AnnaLou's Southern Custard Eggnog

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2/3 cup sugar

dash of salt

3 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon rum extract

1 quart milk or half and half

Mix eggs, sugar, and salt in heavy pan. Stir in 3 1/2 cups milk milk gradually. Cook over low (#7 on the burner), stirring constantly, until it almost boils (approximately 10 minutes). 

Remove from heat. Stir in flavorings. Cool. 

Add 1 quart milk or half and half.

Makes approximately 2 quarts.

Southern Custard Eggnog

That Icelandic Apple Pie I'm trying to figure out

Best so far:

For the crust:
2 cups flour (260 g)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into small cubes
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

Whisk together flour and salt. Using hands, work the butter into the flour mixture. Add sour cream and work in with a fork. Once it starts to clump, knead with hands until the dough comes together. Divide in two, form disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. You will only need one disk for this recipe.

For the filling:

1 20 ounce can Kroger apple pie filling

1/2 of a 3.4 ounce box of Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling (49 g)

Stir until combined.

For the crumble:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature

Stir together dry ingredients. Add butter, toss to coat, then work into the mixture with hands until pea-size (or smaller) crumbs form throughout the mixture. You will not need all of the mixture.

1 10.4 ounce jar of King's Cupboard Cream Caramel Sauce 

Melt in microwave in 15 second increments until smooth. You will not need all of the sauce.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let one disk of chilled pie dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes.

Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface to about a 12 inch circle. Transfer to a 9" pie pan. Don't stretch the dough. 

Pour filling into pie crust.

Sprinkle on a layer of crumble completely over the filling mixture. Then put an additional layer around the outer edge, so that you have a raised circle of crumble, about an inch thick, near the crimped edge of the pie crust. 

Optional: Brush the crimped edge of the crust with egg wash.

Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and cook for 30-35 minutes. After about 15 minutes, check to see if the crimped edge needs to be covered. Check after another 10 minutes to see if the whole pie should be tented with foil to prevent too much browning.

After removing the pie from the oven, spoon microwaved Caramel Sauce onto the top of the pie, but not onto the outer ring of crumble.

Cool for 1 hour to allow the filling to set.

This turned out pretty good, it just didn't have the depth of the Icelandic pie. So next time, try two cans of pie filling and a whole box of pudding. 

To try and get the bottom of the pie cooked more, try:

• Use a Hot Baking Sheet: Preheat a heavy baking sheet (lined with foil for easy cleanup) on the lowest rack. Place the pie on the hot sheet.

1. Start with excess on your bottom crust.

Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sometimes, I roll out my bottom crust a bit thinner that my top crust, just for the sake of knowing this will help it brown better! Transfer your dough to the pie plate. Chill the pie crust in the plate for 10 minutes or so to help the dough relax, then use scissors to trim away the excess dough. You want to leave about 1 inch of excess dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. This excess will help prevent the dough from shrinking (or, if it does shrink, you won’t lose too much of the edge). We will remove any excess dough after par-baking. Chill the dough again in the refrigerator or freezer until it’s nice and cold (about 15 to 30 minutes). Note: This is the perfect time to preheat your oven—425°F is my preferred pie crust baking temp.

2. Prepare for par-baking.

Use a fork to dock the pie crust all over the base. I usually throw in a few fork pricks on the side crust, too. Place a square of parchment over the dough and fill with pie weights. It’s a good idea to use enough pie weights to come at least halfway up the pie. This helps ensure the pie crust is properly weighted down and means it’s less likely to shrink or form large air bubbles during baking.

Actually, try docking next time. When I put the crust back in for 2-3 minutes without the weights it puffed up and then when I tried to push it back down, little cracks appeared. So dock it and then seal it with egg white.

3. Par-bake.

Bake your bottom crust until it just begins to turn golden at the edges, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights from the pie crust and return to the oven for 2 to 3 more minutes, just to ensure the base where the weights were isn’t visibly wet. If you want to, you can add a quick brushing of egg white or egg wash at this point, to help seal the base crust from the filling. The pie crust’s retained heat will cook the egg wash.

Don't let your crust cool too much before trimming.

4. Trim the bottom crust.

Let the bottom crust cool for 3 to 5 minutes (but remember not to wait too long, as the crust’s easiest to trim while it’s still slightly warm). Use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to trim the excess crust. Trim the crust so it meets flush with the edge of the pie plate. While you work, use your fingers to lightly loosen the pie edges from the edge of the pie plate. This will most likely happen naturally while you trim with scissors, but you can give it a little nudge in the right direction, if needed. Let the bottom crust cool completely before continuing.

