My Version of Carolina Gold aka Yaller BBQ Sauce

Since "yaller sauce" is getting kind of hard to find around here, I figured out this recipe after several attempts. We like it better than the store-bought kind. Put this stuff in the blender for a few seconds then store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Shake before using.

1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

I wonder about that Guy guy.

s Today we went to Harold's of Gaffney, featured on The Food Network's show with spiky-haired Guy Fieri, for their famous chili burger. No wonder they don't tell you how they make the chili on the show. I need Imodium and Nexium. If Dewy's Duck Inn in Startex were still open, Diners, Drive Ins and Dives would have ignored Harold's - best chili ever in this world at the Duck Inn. I'd kill for that mill hill recipe. We went to the Duck Inn for our dogs and to Walt's Mr. Hot Dog for our chili-cheese burgers. That was twenty-five years ago, so it may just be my old lady innards and not Harold's food. But the amazing thing about Harold's is that it's been in business for 75 years and making the food the same way. Now I'd like to give them a second chance on one of the pinto bean Wednesdays. Pinto beans, fatback, corn muffins, chow chow, and onions sound real good to me.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We watched the Bowl games today and all our teams lost. :-(
We ate the traditional southern NY's Day fare, black-eyed peas and collard greens (you do know why we eat them, don't you?). I've learned how to gussy up the greens from my fancy chef son-in-law, though I still favor just a little bacon grease and chow chow on the side. On Tuesday, we smoked several pork loins with hickory, apple, and pecan woods. I let the loins soak up their juices for two days in giant zip-lock bags. OMG! they were delicious with the greens, sliced paper thin and piled on rolls and a little daub of Dukes on the bread. My youngest said it was the best meal I had made all year. Ha Ha Ha.

I will never make another pumpkin pie.

You won't either if you try this recipe over the holidays.

Pumpkin Cheese Cake
Preheat oven to 350

Crust in a 9 inch spring form pan
1 3/4 cup of mixed graham cracker and ginger snap crumbs
3T. light brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 stick melted butter

Filling
3 eight ounce pk cream cheese at room temp.
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
3 eggs and 1 yolk
1 1/2 c. sugar1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. all purpose flour
2 t. vanilla-

Combine crust ingredients in a bowl and press into 9 in. spring form pan.
Beat cream cheese until smooth, add pumpkin, eggs , sour cream, sugar, and spice.
Blend, add flour and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
Pour into crust and spread evenly.
Bake one hour and 350 F.
Remove and let stand 15 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours

I had never made a cheese cake before because I didn't have a spring form pan. But I went out a few weeks ago with buying one on my mind. I found a set of 3 spring form pans at Big Lots for 7 bucks. The recipe is my variation of Paula Deen's recipe. She uses separate spices instead of pumpkin pie spice and plain graham crackers. I changed it to half graham and half ginger snaps for the crust.

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

I know grocery stores are loaded with pre-mixed cookie doughs these days. Heck, Pillsbury and Hershey's both have those chocolate-chip-cookie dough blocks you can just cut into chunks and there you have 2 dozen cookies in 10 minutes - and they are 3 for 6 bucks right now. But there's nothing like the real thing, made from scratch. These oatmeal cookies are my favorite.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Ingredients

2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick or old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins

1. cream butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl
2. add eggs and vanilla and mix well
3. add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the mixture in the bowl and blend well.
4. stir in oats and raisins
5. drop teaspoons full on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown
7. cool on the cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack.

makes about 4 dozen

Buttermilk Biscuits

I saw a recipe for buttermilk biscuits in the June issue of Southern Living that looks almost identical to mine. The thing that makes mine (and theirs) different from most all other biscuit recipes is the extra amount of kneading. As a matter of fact, I read the recipes on the flour bags in the grocery store yesterday. Most will caution against kneading very much, recommending only 3 or 4 times. But the method I use, that I learned as a girl from Momma, is to knead about 20 or more times, working in some more flour every time I fold the dough over. You know it’s ready to roll out when the dough springs back when poked. I cook in an oven set higher than normal, and even though I use self-rising flour, I still add some more baking powder, resulting in fluffier, higher rising biscuits.

This is my version of buttermilk biscuits, perfected for my oven and my family’s taste.
3 ½ cups self rising flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter flavor shortening
1 ½ cup whole buttermilk
1 cup flour set aside for rolling and kneading

Roll to a rectangular shape roughly 8 by 12 inches. Use a pizza cutter to cut 2 inch squares. Separate by about a half inch on the baking sheet. Place in an oven preheated to 500 degrees and bake for 10 or 11 minutes. Makes two dozen.