Green Up and Pray for Spring!

This winter has been a long and cold one, no matter where you live. Thank goodness it's almost over. With spring right around the corner, take a fresh look at salads to welcome in the new warmer weather. Salads don't have to be on a leafy base. They can be filled with vegetables and bursting with a light and refreshing zing. Finding fresh English peas can be tricky, so I use frozen peas for this recipe. Try it for the first picnic of the season.


English Pea and Radish Salad

1 (16-oz.) package frozen petite green peas
1 cup very thinly sliced radishes
2 green onions, sliced (1⁄4 cup)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint, plus a few sprigs for garnish
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
3⁄4 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Fill a large bowl halfway with water and ice. Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add frozen peas, and cook 1 minute; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Combine peas and next 3 ingredients in a bowl.

2. Whisk together olive oil and next 4 ingredients until well blended. Pour over peas; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Makes: 8 servings

Hands-on Time: 10 min. Total Time: 30 min.

Recipe from Southern Living Around the Southern Table by Rebecca Lang (Oxmoor House, 2012)
(c) 2014 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC

Bacon Covered Roasted Turkey

There’s nothing more frightening than cutting into the Thanksgiving turkey and finding dry, unappealing meat. The air of silence falls over the table as everyone saws through slices of the main course as if it were pressure treated lumber. It’s awkward for anyone eating and nothing short of heartbreaking for the cook.

There is an essential combination that fights off dryness and turns an average turkey into the star of a meal that will be remembered for countless holidays. Brining, boosting flavor with an herbed butter, and taking advantage of the miraculous properties of bacon are the keys to true Thanksgiving turkey glory.

Bacon-Covered Roasted Turkey

Choose a fresh turkey—and read the label to make sure it hasn’t been injected with a saline or flavor solution—to ensure a juicy and perfectly seasoned holiday centerpiece.

2 cups medium-flake kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3 Tbsp. black peppercorns

1 Tbsp. mustard seeds

1 (12-lb.) whole fresh turkey

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1⁄2 tsp. table salt

1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Kitchen string

6 bacon slices (not thick cut)

Garnishes: roasted carrots, fresh bay leaves

1. Combine first 4 ingredients and 2 qt. water in a saucepan, and cook over

medium heat 5 minutes or until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat.

Divide liquid between 2 large (10- to 12-cup) bowls; add 4 cups ice cubes to

each bowl and enough cold water to make 10 cups of brine in each bowl. Stir

until ice melts and both mixtures are completely cool (about 5 minutes).

2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey, and reserve for another use, if

desired. Place turkey in an 18-qt. food-grade plastic container or stockpot.

Pour brine into cavity and over turkey, covering turkey completely. Place in

refrigerator. Cover and chill 24 hours, turning turkey once halfway through.

3. Combine butter and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove turkey from brine, discarding brine. Rinse

turkey well, including cavity.

5. Starting at neck, carefully loosen and lift skin from breast and drumsticks

using your fingers. (Do not totally detach skin.) Rub 3⁄4 cup butter mixture

under skin; carefully replace skin. Tie ends of legs together with string; tuck

wing tips under. Place turkey, breast side up, on a lightly greased rack in a

roasting pan; rub remaining butter mixture over skin.

6. Roast turkey at 350° for 1 hour and 45 minutes, basting with pan juices

every 20 minutes during last 45 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven, and

lay bacon slices, crosswise, over breast and drumsticks.

7. Return turkey to oven; roast 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a meat thermometer

inserted in thickest portion of thigh registers 170°, basting every 15 minutes.

Let stand 30 minutes before carving. Garnish, if desired.

Makes: 8 servings

Hands-on Time: 50 min. Total Time: 4 hr., plus 1 day for brining

(c) Copyright 2012 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC

Recipe from Southern Living Around the Southern Table by Rebecca Lang, Oxmoor House, 2012 

Photo by Jennifer Davick

The Cook and the Camera

This New Year's weekend was my seventh trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia for the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. It's a family affair. My dad is the compiler and I'm the cook for the group. The first night we feasted on hearty chicken casseroles, yeast rolls with herb butter, Bacon Vinaigrette with Salad Greens and 10 layer chocolate cake. On Saturday, the famished birders came in to my mama's incredible spaghetti, French bread with caramelized onion butter, and candied pecan salad. We ended the night on another 10 layer cake and a champagne toast to the New Year.
I cook ahead so I can spend a great deal of my time on the breathtaking island outside.When I wasn't in the kitchen, I was roaming around with my camera.

Bacon Vinaigrette with Salad Greens

Serves 8

6 slices bacon, chopped (about 6 ounces)

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped Vidalia onion

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil (about 1/4 cup)

2 (5-ounce) packages mixed salad greens

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp.

Meanwhile, combine the honey, mustard, onion, vinegar, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the liquid is smooth.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the drippings. When cooled slightly, pour the drippings into a 1-cup measuring cup.