Used 1 1/2 of the crumble. Baked at 425 for 10 minutes then with the rim covered. Then turned the heat down to 350 and cooked for 30 minutes. Then I removed the rim (be careful, it will break the edge crust) and cooked another 5 minutes.

No-Splatter Burger Patties

This method is the cleanest way I've found to have plenty of burger patties on hand. They aren't as good as freshly grilled, but if you've got to just grab something nourishing, these will do the trick. You can take them on the plane as long as your bag isn't over 4 ounces. Cut them into "fries" for easy eating.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place frozen hamburger patties on a cookie sheet covered with heavy duty foil. Season generously with salt.

Cook for 20 minutes. Flip patties and season with salt again.

Cook for another 20 minutes. They are done at 165 degrees, but I usually stop at 155 degrees. 

Remove patties to a plate to cool, then refrigerate. 

This method will work for patties that are not frozen. You'll just need to shorten the cooking time.

Clean-up should just be to let the cookie sheet cool and then throw away the foil. If you want to make tallow, pour the grease into a jar while it is still hot.

Egg White Rolls

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

1 1/2 cups egg white powder (measured in a liquid measuring cup)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 cup allulose

1/4 teaspoon salt

Put into a stand mixer with the whip attachment. Turn on low and pour in:

1 1/2 cup water

Turn mixer to high and whip on high until stiff peaks form.

Using a greased ice cream scoop*, dish out rolls onto prepared pans. Cook 15 minutes. Makes 30-40 rolls.  

*Works for awhile, then you have to help the mixture out with a spoon.

Modified Maria Emmerich recipe.

Beef Stew Slow Cooker Variations

 

• Beef Stew Ingredients (Martha Stewart style)
• Serves 6
• 3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
  ⅓ cup tomato paste
  3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  Coarse salt and ground pepper
  1 pound medium onions (about 2), diced
  1 potatoes, peeled, diced
  1 pound carrots, diced
  6 garlic cloves, smashed
  2 bay leaves
• Slow Cooker Instructions:

  1. 1. Place the beef in a 5-quart slow cooker.

  1. 2. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves.

  1. 3. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours). Taste to see if it needs more salt before serving.
  2. Gourmandise Style: Replace potato with 4 cups diced butternut squash and replace the carrots with 1 cup diced prunes.
  3. 
     

Popovers (Individual Oven Pancake Style)

Put muffin tin in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Bring eggs and milk to a warm room temp by putting eggs in very warm (tap) water for about 10 minutes and warming milk in microwave (only takes about 15 seconds).

In a blender cup (or blender if doing a large batch), blend eggs and milk. Add flour and salt. Blend again.*

When the oven has come to temp, carefully remove the muffin tin and add about 3/4 teaspoon butter in each muffin cup, making sure the sides are well buttered (a pastry brush works well). Quickly fill the cups half-full, then try to divide the rest of the batter equally.

Bake popovers until they are beautifully risen and browned, about 30-35 minutes. 

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING BAKING TIME.

*If you don't have a blender cup, you can use an electric mixer, or even whisk by hand. But you want it really frothy.

Zucchini Nut Loaf (Better Homes and Gardens)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar (Mat only uses 1/2 cup)

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 egg

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder; set aside. 

In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, shredded zucchini, and egg. Add oil and lemon peel; mix well.  

Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.  Gently fold in chopped nuts.  

Turn batter into a greased 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.  

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 55 to 60 minutes or till a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  

Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on a rack.  

Wrap and store loaf overnight before slicing.  

Makes 1.

Chili Sauce

Chili Sauce

Saute on low until translucent and soft (no oil needed, by the time it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, it will be soft enough to move on):

1 1/2 cups sweet onion, small dice

1/3 cup green pepper, small dice

1 Tablespoon jalapeno, small dice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add and saute for another minute:

1 medium clove garlic, small dice

Add:

3 cups garden tomatoes, peeled, diced, leave the seeds on the cutting board

1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

6 oz tomato paste

Simmer on low for 2 1/2 hours, or until it's the consistency you like.

Notes from previous attempts:

Another version (reduce sugar by half for salsa):

15 large tomatoes (try to figure out weight - and canned tomato equivalent)

3 large onions

1 large green pepper

2-3 jalapeno peppers

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

Cook and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Bottle and process for 10 minutes.

