I must confess that Memorial Day in my family was always one of big celebration, barbeque or seafood boils (crab, crawfish and/or shrimp) or picnics. Unfortunately, because we had little contact with anyone in the military we didn’t spend any time memorializing the fine men and women that gave their lives for our country.
Memorial Day should first and foremost be a day of remembrance and a focal point of our coming together to honor those who gave their all, to celebrate their gift of life given so that we the citizenry of the United States can enjoy the freedoms and privileges that were paid for by their sacrifices. The fact that it is a three-day weekend sometimes distracts from the solemnity of the occasion. There is no reason, however, why a holiday cannot include a time out for thanking those who died and this year we plan to do just that. My husband is a Veteran and we will fly our flag, spend a few moments in prayer and be thankful that those who fought and died enabled us to have a country that permits us to live freer than anyone else in the world.
Why don’t you do something similar, maybe even more.
To add to your celebration, I am sharing our family’s favorite gourmet hot dogs. They speak to the kid in all of us. Kinda makes your mouth water doesn’t it? Be safe and have fun!
Ya’ll have a down home delicious Memorial Day honoring our fallen heroes followed by pigging out at the picnic, or on the patio, or wherever your celebration takes place. Please try to remember “portion control” while you are at it, yea, right!

GOURMET HOT DOG EXTRAVAGANZA

Yummy foiled, broiled or a la carte.dogs add class, sass and pizzazz to Memorial Day.

 
Advanced Preparation

Franks
link sausage
Ketchup
mustard
Chili
pickle relish
Cheese
Canned sauerkraut, drained
lettuce
minced raw onions
tomato
jalapeno peppers
butter
tortilla chips
Buffalo sauce thickened with corn starch

Optional: pico de gallo, drained black beans, roasted whole kernel corn, canned fried onion rings, sautéed mushrooms and/or grilled onions and green peppers, thin sliced
Providing paper trays made for a la carte hot dogs, if possible, simplifies serving (a large box at Sam’s is inexpensive)

Foiled Hot Dog Assembly

Broiled Hot Dog Assembly

Build your own dog – a la carte assembly

Follow foiled or broiled hot dog assembly instructions.

French Onion Hot Dog

Peel and thin slice white onions. Sauté onions in butter with olive oil over medium heat, stirring often, until golden. Lightly salt and pepper. Assemble using foiled, broiled or a la carte instructions.

Rockin’ Reuben Dog

Assemble using foiled or broiled instructions.

Campground Cookout Dog

Assemble using foiled, broiled or a la carte instructions.

Nacho Mama’s Favorite Hot Dog

Assemble using foiled or a la carte instructions.

Chile Cheese Franks and Frites

Assemble using foiled or a la carte instructions. Build using ingredients in order listed and serve immediately. These are sooo yummy!

Veteran’s Delight

Great foiled, broiled or a la carte. Assemble ingredients in order listed except when broiling add cheese last. Serve immediately.

Big Boys Buffalo Dog

Best a la carte. Assemble ingredients in order listed and serve immediately.

Mama Mia’s Pizza Dog

Foiled, broiled or a la carte. Assemble ingredients in order listed and serve immediately.

General instructions:
For foiled dogs, layer ingredients in bun as listed, wrap in aluminum foil (write name of dog on foil with permanent marker) and heat on sheet pan for 15-20 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven, or place on a heated grill for 15 minutes, with top closed.

If you are at home and don’t want to wrap them in foil then put cheese on dog last and put under broiler until cheese is melted. Make sure all ingredients that need to be hot are heated when you put them on the bun.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

In America, what we commonly refer to as Salsa, the tomato-based spicy sauces of TexMex foods, has now become more favored than ketchup. There are other sauces that fit in the Salsa category that are eaten with chips or used as a sauce in cooking. Our favorites include Easy Hot Tomato Salsa, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Salsa Verde and Spicy Pineapple Cilantro Salsa.
I must admit I am a salsa snob. I prefer fresh and spicy with a nice blend of flavors and am not afraid to ask a restaurant for their recipe if I think it is really good salsa.
For example, my daughter was pregnant and living in Minnesota. She craved the salsa from a local Mexican restaurant. Good mother that I am, I called the owner, asked for the recipe and got it in broken English with quantities for the restaurant. Not to worry, I deciphered it all and came up with a mirror image that satisfied my daughter.
I also birthed one of my own which is now the favorite of our family. It is bright and fresh, easy to make and oh so yummy.
Try both and see which you prefer. Maybe, like me, you like them both and will alternate to keep your tastebuds happy.

