Broiled Sweet Potatoes - Baked then brushed with a cinnamon honey butter and a drizzle of cane syrup before being passed under the broiler.

Broiled Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes, just about any way that you can prepare them. Just plain baked will do me fine, or even better, twice-baked.

Roasted, glazed with buttery bourbon, candied with a simple syrup, grilled, baked in a casserole, in a quick bread, and, of course, in a pie. Just pass them over however they're prepared. Even The Cajun will eat them and thankfully, they are available year-round. I hope that you'll give this version a try too.

An old school party food, made with a mixture of sausage and beef, seasonings and cheese on tiny party bread.

Hanky Pankies Appetizers

In the world of my favorite old school appetizers, these Hankie Pankies are right up there in the category some folks call "trash" food as 7-Layer Mexican Dip, Sausage Balls, Chex Mix and Rumaki. I made these for our Super Bowl party and oh my goodness they are soooo good y'all!

I actually drafted the recipe to the blog years ago and have made them several times, but just never got around to publishing them for some reason. One thing is for sure - there are just not a lot of ways to photograph these little bites of deliciousness to make them look pretty, but heck... the taste sure makes up for it.

A white bean stew, made with smoked ham, a good quality andouille or smoked sausage and a mirepoix of vegetables.

Ham and Sausage White Bean Stew

I have still been working my way through the freezer - some of our meals were reheated leftovers, others, whatever meat I happened to grab first.

In the past two weeks or so, I've baked a ham that I'd picked up on a holiday sale and froze, which along with some frozen sides, gave us a couple of meals and leftover ham for sandwiches. Pre-seasoned ground beef I'd picked up on sale, cooked and put up, became one of our favorite casseroles - Ground Beef Mac and Cheese.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

 

A meatless vegetable soup made with a variety of vegetables and a rich vegetable stock.

Homemade Garden Vegetable Soup

A miraculous thing happened this past weekend. I made a pot of homemade vegetable soup and when The Veggie Hating Cajun got home, it went like this:

These potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to many main dish meats, poultry or pork dishes. Tossed in a mixture of herbs, butter and olive oil, and onion seasoning, roasted on a sheet pan, and deglazed with broth for a tasty finishing sauce.

Sheet Pan Onion Roasted Potatoes

I believe that onion roasted potatoes have been around at least as long as I have. They are a great side for just about any beef, pork or chicken entree and besides being a fantastic way to transform plain potatoes, they are also always well received.

I make mine just a tad bit different, adding a little more herbs and seasonings, along with the classic onion soup mix that made these famous, which by the way, if you happen to object to using, there are hundreds of copycat recipes on the internet you can use to make a homemade version, including mine that is included below. I also like to borrow from a classic dish called pommes fondantes ("melting potatoes"), deglazing the potatoes with chicken broth to turn that base into a nice finishing sauce.

A classic corn casserole made with frozen and creamed corn, cracker crumbs, pimentos, eggs, milk and butter.

Classic Corn Casserole

Corn casseroles seem to have an identity crisis going on in this day and age.

There doesn't seem to be a division anymore between what folks define as corn casseroles, corn spoon bread and corn pudding, so much so, that what once made each of these dishes unique from the other, has been completely lost.

Because this dish is heavy in corn, but lighter in binders and eggs, I consider it to be a corn casserole. You may know it as something different, but there is one thing for sure. It gets gobbled up.

Spinach Smoothie Green Drink, Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

 

Clean(er) eating, the year in review and my favorite Spinach Smoothie Green Drink

Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

Don't worry... that "cleaner eating" thing doesn't mean we're changing our website and recipes, and I'll explain on down the post, but I do want to first say Happy New Year y'all!

I hope you got in your traditional Southern New Year foods by now - or whatever is customary where you live - and I truly wish you much health, wealth and happiness in 2016. Yes, this is my first post of the new year - mostly because, well... I've been spending time with my family, my grandkids, the animal kingdom, and my favorite 3-Rs... relaxing, resting and reading.

A classic butter cookie made using a cookie press, lightly glazed and decorated with sprinkles, candied cherry halves and nonpareils.

Classic Butter Spritz Cookies

Simple spritz cookies. You gotta love them for the ease and simplicity!

A basic, if not a little extra buttery, sugar cookie dough, that's easy to work with, and that you stuff into a tube and press a button that squirts out a perfect little cookie. In fact, spritz comes from the German word spritzen, meaning to squirt - oh my. I think spritz sounds so much nicer don't you?!

 

Fresh carrots, pearl onions and sweet green peas, slow simmered in butter and finished with a toss of fresh herbs.

Classic Buttered Peas and Carrots

I am a vegetable lover and frankly, there are very few that I don't like. Brussels sprouts would be one.

Oh, I'll eat them, and I've even tried them multiple ways to put them up on the blog since many of you do enjoy them, but they just aren't in my top favorites. Other than that, I pretty much love any vegetables, including carrots and peas, and I especially love this classic combination of the two, slow simmered in butter and finished with some fresh herbs.

 

 A classic Christmas cookie for many families, this soft and puffy butter cookie uses anise for flavoring and is finished with a lemony, powdered sugar glaze and colorful nonpareils.

Italian Anise Cookies

These are a classic Christmas cookie all around the country, and yes, even in the Deep South for many! I love them, for one, because they are as easy to make as spritz cookies, but also because they are a slightly different take on the classic butter cookie.

One bite and you wonder, hmmm.... what is that?