Katie and Wes add half the sugar.

from michelle: Honestly if using the big pressure cooker pot we quadruple the recipe. I would double it. Should make around 15 pints. Half the sugar (or to your taste). Careful with salt don’t add too much. I also add 2 small cans of tomato paste (so if u double recipe add 4). Helps so u don’t have to simmer it for so long.

Tried 8/2/2025 (turned out pretty good - more of a chili sauce than salsa):

4 cups blanched, peeled and diced Roma tomatoes (TRY SEEDING THEM)

1 medium onion, small dice

1/4 cup red onion, small dice

1 large green pepper (TOO MUCH, DO LIKE A THIRD NEXT TIME)

2 small garden jalapenos

1 clove garlic

3 Tablespoons vinegar

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 6 oz can tomato paste

Tried 8/10/2025:

1 can San Marzano Whole Tomatoes, diced (3 cups)

1 1/2 cups sweet onion, small dice

1/3 cup green pepper, small dice

1 Tablespoon jalapeno, small dice

1 medium clove garlic, small dice

2 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

4.56 oz Cento tomato paste

Chili Sauce

2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

1/2 cup sweet onion, small dice

1 jalapeno, small dice

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

15 oz, organic tomato sauce

6 oz, tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

In medium sauce pan, saute onion and jalapeno in oil on low heat until soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add chili powder and cloves and cook another 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and paste, salt and vinegars. Simmer for 15 minutes. Blend if desired.

Mediterranean Easter Dinner for 20 (2024)

Dinner for 20

Mediterranean Marinated Chicken 

Boneless Leg of Lamb, pre-seasoned and ready to cook, Costco, about 6 lbs

Greens (hardly need any)

Basmati rice (cooked according to package directions)

Roasted vegetables, double recipe (https://www.spoonfulofflavor.com/mediterranean-roasted-vegetables/)

Hummus (Costco)

Tzaziki, double recipe, used all of it (https://www.loveandlemons.com/tzatziki-sauce/)*

Feta (1-2 cups)

Kalamata olives, sliced (Costco bottle is way too much)

Big green olives (Costco - they were mixed with feta and other things, delicious)

English cucumber, diced (1 is enough--but maybe just slice it to dip in the hummus)

Pickled red onion (Anne likes some from Smith's)

Naan or pita** (used a package of 6, quartered - ran out)

Walnuts (1 cup would be plenty)

Figs; pitted dates, apricots (bought 3 8oz bags, more than enough)

Baklava (Beirut café near Fashion Place Mall)

*Tzatziki

1/2 cup finely grated cucumber, drained by squeezing with a kitchen towel

1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon chopped dill

1 tablespoon chopped mint, optional

**Jerusalem Bakery in Georgia has the best--you don't want to eat it like bread, it's super thin and chewy, but it is great to stuff as a sandwich.

Mediterranean Marinated Chicken

Mediterranean Marinated Chicken: 

6 lb bag of Costco boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (24 4 oz servings)

Thaw in fridge overnight.

Marinade: (no need to reserve if serving tzaziki)

    1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt

    2 grated garlic cloves

    juice of 1 lemon

        Mix well, reserve 1/2 for serving

    2 teaspoons cumin

    1 teaspoon coriander

    3/4 teaspoon turmeric

    1/4 teaspoon allspice

        Mix well.

Rinse and remove membranes from the tenderloins.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Season with salt.

Mix into marinade and massage into all the crevices.

Marinate for 30 minutes to 12 hours in refrigerator.

Ready to grill or cook in the oven as below:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line baking sheets with tin foil.

Arrange chicken on baking sheets.

Cook until 140 degrees, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove and let rest, temp should rise to 145 degrees.

Sear in a hot pan for grill marks.

        

Pork Chops and Cabbage in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon pork fat

1 Tablespoon butter

4 cups cabbage, chopped

In a large skillet, season and saute cabbage until tender. Place on serving platter and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet.

1 Tablespoon pork fat

4 pork chops, seasoned

Turn heat to high. Add fat. Add chops and cook for about 3 minutes per side. They are done when they have good color and reach 145 degrees. Remove to serving platter.

2 Tablespoons butter

4 cups sliced mushroom

2 cloves garlic, minced

Turn heat to medium. Add butter. Add mushrooms. Season. Cook until almost tender. Add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds.

2 cups chicken stock (about)

Pour in chicken stock. Simmer until it becomes a glaze.

1/2 cup heavy cream (about)

1 teaspoon vinegar

Turn heat to low. Stir in cream, Stir in vinegar. Cook until desired consistency. Serve immediately.

