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Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good!
Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good!
Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good!
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Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good!

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What is Pure Country Cooking? It's the dishes Momma or Granny prepared for the family at every Sunday dinner after church...fried chicken, green beans, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs and a cold pitcher of sweet tea. Picture, if you will, the recipes handed down for generations and taught to young ladies who would learn and pass on this sacred skill to their children. There's Sister using great-Granny's chipped cup to measure flour for a cobbler or Aunt Dot's can she cut biscuits with for decades. Well, I'm not describing my family but I have lived the dream. I was born in Connecticut, moved to Tennessee in 1975 and my Momma hasn't cooked in years. Fortunately, I was blessed with good friends with wonderful Southern Mommas, Nannies and Grannies (and a few Paw Paws) who took me under their wing and taught me how to prepare the foods that are synonymous with the South. The ones your family will push away from the table with a smile on their face and say, "Man, That Stuff is Good!"

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 10, 2019
ISBN9780463811511
Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good!
Author

Denise Grisham

Denise Grisham is a food blogging, picture-taking, book reading, outdoor loving, southern-raised lady who makes her home in Southern Middle Tennessee during the work week and the Elk River in North Alabama on the weekends with husband, Andy. When she is not researching or creating new recipes, photographing new dishes and blogging on “Man, That Stuff is Good!” you’ll find her reading, capturing photos of wildlife, working on the cabin and wishing she was visiting her sister in Alaska.

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    Book preview

    Pure Country Cooking - Denise Grisham

    "Pure Country Cooking:

    The Best of

    Man, That Stuff is Good!"

    Copyright 2019 Denise Grisham

    Published by Denise Grisham at Smashwords

    Front Cover Photo Credits:

    Denise Grisham: The Mini Maverick, Dana Troglen

    Lemons: Tasha King, Pixabay.com

    Smashwords Edition License Notes

    This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    Table of Contents

    Acknowledgements

    Prologue

    Appetizers:

    Cocktail Wienies

    Cream Cheese, Jelly and Bacon Spread

    Deviled Eggs

    Pickled Eggs

    Pimiento Cheese

    Sausage Balls

    Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

    Spinach Cheese Dip

    Tennessee Caviar

    Troy’s Salsa

    Zesty Crackers

    Beverages:

    Bloody Mary

    Bloody Mary II

    Golden Glow Punch

    Orange Sherbet Mimosas

    Perfect Punch

    Southern Sweet Tea

    Sun-Drop® Punch

    Breads:

    Cornbread

    Cornbread Dressing

    Cornbread and Rolls, Leftover

    Easy Biscuits

    Hoe Cakes

    Hush Puppies

    Quick Rolls

    Sausage and Cheddar Biscuits

    Unbelievably Good Cornbread

    Yeast Rolls

    Pasta/Rice:

    Dirty Rice

    Easy Pasta Salad

    Muffuletta Pasta Salad

    Oven Roasted Veggie Angel Hair Pasta

    Salads:

    Cole Slaw

    Hot Slaw

    Mandarin Almond Salad

    Wilted Lettuce Salad

    Sides:

    Andy’s Taters and Onions

    Black Eyed Peas

    Black Skillet Sweet Potatoes

    Bread and Butter Pickles

    Collard Greens

    Cornbread Dressing

    Cowboy Beans

    Death Corn Five

    Fried Apples

    Fried Cabbage

    Fried Corn

    Fried Green Tomatoes

    Fried Okra

    Fried Potatoes

    Fried Potato Cakes

    Fried Squash

    Grandma’s Super Easy Pickles

    Granny Grisham’s Corn Casserole

    Green Bean Casserole

    Grilled Cabbage

    Grilled Corn

    Hash Brown Casserole

    Momma’s Top-Secret Potato Salad

    New Potatoes and Green Beans

    Oven Baked Fries

    Pickled Beets

    Pinto Beans

    Purple Hull Peas

    Seasoned Canned Green Beans

    Scalloped Potatoes

    Southern Style Green Beans

    Squash Dressing

    Squash Fritters

    Stewed Potatoes

    Tomato Cheese Grits Casserole

    Tomatoes and Okra

    Tomato Pie

    Turnip Greens

    Twice Baked Potatoes

    Vidalia Onion Casserole

    Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes

    Main Course Beef:

    Andy’s Easy Red Chili

    Andy’s Goulash

    Andy’s Special Recipe Meatloaf

    Andy’s Three Meat Chili

    Beef Stew

    Denise’s Goulash

    Mississippi Roast

    Salisbury Steak

    Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

    Main Course Chicken:

    Chicken and Dressing

    Easy Chicken and Dumplings

    Andy’s Chicken Smoked on the Bubba Keg®

    Andy’s Chicken BBQ’d on the Bubba Keg®

    Chicken, Oven Fried, Cornflake Crust

    Chicken Pot Pie

    Copy Cat Chick-fil-A® Strips

    Drunk Chicken

    Fried Chicken Strips

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    Roasted Chicken

    Southern Fried Chicken

    Main Course Pork:

