Smothered Okra

10 pounds of okra
Cooking Oil
2 large onions chopped
2 large bellpeppers chopped
2 large cans of tomatoes (or 4 fresh tomatoes peeled)
salt and red pepper to taste

-Wash okra and slice into 1/2 inch slices
-Pour oil to cover bottom of large heavy roasting pan; add okra, bellpepper and onion and blend. Cover tightly and cook in 300F oven for one hour.
-Add tomatoes and stir until well-blended; recover and continue to cook for at least two more hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
-When cooked add seasonings to taste and serve hot as a side dish, or freeze for later use in gumbo.

Bourbon Street Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. bourbon (to taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions: 1. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13" baking dish
2. Combine the ginger, soy sauce, onion flakes, sugar, bourbon and garlic powder and pour over chicken
3. Cover dish and place in refrigerator overnight
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
5. In a covered dish, bake in preheated oven, basting frequently, for 1 hour or until chicken is well browned and juices run clear. Also good on the grill!
Note: If you double the recipe, make sure that the chicken is still in a single layer. Serving 5 Oven Temp: 375F

King Cake

Cake
1/2 C warm water (100-115° F)
2 T yeast
1/2 C sugar, plus 2 tsp.
3 1/2 - 4 C flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 C warm milk
5 egg yolks
1/2 C butter
2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg beaten with 1 T milk, for egg wash

Icing
3 C confectioner's sugar
1/4 C lemon juice
3-6 T water

additional sugar & food coloring for decoration (follow link for tinted sugar directions)

1 tiny 1" baby doll (see notes above)


Sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar over warm water in a small, shallow bowl. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm, draft-free place until yeast starts to bubble up and mixture almost doubles in volume, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 3 1/2 C flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt. In mixing bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer or food processor, combine yeast , milk and egg yolks. Gradually add dry ingredients, and softened butter, adding additional flour, as necessary to achieve a medium-soft ball. Knead dough, again adding flour if necessary, until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a covered, buttered bowl , in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, butter a large baking sheet and set aside.

When dough has risen, remove and punch down. Sprinkle with cinnamon and form into a cylinder, then twist this cylinder into a circle. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle. Once again, cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375° F.

Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack completely before hiding baby doll inside or icing and decorating.


Icing
Mix sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water until mixture is smooth, adding more water as necessary to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread icing over cake and immediately sprinkle colored sugar in alternating color rows.


Bread Machine Version
To make this dough successfully in a Bread Machine, substitute milk for the water, making the liquid total 1 cup milk.

Just put the ingredients in the machine, as per manufacturer instructions, set it to the dough setting, and in a few hours you're ready to pick up the instructions from the rolling out point.

Good thread mama... delicious-sounding grub... YUM! Whatta spread- and top it all of w/ some bread-pudding and whiskey sauce!

Black Eyed Peas with Ham

Cooking black eyed peas at a low simmer instead of a boil will keep the skins from bursting and give the dish a better appearance. Also add salt after cooking is complete as it can make the beans tough.


3 1/2 c canned or frozen (and thawed) black-eyed peas thawed
3 c chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
4 oz finely chopped ham
1 C onion, chopped
2 T balsamic or red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. (more to taste) crushed red pepper
pepper to taste



Serves 6

Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.