Nothing says ”southern” like country ham and there’s nothing like that salty, meaty bite to remind you that you’re celebrating. Not that country ham is only for special occasions … heck, its very existence is based on everyday use, but in the south, country ham sits high on a pedestal of esteemed prestige. For centuries, country ham has been a staple at weddings, funerals, garden parties, junior league meetings, winter balls, and it’s a well-known fact that Andrew Jackson served country ham and rolls at most every gathering at his home, The Hermitage and at The White House. The tradition continues and when you’re face-to-face with that deep red deliciousness, even if you’re just at home in your own kitchen, you feel like your participating in something just a little bit special.
I must have country ham.
I must fry it.
I must have it with eggs.
Preferably, in an omelet with creamy fontina cheese and green onions.
Everybody has their own method for omelet making. I’m ok with that. I don’t add anything but a little salt and some fresh ground pepper to the eggs (no water or milk) and I prepare the (non-stick) pan with a little butter. I shake the eggs around while they are cooking over low-medium heat, to keep the liquid eggs moving in under the cooked eggs. You can also use a spatula or fork to pull back the edges and let the liquid run under the edges. I like the shaking method because it renders a fluffier omelet, not just a tough ”egg wrapper”. When the egg is all but cooked, I scrape out the uncooked bits with a spoon (I don’t like raw egg one bit). Cover one side with the yummy fillings and flip the empty side over. Now – cover the pan with a lid and remove from the heat for a minute or two. This will melt the cheese without causing the egg to burn.
If you really want to jazz it up, or if you really just need to get rid of some spinach, reserve a little of the ham and the drippings from the pan. After you slide the omelet on the plate, throw the drippings and the ham back into the skillet with a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach. Saute it for just a minute or so, until it gets shiny and very, very green. Serve the warm, wilted spinach over the eggs. Heavenly.
Country ham is a little tougher than its upper crust cousin, prosciutto, but is still absolutely delicious. I served it at my wedding … and at my mother’s funeral. I served it to my family yesterday, on Christmas Eve, in some of those amazing little omelets. It’s one of those foods that takes you places … something akin to catching a whiff of your mother’s perfume while passing through a department store. It slows your pace and gives you a warm feeling inside.
I guess you could just say that it tastes like “home” … and to me that’s something worth celebrating … every day.
Real friends won’t let you drink and drive, but they will needlepoint you an entire set of Jonas Brothers dishtowels! Thanks Jodi ~ I LOVE them, but the teenage girls are threatening to run off with them! Merry Christmas, pal! I hope every single one of your days is very, very merry!!! xoxo
This is a cute seasonal variation on my cheesecake pops. Little snowmen and Christmas trees all decked out in red and green. None of the steps in the process are very difficult, but it does take a bit of time.
First you must make the cheesecake (no crust). In a stand mixer, beat 32 ounces of cream cheese until soft. Add 1 cup of sugar and beat for about a minute. Add four eggs, one at a time (until well blended), 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Beat for about 30 seconds. Pour into 9×13 baking pan and cook at 300ºF for 75 minutes. Turn the oven off, crack the door, and let the cake sit for one hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
When your cheesecake is fully chilled, scoop it out of the pan and into a large mixing bowl. Beat the cheesecake until it forms a thick paste (about 2 minutes).
Fit a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Put cheesecake into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
Squeeze out one ball and pat the top to make a foundation for the next. Squeeze another, smaller ball on top and then a smaller one on top of that. Instant snowman.
With a star tip, you can make some Christmas trees to go with your snowmen. Start with a large dollop on the bottom and continue wiggling the tip and pulling upwards to form the tree shape.
Place the cheesecake figures in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Melt 16 oz. white chocolate in a double boiler. Sometimes I use the microwave, but you want the chocolate to be as thin as possible so it will form to the shapes.
Holding the snowman by the head, dip the bottom of each snowman into the white chocolate and place back on parchment paper. After all the bottoms are done, go back and dip each head into the chocolate. There will be a slightly noticeable line where the chocolate meets. If you are super careful and dip right to the indentation between balls, the line is totally invisible! Dip the trees in the same manner – base first, then the tops. With the trees, use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to get the chocolate into the grooves and to make little whisps.
