Okra and Tomatoes / Original Recipe

Okra is a plant grown in warm climates. It's found in many parts of the world. It's also known as Lady Fingers, Bhindi or simply, Gumbo.
It produces an edible green pod that I love best when paired with tomato and onion.
I have been making this original recipe for many years.
I also use it in my Vegetarian Gumbo recipe.

2 C fresh Okra, sliced about 1/2 " thick
1 TBS flour
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 Roma Tomatoes, diced

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the okra.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes
Drain and set aside

Whisk together :
flour
sugar
salt
pepper

Cook the onion and bell pepper in the oil until they are tender
Whisk in the flour mixture and stir to combine completely
Add the tomatoes and continue cooking for for about 5 minutes
Add the Okra and let it all simmer.

Serve warm over cooked brown rice or noodles

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies are another traditional American food, typically served in the south. They are often attributed to hunters and fishermen.

Some people claim the origin of the name came from hunters frying a cornmeal batter in small batches and tossing them to the dogs to keep them quiet during a cookout. Is it an old wive's tale?, perhaps!
Hush Puppies are served in most parts of the country today!

2 C cornmeal

1/2 C flour

2 TBS sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 C milk

3/4 C cream style corn

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles, well drained

Vegetable Oil 

In a bowl, whisk together:

cornmeal

flour

sugar

baking powder

baking soda

salt

Add:

egg

milk

cream corn

mix well

refrigerate the batter for 2 hours.

In a Dutch Oven or deep Cast Iron Skillet, heat the oil and drop the batter in by Tablespoonfuls.

Fry the Hushpuppies until golden brown, turning often

Drain them on a paper towel and serve warm.

Serve them with a Tartar Sauce or Cocktail Sauce.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pain de Campagne Cheese Bread

This is a spin on Ree Drummonds Buttered Rosemary Rolls, The recipe is on the blog.
They are a favorite at our family gatherings.

Her rolls are amazing and so is this recipe.

1 round loaf of Pain de Campagne Bread ( French Country Bread), unsliced
Emmenthaler Cheese, sliced

1/2 C Butter, melted

1/4 C chopped Fresh Rosemary

1/2 C chopped Green Onion ( the entire Onion)

Sea Salt

Using a serrated bread knife, cut a cross hatch pattern in the bread without cutting all the way through, about 1" apart.

Place a slice of Cheese in between all of the slits in the bread 

Brush the loaf with Butter

Sprinkle with Sea Salt

Sprinkle with Rosemary

Wrap the loaf completely in foil

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Uncover the bread, leaving it on the foil

and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes

Drizzle with additional butter

Serve immediately

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Hatch Chile Queso

Texans eat a lot of Queso and there are many variations.
Some variations include hamburger , onion, cilantro, salsa, butter, garlic, oil, chives
and the list goes on.
We all have our preferences and mine is to keep it simple and cheesy and Hatch Chile spicy!

Here's my Best of the Best Queso!


2 C grated Queso Quesadilla Cheese
1 C grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C Sour Cream
2 Roma Tomatos, seeded and diced
4 Hatch Chiles, roasted, peeled and diced ( or 3 cans of Diced Green Chiles, drained)
1 TBS Adobo Seasoning

Place the two cheeses and the sour cream in a saucepan on low heat until melted and well incorporated.
Add remaining ingredients and continue stirring.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl
Serve with Tortilla Chips
Yields about 4 cups.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Dulce de Leche , homemade!

We love Mexican recipes in Texas.
For any recipe that calls for Dulce de Leche
and you don't have access to it in a store, you can make it yourself.
Personally, I prefer this recipe to store bought.

Ingredients

• 2 (14 ounce) cans of condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
2. Pour the condensed milk into a square baking pan or pie dish; you can add a teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon if you like. Cover with foil.
3. Place the square pan in a larger pan and pour hot water into the large pan, the water level should be between ½ - ¾ of the square pan with the condensed milk.
4. Bake for about 3 hours to 3 ½ hours. If the water level gets low add more water as needed. During the last hour you can check it every 30 minutes to see if the dulce de leche is ready – it should be a rich amber color. You can also do a taste check to test it.
5. Once the dulce de leche is ready remove it from the oven and let it cool down. Once it’s safe to handle, use a fork or whisk to mix it well. It can be eaten warm or cold. Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Fruit Salad with Pie Filling

• This is a simple recipe with a lot of flavor!
• A great Summer Salad.
• The addition of the Fruit Filling is the key ingredient that adds a great flavor.
• You can substitute any fruit pie filling according to your personal taste.
• Strawberry
• Cherry
• Blueberry
• Apple

• 2 C of Blueberries ( 1 pint)
• 1 lb Strawberries, hulled and halved
• 3 C of your favorite seedless Grapes
• 3 C Raspberries
• 1 21-ounce can of Peach Pie Filling ( any flavor of Pie Filling)

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!