    Baked Boston Butt

    Baked Ham

    Boston Butt Smoked on Backyard Pit

    Boston Butt Smoked on Bubba Keg

    Beer Brats

    Hog Jowl

    Pinto Bean Casserole

    Pork Dumplings

    Grilled or Smoked Ribs

    Grilled

    Smoker or Pit

    Smoked Country Style Pork Ribs

    Shank Portion Ham Smoked on the Bubba Keg

    Smoked Ham on the Oklahoma Joe

    Sausage Casserole

    Main Course Other:

    Crawfish and Shrimp Denise

    Fried Catfish

    Kraut and Wieners

    Soup:

    Beef Macaroni Soup

    Broccoli and Cheese Soup

    Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

    Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

    Chicken Stew

    Crock Pot Black-Eyed Peas

    Gazpacho

    Goat Stew

    Hamburger Soup

    Potato Soup with Ham

    Taco Soup

    Tomatoes and Okra with Shrimp

    Turnip Green Soup

    Vegetable Beef Soup

    White Chili

    Redneck Extras

    Bacon Grease, why you should keep it

    BBQ Bologna

    Chittlins

    Deer Summer Sausage

    Fried Bologna and Whomp Biscuits

    Fried Hot Dogs

    Fried Spam

    Frog Legs

    How to Cook Goat

    Salmon Patties

    Ramblings

    Rambling Through New Orleans

    Ending My Summer Vacation in Alaska

    About Denise Grisham

    Other books by Denise Grisham

    Connect with Denise Grisham

    Acknowledgements

    I dedicate Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good! to my husband Andy. I want to acknowledge the significant role you’ve played in the lessons learned and my enjoyment of the real deal country cooking. Granted, it’s not always been the healthiest of choices, but the results have always tasted exceptionally good! Here’s to many more years of loving and living a happy life!

    Prologue

    Do you have a bucket list? I do, sort of. It’s not written down officially, but I know what I want to do and some how it always works out for me. No matter what it is, I have already visualized it and put a mental plan together to achieve it. Does it always work out like I have planned? Why, goodness no! Sometimes my plan A-B looks more like A-Z.

    Before I ever started writing the Man, That Stuff is Good! blog, I knew all those recipes I typed up years ago were going to end up somewhere. I just kept adding to the folder on my computer knowing one day I would put them to good use. Granted, part of it was because I was getting tired of retyping up emails to send to friends who asked me for the same recipes over and over. Copy-Paste-Send!!

    Because I have spent most of my career in printing and graphic design, I really thought a printed cookbook was the goal I was working towards. As an avid reader and recognizing the change in how people get their information over the years, in 2012 I opted to test the waters with a blog. This would allow my family access to my recipes regardless of where they are, and it would always have the most current updates.

    When are you going to sell a cookbook? Since I’m not sitting on a stack of cash to invest in self-publishing a printed cookbook, I began looking at options. I had purchased books online from Smashwords by a local author, John White. John was gracious enough to share some insight into self-publishing and encouraged me to go that route. About a year and a half later, Country Classics and Redneck Roots: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good! was born and another item on the bucket list was crossed off.

    Here we are again. A second volume is in your (electronic device’s) hands. The first volume featured the top 100 recipes people clicked on or shared to social media. Pure Country Cooking: The Best of Man, That Stuff is Good! represents all the dishes I associate with true down-home country cooking. You know, the kind your best friend’s Momma or Granny (not mine, I was reared in Connecticut, remember) laid out for Sunday dinner.

    Thank you for purchasing this book. The original posts can be found on the blog, complete with step-by-step pictures if you need additional guidance. I hope these recipes bring as much joy to your family sitting around your table as they have ours.

    Sincerely,

    Denise

    APPETIZERS

    COCKTAIL WIENIES

    Super Bowl Sunday kicking into high gear shortly signals the end of football season for another 5-1/2 months. Come mid-August SEC football and pre-season games will be back in full swing and we're hoping this year will be a little brighter for Tennessee fans. A tailgating menu isn’t complete without cocktail wienies! There are numerous variations, but here’s how I fix mine:

    INGREDIENTS:

    1 bottle of Kraft® Mesquite Smoke BBQ Sauce

    1 small jar of grape jelly

    1/4 cup of mustard

    1 large package Bryan® Cocktail Smokies

    DIRECTIONS:

    In a crock pot or saucepan, mix all ingredients until blended well.

    Bring to a boil, stir well and let simmer on low.

    Keep warm.

    CREAM CHEESE, JELLY AND BACON SPREAD

    We recently had an author’s event at the library. One of the trustees prepared the most delicious (and extremely easy) dishes for the guests to enjoy. When Thanksgiving rolled around, I knew my bunch would love it. The original dish called for pineapple preserves. I substituted with the homemade reduced sugar peach jam I made this past summer to make this just a tiny bit healthier. In my opinion, the pineapple was much better, but we are still being mindful of our sugar intake, so there you go.