Based on Chef Scott’s Pork Chops with Creamy Garlic Mushroom Sauce  (and bok choy):

• 1 thick-cut pork chop 

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil 

• 1 cup (70 grams) sliced mushrooms 

• ½ garlic clove 

• 1 cup (237 ml) chicken stock  

• 2 Tbsp (28 g) butter 

• 2 cups (140 g) sliced bok choy (or any cabbage - cook til tender)

• ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream 

• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) red wine vinegar 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions 

Prep time 10 mins/Total time/Serves 1

1. In a frying pan over a medium-to-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the sliced bok choy. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, until wilted. Drain off any excess water and place in the center of your serving plate. 

2. Wipe the pan clean and turn the heat up to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, season the pork chop on both sides with salt and pepper, then add the chop to the pan, cooking for approximately 3 minutes per side. (You want a nice even golden color on both sides.) When the chop is about a minute from being finished, add in the butter and baste well. Remove from the pan and allow to rest on top of the bok choy. 

3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the mushrooms and finely chopped garlic to the same pan and cook them in the butter and oil for around 90 seconds or until they just start to brown. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.) 

4. Add the chicken stock and allow to reduce/thicken to a glaze. 

5. Add the heavy cream and reduce to a sauce consistency. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and finish with a splash of red wine vinegar. Pour over the pork chop and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

1,054 calories

100.6g Fat

28.8g Protein

9.9g Total Carbs

4.7g Dietary Fiber

5.2g Net Carbs 

Cheesecake, low and slow, no crust

1 ½ pounds (3 packages/680 grams) full-fat cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia brand, softened at room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream, at room temperature

½ cup (113 grams) sour cream, at room temperature

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Mix everything in a Kitchenaid mixer using the paddle attachment until well combined.

Get a piece of parchment paper wet. Wad it up. Squeeze out excess water. Line pan. Pour mixture into pan. Cook in preheated oven until 180 degrees one inch in. Cool completely.

Variation of this.

Magnesium Water

Dr. William Davis:

2 liter bottle of seltzer or other unsweetened carbonated beverage (not club soda)

3 tablespoons unflavored milk of magnesia

Uncap the seltzer and pour off a few tablespoons. Shake the milk of magnesia, then pour out 3 tablespoons. (Most brands come with a handy little measuring cup.) Pour into the seltzer slowly.

Cap securely, then shake until all sediment has dissolved. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and it will clarify. Start by drinking 4 ounces twice per day. Label the bottle to keep others from inadvertently drinking it (and experiencing diarrhea by drinking too much).

If rapid restoration of magnesium is desired, e.g., chronic migraine headaches or atrial fibrillation, I’ve had patients drink 8 ounces twice or even three times per day. Just be aware that even this great preparation has potential to cause loose stools, so build up to this dose over time.

We've been doing:

1 1/2 Tablespoons per quart

Mulligatawny Soup

2 Tablespoons fat (tallow, lard, chicken fat, butter)

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

dash of salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon flour

6 cups chicken broth*

1/2 cup rice

14 ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk

2 cans cooked chicken (or chopped rotisserie chicken)

2 small or 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the fat over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery with a dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Add the garlic, oregano, turmeric, curry. salt, pepper and flour. Stir until garlic and spices become aromatic, and the flour is cooked, about 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth, rice, and coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low until the rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and apples. Cook a few more minutes (don't overcook the apples).

*Optional: Bloom 1 teaspoon gelatin in cold water. Add to the soup with the chicken broth.

 Mulligatawny Soup was inspired by this recipe.

Doctored Box Cake

All cold ingredients should be room temperature

Yellow Cake

1/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 box yellow cake mix

24 Cupcakes: Bake at 350F 14-19 minutes

Chocolate Cake

1/3 cup softened butter or oil
2/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 box dark chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

24 (maybe more?) Cupcakes: Bake at 325F 12-17 minutes

Easier version:

1/2 cup oil (butter?)

1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 box devils food cake mix

24 Cupcakes: Bake at 350F 14-19 minutes

Vanilla Cake

1/3 cup oil (butter?)

1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 box white cake mix

24 Cupcakes: Bake at 350F 14-20 minutes

To make it funfetti, add 1/2 cup sprinkles (or rainbow chip funfetti)

Vanilla Buttercream

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed)

7-8 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it's light and fluffy.

Add the salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and beat again until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time.  Add a little more heavy cream if needed, then flip the mixer to high speed and beat until the buttercream is lighter in color and texture, about 2 minutes.