Fresh Spicy Tomato Salsa

Fresh is always best when it comes to tomatoes. This flavor is so good you may want to puree it and use it as a base for TexMex Bloody Mary’s. For a cocktail party, puree well, strain, and add a shot of tequila. Move over Marguerita, there’s a new drink in town!!

 
Makes 2 cups

*Regular petite diced tomatoes plus 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, rinsed and seeded, may be substituted for Rotel tomatoes.

Preparation
Rinse and dry tomatoes. Rinse and dry fresh cilantro with paper towel to remove excess moisture; then mince onion.
Put all ingredients into blender or food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add salt to taste.
Makes about 2 cups; serve chilled.
Optional: If you prefer a fiery salsa add one jalapeno pepper, washed, seeded, and finely minced.

Easy Hot Tomato Salsa

My daughter’s favorite

SERVES 4-6

Preparation
Roast tomatoes and jalapenos under broiler until the skin begins to brown and char, turn over and repeat on other side.

Skin and seed jalapenos. Wash hand thoroughly after handling peppers. Pepper toxins in your eyes may cause serious burns. To begin, only use 1 jalapeno. Discard browned skin from both tomatoes and jalapenos.

Put all in blender or food processor and process until well minced. Taste to see if it needs more jalapeno or salt. If not spicy enough for you, add the other jalapeno and process more. If Salsa is too watery, put in pot and boil down, stirring constantly until it is thickened. Be careful when heating, if it is already spicy before reducing it, you may find it too spicy when it is thickened. Serve warm with chips.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

Let me begin by explaining the name of this dish…it is a combination of Sweet Potato and Pumpkin, and other good stuff. I love Sweet Potato pie but it tends to be dry and I don’t like pumpkin because it tends to be gushy like squash. Sooo, I made a marriage of the two and it is perfection. Make it into a trifle and it is sinfully decadent.
You may ask where in the world this came from. Well, there is a story that is close to my heart. My daughter, Kimberly, who thinks I can do all things called me one day and said she needed a dish for her hubby to take to work for their Thanksgiving meal at work. He is a television weatherman and works all holidays. The plan was that the anchors would each bring a dish and they would share a meal, show the dishes on television and put the recipes up on the website.
Never mind that I had about 24 hours to pull this together for a picky eater daughter. I asked her what she liked, making a few suggestions from recipes I had but none tickled her fancy. Time was awasting so I asked her what she DID like that had to do with Thanksgiving. We came up with sweet potato and pumpkin, pecans and fluffy yummy toppings. I told her to give me a little time to work on it and I would see what I could do. Years ago I had begun the marriage of sweet potato and pumpkin for Thanksgiving for my pies so I decided to do it again. I put that and a few other ideas from some of my favorite desserts together and made a dish of it.
Now the hard part, what to call it. We went through many name ideas. As we went through name ideas I mentioned sweet tater. My husband asked me what in the world was Tater. I asked if he ever had Tater Tots (which I knew he had). Then I explained that Tater is another word for potato and sweet tater because it was sweet potatoes. One thing led to another and wallah, Sweet Tater’umpkin (Sweet Potato Pumpkin) was birthed.
It serves many, and was far beyond my expectations, luscious, delectable, decadent, yummy, sweet, creamy, crunchy, and more. Rather like the textures of a banana split but this is all healthy, in fact you can pass it off as a vegetable. One recipe makes far too much for simply my husband and me, so I packed up the rest of my creative experiment and sent it with my friend Alice for her family celebration. They LOVED IT. By then Kimberly’s had already been devoured at the station and so was missing in action.
Sweet Tater’umpkin is one of those delectable desserts that appeals to most people. Everyone that I know has used the recipe has raved about how they and their guests loved it. The anchors certainly enjoyed it and sent their rave thank you’s to us. If I remember correctly we had decided Kimberly would claim it as her own (it was my gift to her) which was fine because she prepared it for them. It has become one of our family’s favorites.
Because it is so spectacular, but didn’t really show off its decadence enough being prepared in a casserole dishI decided to make it into a trifle. As a trifle you can see the layer after layer of goodness and it sells itself plus makes a beautiful decoration on your table. Decorate the top however you like but I suggest a few pieces of candied sweet potatoes with nuts may be the better choice.
Are you ready? Let’s get going on a dessert that is as unique as it is delicious and is just waiting to grace your table and impress your guests. Bon Apetit!

