JELL-O IS OLDER THAN WE THINK

How many of you remember your first Jell-O? Was strawberry your favorite, or was it orange?
In the South Jell-O was the dessert of choice for kids. Sometimes there was fruit in it. But mostly it was just the wriggle alone, that we loved. I wanted to give you something different in recipes, which led me to look through my Mothers notes in her cookbook, and I found a whole section, hand written mind you, of recipes for Jell-O salads, desserts, and even party Punches.
It made me want to know more about the history of the Wiggle, and I was surprised to find out that Jell-O was invented in 1845, Developed into a fruit flavor in 1897, by a carpenter, and the company was sold in 1899, for $450. Is that a hoot or what. The first flavors were strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon. The carpenter, Mr. Pearle Waite, wife May named the the wriggle Jell-O. In 1902 the first Jell-O ads proclaimed Jell-O " Americas most favorite dessert"
In 1930 congealed salads became popular, leading to the creation of the Lime Jell-O, which brings us to our recipe. "7 UP JELL-O CONGEALED SALAD"
Please follow the link at the bottom to find out more about the history of Jell-O, it is Jell-O's official site, and I think you will find it informative and very interesting.
Back to this recipe, every Church dinner had a Jell-O salad. Some were better than others, but this one is a favorite of mine. This is a version my Mother made. She is not the only one to make this salad, but I liked hers the best.
It is colorful and easy. With warm weather, coming, have your girl friends over and serve some finger sandwiches, chips and salsa, and this salad. It serves as a desert.

7 UP JELL-O SALAD

1 pkg of lime jello(small)
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans
1 10 oz 7-up
1-8 oz pkg. cram cheese(room temp)

Heat y up to boil. Add jello and dissolve. Mix pineapple with cream cheese and pecans. Add to Jell-o mixture when cool. Pour into mold, or 8 x8 glass baking pan. Refrigerate until set. If you use a glass dish, you cut in squares, serve with a dollop of whip cream, and sprig of mint, if you want it to be fancy.
Enjoy!! Remember your childhood.!



JELL-O History - JELL-O Gelatin, Pudding, and No-Bake Desserts

Cajun Spicy Eggplant Casserole

For those of you who are not fond of eggplant, which by the way is really good for you, I suggest this recipe, since the eggplant is disguised. It is a hardy dish that my Mother served with her "pecan onion green beans," I will blog that recipe later").

This is a fairly easy recipe to make, just a little preparation time. I usually cook my eggplant one day, and put the casserole together the next day. This really makes it a quick dish. It is a good dish to take to covered dinners and I assure you (except if you live in Louisiana) no one else will bring it. It is something different, and very tasty. I do at times top the casserole with cheddar cheese, instead of the Parmesan cheese, add a few more calories.....and if I am really into comfort food, I will use Velveeta. Try it both ways and see which one you prefer. Let me know how you feel about eggplant once you have tried the recipe.

Cajun Spicy Eggplant Casserole

4 medium size eggplants
1 can tomato paste
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp.basil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp
1lb ground beef
1 can tomato paste
Seasoned Bread crumbs
Salt & cayenne pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Paprika

Cut eggplants into large cubes, boil until tender. Drain extremely well, preferably overnight. Meanwhile, saute tomato, onion, pepper and garlic in hot oil. cook ground meat separately and drain off extra grease. Add tomato paste to meat in pan and cook on low heat until paste begins to darken and thicken. Add all vegetables and basil to meat mixture and drained eggplant cubes. Mix thoroughly, add salt and cayenne pepper to taste, and add bread crumbs until mixture is not mushy but has some texture. Spoon into large baking dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until well done and the top is browned. You can use a cheddar, american, or velveeta cheese if you like. Experiment.

In the future I will be posting:
Cajun Style Macaroni & Cheese,(real comfort food),
Crawfish Etouffee,
Dirty Rice,
Shrimp Creole

Louisiana Red Beans & Rice

Everyone is Louisiana has a special way they cook their red beans and rice. This is a classic dish that is eaten on a regular basis in Southern Louisiana. This is the way Helon cooked the beans and I continue to cook the same way.


This is a dish I served many times on Super Bowl Sunday. It is easy to cook, you don't have to hang in the kitchen, and it feeds extra people that drop by.


I serve my beans and rice with a green salad and french bread. Sometimes I make cornbread to go with the beans and rice, so I will add a corn bread recipe also.


Enjoy.

Red Beans & Rice

1 ham bone

1/2 lb cubed

1 lb dried red/kidney beans( I use the small but the large are more traditional)

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped green onions top and bottoms

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp of basil

2 bay leaves

1/4 butter(no margine substituted)

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Cooked long grain white rice

1 lb smoked sausage.

Place beans in a heavy pot, (now this is where you need to have that cast iron dutch oven) with enough water to cover, bring to a rolling boil for 3 minute, then let soak overnight in the same water. In the morning, bring beans to a boil and add remaining ingredients, except for the rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. The ham bone is very important for the flavor. Beans will become very creamy, most will remain whole. Add cold water as needed. Serve over rice. Garnish with the smoked sausage. (I also add the sausage to the beans for about 1 before the beans are done. Get that smoky taste going.)

