Cookie Jar Christmas Cookies

While looking for recipes the other day, I came across the "cookie jar christmas cookies" in one of my favorite cookbooks, Southern Plate by Christy Jordan, and after reading through it I realized that these were the same cookies I used to eat all the time around Christmas with my family! The way Christy describes them, their taste and look, is exactly as I remember. Those cookies bring back such good childhood memories and with Christmas just around corner I'd love to make these again. The following is an excerpt from that recipe page.

Cookie Jar Christmas
"Throughout my childhood, these were our must-have cookies for Christmas. Mama would make a huge batch so we all had plenty to decorate. She cut them in the shapes fo trees, stars, and reindeer, and each of us got our own sprinkles to go on top. They will be 'wet' right after icing and decorating; wait an hour or so and they will be dry enough to be stacked in a cookie jar. This cookie isn't very sweet on its own, which makes it altogether perfect once you add the icing. Mama always made three batches of icing for these cookies so she could have three different colors. She prefers to use squirt margarine in place of butter for easier blending."

Cookies
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
4 teaspoons milk
2 cups White Lily All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon softened butter or margarine
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon Singing Dog Vanilla Extract
A few drops of food coloring

Ms. Millie's Best Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a classic southern side dish that can be seen at every barbecue, church luncheon, or family reunion. Coleslaw is made in so many different ways and styles that it's hard to have one universal recipe. This is a short narrative and recipe from one of my favorite southern cookbooks The Southern Plate by Christy Jordan describing her idea of the best coleslaw.

Ms. Millie's Best Coleslaw
"Miss Millie is my grandmother Lucille's oldest and dearest friend. I consider her an adopted grandmother myself. She is kindhearted and as loving as the day is long, always ready with a word of wisdom or encouragement to anyone who needs it. We love her slaw almost as much as we love her. Mama serves this whenever we have pulled pork barbecue alongside my grandmother's potato salad and everyone who has it always requests it whenever they come back."

1 medium head green cabbag, cored and shredded
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 cups Duke's Mayonnaise
3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons celery sees
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Place the cabbage, carrots, green pepper, and onion in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables and toss well to combine. Cover and refridgerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving for the flavors to blend.

La Tiara 4 Carb Corn Taco Shells

Sometimes I just get fed up when my family decides to eat mexican for dinner because I feel like I have to cheat on my diet. I can only eat just taco meat and cheese so many times before I want to go ahead a eat a real taco. A few months ago I discovered the La Tiara Corn Taco Shells and now I feel like I can enjoy dinner with my family and be free from the guilt of not being strict. It's not the gross kind of shell that tastes like it was made out of cardboard either. It really does taste authentic! This also gives me away to make my family eat healthier without any drastic changes. Next time your watching someone enjoy a delicous taco don't give in because there's always another alternative. Enjoy!

Southern Shrimp and Grits

Southern Shrimp and Grits

Even though this dish is usually eaten during dinner, it originally was eaten as breakfast. Fisherman in the southeast would cook the shrimp they caught in bacon grease and put it on grits. Over the years it became more and more popular as a southern dish.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 cups milk
2 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup stoned ground grits
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
6 ounces bacon, chopped
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup white wine
1/1 cup heavy cream
cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Add butter and olive oil to saucepan over medium heat. When butter has melted add onion and cook until soft than add garlic and cook for another minute. Turn the heat to high and pour in the milk, cream and water. Bring to a boil and slowly whisk in the grits. Turn the heat medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. When done, dump in cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add bacon to a large skillet set over medium high heat. Cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour out all but 3 tablespoons of the oil

Set the skillet back over medium high heat and when nearly smoking, add shrimp. Cook until pink, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Remove shrimp from pan, keep warm. Add shallots to pan and cook until soft. Add 1/4 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried basil. Simmer until reduced to desired consistency.

Add shrimp and reserved bacon to sauce. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve grits with shrimp on top and drizzle with rest of sauce.

The Connoisseur Recommends:
-Carolina Plantation
-Lakeside Mills
-Yelton
-Dixie Lily

Barbeque Sauce: A Southern History

Barbeque has been around since the invention of fire. Man has always been cooking meat on an open fire but there was one thing missing from this tradition.
Barbeque Sauce.

Known all over the world as a thing of deliciousness. Whether you spell it barbe'que' or barbe'cue' sauce, you know that it's one of the only things that takes barbeque from being bland to extraordinary. While the exact origin of barbeque sauce is not clear, we do know that most American barbeque sauces can trace their backgrounds to the South East. Slap dap in heart of the Bible Belt is the long history of producing mouth-watering barbeque sauce.

So many different ingredients go into barbeque sauces, whether it be ketchup, cabbage, mayonnaise, vinegar or slaw that each state and region seems to have their own signature sauces. Eastern North Carolina has more of a vinegar base while the hilly area of western North Carolina uses tomato sauce to soften the sauce. A small area between Columbia and Charleston in South Carolina is known for it's yellow barbecue sauces made with yellow mustard. Barbeque sauce has a great Southern history and usually the best place to eat something is the place it started. So come on down to the region of hospitality and try some great barbeque sauce or if that's too far, you can always order some real authentic Southern sauce right to your door!