Sweet Tater’umpkin Trifle

 
Serves 10-12 generously
(Recipe can be cut in half)

Preparation
Wash sweet potatoes and poke 2 holes on either side of potato to keep it from bursting when cooking. Microwave sweet potatoes 20 minutes for large, turn potatoes over after 10 minutes then finish microwaving until soft. Scoop warm potato from skin; measure 1½ – 2 cups potato (discard the rest or enjoy eating while you are cooking).

Crust

Place pie crust in bottom of casserole baking dish and press pecan pieces evenly into crust. Set aside.
Move oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. while you prepare filling.

Filling

Put all filling ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. Pour filling in crust, then place dish in oven and bake minutes at 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of filling comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake and dry it out.
While filling is baking, make nut topping.

Nut Topping

When filling is almost finished baking remove pan(s) from oven just long enough to spread nut topping all over top. Move oven rack to next higher level and change oven temperature to 425 degrees. Return baking pan(s) to oven and bake another 5-10 minutes, until topping is brown and crisp. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. Remove pan(s) from oven and turn oven off.

Cool completely on a wire rack; While filling is cooling (several hours), make Cloud Topping.

Cloud Topping

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until well blended; stir in Cool Whip. Refrigerate until ready to put trifle together.
When filling is completely cooled put ½ of filling in bottom of trifle dish, breaking up crust as you remove it from casserole dish. Next, spoon half of the cloud filling on top and spread over all. Gently spoon the remaining filling on top of cloud topping and top with remaining cloud topping. Decorate with candied sweet potatoes and nuts or simply nuts or whatever idea you come up with to make it pretty.
Trust me when I say you will love, love, love this (unless of course you don’t like sweet potato or pumpkin). I freeze it and have it day after day after day.
Fix it for your Mom for Mother’s Day and you will definitely be “her favorite”.
Scoop yourself a bowl of this luscious concoction and have a truly down home delicious dessert that will become one of your favorites.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

To my way of thinking Jambalaya is about one of the best dishes on the planet. A chicken, sausage and rice dish, it is believed to have been derived from the Spanish Paella but has a Cajun flavor to it. Having grown up in rice country in Louisiana, we ate rice regularly but my favorite was always Jambalaya. Spicy as you choose and full flavored, it is filling and satisfying to the tastebuds. Those of us from Cajun country like to use Cajun Andouille Sausage but because that is not available throughout the U.S. you can use regular beef, pork, or beef and pork sausage and simply add a little cayenne pepper to balance the flavor.
Andouille is twice smoked and spicy which gives the dish its light kick. I regularly make trips to Louisiana to pick up a large supply of Manda Andouille Sausage to keep ready for use in my freezer. We like it many ways, grilled, fried or used in gumbo, beans or Jambalaya.
You will find that making Jambalaya is easy and allows your own interpretation of the flavor combinations according to your personal preferences. Less spicy or more, less chicken or sausage, more tomato sauce or less, brown or white rice. Play with the recipe and adapt it to your taste and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. This recipe makes a very large amount. You may want to cut the meat amounts in half.

