Aunt Jesca’s Cornbread Salad

My friend Judy gave me this recipe many years. It was a recipe George’s aunt, Jesca, had shared with her. It was the first Cornbread Salad I had ever eaten. Although, I’ve had many versions since, this is still by far my favorite and the only one I personally make.
I love having my recipes on my computer, mainly because it makes them so easy to share with others. There are few recipes though that I’ve purposefully never added to my computerized recipe file. This recipe is one of them. I just love taking out this old 5x7-inch ruled index card with Judy’s handwriting; love seeing her notation that the recipe was from Jesca; and love being reminded of that sweet, long-ago day in her kitchen on Poyner Street, where I took my first bite of Aunt Jesca’s Cornbread Salad. Great food! Great memories! 

Aunt Jesca’s Cornbread Salad

Fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes are best in this! Don’t go using low-fat mayo here! Cut calories elsewhere! Full-octane Hellman’s is the ticket for this particular application!

2 pones* cornbread (I’ve never measured the amount in cups, but I’m guessing it’s 5 - 6 cups. If you get too much cornbread, just add another dollop or two of mayo!)
1 cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped green peppers
2 or 3 tomatoes
2 cups mayonnaise

Jesca’s recipe lists these two ingredients as optional. I’ve never add them myself, but I’m sure they’d be good.
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos
1 cup chopped celery 

You can add a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper, if you like.

Crumble corn pones and add other ingredients. Chill. Delicious with country vegetables!

*Corn Pone - (Regional cuisine - Southern US) corn bread, especially a plain type made with water, sometimes shortened to pone

Cornbread Tomatoes

Cornbread Tomatoes

I found several boxes of frozen veggies and 4 of my frozen mini-meatloaves during my tidying of the freezer. So, we're having the meatloaves with some butter beans, shoe peg corn and Cornbread Tomatoes for supper. This is the kind of food I love the most!
The Cornbread Tomatoes will be a hard sell for some of you, I know. It doesn't really sound or look good, but it really, really is!
This dish is difficult to describe. It’s hard to say whether it’s a salad, a relish, a side dish, or even a bread. I think it’s all of these rolled into one! 
I first ate a similar dish several years ago in the tea room of McCarty's Pottery in Merigold, MS. Larry had treated me to a trip to Mississippi's premiere pottery makers for my birthday. It's a good man who will drive a woman two hours to look at pottery! We ate lunch at the facility's restaurant, and I ordered this delicious tomato dish, aptly named Merigold Tomatoes! I loved it! When we got home, I quickly began to try to duplicate the dish!  I always think of that fun day when I make Cornbread Tomatoes. What sweet memories!

“Ponder well on this point:
the pleasant hours of our life are all connected
by a more or less tangible link,
with some memory of the table.”
~Charles Pierre Monselet (1825-1888)

Play around with these ingredients. If you like a lot of spice, use a second can of Rotel tomatoes in place of the stewed tomatoes. Don’t care for the heat from the Rotel tomatoes? Use 2 cans of stewed tomatoes and leave the Rotel tomatoes out.
 Making this dish is a great way to use leftover cornbread. It reminds me a bit of Cornbread Salad. On Favorite Recipes Friday, I will be sharing my favorite recipe for Cornbread Salad.

Cornbread Tomatoes

2 cups cornbread crumbs
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can stewed  tomatoes with onions, green peppers and celery
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 - 4 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill. Stir before serving.
Great with veggies!

Barbecued Chicken Salad

Barbecued Chicken Salad

I love the Barbecued Chicken Salad at Harvey’s, an area chain of casual dining restaurants. 
My friends, Julie and Mitzi, and I all order this almost every time we go to Harvey's.
My homemade version tastes very, very similar. I bake my tortilla strips. Harvey's fries theirs. That's about the only difference. Once you "crunch them down" into your salad as you're eating it, there's really no difference in taste at all. I have been making this salad for years, ever since one of their chefs demonstrated it on a local news channel's cooking segment. Maybe that's why mine tastes so similar!

Barbecued Chicken Salad

This is more of a list than a recipe!
Purchase the amounts of the following ingredients needed for your family:

shredded or chopped lettuce (Harvey's uses shredded, so I do, too!)
ranch dressing (I usually make it for the dry packet.)
canned black beans, drained and rinsed
canned shoe peg corn, drained
chopped green onions
chopped tomatoes
grilled chicken breasts strips (homemade or pre-cooked) tossed with your favorite bbq sauce
corn tortilla strips (homemade or commercially prepared, which are found in the crouton section at the grocery) or you can use crushed tortilla chips, if you don't want to make or buy the strips
shredded Mexican cheese blend

I like to chill all my ingredients, other than the chicken and tortilla chips, if time permits.

