Recipes Upon Request

Okay Krissy, Kim, and Heather...and the many others who want these recipes. I finally got around to posting them. I hope you enjoy.

North Carolina BBQ:
This recipe was given to me by the Ortega's that I met in Southport, NC. They aren't native Southerners--Sister Ortega is from the Tri-Cities, and Brother Ortega is from New Mexico, but they learned the proper ways of Southern living while in North Carolina. This recipe was given to them by a friend.

First, the sauce:

1 gal Brown Apple Cider Vinegar
3 – 6 oz cans Tomato Paste
1 cup Crushed Red Peppers
2 ½ tbs Black Pepper
2 ½ tbs Red Pepper
12 oz Honey
2 tbs Salt
½ cup Worchester
½ cup Yellow Mustard
1/3 cup Sugar

Cook on Medium or High heat until all ingredients dissolve and then cool. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 year. This makes a huge batch, so you can cut the recipe in half. We cut the recipe in half and we still didn't use very much of it (and we fed roughly 12 people), so you will have some sauce left over.

Then put the pork in a slow cooker, with some sauce (you don't need a lot), and let it cook on low heat for 6-8 hrs. Shred the pork, and put it back into the slow cooker. You can add more sauce if you want to. You can eat it on a bun, but it is more common just to eat it off your plate.

Hushpuppies:

AKA amazingly delicious. To be honest, I don't have a recipe and most Southerners don't either. They just buy a mix, and add water. Then they make a ball and drop it into the hot oil. You can google search for "Smithfield Chicken N BBQ" which is a good Southern restaurant that sells hushpuppy mixes.

Baked Beans:

1 Large can Busch original beans (or two pork and beans, drained)

Brown Sugar

Ketchup

3 Strips Crispy Bacon

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Ground red pepper (Careful!)

Combine and bake in oven at 375 for an hour, or until the edges start bubbling. Oh yeah take the big chunk of meat out of the Busch beans. She said that's important.

Slaw:

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, cored and shredded (makes 12-14 cups)
1/2 tea celery seed
1/2 cup mayo
2 TB white vinegar
1 tea dijon mustard
1 tea sugar
1 tea salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 small onion minced

Place cabbage in a strainer with a little salt sprinkled on top for one hour to release the unnecessary moisture. Rinse cabbage and pat dry with paper towel.

Toast celery seeds over medium heat until you smell a fragrance (roughly three minutes). Wisk seed and all other ingredients together. Pour onto cabbage, carrots and onions, and mix. Let chill for one hour.


Nanna Puddin':
(must be pronounced that way...)

Ingredients:

1 box Nilla Wafers

3/4 C white sugar

1/3 C All Purpose Flour

4 eggs, separated (that means you crack them and separate the yolk from the whites, not just 4 separate eggs...)
2 C milk (She said Fat Free Evaporated is the best, makes it richer... mmm)

1/2 tsp vanilla

5-6 medium, ripe bananas

Directions:

In large, oven-safe bowl layer Nilla wafers then sliced bananas, over and over again. With knife, poke holes throughout.

In saucepan over MEDIUM heat, combine flour and 1/2 C Sugar. Stir in 4 egg yolks and milk. Blend well. Stirring constantly, bring to boil. When it thickens, remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour this pudding over the wafers and bananas in the bowl. (The holes allow it to seep down in...)

Beat Egg Whites and 1/4 C Sugar till fluffy. (She said there needs to be mountain peaks on top, whatever that means)

Then put this meringue on top of the puddin. Place whole bowl in preheated oven at 425 for 5 minutes or until "delicately golden."

Remove from oven, let cool, (I prefer it refrigerated) and enjoy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (or just use 8 ounces cream cheese)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins (for large cupcakes) or 15 muffin tins (for regular sized cupcakes) with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the 12 (or 15) muffin tins and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

Then, in another bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages. If the frosting is not thick enough to pipe, cover and place in the refrigerator until firm.

Makes 12 large cupcakes.

Note: If you want regular sized cupcakes, only fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. This will give you about 15 regular sized muffins.

And that was our dinner! You can have herbal ice tea to go with it if you would like. Ice tea is also another Southern delight.