Jambalaya

 
Serves 8-10 generously

Preparation
Season each chicken piece on both sides with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Spray, or rub, a large skillet with oil, add cooking oil and heat over high heat to hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to medium high, add chicken skin-side down, one piece at a time, and lightly brown on each side.
While chicken is browning, cut sausage into bite size or smaller pieces.
Put cooking pot over high heat and add broth, tomato sauce, parsley, salt, pepper, turmeric, bay leaves, celery seed (if using seeds instead of fresh) to pot and stir well. After liquid comes to a low boil, reduce heat to medium and let simmer. When chicken is browned, add it to cooking pot and simmer while browning sausage in skillet. Add browned sausage to pot with chicken.
Reduce heat under skillet to medium and sauté green pepper, celery (if using fresh celery), and onion about 3 minutes stirring frequently. Drain excess oil from skillet then add garlic and sauté briefly.
Add the water to skillet and deglaze by scraping all brown bits from bottom and sides of skillet into water.
Pour everything from skillet into simmering cooking pot and bring liquid back up to a gentle boil over high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for about 40 minutes (or until chicken is cooked) before adding rice. Remove bay leaf, taste liquid, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
When using brown rice, add rice to liquid, stir well, and bring back to simmer. Cover and cook over medium heat about 40 minutes or according to package directions (I find my brand takes longer than the package suggests), stirring once or twice to prevent sticking. Cook an additional 20 minutes over very low heat, without stirring.
For long grain white rice, add rice to boiling liquid, bring back up to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and steam 30 minutes or according to package directions.
When using a combination of brown and white rice, cook as above but cover and cook brown rice 30 minutes on a low boil, then add white rice, bring back to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and steam for another 30 minutes. Rice is done when tender but not gummy. Turn off heat and let Jambalaya sit with lid on for at least 20 minutes before serving so that remaining liquid may be absorbed. You can prepare the meat and liquid one day and cook rice another day if more convenient. The flavors get even better overnight.
This is a complete meal when served with a side salad.
Recipe may be cut in half.
I guarantee you will enjoy a down home delicious day with Jambalaya on the menu. Eat hearty and let me know what you think.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

Everywhere I look in restaurants and deli’s I see cole slaw that is finely chopped. But at home many people prefer the chunky chopped. It is a matter of personal taste and the flavor is the same, just the experience on the tongue is different. The good thing about cole slaw is that it goes with so many other dishes. It is a regular with fried chicken, fried seafood, at picnics, home and anywhere you want a nice refreshing salad. The good news is that carrots and cabbage are so healthy. The mayo may be stretching healthy a little but you can use fat free mayo if you prefer or mix half and half mayo and fat free sour cream. Try it each way and then decide your personal preference. Memorial Day is a great day to make your own slaw. It is quick and easy and oh so delicious.
I suggest you not add salt to slaw until time to serve because salt tends to make the cabbage weep. It draws the liquid out of it and then your slaw is runny and the flavor is no longer as intense. Even though I don’t have it in the recipe, I was raised on slaw that also had hard boiled egg in it. I LOVE IT. My Mom would finely mince one hard boiled egg and stir it into the slaw. It changes the flavor just slightly but in a way that is unique to Mom and oh so good. You might want to try it in a small amount of your slaw to see what you think.
Well, its time to get planning your menu for the upcoming holiday with backyard barbeques and picnics so let’s get to the good stuff and find out how to make a mean bowl of quick and easy cole slaw that will rival any other you taste.

Cole Slaw

 
Serves 8-10

Preparation
Shred cabbage in food processor or grate on box grater. Slice thin for chunky slaw. Grate peeled or scraped carrots or add to processor with cabbage. Because carrots are so hard it is best to dice or slice them for chunky slaw.

Combine cabbage and carrots in large salad bowl and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, pepper and optional shrimp or crawfish and/or egg.. Stir mayo mixture into cabbage. Season with Cajun seasoning to taste (no salt at this time). You can use more or less mayo as preferred. Some heads of cabbage are more dry than others and you will want more mayo. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until ready to serve, the colder the slaw the better the taste.
Add salt, to taste just before serving. Because of the mayo you want to keep slaw refrigerated as much as possible.
As you can see, cole slaw is quick and easy, so it is a good side dish with any and all meals. It is particularly good accompanying a sandwich at lunch or in place of lettuce in a sandwich for a different taste treat.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

In the luscious land of cake and ice cream there are only five that totally take my vote. Those delightful confections are Carrot Cake, Cheese Cake, Chocolate Cake, Italian Cream Cake and Chocolate Italian Cream Cake. These are not just any ordinary cakes. They are recipes handed down for many years with the exception of the Chocolate Italian Cream Cake and therefore totally tested in the court of public opinion. It is my humble belief that most restaurants and bakeries ruin these cakes.
The best Italian Cream Cake I have had recently, besides mine, was an Italian Cream cake ball at Kup N Kakes near my house in Pearland. It was tender and moist and totally yummy. Chocolate Italian Cream Cake is my personal creation and is simply to die for. But you will have to wait for that recipe a little longer.
Carrot cake is much more simple than it looks and can be luscious with the right recipe. Because I want you to have the satisfaction of tasting what many believe to be one of the best, at least once in your lifetime, I am going to share my special recipe with you. Be sure to try it and claim it as your own so you will become the Queen or King of cakes.