Southern Cornbread

1 egg

1 1/3 cups milk or 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening

2 cups White self-rising corn meal mix

Preheat oven to 450. Grease a 9- inch cast iron skillet or baking pans place in oven to heat. beat egg in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir until smooth. Batter should be creamy and pourable. If batter seems to thick, add a little more more liquid. Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6-8 servings.


For a crowd, I double the recipe and bake in corn stick molds. (as soon as my scanner is working I will scan a picture of the corn sticks.)


Check Helons Store for the corn stick molds.

Buttermilk Pie

Before you gag, I will tell you it doesn't taste a thing like buttermilk. You know years ago buttermilk was a staple in most kitchens. Of course country people made the milk themselves. It was the liquid left over after the cream was churned into butter. I am including a link for more detail description of Buttermilk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk

My mother grew up in the country in Louisiana. Buttermilk was a constant in her house. Most of the folks in the 1930's and before drank buttermilk. To distinguish between the milks, regular milk was called "sweet milk." My father would send me to get him a glass of milk and would either ask for"buttermilk"sweet milk"There was never just milk in my house. I can still remember the carton that buttermilk came in...it was Borden's brand and in a green carton.

Besides being a popular drink in the South, Buttermilk is used in Southern Cooking quite a bit, from a buttermilk chocolate cake( which I will be adding later) to a milk wash for breading chicken, onion rings, etc.

This is an old recipe that is written on stained paper, you can see the drops of vanilla on the paper. Keep in mind that whether you like buttermilk or not...this is a great pie, that taste like a very rich custard.

I am also including the recipe for the pie crust which is excellent. What makes this crust different is it is made from oil, instead of shortening such as Crisco. Years ago most pie crust were made with shortening, or Lard.
If you don't have time to make your own crust, you can cheat and buy a good commercial pie crust. I prefer Marie Callendars brand of pie crust when I cheat. Mrs. Smith is also good.

Pie Crust Made with Oil.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cups of corn oil
1 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of cold milk

Mix flour salt pour oil and milk in to flour mixture all at once.
Stir until mixed(use hands if needed) Pat into a smooth ball, flatten slightly and place between 2 12" squares of wax paper.
Dampen table top to keep paper from slipping roll out gently to edges of paper. Peel off top paper and ease crust into pie tin. The paper side will be up, remove and flute edges. Prick the bottom of the crust thoroughly with a fork, Bake 8 to10 minutes , cool and add filling.

Butter Milk filling

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup of butter (real butter) or 1 1/2 of oleo melted
6 TBSP of flour
5 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla

Mix and Assemble

Mix flour sugar, 1/2 of milk to beaten eggs. Add rest of milk and fold in melted butter. Add vanilla. Pour into crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then turn oven to 350 and bake until knife comes out clean.
Make 2 pies.

Let cool and enjoy. I look forward to any feedback.

Hot Water Corn Bread

Actually we called this hot water bread. For those of you not familiar with this term, you may have heard of "corn pone". The name is irrelevant, it is the bread itself that is something unique and special and definitely "Southern Cooking" at its very basic. My Mother would mix this up, and since it was boiling water, she kept a bowl of cold water next to her mixing bowl, because she would pat the bread out into ovals about 2 x 3 inches. Remember the mix is with boiling water. Very important, not hot, but boiling.
Then it was into the black iron skillet, (a must have for southern cooking) that had about 1/2 of oil, sometimes Crisco or left over bacon fat. These patties would fry on medium until they were golden and crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside Not greasy at all. My Grandmother called these "poor mans bread" since the ingredients are cornmeal, salt, and water. Everyone in the South, had these items in their pantry even in the leanest of times during the depression.
As simple as this sounds there is quite a trick to it. You have to pour the right amount of boiling water on the first pour because the meal will be lumpy if you don't get it wet enough at the first.
Adding water makes the mush lumpy. The mixture will look like mush when it is mixed right.
These will be so crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside. Great with peas and pot likker.
Truly easy and very deep south country food. I don't make these as much since we all have to get on that "Healthy" not fat, No grease program, but when I do make them, I make field peas, with okra and ham, corn on the cob, turnip greens, smothered tomatoes.
Try this you may surprise yourself at how good, something so simple can be.
I also eat these cold, but they are better hot.

Hot Water Corn Bread

2 cups self rising white cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups of boiling water

Put water in boiler and bring to roiling boil. At the same time, about half fill heavy iron skillet with cooking oil, and set on medium heat. Mix meal and salt, when water comes to full rolling boil, begin pouring over cornmeal, stirring while you pour. When well mixed and thin enough to form patties, *turn heat to high under skillet, dip hands in cold water, and form patties of the cornmeal mixture. Make sure oil is very hot when you put patties in. If they crumble in the oil, it is not hot enough. When brown on one side, turn and brown on the other , drain on paper towel when removed from skillet.

*I have given the recipe as it is written, but you need to turn down to medium high once the patty sets(meaning it isn't crumbling in the grease) Cooked on medium, will take 15 minutes or a little more. You only turn once.

Southern Cooking is easy, don't you think?