Using red candy melts, fit your snowman with a happy red scarf. Start about 1/3 of the way down his chest and work back up towards the neck, around his back and back to the front, overlapping the ends.
When all of the chocolate has set up, it’s time to decorate. A piping bag with a tiny bit snipped off the end can be used, or you can melt a little dark chocolate in a bowl and use a toothpick to dot on the eyes and mouth and make the hands.
For a quick hat, dab a bit of melted chocolate on the flat side of a chocolate chip and pop it on his head!
These are so much fun to make and even more fun to share with those you love.
Happy, happy Christmas!
Get tired of handling all those little bottles of sprinkles? Don’t want to wash three or four bowls? Try using a divided plate like the one above (from Target for about $2). You’ll keep all of your sprinkles separated and look super festive at the same time!
This is so easy. SO easy. I just made them a couple of days ago for our Cookie Swap and I was so in the “zone”, I forgot to take any pics. I will make them again soon and add some!
***** 12/20/09 ~ Looks like I don’t need to worry about taking pictures since the wonderful juliedelio took some when she made these for her Texas pals this weekend. Click on over to her Flickr account to check them out! Thanks for sharing, Julie and let me say it just one more time – YOU ARE AMAZING! *****
I package baby bella mushrooms
8 oz cream cheese
bleu cheese
1 package Good Seasons “Garlic & Herb” Recipe Mix (with the salad dressing mixes)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF
- Pop the stems out of the mushrooms and discard
- Place the mushrooms, cap down, on a baking sheet
- In a heavy ziplock bag, dump the cream cheese, garlic & herb mix, and as much bleu cheese as you are comfortable with
- Pop it in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds
- Mash it all together until well blended
- Cut the tip off of one corner of the ziplock bag and squeeze the filling into the cavity of each mushroom
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the mushrooms start to sweat and the juices run into the pan
Let them cool for about five minutes and serve warm!
DELICIOUS!!!
If you have any of the filling left over, put it in a small dish and eat it on crackers … amazing!
Last night was our neighborhood cookie swap and crazy sweater contest. We had such a wonderful time. I always try to make something that will be a little different, so last night I made meringues – lemon meringues because bunches of my friends love lemon as much as I do. The recipe is here and it is super easy and looks very impressive … melt-in-your-mouth delicious, too.
Lemon Meringue Cookies
6 large egg whites – room temp
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 1/4 cup sugar
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Preheat oven to 200ºF. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
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Beat egg whites, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl on low until foamy.
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Add extracts.
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Increase mixer speed to medium and add the sugar in a slow continuous stream.
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Increase speed to medium high and continue beating until egg whites form satiny, stiff peaks.
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Fit a large piping bag with a star tip and pipe some little puffs on the parchment.
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Bake for 1 hour. Do not open the oven door.
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Reduce heat to 175ºF and bake for 2 more hours.
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Move the parchment and cookies on a rack to cool for about 45 minutes.
Makes about 40
These are special. Not because they contain rare and expensive ingredients or because they are incredibly labor-intensive, but because they are beautiful and because they are truly delicious and because they will be made by you for someone you love. Very, very special.
A box of chocolates invokes many images. Maybe you think of the large, rose-laden Valentines that will be pushing the Christmas decorations off the shelves any week now. Or, Forrest Gump, who reminded us that “life is like a box of chocolates”. Of course, I am reminded of my ornery grandmother Frances’ box of Whitman’s that I would chew my way through, nibbling on each until I found the caramel which was always small and square (never large enough and never enough of them).
Chocolate has been equated with love for centuries and rightly so. Chocolate is high into phenylethylamine–the
very substance that is released by the brain into the bloodstream as a concomitant of falling in love. I like chocolate, I don’t love it … but I do love caramel. Caramel – quite possibly the most simple confection of them all, and yet elusive to so many.
So tune in friends, you CAN do this.
The only oddball piece of equipment I use when making these (that you may not have) is a square silicon mold that you can find at any crafting store. Michael’s even sells it in two colors, blue & brown, distributed by Wilton. You can just as easily roll the caramel into small balls and dip them in chocolate. The mold is completely optional.
