Chili-Mac is one of my kids’ favorite dinners. I love how this is served over cornbread instead of sloppy-joe style over hamburger buns. This is a very-quick, easy to make meal – especially if you’re using leftover cornbread. I used grass-fed beef, and even with organic vegetables it’s still less than $4 per serving.
Pin ItTag: Cuisine of the Southern United States
Grits, for those of you who haven’t spent a good portion of your life below the Mason-Dixon line, is a cornmeal made from hominy. Hominy is hulled corn kernels that have been stripped of their bran and germ. What the American Indians gave the Pilgrims was likely hominy. “Lye hominy” is made when the kernels of corn are soaked in a light lye solution. You can get white grits (made from white corn) or yellow grits (made from yellow corn). The difference between grits and polenta, other than regions of America, is that polenta is made from corn that retains the germ of the grain.
Pin ItWhen my mom makes turkey gravy, she always makes giblet gravy (recipe to follow). It took me many years to learn how to make any other kind of gravy. Now that I make this recipe, it would be hard for me to say whether I prefer giblet gravy over this traditional gravy or not! It is really flavorful and the perfect compliment to the rest of your Thanksgiving feast.
Pin ItI love pecan pie. It is absolutely one of my favorite pies. This was the first time I made this particular recipe for pumpkin pie and I loved it. It’s easy, few ingredients, and tastes fantastic. I used whole wheat flour and coconut oil for the crust.
Pin ItI will admit that I made a mistake when I made this recipe. I was in a hurry and skimmed the recipe and just didn’t read it clearly. The original recipe called for the items to be added to the bowl up to a point, then a streussel-type topping made with pecans. Instead, I dumped it all in, then realized what I’d done — and just threw some mini marshmellows on top instead. It was really good, but I will give you the correct instructions after we go through the pictures of how I did it.
Pin ItHere’s the menu for my family for the week of November 15th. As far as desserts go, my cookie jar is full; however, I’m cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, so I will be making a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie! Join me Friday for a Thanksgiving Extravaganza! Ideas, recipes, tips, decorating — we’ll make a day of it!
Pin ItAs I was doing research for purchasing my grain mill, I read all sorts of “don’t do’s.” One of them was don’t try to grind anything that was too hard, including popcorn. But, when I got my grain mill (a NutriMill) the booklet that came with the machine said, “Popcorn will make the best cornmeal you’ve ever tasted.”
A roux is a thickening agent made from some kind of fat with an equal portion of flour. You melt the fat, add the flour, then cook until the flour taste is removed.
Pin ItIt took me a few years and several brands of cornmeal and many recipes to finally find one that everyone in my family loved. Now I have friends who ask for “Hallee’s cornbread” and friends who come for dinner whose children want to know if they’re having “Hallee’s Special Cornbread!”.