Kiss Me Again Carrot Cake

 
SERVES 8

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Prepare two 9” round metal cake pans, coat lightly with oil and dust lightly with flour on bottom and sides, or use waxed paper cut to fit bottom of pans and coat sides of pan only.
In a medium size bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in 1 cup of the pecans.
Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl until well mixed, and continue beating on medium while adding granulated sugar, vegetable oil, carrots (will mash while being beaten), and sifted dry ingredients. Bake layers on center rack of oven for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
When layers are finished baking, cool for 5 minutes in pan then invert onto a wire rack. If you used waxed paper, remove at this time. Cool until cake is room temperature.
Prepare frosting by beating together cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until well mixed. Blend in remaining 1 cup pecans.
Put first layer of cake on a cake plate and use ¼-1/3 of frosting to ice the top of layer. Put 2nd layer of cake on top of frosted first layer and ice the top and sides of the cake.
NOTE: Frosted cake freezes well in slices or larger pieces. If you are an icing fiend, double the icing recipe and load it down with the sweet stuff. I normally stir my chopped pecans into my icing so it is bumpy and has nuts everywhere. Do what suits you…it will still be devine.
When you are sitting there thinking heavenly thoughts of smooth delicious cake, with just the right amount of crunchy nuts, melting in your mouth be sure to be thankful for your down home delicious day and share your comments with us.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

One of my favorite foods is corn, in every way, shape and form. I’m not sure if that is a Southern thing or not, but I dearly love corn and love coming up with new ways to prepare old favorites. Aside from corn on the cob, which is my absolute favorite, who wants plain old buttered whole kernel corn when you can spiff it up a little with some well chosen seasonings.
As a diabetic I must be cautious about what I eat, what I eat it with, and how much I consume. Fortunately, corn, is a low glycemic carbohydrate which means it is better for you than other foods because it doesn’t spike your blood sugar.
Becoming diabetic has slowed me down a little by virtue of not being allowed to eat gooey desserts or hot fresh baked breads like I did in the past. The benefit is that it rerouted my choices and taught me about portion control. I still eat most of the foods I love but some I eat in bites rather than servings. This recipe I eat in servings and enjoy every bite.
It is totally satisfying and easy on the schedule. In fact it can be prepped in advance and cooked at the last minute, plus the recipe can be doubled or tripled if cooking for a crowd. It is bursting with flavor, so check it out and impress your friends. For more zing add one minced jalapeno pepper with the poblano pepper (or substitute bell pepper for poblano).

Warm Corn Salad

 
Serves 4-6

Preparation

Warm salad is best if prepared just before serving. You can prep all the ingredients and set aside until ready to cook.
Coat pepper with oil and put on pan in very hot oven, (450 degrees) or on stove burner. Roast, turning often, until skin begins to turn black and blister. Put pepper in a brown paper sack or a plastic zip bag, close and let sit for about 30 minutes. Peel skin from pepper, remove stem and seeds, and chop. Set aside until ready to add to corn. This can be done up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. You can also use pre-roasted peppers you purchase in a jar at store, drain and dry with paper towel before use.

In a medium skillet, put butter, oil, and onion. Bring to medium heat and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is golden. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Stir in corn, poblano pepper and chili powder and cover skillet. Cook until corn is tender, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cilantro and sauté until tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, add lime juice and salt. Serve warm as an accompaniment to meat. Makes 2 generous servings or 4 accompaniment sides.

