Magnolia Pimiento Cheese

This is the recipe for the famed Pimiento Cheese at Magnolias in Charleston, South Carolina. It is published in the cookbook Magnolias by Donald Barickman, who incidentally cooked for a while a long time  ago in my father's little restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. Many years later, we still go to sample his food at Magnolias, Blossom, and Cypress on East Bay Street. I've adapted the recipe a little bit because I don't like parsley, but do go and check out the real thing downtown. It's phenomenal!

This makes 2 1/2 cups, which is a lot of pimiento cheese, so you might want to half it if you aren't having an army over for supper.

Ingredients:
5 large roasted red peppers or 2.5 cups jarred diced red pimientos
1 cup finely chopped green olives
1.25 pounds New York or Vermont sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (I omit this.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Season to taste with cayenne pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Hawaiian Grilled Pork Chops

This is a recipe my mother sent me shortly after I moved out on my own, under the assumption that I would actually go to the effort of cooking for myself. My first year of teaching was the year of cheap take-out. Nonetheless, I do pull out this recipe when my husband is manning the grill. He usually does a pork chop for himself, and I use the same marinade for a chicken breast.

Ingredients:

1 (20 oz) can pineapple slices, undrained

6 (1-inch thick) pork chops

1/2  cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice.  Set pineapple aside.

Place chops in large shallow dish.  Combine reserved pineapple juice and next five ingredients, mixing well.

Pour over chops; cover and marinate in refrigerator about 2 hrs.  Remove chops, reserving marinade.  Grill over medium heat 40 to 45 minutes, turning frequently and basting with marinade.  Place a pineapple ring on each chop during the last few minutes of cooking time.

Tile and Grout Cleaner

I'm an adult now, and I can appreciate my mother's domestic goddess-ness. This is the recipe she uses for tile and grout cleaner. She makes my dad get on the floor and clean the kitchen, but it's her concoction. I think that's part of the goddess-ness. Don't forget to keep it away from anything with bleach!

Tile and Grout Cleaner

 

Yield  8 1/2 cups

 

 1/2   c. baking soda

1/3   c. household ammonia

1/4   c. white vinegar

  7    c. warm water

 

Directions

 

1.  Combine all ingredients in a gallon container.

2.  Shake.

3.  To use:  Fill a spray bottle, spray onto tile/grout---wipe with a damp cloth or sponge, or use a scrub brush!

Voila!

Lemon Cake

This is by far my favorite cake. I almost always request it for my birthday, and I just recently made it myself using my mom's recipe. I'm sure I didn't live up to hers, but it turned out pretty well!

Ingredients:

1 box lemon supreme cake mix (or similar)

1 pkg lemon instant pudding (3.4 oz size)

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. Wesson oil

4 eggs

Directions: 

Mix all the above together & pour into 9 x 13 ungreased pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min                      

While the cake is baking, make the glaze.

While hot, prick holes in cake with large fork to the bottom of the pan.

Glaze Ingredients:

2 c. confectioners sugar 9 (1 lb box)

1/3 c. orange juice

2 tablespoons warm water

2 tablespoons Wesson oil

Mix all together until smooth (I use a mixer) and spoon over hot cake. Let it cool and enjoy!

Crab Appetizer

Seafood is always impressive served at home, as long as it's done well! My mother has been making these for as long as I can remember! This is one of my favorite appetizers to serve, and it's fantastic because it can be frozen and thrown in the oven should unexpected company arrive. With our little guy on the way, I anticipate people dropping by to "help" and the hostess in me needing to feed them. 

Crab Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 jar old English cheese spread

1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp garlic powder

14 oz. can crab meat (not lump). Drain this well!

6 English muffins

Directions:

Blend 1st 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. 

Split the English muffins in half (you should have two circles).  Spread a heaping tablespoon of mixture on each half.  Cut each half into 6 wedges. I like to throw them in the freezer for 10 minutes so they firm up a little bit--it makes the wedges much neater. Broil for 5 minutes until slightly bubbly.

Wedges may be frozen before baking, but must be thawed before broiling! 

Fresh Corn Casserole

My aunt brought this to a party once and was happy to share the recipe. It can originally be found here on the food network website.  I eliminated the parsley because... well, I just don't like it.

Fresh Corn Casserole 3 cups  fresh corn, cut from the cob 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 cup milk 2 eggs, beaten 1 jar (2 ounces) pimentos, chopped Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I wish I remembered to do this at the beginning. Unfortunately, I often end up pacing back and forth in front of it with a casserole dish in my hand, waiting for that blessed beep. Mix the corn kernels with the flour until it is evenly coated.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.  Pour into a baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Voila!

Easy Icing

My grandmother swore by this recipe, and my mother does too. I've made it enough that I'm beginning to think it's a little something to make sweets extra delicious. It's fantastic on almost anything. I use it primarily for angel food cake. It's so simple (only three ingredients!) and can easily be doubled if necessary!

 Ingredients: 1 stick of butter, softened 1 box confectionery sugar Milk (as needed)

 Directions: With an electric mixer (start on low speed!) , mix the butter and sugar together. Add milk a bit at a time, until it is spreading consistency and there aren't any lumps.

THAT'S IT! So easy, but so delicious. Don't forget to wait for your cake to cool before icing!

(Image from slice-heaven.com)