Some great BBQ Sauces that I would recommend:

Uncle Yammy's Grillin Sauce Original Recipe

Uncle Yammy's is a popular and delicious barbeque sauce for beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Delicious Uncle Yammy's Original barbeque sauce is so good that you will put it on everything that goes in your mouth.

Carolina Treet Original Barbeque Sauce

This sauce has the perfect blend of vinegar and spices that North Carolina is famous for. No matter what you're cooking, whether it's poultry, pork, beef or seafood. it's is sure to make it tasty!

George's Barbeque Sauce

The original George's Barbecue Sauce is an eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce mellowed with a touch of apple and tomato. Created in 1975, George's original Barbecue Sauce is a vinegar-based sauce prepared with crushed red peppers, apples, and spices.

Chicken 'N' Ribs Original Barbeque Sauce

Chicken 'N' Ribs Made from an old Southern recipe that has been handed down from generations, Chicken ‘N’ Ribs Barbecue Sauce is a thick, rich blend of savory spices and premium BBQ flavor combined for a superior taste that can’t be beat! A regional favorite that is steeped in down home tradition.

Stickey Fingers Barbeque Sauce

Stickey Fingers Smokehouse restaurants are known for the best authentic Memphis-ribs and barbeque in the South. They have five signature sauces that all taste great and have even won a few awards including 1st place for their Memphis Original Barbeque Sauce in 2001 Fiery Food Challenge!

Johnny Harris Original Hickory Smoked Barbecue Sauce

Johnny Harris Restaurant is one of Savannah's oldest and most popular restaurants. Established in 1924 as a road side barbecue stand. The BBQ and ribs have been voted best in Savannah. Their sauces have been featured on Food Network as well.

Happy National Iced Tea Month!

If you go anywhere in the South, the one thing you'll see more of than Baptist churches is sweet tea. Sweet tea is one of the most important traditions in the South and is consumed daily during almost every meal. Until now, living a low carb lifestyle and craving sweet tea did not coexist but now Southerners can rejoice! The invention of Splenda and other alternative sweeteners have saved the day once again! And since it's National "Iced" Tea Month, I'm going to share with you some great low carb sweet tea secrets and the products that I love to drink!
Tips on Making Sweet Tea:
-Don't put the tea straight in the refrigerator after you make it. Let it cool to room temperature and then put it in the fridge. Trust me. It tastes WAY better and it's not as cloudy looking.
-Don't add ice to your tea while it's hot. Put ice in your cup and then pour the tea over it when you're ready to drink it .
-A little lemon never hurt anyone.

My Favorite Low-Carb Tea Products:
-Have you ever been to the Beacon? If you haven't, the first thing to know is that they have amazing food, but their sweet tea is heavenly. Here's that wonderful tea but w/ Splenda!
-Sugar Free Luzianne Ready To Drink Southern Sweet Tea
-Luzianne Tea Bags so you can sweeten it however you choose!

Best Sweeteners for Tea:
-Stevia
-Splenda
-Ideal

Enjoy!

Earth Day

We've Gone Green!

Here at the Low Carb Connoisseur we're showing that we care about the environment by using recycled boxes and packing peanuts in our shipping process. Don't be alarmed if you see your package arrive in a strange looking box or the packing peanuts are mismatched colors. Just know that we're doing what we can to lessen our impact on the environment and we encourage our customers to do the same by reusing our packing material or by dropping them off at your local recycling center.

Cool Down in this Hot Weather With Vanilla-Coconut Ice Cream

The coconut flavor really shines through in this ice cream. Pair it with sugar-free chocolate syrup mixed with a drizzle of rum for a tropical summer treat.

6 egg yolks
14 packets sugar substitute
2 cups heavy cream
1 can (13.5 ounces) Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded NOW Foods Medium Shred Unsweetened Coconut

1. In a medium bowl whisk yolks and sugar substitute to combine. In a medium pot, bring heavy cream to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Slowly pour one cup cream into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour yolk mixture back into pot. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut milk, coconut and vanilla extracts. Chill 4 hours.
3. Pour ice cream mix into ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer's directions. About 5 minutes before ice cream is finished, add the toasted coconut.

To toast coconut, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350º F for 5 minutes.
Servings: 8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake/Cook time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 4 hours

Carbohydrates: 6 grams, Net Carbs: 4.5 grams, Fiber: 1.5 grams, Protein: 4 grams, Fat: 32 grams, Calories: 326

Square Foot Garden

It's that time again at the Connoisseur to fix up our square foot garden. We originally embarked on this journey early last spring with the help of Mr. Mel Bartholomew's wonderful gardening book. We were all filled with the hope of fresh vegetables from our own backyard, but sadly we started too late and it didn't turn out as well as planned. We did manage to get some very delicious, but small, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions and potatoes. This time we're more prepared and ready to buckle down and take care of our garden. We'll also be sure to upload photos and keep you updated with how our garden is doing.