So there you have it, a great recipe that makes a beautiful dish. Just looking at the picture makes me want to run in the kitchen and whip up a batch. Go ahead, and have a down home delicious treat that is soul satisfying.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

Sometimes I think my whole life centers around food because I cook and talk about food so much. Its not really that way but I am a serious foodie. My husband, my children and I have definite preferences in food and have no shame when it comes to professing our favorites. One of those family favorites is potato salad. Not just any potato salad but for my family it is MY potato salad. More food snob than foodie. There is nothing magic about my recipe. It is a very easy recipe with a ratio of one medium red potato to one large egg per person for generous portions.
We have a cute story we like to share in our family regarding potato salad. My sons grew up to be outstanding cooks and even stronger food snobs wanting only “Mom’s” food. Their poor wives had a struggle at the beginning. My eldest son’s wife came to me early in their marriage begging me to teach her how to make potato salad.
Because the recipe is easy and she is a gifted cook, she learned quickly. The problem was that my son snubbed his nose at her potato salad saying it wasn’t like mine. After a few discouraging times we worked out a plan. The next time she made potato salad she told him I had dropped off a bowl of it for him and he gobbled it up saying how much he loved it. When he finished eating she told him it was in fact her potato salad. We got a big laugh out of the experience and you can bet she didn’t have any more complaints from him.
Different people have different tastes so I have offered two pictures of potato salad to show you how different they can be. The one picture is what I recognize as southern potato salad and the other is chunky potato salad with skins. Either is delicious so try one or both.

Potato Salad

 
Makes 1½-2 quarts

Wash potatoes until clean. (I use red potatoes because they do not fall apart like white potatoes and do not become mashed potato salad like white potatoes tend to do). Put deep holes in potato. Place potatoes, eggs (gently), and salt in a large pot and cover with cool water. Bring water to boil. Immediately turn heat low enough to allow water to bubble gently and cover pot with a lid. Cook for 35-45 minutes. After 10 minutes remove eggs and cover with ice to stop cooking process. Allow to cool to room temperature. After potatoes have cooked a full 35 minutes, test a large potato with a fork to see if it is tender inside. As soon as potatoes are tender, drain water, cover with ice and cool to room temperature. You can peel hot potatoes under the faucet with cool water running, just strip skin off and return to water until cool.

While potatoes are cool, peel and dice eggs, and place in another bowl. Add relish, and mustard, if preferred. Add mayonnaise (not salad dressing), salt and pepper, and mix well. If you like celery in your potato salad you can add a little finely chopped celery or a small amount of celery seeds at this time. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning as needed.

When potatoes are sufficiently cooled, dice potatoes into a large bowl. Hint: Like potato skins? Leave skin on a couple of potatoes before dicing but too much skin will be overpowering. Add egg mixture to potatoes, mix well and taste again, adjusting seasonings as necessary. Personal taste dictates how much mayonnaise and/or seasonings you may want to use. Because you can’t judge in advance how dry a potato may be inside, be sure that you put sufficient mayonnaise in your salad to make it moist. Season to taste.

I like plain potato salad, so I do not generally get very creative. However, you may choose to substitute an equal amount of sour cream for a portion of the mayonnaise. Suggestion: Add a small amount of the other flavors into about a cup of the potato salad in a small bowl, mix and taste. If you do not like the new combination it has not ruined the whole batch. Potato salad is best chilled and is always better when it has had time for the flavors to blend, anywhere for a period of a couple hours to over night.

Hints:

Recipe can be increased or decreased at a rate of one potato per one egg, then adjusting seasonings proportionally. This is not an exact science, so tasting and adjusting is an important part of preparation.

One of our more picky eater children visited last week and she devoured the potato salad. I knew I had done good. It is so simple that it’s a shame not to indulge yourself regularly.
Ya’ll have a down home delicious meal and no fighting over the potato salad please, there’s enough for everyone.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

