Down Home Cooking

I've got 3 more recipes to share.

Two of them are for those that enjoy some down home cooking, Collard Greens & Bread Pudding.
and, the third one is one that I dusted off from my recipe box that proved to be another family favorite (Chicken BBQ Calzone)

I didn't take any snapshots of these dishes, but if you try them out they will sure to be a hit in your home as well.

I enjoy Paula Deen's recipes. They are very tasty! The Chicken BBQ Calzone recipe is from www.allrecipes.com. I love the recipes from this website because they are pretty simple, but tasty. To get the most out of any recipe, I typically read 3-4 variations of the recipe by searching the internet and reviewing comments from people that have tried the recipe out. I usually modify the recipe based on the ingredients that my family enjoys. When you review comments, people will provide good suggestions on what to modify or how to use certain ingredients to get the most flavor out of the dish.

Collard Greens (Paula Deen's recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones)
1 tablespoon House seasoning, recipe follows
1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 tablespoon hot red pepper sauce (I just used regular Crystal Hot Sauce)

1 large bunch collard greens

1 tablespoon butter

If you're like me and you've never made collard greens before, you can find them in the fresh produce section of Walmart or any grocery store and the I found some pork neck bones in the pork/meat section.

Directions:

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, house seasoning, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.

Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-ince thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add butter. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve with favorite dish as a side.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Bread Pudding (Paula Deen's recipe)
2 cups granulated sugar

5 large beaten eggs

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  (I love the taste of vanilla, so I went a little heavy on this)

3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Her recipe calls for chopped pecans. I don't like pecans, so I used raisins instead.

 

I didn't the use sauce that her recipe called for. Instead, I made up a lemon sauce. 

 

Lemon Sauce:

1 cup sugar (or use Splenda Blend)                             

2 tablespoons cornstarch                                                  

1 1/2 cups water                                                  

1 lemon, zest (I didn't zest a lemon. Just used lemon juice from a bottle)                                                   

1 lemon, the juice (about 2-1/2 tbsps.)

2 tablespoons butter

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans (used raisins instead of pecans).

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the sauce:

Blend sugar, cornstarch and water in a sauce pan.

Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook 2 - 3 min until mixture is thickened.

Remove from heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice and butter.

Cut in squares and serve warm lemon sauce over bread pudding.

 

(Lemon sauce recipe came from, http://www.food.com/recipe/louisiana-bread-pudding-with-lemon-sauce-418021)

 

And, last but not least here is the Chicken BBQ Calzone Recipe,

4 slices of bacon

1/2 small onion, chopped

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat                                                                     

2/3 cup barbeque sauce                                                                     

1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough                                                                     

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese                                                    

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

 

Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from the pan to drain on paper towels; crumble. Add the onion and shredded chicken to the hot bacon grease in the pan. Fry over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in 1/3 cup of barbeque sauce, and remove from the heat. Mix in the cooked bacon.

 

Roll the pizza crust dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Press out to an even thickness, and then cut in half. Divide the chicken mixture between the two pieces of dough, spreading on only half of each piece to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the filling. Sprinkle the cheese and cilantro over the top. Fold the uncovered portion of dough over the filling, and press the edges together with a fork to seal.

 

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until browned to your liking. Cool for a few minutes, then cut each calzone in half. Each serving is half of a calzone. These can be served with additional barbeque sauce if you like.