Homemade tortilla strips:
Baked Version:
Stack corn tortillas and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Spread strips slightly apart on a nonstick 12x15-inch baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Bake in a 400º oven, stirring occasionally, until crisp and lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Fried Version:
Stack corn tortillas and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.

To put salad together:
Toss shredded lettuce with ranch dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Drizzle with a bit more ranch dressing, if you like.

Visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays for more great recipes!

Fruity Broccoli Slaw

Fruity Broccoli Slaw

Fruity Broccoli Slaw

The last couple of weeks, I have really been trying to clear-out the pantry and fridge. I had a part of a packet of almonds, another packet with cranberries and an apple. All needed eating. This salad was my solution. Larry and I both really liked it! 
I used about 4 cups of fresh broccoli florets instead of the broccoli slaw mix, because we like them better. Normally, I keep a fair amount of pecans on hand. I think toasted pecans would be great in the place of the almonds. Crisp, crumbled bacon would be nice in this, too. The colors would be really pretty at the holidays! If you don't like cranberries, you could substitute raisins. Or, you could chop up one green and one red apple. Lots of options!

1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli slaw mix OR 4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup slivered almond
bottled or homemade* coleslaw dressing, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

*Homemade Coleslaw Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 - 1/4 cup vinegar

Blend all dressing ingredients well. Keep refrigerated.

Chicken Rice Salad

Chicken Rice Salad

1/3 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup corn oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

1 can Mandarin orange sections, drained

Mix orange juice, sugar, corn oil, vinegar, salt and dry mustard in large bowl. Blend well. Add mayonnaise, rice, chicken and oranges. Toss until well mixed.

Easiest Fruit Salad

Baked Omelet, Easiest Fruit Salad
and Mary B.'s Frozen Tea Biscuits

Easiest Fruit Salad

Combine fruit of your choice - diced apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, etc. Threw in a few chopped nuts, if you like. Drizzle with a bit of honey and toss to coat fruit. Simple, nutritious and delicious!

Fresh Fruit Salad

This was quick and tasty! Larry really liked it! I will definitely make it again!

Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1 cup diced golden delicious apple
1 cup miniature marshmallows
½ cup chopped pecans

Dressing ingredients:

1 ripe, med. size banana
1/2 c. sour cream (I used low fat.)
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon. honey
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds (optional)

In food processor, puree all the dressing ingredients, except the poppy seeds. Pour into a small bowl and stir in poppy seeds. Toss with fruits, marshmallow and nuts.

Spinach Caesar Salad

Spinach Caesar Salad

Spinach Caesar Salad

9 ounce bag fresh spinach
½ c Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons bacon bits
1 cup croutons
1/3 cup light Italian dressing, or use recipe below

Toss all ingredients.

For homemade dressing, combine:

4 heaping tablespoons of light mayonnaise
a bit of anchovy paste (optional, but good!)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
a bit of milk to thin, if you like

Toss all ingredients together.

Ranchy Frito Corn Salad

Ranchy Frito Corn Salad

Ranchy Frito Corn Salad

2 cans Mexicorn, drained
3 -4 green onions, sliced
1 cup shredded cheese
1/3 cup ranch salad dressing
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup crushed Fritos

Combine all ingredients except Fritos. Chill. Add Fritos and stir just before serving.

You can use more salad dressing and mayo, if you like.

Quick Caesar Coleslaw

Larry and I both liked this. It was a bit different, but very good! I did make the homemade dressing. We really like this little dressing recipe. I will make this slaw again!!

Quick Caesar Coleslaw

Quick Caesar Coleslaw


1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix
1 cup grape tomatoes
¼ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
¾ creamy Caesar salad dressing*
1 green onion, sliced

Combine all ingredients. Chill and serve.

*Make your own quick dressing by combining the following:

8 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
a bit of milk to thin, if you like

Super Easy Caesar Salad

Super Easy Caesar Salad

Super Easy Caesar Salad

1 bag of romaine lettuce
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Croutons

For dressing, combine:

4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
a bit of anchovy paste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
a bit of milk to thin, if you like

Toss lettuce, cheese and croutons with dressing, until all is well coated. Serve immediately.

Parmesan-Bacon Romaine Salad

Parmesan-Bacon Romaine Salad

1 (1 lb.) bag torn romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted*
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (can use precooked or bacon bits, if you prefer)
1/2 cup salad croutons
**Favorite bottled Italian salad dressing

In a bowl, toss romaine, tomatoes, cheese, almonds and bacon. Pour on salad dressing, to taste. Toss. Add croutons and serve immediately.