Making the caramel:
Prepare a cookie sheet with either: silpat, parchment paper, aluminum foil with a very light coating of vegetable spray
- In a heavy saucepan, over medium low heat, combine: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of light corn syrup, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and then cook, without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 240°F (about 7 minutes). I always draw a line at the desired temp with a magic marker – just to be sure. (a couple of degrees can make a big difference when making caramel)
- Remove from heat and pour in (another) 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir to mix well. The mixture will bubble a bit.
- Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook until the thermometer reads 244°F (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a prepared pan. I pour mine into a rectangular shape because that makes it easier for me to keep the portions even when cutting each portion.
- DO NOT scrape the pan with a spoon – there’s a good chance that some of that mixture on the bottom is a bit hotter and has moved on to the hard stage.
- Let stand for about 2 hours. Caramel should be firm but not hard.
Preparing the molds:
- Melt about 2 cups of chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. You can use chocolate chip morsels or almond bark or any chocolate you choose. I like the Ghirardelli double chocolate. I chop it very fine and heat it in a heavy bowl in the microwave for about a minute, stopping to stir at 30 seconds.
- You don’t have to do anything to prepare the mold. Just be sure it is clean and dry.
- Place about a teaspoon of chocolate in each mold (a couple at a time). I use a paintbrush to pull the chocolate up on the sides.
- Allow this to become firm. To speed the process up, stick the mold in the fridge for five minutes. You shouldn’t be able to see any of the blue mold through the chocolate.
Adding the Caramel:
- Slice your caramel into four equal strips and then fold the caramel over on itself. You will be able to stretch it and pull it with ease. Slice the strip into 12 equal portions (or as close as you can get), each just a bit smaller than the mold size.
- Take each square of caramel and place it in the chocolate covered mold. Press down firmly in all directions. You don’t want any bubbles between the caramel and the chocolate below it.
- Fold another strip over on itself, cut into 12 portions and finish filling the mold. You will have enough caramel to fill the mold twice (48 pieces).
- When the mold is full, sprinkle each caramel with a few grains of sea salt or kosher salt.
Close the deal:
- Reheat your chocolate for about fifteen or thirty seconds. Spoon enough on top of each caramel to cover and fill in the gaps around the edges.
- After the chocolate sets up, gently press up from the bottom while pulling the mold away from the side of each chocolate. It will pop right out.
- Now you can wrap them, box them, decorate them, or just eat them … I suggest all of the above!
- This is my favorite way to decorate chocolates. Using food glitter (sold near the fondant tools), gently smudge a stamp into the powder and then press onto the chocolate. I had a little trouble capturing the sparkle with the camera, but I can tell you that this is precious!
The scalloped box is by Martha Stewart and is available where ever MS crafting products are sold.
REMEMBER! You do not have to go through the molding process. You can simply roll the caramel into balls after it has cooled and then dip the balls in chocolate. They will taste just as delicious – I promise!
I love soft peppermint.
I love how it’s delivered in a sweet, but has a hittle zing of spicy. I love how it makes me feel better when I have a tummy ache. I love how it looks, perfect and imperfect at once. I love that you can safely chomp down on it and the way the tiny bits dissolve on your tongue.
My favorite peppermint candy is Bob’s. My ornery grandmother, Frances, used to keep Bob’s peppermint puffs in her sweater pocket all the time and she shared them with everybody, even the dog (because a dog with minty breath is a thing to treasure). Here’s a little history on Bob’s from The Old Time Candy Company. If you can’t find Bob’s in your local store, you can order it from them.
Merry, merry Christmas!
For more than 80 years, Bobs® Candies of Albany, GA has been filling grandparents’ candy jars and Christmas stockings with their sweet confections. Bobs candies have played a part in making lasting memories for generations of Americans. Bobs Peppermint Sticks and Sugar Puffs have long been favorites of kids of all ages.
