Cabbie’s Cooking

Here is my mother’s sweet potato casserole recipe. This is lighter than the Sweet Potato Souffle that I make - but it is still delicious! Give it a try.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

Combine the above ingredients and pour into a baking dish. Follow the directions below for the topping:

Topping Ingredients
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cuup chopped pecans
1/4 cup flour

Mix topping ingredients well and sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Most people like mashed potatoes, and I’m no exception.  Here is my recipe for ”Heavenly Mashed Potatoes.”  They really are divine! 

Heavenly Mashed Potatoes

5-6 medium white potatoes

4 Tablespoons butter

1 can evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Quarter the potatoes and place in a saucepan.  Cover with water.  Boil gently until a fork inserted in the potatoes goes in easily.  Drain the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl.  Add the butter and salt and papper.  Add approximately 1/4 cup evaporated milk and mix using a potato masher.  I previously used an electric hand mixer, but that sometimes made them gluey.   So use a little arm strength to mash them.  Mash vigorously with the potato masher to make them as fluffy as possible.  You can add more or less evaporated milk - depending on the consistency you like best.  Enjoy!

My daughter-in-law gave me this recipe.  It is one of my son’s favorite salads.  Now we all love it and make it often. It is scrumptious!

Easy Corn Salad

1 can white whole kernel corn, drained well

1 can yellow whole kernel corn, drained well

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cup diced green onion

1/2 cup diced tomato (remove the seeds before dicing)

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (or use Bacon Bits)

Mix all the ingredients together well.  Salt/Pepper to taste.  Refrigerate. 

It is just about the easiest thing in the world to make - and it goes great with a summer meal.  You can use light mayonaise to cut down on the calories and fat grams.

Here is a recipe that’s been in my family for ages. I think it was my mother-in-law’s originally. I’m not sure where she got it. However, it is the most delicious sweet potato dish in the world. It is almost like a dessert. Actually, at times I have had an extra serving of this rather than eating dessert after a meal. It’s PERFECT for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  Both my daughter and my daughter-in-law now make it for holiday meals.

SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE’

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick margarine
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick margarine
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix together the first seven ingredients, blending until smooth. Pour into a large casserole dish. Combine the topping ingredients and spread over the top of the potatoes. Bake in 350 degree oven until topping is a light brown. Makes 8-10 servings.

RT was quite the gentleman for Valentine’s Day!  He prepared breakfast for me, and then packed my lunch to take to school.  He hand delivered a beautiful pink rose bouquet to me at school, and then when we got home that evening, he insisted that I sit down and relax while he prepared a special dinner for me.  He even insisted that I relax while he cleaned up the kitchen after dinner.  RT can grill a mean steak, and that’s what he did for Valentine’s Day.  He prepared a delicious shrimp cocktail with lemon wedges for an appetizer, opened a bottle of Charles Shaw merlot to sip throughout the meal, grilled two great ribeye steaks, had a plate of fresh watermelon slices, an original salad, and an original dessert.   Note that both the salad and the caramel volcano are completely original recipes that RT created as he prepared the meal.  They both were absolutely DELICIOUS!  Here are the recipes:

Grilled Ribeye Steaks

2 high quality ribeye steaks

garlic salt

pepper

Rub both sides of the steak with the garlic salt and pepper.  Be generous with the seasonings.  Grill 6 - 10 minutes per side - depending on the thickness of the steak and your preference for doneness.  After removing from the grill let the steaks rest for a few minutes before serving.

Mandarin Pecan Romaine Salad

Juice of one lemon wedge

1 small can Mandarin oranges

1/4 cup pecans pieces

1/4 cup crisp bacon bits

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 head shredded Romaine lettuce

Ranch dressing

Mix all the ingredients except lemon and ranch dressing.  Squeeze the lemon wedge over the salad.  Serve with ranch dressing.  DELICIOUS!

Caramel Volcano

1 small can Mandarin oranges

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2 tsp. light brown sugar

A shot glass of Bailey’s Caramel Irish Cream Liqueur

2 Maraschino cherries with a little of the Marschino liquid

Build your volcano by placing half the Mandarin oranges in the bottom of each of two individual serving bowls.  Sprinkle the pecan pieces on top of the Mandarin oranges - half in each bowl.  Tower half the yogurt in the middle of each bowl.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.  Pour the Bailey’s Caramel Irish Cream on top of it all.  Place the bowls in the freezer for approximately 15 - 20 minutes before serving.  Add a maraschino cherry on top and drizzle a little of the marschino liquid down the sides of he volcano.

We had a covered dish dinner at church yesterday. One of the ladies brought a tomato-mozarella salad that was delicious.  I asked what the ingredients were, and then I came up with this recipe.  Here’s my version:

Tomato-Mozzarella Salad
2 tomatoes (Fresh from the garden is best!)
1 fresh mozzarella ball
2 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

Prepare immediately before serving.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella so that you end up with the same number of slices of each.
Layer the tomatoes and mozzarella slices (fanned out) on a serving dish, alternating the tomato slices and the mozzarella slices.
Sprinkle the chopped basil on top.
Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Serves 2-4.

Last night we had a grilled pork tenderloin and brown rice for dinner.  I wanted a quick salad to go with it.  So I made one with what I had on hand - and it was great.  Here’s what I did:

 Tomato-Balsamic Salad

2-3 fresh tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, shredded or cut into thin slices

1/4 cup, cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar (more or less, depending on your taste)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more or less, depending on your taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Toss ingredients in a bowl and serve.