*To toast almonds:

Oven method:

Place almonds in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees about for 15 minutes or until almonds are lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Microwave method:

Place slivered almonds and 1 tablespoon butter in a 9-inch microwave-proof pie plate. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

**You can use this homemade dressing, if you prefer:

½ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a container with a tight-fitting lid, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper; shake well.

Creamy Italian Chicken, Easy Ranch Caesar, Garlic Bread and 4-Minute Brownie Pie

Creamy Italian Chicken, Easy Ranch Caesar and Garlic Bread

Like all of Roan's other recipes we've tried, we loved the Creamy Italian Chicken! I like that we have the directions for cooking it in a crock pot, and it worked really well using the directions I gave for making it with pre-cooked, chopped chicken from the freezer. I love options, and both of these are real time savers! For more great Crock Pot recipes, visit Debbie at:

http://diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-letter-to-jim.html

This made a large dish full!! We all had a nice serving. I made a plate for Dude, Aunt Jean, and for Larry's lunch tomorrow. There's still enough for the mine and the kids' lunch tomorrow, too!!

The salad was a hit, also. We're all big fans of ranch dressing. I made ours with 3/4 cup light mayo and 1/4 cup real. I used skim milk. It made about three cups of dressing. I placed one cup in a little plastic measuring pitcher I got last week at Wal-mart for $1.50. It worked really well with the vinaigrette dressing from last week. I put the other two cups of dressing in a pint canning jar with a plastic lid from a mayo jar. I used a piece of Scotch tape to make a label on the lid. When the dressing is gone, I'll remove the tape and have the lid for the next use.

I also threw together a 4-Minute Brownie Pie. It's quick and uses ingredients we all usually have on hand.

Here's a re-post of tonight's recipes along with the recipe for 4 Minute Brownie Pie.

Monday - Creamy Italian Chicken, Easy Ranch Caesar and Garlic Bread

Creamy Italian Chicken

This recipe was inspired by one I found on my friend Roan’s blog, Joyful Always. Roan gives the instructions for using the crock pot for this recipe. I’ve added notes on how I will prepare this, using my pre-cooked, shredded chicken from the freezer.

4-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 can chicken broth
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
12-16 oz. pasta (I use angel hair because it cooks quickly. ~ Roan)

Place chicken in crock pot* and sprinkle dry mix on top. Add the can of broth and cook on high for 4 hours.
Add the cubed cream cheese, shred the chicken a little with two forks or some scissors, and stir well. Continue to cook for 30 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Stir. While the cream cheese is melting, cook the pasta. You can either spoon the chicken and sauce on each plate of pasta, or mix the whole thing together in a big bowl (or the pot you cooked the pasta in). Enjoy!

*Since my chicken is already cooked, I will put my packet of frozen shredded chicken in a sauce pan, sprinkle it with seasoning packet and add broth. I will allow this to come to a boil. I will reduce the temp and allow this to simmer a bit. I will then add cubed cream cheese and allow it to melt and serve mixture over pasta.

Salad Dressing for Easy Ranch Caesar Salad

Easy Ranch Caesar Salad

Mix well:

1 pint Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk*
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
a bit of anchovy paste, optional

If possible, refrigerate dressing for an hour or so before using.

Shred 1 head of lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with crushed croutons. Pour on dressing. Toss salad and serve immediately.

*If you like a thinner dressing, add a bit more milk.

4- Minute Brownie Pie

4-Minute Brownie Pie

This is good served with ice cream. It would be great with chocolate syrup and additional nuts on the ice cream, too. We just didn't need the calories.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 8-inch pie pan.

Place eggs, sugar, butter, flour, cocoa, vanilla, and salt in small mixer bow.
Beat 4 minutes. Stir in nuts and pour into pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until done.

Tossed Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Salad (with a few blueberries in honor the 4th!)

Tossed Strawberry Salad


2 bags of prepared organic spring mix
1 can of chow mein noodles
1 large box of fresh, organic, strawberries

Mix the above together, and drizzle the following dressing recipe over the top. It is YUMMY!!

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine vinegar(red)
3 tsp. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients.

Shrimp and Grits, Easy Mandarin Orange Salad and Hush Puppies

Shrimp and Grits, Easy Mandarin Orange Salad and Hush Puppies

Many thanks again to my friend, Roan, at Joyful Always for this delicious recipe. It’s definitely a keeper! This would make a great “date-night-at-home” meal!

We bought some shrimp while we were in Destin and froze them when we got home. I thawed some of these to use for tonight’s supper. They were very tasty!

I love Shrimp and Grits! My favorite restaurant version (to date is the one served at Boure in Oxford.

