Cooking in the South

Every once in awhile, I get a sweet craving… and it’s usually late at night. Thank goodness for being an avid blog reader, because I picked up this trick from another sweet tooth and it’s amazing!

All you’ll need is a box of brownie mix, two eggs, water vegetable oil, and a waffle iron {yes, ladies you can wipe off the dust!}.

Mix all of the ingredients as listed on the box.

Heat waffle iron thoroughly. Spread batter and let sit. {Luckily my waffle iron has a light that tells me when it’s ready!}.

And BAM. Brownies in 2 minutes. Really!

I got creative and bought turtle brownies. I put the caramel on after the brownie was removed from the iron, and then sprinkled with sea salt. Oh yes, sea salt, caramel turtle brownies.

Alas, another use for your waffle iron!

We’re so excited to announce a sale at the Junior League of Charleston! Do you have recipes laying all around your house? Are you looking for a gift for the most difficult person? Do you love to be a savvy shopper? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’re in need of our Recipe Organizer! Not only does it have water proof slots for your favorite recipes, but it also has a few of our best from Charleston Receipts, Party Receipts and Charleston Receipts Repeats. This book even includes our most popular recipe- Tut’s Toffee!

It gets better.. retail price $19.95 slashed down to $9.95 OR buy a case of 10 for $50 that’s only $5 per book. Stock up now, because these won’t last long! This deal can only be found at Cooking In the South . If you’re interested in the case discount please post a comment to this post with your contact information and we’ll reach out to you.

* Please note prices do not include the cost of shipping.

The holidays are quickly approaching, and what better way to prepare then to try some fun recipes from the Party Receipts Cookbook! I stumbled upon the Spinach Ball recipe and thought it would be a great one to try that’s easy to make ahead, and can even be frozen and baked off at a later date.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 packages {10 oz. each} frozen chopped spinach

3 cups italian style stuffing {crushed}

**3/4 cup italian style bread crumbs {after trying the original recipe, i thought they would stick better by adding in some bread crumbs and i was right!}

1 large onion, chopped fine

4 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup {1 stick} unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 325 {if prepping and cooking that day!}

cook spinach accoring to package instructions. drain well, squeezing out all extra liquid.

next, place spinach in large bowl and add in remaining ingredients.

combine all ingredients together. mix well.

form mixture into 3/4 inch balls and place on baking sheet. bake 15-20 minutes. or, you can skip this step and refridgerate or freeze until your ready to bake off. please note baking time may be longer if frozen or refridgerated ahead of time.

I made these for a JLC event at the Mt. Pleasant Holiday Market and served cold which was a huge hit! They can be hot or cold and are super easy to make! I think we saw a spike in Party Reciepts books sold that day.

Enjoy!

Shrimp has always been a favorite food of mine. It used to be more of a treat when I was growing up, only getting it at the beach during the summer in shrimp and grits or just plain boiled shrimp.

This is no longer the case. Several years ago, my sister married a Midwesterner who she quickly transformed into a Southerner, and I have to say he is fitting in beautifully. He has adopted several new Southern hobbies, but one of his favorite new pastimes has become shrimping.

During shrimping season, there is an abundance of delicious fresh shrimp in our family. With all the shrimp, I began to experiment with new shrimp recipes. The James Island Shrimp Pie from Charleston Recipes caught my eye and is now one of my family’s favorite recipes. It reminds me of a recipe my Grandmother would make-simple and delicious. I usually serve this with a salad or some greens.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 cup raw rice

¼ cup butter

2 eggs

Pinch of mace or nutmeg

5 Tbs Ketchup

2 ½ Tbs Worcestershire Sauce

2lb Shrimp

1 cup milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

First, cook the rice in salted water. Add the butter when rice is cooked to tender.

Meanwhile cook the shrimp. I like to add additional seasoning to the shrimp for a little extra flavor.

While everything is cooking, combine eggs, nutmeg or mace, Worcestershire, ketchup and salt and pepper.

Once everything is done, combine rice, shrimp, and wet ingredients together. Then, stir in the milk so it becomes a custard-like consistency.

Heat oven to 350°and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Please help support the Junior League of Charleston, Inc., by shopping at Barnes & Noble on December 7th and 8th from 9am-10pm, Barnes & Noble will contribute a percentage of every sale made, with ID#10623809, to the Junior League of Charleston, Inc. You can also shop in support of the JLC by shopping online at www.bn.com/bookfairs from December 7th-13th. You must include ID#10623809 on the payment page during checkout where you check the box to mark that this is a Bookfair order.

On December 7th and 8 th , JLC members will be in The Barnes & Noble store located at 1716 Towne Centre Way in Mt. Pleasant from 4-9pm to wrap gifts purchased at the Mt. Pleasant Barnes and Noble. Please forward this email to friends and family as this code is good online December 7th – 13th and in stores nationwide December 7th and 8th .