    INGREDIENTS:

    1 block cream cheese softened

    Pineapple preserves (or flavor of your choice)

    4-6 slices of firmly cooked bacon crumbled/chopped

    DIRECTIONS:

    Using plastic wrap, smoosh the cream cheese to spread out in the serving dish.

    Top cream cheese with jelly.

    Top jelly with bacon crumbles. Serve with crackers.

    DELICIOUS DEVILED EGGS

    One of my favorite sides is deviled eggs. The sad thing is I normally only fix them at holidays. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. They’re so easy to make. And goodness knows, I own enough egg plates to carry several dozen anywhere I choose...cut glass, vintage, Easter-themed and even a double decker Tupperware-style number that’s perfect for outdoor occasions.

    Blair's future babies are the deviled egg eatingest kids. They both inhaled at least five a piece at Thanksgiving. We decided on a Mexican-themed Christmas dinner, so I left the eggs off the menu. They let me know if I had fixed them, they would have eaten them with Mexican food.

    If I am lucky enough to live to be 100, there is a deviled egg story I will never forget. Sharon, a friend of mine, told me about the first time she ever fixed deviled eggs that makes me practically cry (from laughing so hard) every time I fix them. She said she went to a holiday dinner with a plate of deviled eggs. Well, when everyone bit into them, they got the surprise of their lives! Sharon didn’t realize people sprinkled paprika on their eggs...she thought it was cayenne pepper! Woo hoo! She set some tongues on fire! Love it!

    This recipe is one of those that my Mother, who hates to share recipes, finally gave up. She used to make a variation with chopped celery instead of pickle relish that I loved. However, my bunch isn’t crazy about celery, so this is our official recipe.

    INGREDIENTS:

    9 large eggs

    Hellman's® mayonnaise (enough to moisten egg mixture)

    1 tsp. yellow mustard

    1/4 cup pickle relish* (Wickles® pickle relish is a great choice!)

    Dash of salt and pepper

    Paprika

    *If pickle relish is very runny, be sure to drain off some of the excess juice!

    DIRECTIONS:

    Hard boil eggs (cook covered in boiling water for 15 minutes) and peel.

    When cooled, slice in half and drop the yolks into a small bowl.

    Mash with a fork until the yolks become crumbled.

    Add salt and pepper, pickle relish and mustard. Mix well.

    Add mayo by the tablespoon full until the consistency is moistened and creamy.

    Using a kitchen teaspoon, fill each egg half with yolk mixture.

    Sprinkle paprika on top.

    Cover with plastic and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

    PICKLED EGGS

    Ok. Now I’m showing my redneck side. For decades, every country store I’d walk into would have, I swear, a 5-gallon jar of pickled eggs on the counter where you check out. The sight of them would make me snarl my nose and just about gag.

    Several times, this good-ol’-boy I work with, Rickey, brought a jar of rooster eggs he’d make to share in the break room. Countless times I’d walk by and be like, No Thank You! On one occasion, I saw my boss, whom I consider to be fairly picky when it comes to strange and different foods, eating those eggs like they were potato chips! Seriously? If he’s eating them, then I’ve got to try one. Well, I must admit, I’ve been hooked since.

    Rickey shared his recipe with me and Andy and I have been making pickled eggs to nibble on at the river for years. We like to cut them in half, sprinkle a little black pepper on them and eat ‘em up with crackers.

    Word to the wise: Don’t fix more than you'll eat in a several month period. They’re easy to make and they taste better if you eat them quickly.

    INGREDIENTS:

    3 dozen large eggs

    Crushed red pepper flakes

    White vinegar

    1/2 medium onion

    Quart canning jars or other glass containers

    (I used a 1/2 gallon and a 1-quart jar)

    DIRECTIONS:

    Carefully place half of the eggs in a large pot and cover with an additional inch of water. Hard boil these on high for 15 minutes. Pour into sink and cover with cold water while you hard boil the other eggs.

    Peel shells and rinse. Poke a hole with a toothpick by inserting about 1/4" in each end of the egg. Drop them into a glass jar. Put a few slices of the onion into the jar along with 1 tbsp. of crushed red pepper flakes. Cover eggs with vinegar, seal and turn a few times to spread pepper flakes throughout. Let them set for a week before you eat.

    Have I mentioned I have several packs of red-hot wienies sitting on the counter ready to be pickled?

    PIMIENTO CHEESE

    Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. That means no more football until SEC games get fired up in the fall. :-( The weather this weekend is supposed to be pretty funky, but we’ll be indoors, so we really don’t care what’s going on outside. Andy is making a huge pot of chili and I’m fixing a batch of pimiento cheese to go along with it.

    What? You’ve never eaten pimiento cheese with chili? Shut the front door! It’s great in sandwich form, but this is what we do. Take a Scoop Tostito® chip and add a spoonful of pimiento cheese, a spoonful of chili and top it with a jalapeno pepper slice. Trust me, you are so going to love this! The melding of the coolness of the cheese, the hotness of the chili and the heat from the jalapeno is unbelievable. I must give full credit for this tasty combination to Andy. He introduced this to both me and the boys and we’re hooked!

    INGREDIENTS:

    1/2 big

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