Leigh and Brendan were in Destin for a conference a couple of the days we were there. They treated us to supper one night at Graffiti’s, located in the Baytown area. Larry and I both ordered the Shrimp and Grits dish, which was delicious! The restaurant’s artwork was neat, too!

The Easy Mandarin Orange Salad was inspired by a salad I ate at Harbor Docks, while we were on vacation. The crisp lettuce, crunchy almonds, sweet oranges and tangy Italian salad dressing all contrast each other nicely. It goes really well with seafood.

I've had two people mention that they have tried the Hush Puppies from Wal-mart, and they like them really well, too! They are pretty good!


Thursday - Shrimp and Grits, Easy Mandarin Orange Salad and Hush Puppies OR *”Leftover Buffet”

*If you have enough leftovers from the week’s previous meals, heat everything and serve it to your family buffet-style.

Shrimp and Grits

This recipe is courtesy of Roan at Joyful Always. Thanks, Roan!!

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon
2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use the kind in the jar already chopped)

Bring chicken broth to boil. Stir in grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
Cook bacon until crisp, set aside to cool then crumble. Cook shrimp in the same pan over medium heat 3 minutes or until almost pink, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and next 4 ingredients and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bacon. Spoon grits onto individual plates. Top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6

Easy Mandarin Orange Salad

1 bag Romaine OR spring mix lettuce
*½ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 bottle Italian salad dressing

Place lettuce on salad plates. Top with drained oranges and toasted almonds. Drizzle with salad dressing.

*To toast almonds, place slivered almonds and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwave-safe pie plate. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Hush Puppies

We really like Hush Puppies from Wal-mart. The bag doesn’t have a brand name, not even Great Value. It simply says - Hush Puppies. On the back of the bag, it says they are distributed by Wal-mart. They are really good and a hit with all of us. As Larry says, they are better than many restaurant hush puppies. I just follow the directions on the bag for baking them.

Cheesy Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes and E-Z Salad

Cheesy Chicken, Twice Bake Potatoes and E-Z Salad

We had the Cheesy Chicken from this week's meal plan last night. We all enjoyed it. This was the first time I had cooked this dish. Aunt Jean has made it for us several times and gave me the recipe. I cut the butter back to 1/2 a stick.

While we were in Destin, we ate at Pompano Joe's. It has an absolutely beautiful view of the Gulf. This restaurant draws a big crowd, and apparently, there is pretty much always a wait. Our food was good. To borrow a thought from Rick Bragg, a favorite Southern author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Pompano Joe's is good seafood along the same line of Cracker Barrel being good Southern cooking. Both are pretty good, when you haven't had the "real thing" in a while.

One of the favorite things on my plate was the twice baked potato. Here's a recipe I used for Twice Baked Potatoes last night. Baked potatoes, or twice baked potatoes, are a good choice with this chicken dish, as it has to cook for over an hour. Just slide the potatoes in alongside the casserole dish of chicken. You can delete almost any of the ingredients to suit your taste. I didn't add the bacon or onions last night, since both were in the salad. I sprinkled ours with paprika instead of the suggested toppings, as this meal was already heavy with cheese. I usually only cook two potatoes and serve each person one of the stuffed halves. A whole twice-baked potato and a salad makes a really good meal.

Oh, an ice creme scoop makes quick work of removing the potato flesh from the skin.

Twice-baked Potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon, (for ease and speed, use pre-cooked)
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl combine oil, salt and pepper. Prick each potato about four times with a fork.
Rub potato skins with oil mixture.

Bake potatoes (do not wrap in foil) in preheated oven for 50 to 60, or until soft.

Meanwhile, if not using pre-cooked bacon, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook
over medium high heat until crispy. Drain, crumble and set aside. If using pre-cooked
bacon, follow directions on package for cooking crispy bacon; crumble bacon after
microwaving.

When potatoes are done, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in
half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins.

To the potato flesh add sour cream, egg (is using) milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup
cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Combine all ingredients well. Use a mixer, if you
like.

Spoon the mixture into the potato skins, and top each with remaining cheese, green
onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

This salad is another recipe of my friend, Julie R. I have made it many times over the years! Julie is a great cook! When she shares a recipe, you know it's going to be delicious!!

E-Z Salad

About ½ head lettuce
1 medium chopped tomato
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ to ¾ cup of mayonnaise (To save calories, I use about 2 T. "real" mayo, plus 2 T. light mayo)
½ cup cooked English peas (optional)
½ cup chopped red onions (I added this. It’s optional.)
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I use 8 slices pre-cooked.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Don’t mix together until you are ready to eat, or it will be soggy.