Almond Bark, the perfect bite-sized treat!

Charleston Receipts Repeats / Yields:  3-4 dozen pieces

I’ve used this recipe several times when I need a bite-sized dessert to share! It is simple and quick to make and it always comes with endless compliments. Recently, I took it to a tailgate and it was a tremendous hit! It has the perfect blend of salty and sweet and it is just the right size to eat in one bite.  

The ingredients for this tasty treat are as follows:

• 1 and ½ lbs. Hershey bars with almonds
• ½ cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 and ½ cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

First, melt the chocolate in the microwave.

Next, add peanut butter and mix with the chocolate until smooth.

Then, add the cereal and nuts to the chocolate mixture.

After that, add marshmallows and mix.

Once everything is combined drop, by teaspoon, onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and cool. Then, place in refrigerator to cool before serving!  

Hot Artichoke Dip
I tried this recipe for the first time in hopes of replicating the Hot Artichoke Dip served at Vickery’s on Shem Creek; it is hands-down the best artichoke dip around! I used my mom’s recipe as the base but added some green onions and a dash of cayenne pepper. It turned out to be delicious and very similar to the Vickery’s dip (the green onions are the key ingredient in my opinion). It is also incredibly easy!
You can make it a day ahead of time if necessary or you can bake and serve immediately. I made it this past Friday and took it with me to Columbia for a post-game snack. We were staying with our good friends who had an amazing breakfast waiting for us when we arrived Saturday morning (sausage and egg breakfast casserole, pigs in a blanket, pumpkin muffins, fruit, bloody mary’s, and mimosas!):

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup mayo
2 green onions, chopped
¼ t. garlic salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
Juice from ½ a lemon

Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a serving dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the edges are bubbling. Serve with pita wedges (warmed) or crackers.

By the time the Gamecocks finished beating the Gators, we were all starving and the artichoke dip was the perfect appetizer before going to dinner. We tried it with crackers as well as whole wheat pita bread…which was my favorite.
Here’s the recipe:

1. Drain a 14 oz can of artichokes (non-marinated):

2. Grate about a cup of parmesan cheese

3. Roughly chop the artichokes and two green onions (or more depending on how much you like them)

4. Mix all ingredients together
5. Place in a serving dish (refrigerate for 24 hours if desired, or bake and serve immediately)
6. 

 Enjoy!

Fall is such a beautiful time of year. The leaves have just changed colors. Apples are still in season. A great
way to preserve this delicious pome fruit is by jarring homemade applesauce!

Ingredients:

6 tart & 2 semi-sweet apples peeled and chopped

¼ cup Truvia or ½ cup sugar

1+ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp all spice

Pinch of salt

Bit of lemon zest

In a large sauce pan, toss apples with dry ingredients.

Add water and cook for 15-20 minutes until apples are soft and begin to change color.

If you like chunky applesauce, mash with a fork or potato masher. If you like smooth applesauce, blend in a

food processor.

Homemade applesauce is perfect with the Junior League Charleston Receipts recipe for Hot Apple Sauce with
Rum (found on p.133)

What you’ll need:

1 Large Fresh Pumpkin

1 Medium Pineapple

1 Quart of Peach Mango Sherbet

2 Liters of Ginger Ale

4 Cans of Frozen Orange Juice

Décor Details: Carve side of pumpkin and scoop out seeds. (I left 3 inches of vegetable for base support.)

Use Cling Wrap and Poster Double Stick Tape to line inside. Pumpkin will “sweat”. Lining or using a glass bowl inside prevents leaks. Outside tables work best.

*Soup & Eggnog can be served without lining for party.

Directions: 30 minutes before party, sit out frozen ingredients to defrost and cut up ½ of Pineapple.

15 Minutes before guest arrive: Insert 4 frozen cans of OJ & Sherbet. Pour Ginger Ale on top. Garnish with pineapple. (Pineapple looks like pumpkin pieces.) Punch is orange. I sat the pumpkin outside to keep it cold. After an hour, the sherbet thickened the punch so it was safe to remove the lining.

Punch served 12 people in two hours.

Everyone loved this festive Punch!

Note: Drain remainder of punch after 3 hours.

No it’s not the discovery channel’s new spin off, it’s the biggest sale in Charleston! Welcome to the Whale of a Sale, it’s full of treasures for your home, office, or even wedding.  If your an estate sale shopper, you’ll love this event.

When you shop proceeds go to the Junior League of Charleston’s local community projects which overcome homelessness and hunger in the tri-county area.

If your a JLC Member, make sure you get your sponsor splash tickets at jlcharleston.org since they won’t be sold at the door. If your not a member and have stumbled upon this blog, details are found below:

Gilliard Auditorium off of Calhoun Street Downtown.

Saturday, November 5th from 8am-1pm

Come early, you’ll see the crowd wrapped around the building. Literally. See what’s happened in years past?!

We’re excited to see you!