Add enough vegetable oil to the bacon drippings to make 1/2 cup.

With the food processor running, slowing add the drippings and the oil in a steady stream.

Add 2 tablespoons crisp bacon and pulse 3 times.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad greens. Serve the remaining bacon over the salad.

Store any remaining dressing in the fridge for up to one week.

Recipe from Quick-Fix Southern (Andrews McMeel 2011)

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. 

www.rebeccalangcooks.com

Giving Thanks over Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Each and every one of us is blessed in some way. My sweet dad says a blessing at the table that includes, “Thank you for these and all our many blessings.” It’s a sentence I try to remember each time I sit down to eat.

Looking back on the year is bittersweet. It's been a busy time of excitement but also a tough year for us. We lost a family member this summer and needless to say, it's been a very long road. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for every single day I have with those that I love. We are so blessed and I will be thankful for that every chance I get.

Take a moment to make a list of 10 things that make you thankful. I made my list and it's now on my refrigerator door.

1. My children are healthy and happy.

2. I have a husband I admire and love.

3. Mama's help that allows me to do what I do and my morning phone calls with my dad.

4. My home is comfortable.

5. I have a strong, good-to-the-core family.

6. I adore my job.

7. My church and all the people that work to make it such a blessing to so many.

8. My friends are so very supportive and caring.

9. I will always have my memories of those no longer with us.

10. Our table is always filled with food. This Thanksgiving, it includes my irresistible Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

4 Tbsp. ice water

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 Tbsp. bourbon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

2 cups pecan halves

1. Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles the size of peas. Sprinkle ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball; cover and chill 45 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 450˚. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate; trim off excess pastry along edges. Fold edges under, and crimp. Line pastry with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove weights and foil; bake pastry 3 more minutes. Remove pastry crust to a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚.

3. Melt butter and chocolate over low heat in a large saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and next 5 ingredients. Stir in pecans.

4. Bake pie at 350˚ for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set and slightly puffed. Cool completely before serving.

16 Tips for Proper Grocery Store Etiquette

I believe the two groups that frequent the grocery store the most are those that work in food and women with children. That leaves me in both groups and nearly qualified to receive mail at my local store. Shopping for groceries can be a relaxing, therapeutic experience when all goes well and nothing short of maddening when it doesn’t. If only all shoppers brushed up on their manners before filling up their carts, grocery shopping would be more enjoyable for all of us.

The amazing (and pillar of politeness) Central Market in Dallas, TX

1.  If you want to pass in front of another shopper while she is looking for an item, saying, “excuse me,” is absolutely necessary.

2.  Do not wander the store talking to friends using a cell phone earpiece. Every other shopper thinks you’re talking to her. No one is so important that they can’t make it through the store without communicating with the outside.

3.  When a mother is desperately trying to calm her crying baby, please be extra sweet to her. I promise, she wants the child to calm down just as much as you do.

4.  Control your children in the store. Running kids and moving carts do not go together.

5.  If a woman is shopping with more than one child, be overly courteous. Until you’ve shopped with small children, you don’t understand how much easier it is to buy groceries alone.

6.  Look before pulling out at the end of the aisle. It’s a crash waiting to happen.

7. Do not choose produce and then snack on it as you shop. When you're paying by weight, that's stealing.

8.  Do not begin unloading your cart on the conveyor belt until the person in front of you has completely emptied her cart.

9.  If someone is behind you in line with one or two items, be kind and let them in front of you.

10.  Do not write a check. If you don’t use credit cards, get cash out of the bank. Others behind you would like to check out in a timely manner.

11.  Clip all coupons at home. During check out is not the time to organize, clip, or choose coupons.

12.  For those with massive three ring binders of coupons that impressively turn saving money into a job (whom I have the utmost respect for), please tell those behind you in line that they may want to choose another line. It’s going to be a while.

13.  While in your car, give the right of way to those walking in and out of the store. It’s easy. Just stop your car and wait for shoppers to pass.

14.  As in any other parking lot, turn on your blinker when aiming for a spot. If you see a car waiting with a blinker flashing, that spot is taken.

15.  Put your cart in the designated place in the parking lot. I don’t want to go home with a ding in my door and neither do you.

16.  Offer to take another’s cart in as you pass by in the parking lot.

White Pimento Cheese

White Pimento Cheese

Makes 4 cups

This version is insanely good as a dip for veggies. Made with several cheeses, it’s a downtown version of a country staple.

1 (10-ounce) block sharp white Cheddar cheese

4 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese

4 ounces block mozzarella cheese

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Grate the white Cheddar, Cheddar, and mozzarella cheeses using the large holes of a box grater. Combine the cheeses, pimentos, mayonnaise, and pecans in a large mixing bowl. Serve on crackers, in a sandwich, or with sliced vegetables. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. 

www.rebeccalangcooks.com 

Video by WXIA-TV Atlanta