Growing up in Louisiana almost guarantees that you will be raised on red beans and rice. It is of Creole heritage rather than Cajun, but is loved by everyone in Louisiana and most southern states. In many households Monday was wash day. Because the red beans could simmer on the stove while the wash was being done, facilitating multi-asking without a lot of oversight, the cook could check the liquid level and stir every time she went by the kitchen which helped to release the gas in the beans.
Our family did not do the Monday wash day tradition. We had red bens and rice whenever we chose and they were generally served with a hot pan of cornbread and a big bowl of potato salad. Yes Ma’am, lets gobble down those carbohydrates. Of course the beans either had ham or sausage in them for seasoning, so there was definitely protein for balance.
I try to keep Andouille (An-doo-ee) sausage in my freezer to use with my beans and Jambalaya. The sausage imparts a flavor that is so “Louisiana” that it is not quite the same for us when cooked with regular sausage, although any good beef, pork or beef and pork sausage will do. We did not eat a lot of ham in my family so we tended to go with sausage over ham, but ham is a delicious seasoning, as is bacon.
Most dry beans are cooked in a similar fashion, wash, soak, add liquid and seasonings and simmer until tender but not mushy. Red beans are most authentic when you use small red beans rather than kidney beans. They have a creamy rich taste that sets them apart from Kidney beans. However, if you can’t find the small red beans. Kidney beans will do in a pinch.

Louisiana Style Red Beans

 
Serves 6 generously

Preparation

Rinse beans very well, picking out stones and debris. In a large pot, over high heat, bring beans and 1 gallon cold water to boil. Turn heat to medium and boil gently for 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow beans to soak 2 – 4 hours.

When using sausage, cut it into 1” lengths before cooking or cut bacon in 1 inch lengths. In large skillet, sauté seasoning meat(s) and onion in ¼ cup hot grease until onions become transparent. Add garlic and continue sautéing on medium heat for about 3 minutes more.

While seasonings sauté, bring pot of presoaked beans to boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cook while seasonings sauté. Add cooked seasonings and bring bean pot back to a boil on high heat, stirring frequently. Turn heat to medium low, stir in salt and pepper and continue to cook at a gentle boil for about 1 hour, stirring every 10 – 15 minutes. Do not put a lid on pot. Stir often to release gas in beans and to prevent sticking. Add water as necessary being careful not to make beans soupy – you want the liquid to have a little “thickness” to it.

When beans are fork tender, taste liquid and adjust seasonings. Serve over rice and accompanied by hot cornbread.

Beans and rice or beans and cornbread make a deliciously healthy complete protein when eaten together. During the depression Americans consumed a lot of dry beans and rice because of the minimal price and good health benefits. Our family ate them weekly simply because we loved them, and we still love them to this day.
If you have not tried red beans and rice you are missing out on a real treat as well as a healthy meal. Why not try them this week and see what you have been missing?
Ya’ll have another down home delicious day now.

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza

I must confess that Memorial Day in my family was always one of big celebration, barbeque or seafood boils (crab, crawfish and/or shrimp) or picnics. Unfortunately, because we had little contact with anyone in the military we didn’t spend any time memorializing the fine men and women that gave their lives for our country.
Memorial Day should first and foremost be a day of remembrance and a focal point of our coming together to honor those who gave their all, to celebrate their gift of life given so that we the citizenry of the United States can enjoy the freedoms and privileges that were paid for by their sacrifices. The fact that it is a three-day weekend sometimes distracts from the solemnity of the occasion. There is no reason, however, why a holiday cannot include a time out for thanking those who died and this year we plan to do just that. My husband is a Veteran and we will fly our flag, spend a few moments in prayer and be thankful that those who fought and died enabled us to have a country that permits us to live freer than anyone else in the world.
Why don’t you do something similar, maybe even more.
To add to your celebration, I am going to work my way towards Memorial day with a series of great recipes for your get together of family and friends. Some of the goodies on the menu are Southern fried chicken Corn Salad, Seafood boil with red cocktail sauce and tartar sauce, Carrot Cake, yummy shrimp dip, Tater’Umpkin Trifle, jambalaya and more. Kinda makes your mouth water doesn’t it?
Stay tuned, the next blog will begin the recipe trail to Memorial Day. I hope you will share some pictures with me after your celebration so we can post them on the blog site. Be safe and have fun!
Ya’ll have a down home delicious Memorial Day honoring our fallen heroes followed by pigging out at the picnic, or on the patio, or wherever your celebration takes place. Please try to remember “portion control” while you are at it, yea, right!

Peggy Sholly
Down Home Delicious^®
A Taste of Down Home Delicious^®
Down Home Delicious^® Extravaganza