Place lid on and shake well; place in refrigerator for about 24 hours, shaking mixture a few times to keep it mixed up. The following day, drain the liquid off of the wings and place them on a greased roasting pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.While the wings are baking, mix up the sauce.
Sauce:
1/2 bottled BBQ sauce
1/2 stick of melted butter
1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
When the wings are done, toss with 1/2 of the sauce mixture. Serve the remaining half of the sauce on the side for dipping.

(I'm on a black-eyed pea binge today)

Marinated Black-Eyed Peas

This recipe comes from the back label of a can of Bush's black-eyed peas:

1 can of Bush's black-eyed peas, rinsed & drained

1 rib celery, chopped

1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 tsp salt

dash of cayenne pepper

1 ripe tomato, diced

Combine first 3 ingredients. Combine oil, vinegar, mayo, salt and pepper; mix well and pour over pea mixture. Stir gently and chill in refrigerator several hours. At serving time, add diced tomato and mix carefully.

I usually double this recipe.

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

For your new year's dining pleasure, try this dip. You get your black-eyed peas in a whole new way. Thanks to my friend Ronnie for sharing it with me:

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

1 can (16 oz) black-eyed peas, drained
3 green onions including tops, chopped
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp garlic salt
½ cup chunky style salsa
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Reserving 1/3 cup, place peas in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Blend in onions, sour cream, and garlic. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in reserved 1/3 cup peas and salsa. Garnish with bacon.

Cornbread Salad

Everyone knows I love cornbread. During the winter there's nothing better than a hot pan of cornbread to warm you up. Eat it slathered in butter or crumbled into soup. It's hearty and filling.
During the summer, however, I like cool foods. This recipe is a great way to have cornbread when you don't need to warm up. It's a great way to use up leftover cornbread, too. When my Mama originally got the recipe and began making this salad, we couldn't get enough of it.
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CORNBREAD SALAD
from the recipes of Elizabeth "Betty" Anthony

1 pan cornbread, crumbled
6 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 tomato, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
mayonnaise to taste

Mix and serve immediately! This one isn't very good after it sits a while, the cornbread goes all mushy.

Variation: sometimes I add 1 cucumber, chopped, 1 can whole kernel corn, drained, 1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese, and top with 8 oz Ranch dressing. A hard boiled egg or two, chopped is a good addition, too.
~~~~~
It sounds unusual, but give it a try. If you like cornbread, you'll probably like this salad.

Mexican Rice

Yesterday, my husband came home from work with two dozen home-made pork hot tamales! What a treat! The mother of one of the Hispanic guys he works with was selling them at work. When hubby told me he'd be bringing home the tamales, I knew the perfect side dish I'd make to serve with it: Mexican rice!My mother made the best Mexican rice ever, and this is her recipe. She was always adamant that it was Mexican, and not Spanish rice. I'm not sure what the difference is, but it is a lot different than what you are served in restaurants as Spanish rice. It has a much richer flavor, probably from the bacon and the tomato soup.
This is not a quick rice to fix, you must stir the rice continuously while it's browning so that it won't burn. Then it has to simmer very slowly for 50 minutes while it's absorbing the liquid. It's worth every bit of trouble, though, I promise. The bad thing about it is that once you've eaten this rice, you'll never want the other Mexican or Spanish rice dishes again.MEXICAN RICE (recipe from Elizabeth Anthony)

4 slices bacon
1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 - 10 oz can tomato soup
1 - 10 oz can stewed tomatoes, broken up
½ cup rice
½ cup water
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
½ tsp salt

Cut bacon into small pieces, fry until crisp in cast iron skillet; remove. Cook onion, pepper, and garlic in bacon fat until golden; remove. Saute raw rice in skillet with bacon drippings, stirring constantly until brown (5-10 minutes depending on heat). Add all ingredients; cover tightly and cook slowly 50 minutes (or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed); stir occasionally. Remove cloves and bay leaf. Makes 5 - 6 servings.Now that is Mama's recipe verbatim. But of course, you know I modify every recipe I touch, so here are my modifications:
First, don't bother to make this amount, go ahead and make a double recipe; I always double it, and even then, we rarely have much left over.
I don't fry the bacon in small pieces, I fry it in slices, then crumble it after it's cooled, when I add it back to the pan.
I like to use ground cloves simply so I don't have to search for them to remove them when the dish is ready. I use one shake of the ground cloves for each whole clove called for (4 shakes for the single recipe; 8 shakes for my doubled recipe).
My husband doesn't like tomatoes, so I use 2 cans of tomato soup, and leave out the tomatoes. (He loves tomato soup, salsa, and ketchup, he just doesn't like the tomato texture.)
If I want a meatier dish, I add as much extra bacon as I choose. Frequently I double the amount of bacon called for in the recipe, just remember to remove some of the extra fat before you sautee your onions and peppers.
This is a wonderful dish for cold winter nights, it is very hearty and filling. Also, it smells wonderful while cooking; nothing smells better than onions frying in bacon drippings! The dish can be fixed in advance and reheated in the microwave, or simply kept warm in a very low oven, but be sure to keep the lid on, or cover with foil so it won't dry out!
So, the next time you're having tamales, or enchiladas, or any Mexican food, please give this recipe a try, I promise you won't be sorry!

Creamy Caramelized-Onion Soup

My dear friend of more than 30 years, Kevbo (Journal 703) served this soup at a lunch he and George hosted recently. George made wonderful paninis to accompany the soup, I'll have to get that recipe soon. I couldn't wait to try making the soup at home, so today was the day! Below is the recipe in black as it was given to me by Kevbo. The red text are my added comments:

Martha Stewart's Creamy Caramelized-Onion Soup
(Note from Kevbo: I have edited and doubled this recipe)* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2.5 pounds (6 to8) leeks, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed well and coarsely chopped
* 10 garlic, thinly sliced
* 14 large shallots, about 28 ounces, thinly sliced
* 4 large Vidalia onions, about 40 ounces, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 1.5 cup dry white vermouth or white wine (I use Reisling)
* 8 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
* 2 tbsp Coarse salt
* 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, shallots, and half of the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are deep golden brown but not burned, about 25 minutes. (Here are the onions, cooked down quite a bit, not yet brown; be patient, it does take a bit of time) 2. Add vermouth, stock, and 2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Let cool. Puree onion mixture in batches in a blender until smooth, about 3 minutes per batch. Set aside. (I use a stick blender....much easier) (This is how much wine was left out of the bottle; I am too frugal to waste anything, I'll have to find another use for the wine) 3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add remaining onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cover, and set aside. (By now, I've been cooking a while, it is a lengthy process. Good News! I found another use for the wine! Cheers! Here's to Kevbo and George for finding this recipe and sharing it with me)4. Return onion puree to saucepan. Stir in cream. Reheat over medium heat, stirring, until heated through but not boiling. Season with salt, if desired. Serve, topped with caramelized onions. (I resisted the urge to add pepper; the recipe did not call for it, but I put pepper in everything. The only reason I was able to resist the temptation to add it was that I KNEW first hand that this recipe was absolutely perfect as written) It was absolutely heavenly, right down to the caramelized onions on top! I ate three bowls of it for dinner! I may have the rest of it as a midnight snack, or perhaps for breakfast.