White Acre Peas & Okra: Fond Memories

White Acre Peas & Okra

Hi everybody :)

If you've being following my blog from the beginning, you've heard me mentioning my mom a couple times. She would have been 73 this month. She lost her battle with breast cancer back in October 2004. Another milestone...when times like these roll around I cherish the fond memories of her and hold them tightly.

Today I'm sharing one of my fondness memories of her with you. Every Spring and Fall we would plant a garden. Sometimes we would spend hours working in it, just she and I. She love to planted peas, okra, corn, squash, collards, tomatoes, the list goes on and on. Whatever she plant, it just seem to thrive, she definitely was born with a green thumb. I inherited my green thumb for her too, not a year went by without me having a garden...although not as big as the ones we did together but a garden nevertheless.

I remember us shelling peas whenever harvest time rolls around. She would cook some of them to eat then and blanch and freeze the rest for later. I love being in the kitchen watching her cook. I picked up a lot of my cooking talents from her also. Which brings me to today recipe,  so lets get it started...

White Acre Peas & Okra

Ingredients

6 cups peas (I used frozen white acre peas)
1 pound smoked turkey meat: wings, drumstick, (cut into pieces) or tails ( I used turkey tails)
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base, reduced sodium
Water; enough to cover the meat
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cup okra (I used frozen)

Cook smoked turkey meat on simmer in a medium pot with enough water to cover until tender. (I cooked mine for 1 hour.)

Remove from heat, allow to cool enough to remove fat and bones from the meat and return to pot with the stock.

Meanwhile in the same pot with the turkey meat and stock add the peas, chicken base, salt,  pepper and butter. Cook, covered, on simmer until peas are tender. (I cooked mine for 40 minutes.) Remove from heat and add okra.

Gently press okra down into stock and cover with lid. (The heat from the pot will cook the okra.) Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Before I go, I want to leave you with a little word of advice; MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNTS. I didn't know it at the time, but I know now...those moments with her were life timeless treasures and I'm so grateful I had the chance to experience them. Tell your family and friends that you love them, not only tell them but show them. The word;  love is a verb and requires action.

Here's to you, Mom.

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to  
Tastetastic Thursday @ A Little Nosh
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage 
 The Mandatory Mooch Tasty Thursday 
Show Case Your Talent @ What's Cooking Love
Carole's Chatter: Peas or Green Beans Food Link Friday

Pepperoni Rolls: PIZZA IN A ROLL....Pizza Rolls!

Pepperoni Rolls

Hi everybody :)

A few years ago, I discovered Gooseberry Patch and their wonderful organization of cookbooks and more. I was delighted that I actually won a few of their cookbooks. One of them was Simple Shortcut Recipes; I won at Eat Cake for Dinner.

Jenn has a fantastic blog , great recipes, beautiful pictures, lots of followers, everything.  If you haven't heard about her blog, you must go and check it out.

Now...on to the recipe, remember the Cheddar Cheese Loaves  I prepared last week, but only cooked one loaf.  Well, I'm now ready to share what I did with the dough of the second loaf.

Pepperoni Rolls adapted Gooseberry Patch Simple Shortcut Recipes

 2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I used Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning and Rosemary Basil and Citrus Salt)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (omit)
1/2 teaspoon Salad Supreme                
2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (I used 1 Cheddar Cheese Dough )
16-oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni
16-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Mild Cheddar Cheese
Garnish: pizza sauce, warmed

In a bowl, mix eggs, seasonings and Parmesan cheese; set aside,

Egg Mixture

Roll out first loaf into a rectangle on a floured surface.

Cheddar Cheese Dough

Spread half of egg mixture on top;

Added Egg Mixture

layer with half the pepperoni and sprinkle with half the mozzarella Cheese.

Added Pepperoni & Cheeses

Roll up jelly-roll style; place seam-side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat process for second loaf.

Rolling up Jelly-Roll Style

Before Baking

(I went ahead and cut mine before baking. I baked them for 20 minutes.)

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until lightly golden. The bottom of the rolls will be browned.
Cool and cut into 2-inch slices; serve with pizza sauce. Makes 20 to 24 servings. (I made 12 buns)

What I Did and/or Think:
First, I did only half the recipe and used the prepared Cheddar Cheese Dough for the dough. I also cut the roll before baking it instead of afterward like the recipe stated. The other changes are in Italic stated above.

The Taste: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the taste of this, so did my son and his friend, they ate most of them :) These buns are basically PIZZA IN A ROLL....Pizza Rolls!  This is now my new way of making pizza, and cheese in the crust is definitely the way to go. This goes without saying, but I simply gotta say it anyway ...IT'S ANOTHER WHAT.... REPEAT!

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms: Melt-In-Your-Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop #84 ,
Pizza Blog Hop
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands  
Kathe With an E   You're Gonna Love It
33 Shades of Green-Tasty Tuesday

Tuesday-Talent-Show:  Chef In Training
Tasty Tuesday (Food Only) @ Naptime Creation

Cheesy Egg Casserole: Breakfast Is Served

Cheesy Egg Casserole: Breakfast Is Served

Hi everybody :)

Welcome to another Breakfast Is Served Sunday, if you're just tuning in to my blog every Sunday I post a Breakfast Is Served, today you're in for a treat. The last Breakfast Is Served is found here.

Today recipe is the results of experimenting with another recipe I found while browsing the web. I wanted to add more vegetables to the casserole and some meat too, so here's what I did....

Cheesy Egg Casserole adapted slightly here 
1/3 cup ground sausage; cooked and well drained or Canadian Bacon; sliced in quarter pieces ( I used Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage)
3 - 4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Pinch salt (optional; if sausage is spicy, omit)
Pinch black pepper (optional; if sausage is spicy, omit)
1/4 cup fresh Spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped (I used 2 mini peppers)
1  medium tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons  green onion,chopped
2 slices of bread, cubed (I used whole wheat bread)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild cheddar)
 
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, sausage, sour cream, salt and pepper; stir in the spinach, bell pepper,  tomato, onion, bread cubes and cheese.

Pour into a greased 2-cup baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Yield: about 3 to 4 servings.

 What I Think: 
I love the addition of sausage, more vegetables, plus the bread cubes to keep it from being too moist. I used Jimmy Deans Sage Sausage, because I thought it would be a great choice, and I was right.

The casserole had a nice savory taste and I LOVE the combination of the vegetables. But I think the next time I make this I 'll use shredded hash browns in the place of the bread cubes, but all in all this is a REPEAT.

ENJOY! Come again....

 Linked to .Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms: Melt-In-Your-Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop #84 ,