Savory Black-Eyed Peas

I must admit I used to think that black-eyed peas taste like mud, but then I realized I hadn’t really done anything to season them. I started researching recipes online and let my imagination go wild. I think you’ll see that once you properly season them, black-eyed peas can be delicious! This dish is a hearty dinner, one that works great on a cold winter’s night. Of course, corn bread is the perfect accompaniment to the peas.

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 8

Ingredients

1 pound dry black-eyed peas (sorted and soaked overnight)
Water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chopped ham
2 onions, chopped
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (you choose the heat level)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place black-eyed peas in large pot. Barely cover with water. Stir in ham, onions, garlic, and Rotel tomatoes. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Bring beans to a boil. Cover beans, and simmer on medium-low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until peas are tender.

Parmesan Crab Spread

This is a great recipe for a party. I think it is best when served with toasted baguette slices, but you could serve it with crackers or tortilla chips. I had several recipes for crab dip, so I combined the best of each of them and came up with this recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

1 cup crab meat (if you must, use canned crab, drained and flaked)
1 8 ounce package softened cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
1 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Dried parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix the crab, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Pour into a medium casserole dish and sprinkle with parsley. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the spread is bubbly and golden brown.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

How could this get any better? It’s a combination of two of my most favorite things! When I make this for dinner, I serve it with a tossed salad. At a party, I cut it into squares and serve it with ranch or blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks on the side. Either way, it’s delicious!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8-10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

1 prepared pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 cup cooked, cubed chicken breast
½ small onion, chopped
½ cup sliced banana peppers, chopped
¾ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
¼ cup melted butter
1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except mozzarella in a large bowl and stir. Evenly spread chicken mixture on the pizza crust. Top with desired amount of mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted completely and crust is crispy.

Grilled Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers

I’ve been making variations of this recipe for years. I just decided to measure everything and write it down for the blog when I was preparing it on Memorial Day. This made a fine accompaniment to the grilled ribeye steaks we enjoyed for dinner.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions (Vidalia, if you can find them), sliced in 1/4 inch thick half moons
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat. Line a jellyroll pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Add the mushrooms, onions and pepper. Top with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, butter, olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Top with another sheet of non-stick aluminum foil and crimp edges all the way around, creating a packet.

Put packet directly on grill and cook 20-25 minutes, until the veggies are softened. Be careful opening packet as there will be a lot of steam.

Savory Hamburgers

I came up with this recipe about a month ago. I was thinking about how my Mamaw Allen always mixed bread into her hamburgers, and so did Billy Ray’s in Prestonsburg, KY. I know in the “old days” they did this sort of thing to stretch the meat out. So I added the crumbled bread and some spices and patted out hamburgers. Charlie and I thought they were great.

This is a quick and easy weeknight recipe. I hope you like it.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: About 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 TBSP dried minced onions
1 TBSP Montreal steak seasoning
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 slice bread, crumbled

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into four patties.

Heat a grill to medium high heat. Cook patties 4-5 minutes on each side or until your desired level of doneness is reached. Serve on buns with your favorite condiments.

Spicy Bean Salsa

I've had this recipe for years. There are variations of it, but this has been my go-to version. It’s a delicious salsa that always goes over well at parties, when it is served with tortilla chips. It’s also a great warm-weather side dish to accompany grilled meats. It can be put together in minutes, but does need some time to marinate to let the flavors marry. It should be made at least 8 hours ahead, but letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight is the best! It can be served cold or at room temperature.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time N/A
Servings 8-10

Ingredients

1 can black-eyed peas
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes (you choose the heat level)
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup Italian dressing (I use Kraft Light)
½ tsp garlic salt
Black pepper to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and cover. Refrigerate mixture at least eight hours (overnight is best).

Mozzarella Mac

This is another recipe I got from my mom. It’s a deliciously different take on basic macaroni and cheese. It’s so simple and the ingredients are ones most have on hand all the time. This is a very easy weeknight dish, as it takes no time at all to put it together.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced (Mom uses the reduced fat version)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Mom uses the reduced fat version)
1 ½ cups milk (Mom uses fat free milk)
1 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 11 baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the mixture is hot and bubbly.