Trip down Mayberry Lane

Did you ever watch The Andy Griffith show? It was entertaining and lighthearted and it was one of my favorite shows to watch on Sunday mornings while my parents made breakfast. Everything about it made me want to hitchhike a ride to Mayberry, North Carolina and visit all the colorful characters that lived there. I discovered a cookbook a few years ago that sparked my fantasies as a child of Andy Griffith and his family. It's called Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook and it's filled over 300 recipes that Aunt Bee herself served at the Griffith table.

Slow Cooker Barbecued Beans and Polish Sausage

Just 10 minutes of prep and you walk in the door to a delicious and homey meal.





Ingredients:

2 cans green beans, drained, rinsed
2 cans black beans, drained, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershie sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 ring (1 to 1/4lb) fully cooked smoked Polish sausage

Spray 3 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except sausage in cooker. Place sausage ring on bean mixture. Cover, cook on low heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.

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.

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

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!