Southern Treats: St.Patty's Day Cake Balls

Southern Treats: St.Patty's Day Cake Balls: "My wonderful wife, had a St. Patty's Day luncheon at work, and everyone had to bring something green to celebrate the day. After having see..."

St.Patty's Day Cake Balls

My wonderful wife, had a St. Patty's Day luncheon at work, and everyone had to bring something green to celebrate the day. After having seen and heard so much about cake balls, she thought of how to make them appropriate for the occasion. She started out with a regular box of Duncan Hines yellow cake and mixed according to the instructions, she then added green food coloring to the mix to give it it's green color. The cake was baked according to the instructions and then allowed to cool. She then proceed to crumble the cake into a mixing bowl.
A regular can of vanilla frosting was also tinted, with the green food coloring, to stay with the theme. The frosting is incorporated to the crumbled cake, to help it to bin and be able to shape them into golf size balls. The mix should be sticky, but not overly mushy. We inserted the lollipop sticks to make it easier, in the dipping process( I'll explain that later). The balls were then placed on wax paper and on a sheet tray and into the freezer, for about 25 minutes. This is done to help the mix harden and hold better.
Ready for the freezer. At this point she started to melt down some candy wafers, to type to make candy shell. We were able to find green candy wafer and in a small crock pot, she started to melt the candy and mixed about a 1/8-1/4 cup of milk to help loosen the melted wafers. After the balls were taken out of the freezer, she then started the dipping process. She actually found it easier to remove the sticks and dip with a dripping spoon and then re-insert the sticks for easy handling. These could also be served as truffles, on a small baking cup or other decorative setting.
The balls are setting with the candy shell.
And this is the finished product. The possibilities are endless. Next time, she said she would add candy sprinkles, as soon as they are taken out of the melted candy. These she used a icing piped through a thin tip and made a marble like effect over the candy shell, unfortunately, the camera battery died out. These are bite size, easy to make and portion controlled for those who want a treat and are conscious about their eating habits. Happy St. Patty's Day!

Southern Treats: Very Dirty Rice!

Southern Treats: Very Dirty Rice!: "One of our very good neighbors introduced to 'Dirty Rice' a little while back. It was so good and my wife asked her how hard it was to make..."

Very Dirty Rice!

One of our very good neighbors introduced to "Dirty Rice" a little while back. It was so good and my wife asked her how hard it was to make. She replied that it was pretty easy and then for my wife's birthday, she gave her a copy of the "River Road Recipes" by The Junior League of Baton Rogue, Inc. This book is regarded as one of the top ten Louisiana /Cajun Cookbooks. Well, now there was no excuse, for us, not to experiment. A few slight deviations from the actual recipe, but, for the most part tried to stay true to the origins. Started out by sautéeing some yellow and green onions. Then added some diced pepper, chopped chicken livers, chopped garlic, bulk mild pork sausage, and some diced up leftover brisket. Seasoned with Ancho Chili powder and black pepper.
While this was going on, my wife was making the long grain white rice, separately. Basic way of cooking rice, except didn't let all the liquid get absorbed. About 5 minutes, prior to the rice being done, we added the sautéed mixture to the rice.
Mixed it well and then into a pre-heated 350 degree oven, for 15 minutes, to finish. This is what the finished product looked like. It was very tasty and the addition of the brisket, gave it a hearty meaty taste. We omitted the spicy red peppers it called for, in the original recipe, because my wife doesn't like the spiciness....
But this made it all right for me. This is an easy, quick meal and there is really no need for a side dish. Now, let see what the real deal Cajun jury has to say (our neighbors). Hope you give it a try.

Southern Treats: Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie

Southern Treats: Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie: "Here is a little comfort fast food and a great idea to make use of all your holiday leftovers. I used some roasted turkey breast, honey gla..."

Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie

Here is a little comfort fast food and a great idea to make use of all your holiday leftovers. I used some roasted turkey breast, honey glazed ham, ready made pie crusts, puff pastry sheets, cream of mushroom, diced onions, diced peppers, brown rice, dried cranberries, cheddar jack cheese and mixed veggies. Started out by sweating the onions and peppers, in a little butter, in a pan. Once the desired color was obtained, I added the meat(s) and warmed them up. Then added the cream of mushroom, cooked brown rice, veggies and cranberries. Seasoned the mixture, with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a touch of cinnamon. I set up the deep pie crusts and let the puff pastry thaw out( about 45 minutes). Once the stuffing was cooled, then poured into each pie crust.
Topped with cheddar cheese and then rolled out the puff pastry, crimped to the crust, with an egg wash mixture and used a fork to secure to the crust.. Made four slits to allow for ventilation and egg washed the top for a golden crust. Pre-warmed the oven to 400 degrees, and then placed the pies on a sheet pan for about 10-14 minutes.
Let the pie cool off a few minutes and dig in. This is what the cut section looks like.
A good wholesome meal with minimal effort and maximum satisfaction. This was a big hit with our guests. Definitely a crowd pleaser! Enjoy!
Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the family and friends! Happy Holidays!

Southern Treats: Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup

Southern Treats: Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup: "As the weather starts to cool down, a little homemade soup can sure hit the spot. But who has time to make chicken soup from scratch? The ..."