It all began in 1918. World War I had just ended and young Lt. Bob McCormack decided to pursue his dream of starting a candy plant. In the early years, Lt. McCormack served as salesman, bookkeeper and plant manager. Before long, his knowledge of the candy field became such that men in all phases of the confectionery business sought his advice.
From the beginning the company earned a reputation for being an innovative leader in the candy industry. In the 1920s, Bobs was the first candy manufacturer to wrap candy in a new transparent paper…cellophane. By the 1950s, Bobs was using the first ever machine to automatically make stick candy. The machine was developed and patented by Lt. McCormack’s brother-in-law Gregory Keller, a Catholic priest. Later, Bobs began using patented box and case designs for safe candy shipment.
Today, Bobs is an acknowledged leader in confections and the largest producer of candy canes in the world. The Old Time Candy Company is proud to be a retailer for these outstanding candy products.
Butter Cookie Snowflakes
I have a vague recollection of a dessert called “Cookie Overload”. I think it was basically Oreo cookies smashed up in Cool Whip and dropped in a pie crust. This is not a recipe for that particular dessert, though I think I just spilled the beans on that secret anyway.
This is about MY cookie overload. MY cookie over-whelm. My cookie over-scheduling. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m no good with over-scheduling or being overwhelmed and overloaded. But here it is, two weeks before Christmas and I’m flying at three G’s with my hair on fire.
I just really LOVE Christmas time. And I REALLY love making cookies.
Oreo Truffle
First there is the Cookie Swap. I love the Cookie Swap concept. My neighbor has been hosting a ”girl’s night” kind of Cookie Swap for years, but last year, my daughter and I decided to do our own on this side of the street. We invited a dozen or so of her friends and their mothers. I KNOW RIGHT! What kind of teenager party is that? HA! Well, it was so much fun last year, we decided to do it again this year.
I am also doing baked treats for our families back east this year. We usually send a Harry & David gift tower, but not this year. This year, everything came right out of my oven. It took a while to get everything done and decorated and packaged and ready to ship, but we pulled it off. It feels so good to have done all that baking and packaging for the people that I love the most. The goodies are on the way and I am so excited to see their reaction to my treats instead of the usual impersonal variety. (Yes, Nanny … there are lemon cookies … I wouldn’t do you wrong.)
Lemon Wafers with Cream Filling
On top of all that, I was inspired by a friend who posted a story about baking cookies for the troops in Desert Storm when she was fifteen years old. I said to myself – hey self, you’ve already got all this stuff out … what’s ten or twelve more dozen. I went to www.anysoldier.com, found me some folks from Missouri that are overseas right now and proceeded to bake them a bunch of cookies, too.
So the Cookie Swap party, the idea that started this oven-condemning extreme baking extravaganza, is not until next week. So, I almost have enough time to clean this mess up before I get started on those cookies (and snacks and prizes) for the party. I haven’t decided what to bake yet – got any ideas?
White Chocolate-Dipped Rice Krispy Treats
Did I mention that I LOVE CHRISTMAS? And COOKIES?
For the recipes shown, click HERE!
My ornery grandmother, Frances, had a good friend named Irma. They worked in a kitchen together for years and years and between the two of them they could make anything and everything … perfectly crisp peach dumplings that never split open even though there was way too much butter wrapped up in th pastry, perfect, four-inch yeast rolls, and pies – lots and lots of pies.
Irma made my favorite of them all, the buttermilk pie. Sounds gross and I can’t even believe I was willing to try it as a kid, but thank goodness I did. That pie has always been a favorite of mine thanks to it’s tangy, zippy taste- a hint of buttermilk that is almost lemony in flavor. The custard pie bakes up with a slightly crisp top and a thick, creamy center.
If you’re got your nose turned up, I’ve got to tell you that you don’t know what you’re missing. This is the best. So dang good, I think I’ll go make one right now. I’ll be back with some pictures later!
3 eggs (or 4 eggs for less sweet version)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour, plus a little for dusting
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cups buttermilk for less sweet version)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat eggs slightly and add sugar and flour. Then add melted butter and mix well. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix.
Dust the unbaked pie shell with a little bit of flour. Pour batter into shell, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top.
Bake at 325 degrees until the custard is set, approximately 1 hour.
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