Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
July's book is Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.
Here is a review of the book:
From Booklist
Momma always told CeeCee (short for Cecelia Rose) that “being in the North isn’t living—it’s absolute hell.” Of course, having to live with Momma—Camille Sugarbaker Honeycutt, that is, Vidalia Onion Queen, 1951—doesn’t make it any more heavenly, especially when Momma starts standing in the front yard blowing kisses to passersby. You know this is going to end badly, and so it does, when the erstwhile onion queen is run over by a speeding Happy Cow Ice Cream Truck. Before you can say “sweet magnolia blossoms,” 12-year-old CeeCee is sent off to Savannah to live with her elderly great aunt, Tallulah Caldwell, and her wise African American housekeeper and cook, Oletta. It being 1967, you know there will be one dark episode of racial hatred, but it’s quickly—and conveniently—resolved offstage, leaving all the characters free to continue being relentlessly eccentric, upbeat, sweet as molasses, and living, as CeeCee puts it with a straight face, “in a breezy, flower-scented fairy tale . . . a strange, perfumed world that . . . seemed to be run entirely by women.” Light as air but thoroughly pleasant reading. --Michael Cart
Cheesy Black-Eyed Pea Dip
ReplyDeleteIngredients:
* 4 ounces butter
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
* 12 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 2 cans (15 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed, or about 4 cups
cooked and drained
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
* 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
* salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped
onion and sauté until golden in color; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds
longer. Turn heat to low and add cheese, stirring until melted. Add the
black-eyed peas, chopped jalapeno and green chiles. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring
constantly. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot in slow cooker or
in a chafing dish.
Serves 8.
Southern-Style Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens
ReplyDeleteServings: 6
Preparation Time: 12 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
An excellent Southern side dish with a bit of spice. Terrific with pork recipes or our Chicken-Fried Steak.
Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion(s), chopped
4 cup(s) collard greens, without stems, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
15 oz cooked black-eyed peas, canned, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, coarse-variety
1/4 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch round glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes; add collard greens and broth. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low; simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook on high for 1 minute if necessary, for liquid to evaporate. Stir in peas, salt, hot pepper sauce and pepper. Spoon pea mixture into prepared baking dish; smooth into an even layer.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and cheese; sprinkle over pea mixture. Bake until topping is browned, about 15 minutes.* Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
Baked Garlic Cheese Grits
ReplyDeleteRecipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Serves: 12 servings
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups regular grits
16 ounces Cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.
Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.