Tag: holiday

Recipe: Perfect Pralines

For a while, I was perfecting my praline recipe. Trust me when I say, there is a lot of importance not only to ingredients, but to the process. The devil is in the details here! But I have come up with a simple and perfect pecan praline recipe. If you follow closely, it is fool-proof!

These are so good that I sold them for a while at farmer’s markets and for gifts or holiday catering. I sill cater them or gift wrap them currently. Even so, it is really hard not to make myself a batch every now and then.

          

But I love sharing recipes, and I hope you can enjoy making these at home as much as I do. If you want to give it a whirl, the best method is to watch the video below- as being able to visualize the stages is important.
Good luck and please let me know how they turn out!

INGREDIENTS

– 1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
-1/2 cup milk (I use skim, but you can use any fat percentage)
-6 tablespoons butter
-1/8 salt
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-dash imitation butter flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep:
a. Chop pecans and toast pecans on medium heat on a dry skillet until
browned. Set aside.
b. Lay out a large sheet of wax paper.
c. Get a glass of cold water, at least 1/2 cup for testing the “readiness” of the
pralines later on, as seen in video.
2.  Add sugar, brown sugar, salt, 1/2 cup milk, and butter. Heat on medium heat
until it comes to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Once at a rolling boil, stir constantly for 3 minutes, or until mixture reaches
238°, or once it is in a “soft ball” stage.  (See video for testing tip)
4. Once ready, remove from the heat. Add the pecans, vanilla extract, and
imitation butter extract.
5. Stir constantly until mixture is thicker and you can hear a “gritty” sound (as
explained in video).
6. Once ready, use a spoon to lay dollops onto the wax paper. Do this quickly,
because they dry quickly!
7. Let cool and enjoy!

Perfect Pralines

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, cajun, creole

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk I use skim, but you can use any fat percentage
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • dash imitation butter flavor

Instructions
 

  • Prep: Chop pecans and toast pecans on medium heat on a dry skillet until browned. Set aside.
  • Prep: Lay out a large sheet of wax paper.
  • Prep: Get a glass of cold water, at least 1/2 cup for testing the "readiness" of thepralines later on, as seen in video.
  • Add sugar, brown sugar, salt, 1/2 cup milk, and butter. Heat on medium heatuntil it comes to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
  • Once at a rolling boil, stir constantly for 3 minutes, or until mixture reaches238°, or once it is in a "soft ball" stage.  (See video for testing tip)
  • Once ready, remove from the heat. Add the pecans, vanilla extract, and imitation butter extract.
  • Stir constantly until mixture is thicker and you can hear a "gritty" sound (as explained in video).
  • Once ready, use a spoon to lay dollops onto the wax paper. Do this quickly, because they dry quickly!
  • Let cool and enjoy!
Keyword pecan, pralines, perfect pralines, recipe, amy westerman,

My Favorite Recipe: Memaw’s Cornbread Dressing

I’m completely serious, no exaggeration here. My grandmother’s cornbread dressing is the best in the world.  It is moist with a crusty edge. It is full of flavors of chicken and sage, and everything else yummy that reminds me of the holidays.

She’s been gone for many years now, but my Aunt Sissy was given the recipe, so she made it for years. My aunt finally gave me the recipe, after some prodding, and now I get to make it for the family every year. (And usually just for me and Drew about another 3 times a year.)

Wanna be a hero at Thanksgiving? Give this recipe a shot. I have already heard from hundreds of strangers online about this is the best dressing they have had and now they make it every year. So….I can’t be crazy, right? It is simply delicious.

*Side notes:
-This recipe may be frozen for later use, it will still taste
fresh.
-This recipe makes about 2 10×10 pans-worth. It makes a lot!

Recipe

Walk-Through Video:

Ingredients:
-1 large skillet sweet cornbread (you can make this from scratch or
just use a couple of those little jiffy mix boxes.)
-1/2 loaf white bread (stale is best)
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 stalk of celery (the whole head, not just one stick)
-3 medium yellow onions
-2 garlic cloves
-2 tablespoons dried sage
-2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
-1 teaspoon ground red pepper
-1 roasted chicken
-6-7 cups low sodium chicken broth
– 2 10 ounce cans cream of chicken
-1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom
-1 10 ounce can cream of celery
-salt and pepper, to taste
-10 eggs (I believe this is the secret to the dressing’s perfect
texture, almost souffle-like.)

Directions:
1. Bake the cornbread until it is well done.
2. Crumble the cornbread and white bread into LARGE bowl.
3. Chop one full celery stalk, yellow onions, and dice garlic cloves.
4. In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and
celery until soft. Add garlic and cook for two minutes.
5. Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from the
store is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
6. Add sauteed veggies to bowl with crumbled bread. Also, add
poultry seasoning, sage, ground red pepper, all cans of condensed
soups, and 6 cups of chicken broth.
7. Stir and continue to add any necessary broth, until the texture
very loose, like the texture of chilli? Sorry, that is all I can come up
with. If you watch the video, you can see the visual.
8. Taste and add any necessary salt and pepper.
9. Add 10 eggs, already beaten.
10. Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from
the store is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
Add chicken. Stir until well incorporated.
11. Bake for 2 hours at 300°. Then, turn temperature up to 350°
and top loosely with foil. Cook for another 30 minutes, or until
the middle does not jiggle and is firm. Bigger dishes will take
longer, of course.
12. Let cool at least 20 minutes before digging in.
13. Write a comment letting me know what you think. =)

The Best Southern Cornbread and Chicken Dressing

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 3 hours
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 15

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large tray/skillet plain sweet cornbread 2 jiffy boxes works or you can make it from scratch
  • 1/4 loaf stale white bread
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 celery stalk The entire head, not just one stick
  • 3 medium yellow onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbs[ dried sage
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp ground red pepper
  • 1 roasted chicken I have been adding 2 to help bring more protein to the dish- so add what you like!
  • 6-7 cups low sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
  • 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken
  • 1 10 oz can cream of mushroom
  • 1 10 oz can of cream of celery
  • 10 eggs beaten
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bake the cornbread until it is well done.
  • Crumble the cornbread and white bread into LARGE bowl.
  • Chop one full celery stalk, yellow onions, and dice garlic cloves.
  • In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions andcelery until soft. Add garlic and cook for two minutes.
  • Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from thestore is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
  • Add sauteed veggies to bowl with crumbled bread. Also, addpoultry seasoning, sage, ground red pepper, all cans of condensedsoups, and 6 cups of chicken broth.
  • Stir and continue to add any necessary broth, until the texturevery loose, like the texture of chilli? Sorry, that is all I can come upwith. If you watch the video, you can see the visual.
  • Taste and add any necessary salt and pepper.
  • Add 10 eggs, already beaten.
  • Add chicken. Stir until well incorporated.
  • Bake for 2 hours at 300°. Then, turn temperature up to 350°and top loosely with foil. Cook for another 30 minutes, or untilthe middle does not jiggle and is firm. Bigger dishes will takelonger, of course.
  • Let cool at least 20 minutes before digging in.

Video

Keyword cornbread dressing, dressing, thanksgiving, chicken dressing, chicken, cornbread, recipe, amy westerman,