What the Connoisseur Recommends:

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

This book by Mel Bartholomew is fantastic! His square foot gardens are perfect with any sized yard, large or small. This book saved us a lot of grief over our garden and gave us some great money-saving tips

9 Piece Gardening Tool Kit with Foldaway Stool with Backrest and Detachable Tote

This tool kit is the coolest thing! It has all you need to garden with, like a trowel, transplanter, and a rake, but then it has a neat collapsable stool with a backrest. So after planting all of your new flowers in your flower bed in the hot sun, you can just conveniently relax and take a break with back support. Can it get any better?

Love Catherine

Amazing Low Carb Pasta!

"The man who sticks to his plan will become what he used to want to be" - James Richardson

A very simple but true quote that I feel applies to me as I embark on my low carb diet. As long as I stick to my plan and try hard, I can become the person that I envision. Even though it's easy to stray from my plan, I've found some things to help keep me on track.

A few nights ago, I was so hungry and dreading dinner because I thought "There's not going to be anything other than meat and cheese, same as any other night". I walked into the kitchen and I saw my mom cooking pasta (which is definitely against the rules as any good low carb dieter knows). Turns out it was Dreamfield's Angel Pasta and it tasted exactly like the real thing!

I'm so glad there's alternatives that you can eat while doing a low carb diet because I don't feel deprived at all! I can still eat chicken alfredo for dinner and even have a bagel for breakfast when I want, all while losing weight!

Dreamfield's Pasta - True to it's name, it's like a dream to anyone who hasn't had any good pasta in a really long time.

Carb Krunchers Bagels - These were so great that I totally forgot that they were low carb products.

Sugar Free Mexican Hot Chocolate

It's February and it's freezing outside, so why not warm up with a cup of yummy sugar free hot chocolate?

Chocolate and cinnamon mixed with warmed milk then frothed with a molinillo. A Mexican Molinillo is the Mexican chocolate "whisk" or "stirrer". It is made of "turned" wood and it is used to froth warm drinks such as hot chocolate, Atole, and Champurrado. A normal wire whisk works too. It's great for people who are enjoying a low carb lifestyle!

Ingredients

2 cups Blue Diamond Almond milk or WestSoy Soy Milk

3 Tablespoons Ghiradelli Unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons low calorie sweetener

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Instructions

Warm the milk, cocoa, cinnamon and sweetener in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean to the milk. Stir with a molinillo or whisk until the cocoa is disolved and the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the heat and froth the chocolate with the molinillo or the whisk. Serve immediately in ample sized mugs and ENJOY!

New Erythritol Sweetened Dark Baking Chips!

New Low Carb Specialties ChocoPerfection Dark Baking Chips are finally in stock!! These low carb chocolate chips are made with Erythritol and perfect for snacking or any low carb baking needs. They're all natural and completely sugar free. Here's a great low carb recipe that incorporates these delicious baking chips! Even though you're low carbing, you can show your family how much you love them when you pull a pan of warm, melt in your mouth chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

Ingredients:
-2 1/4 cups Carbquik (note, start with 2 cups and add additional as needed to form a nice cookie dough)
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-2 cups (12-ounce package) Low Carb Specialties ChocoPerfection Dark Baking Chips
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
-3/4 Splenda 3/4 cup packed brown sugar twin
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
-Combine Carbquik, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, Splenda, brown sugar twin and vanilla in large mixer bowl till butter is well creamed.
-Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in Carbquik mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
-Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
-Bake in preheated 375ºF oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Valentine's Day is Almost Here!

Have you thought about what are you're doing for Valentine's Day yet? How about cooking a romantic dinner for you and your valentine? The Connoisseur Recommends is here to help with a delicious four course meal that shows your valentine you really care! Start off with Pomegranate Champagne Cocktails and Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and finish with Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes.

For all the recipes of a perfect Valentine's Day Dinner check out our web page.

Valentine's Day Gift Baskets


Show your love with a Low Carb Russell Stover Valentine's Day Gift Basket! You'll get Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts, Conversation hearts, Russell Stover Private Reserve Chocolates and other assorted Russell Stover candies. It's a great gift for anyone who likes to eat chocolate and candy but is still doing a low carb diet. As low as $29.99!

New Low Carb Pizza Meatloaf Recipe!
Miss the taste of pizza but not the carbs?
Try this tasty low carb recipe for dinner to satisfy your cravings!


Ingredients:
1 envelope of onion soup mix
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups Dixie Diner Carb Counters Bread Crumb Mix
2 eggs
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 cup Colavita Garden Style Pasta Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup Pasta Sauce and 1/2 cup cheese in large bowl.
2.Shape into loaf in 1 B3 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Sauce.ake 50 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.