Peach Cannoli's

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Dash of Salt
1/4 cup Butter milk
1/2 Cup Marsala Wine
1 Egg
Vegetable Oil For Frying

Filling
2 1/2 Cups Full Fat Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Chopped Roasted Pecans
1/2 Cup Peaches copped fine
1 Vanilla bean scraped of seeds

To make the shells:
Mix together the flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Begin to add the Butter milk then the wine, adding enough so that you have formed a fairly firm dough.
Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for about one hour.
Half the dough, and roll thinly to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 4 squares. Place a metal tube diagonally across each square, and wrap the dough around the tube. Seal the edges with a little beaten egg.
Heat the oil in a large pan until it reaches a temperature of 375 degrees F. Drop one or two tubes into the hot oil at one time, and cook until golden. Remove from the pan, cool, and gently slide the cannoli shell from the tube.
Continue to make the rest of the shells in this manner.
To make the filling:
First let the ricotta sit in a strainer over a small bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to remove excess whey.
Mix the ricotta with the rest of the ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Fill each cannoli shell carefully, and sprinkle with a little extra powdered sugar if desired. Serve with a scoop of Ice Cream.

Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo

 2 tablespoons butter
 2 cloves garlic
 2 cups chopped onion
 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
 1/2 cup chopped celery
 1 pound okra, chopped
 1/4 cup vegetable oil
 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
 1 pound chicken thighs
 1 pound andouille sausage links
 2 cups water
 6 cups chicken broth
 2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
 1 sprig fresh thyme
 3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
 1/2 teaspoon file powder (optional)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery and okra; cook and stir until vegetables are tender and just browned. Remove from the skillet, and set aside.

Brown the sausage in the skillet over medium heat. Remove from the pan to drain on paper towels. Drain the sausage fat from the skillet, and pour in the vegetable oil to heat. Place the chicken in the skillet, and cook for about 20 minutes, turning frequently. Remove chicken from the pan, and place on paper towels to drain, leaving the oil in the pan.

Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a deep brown color. This should take about 30 minutes.
Stir 2 cups of water into the roux, and add the onion, garlic and peppers. Set the heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer over low heat. Cut the chicken into cubes, and add to the broth along with the sausage. Simmer for about 1 hour.

Add the shrimp to the gumbo, and season with thyme, parsley, salt, cayenne pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the file powder.

Serve with rice

Smothered Turkey Wings

6 turkey wings

  1 tablespoon salt

  1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

  1 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  2 tablespoons of flour

 1/2 cup butter

 2 celery ribs, chopped

 1/2 medium onion, chopped

 1 small bell pepper,chopped

 1 teaspoon dried thyme

 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

 7 tablespoons flour

 3-6 cups turkey or chicken broth

 2 cups milk

 Heat the cooking oil in a medium pot.

 Thoroughly wash and dry turkey wings. Stir together 2 Tablespoons of flour salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and onion powder in a medium bowl. Toss turkey wings into the bowl to lightly coat evenly.

Fry the wings in the oil, over medium heat, turning, until they are just brown on both sides.

 Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven; add celery, bell pepper and onion; cook over medium-low heat until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and pepper, cook 1 minute add flour stirring constantly, until light brown, about 5 minutes; slowly whisk in half the broth.

 4 Heat liquid to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes slowly whisk in milk and stir constantly until sauce returns to a simmer. Add the wings and cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour adding more broth if necessary. Ground dried chili pepper can be added to the wing seasoning and the sauce if you want.

Blackeyed Pea Patties

1 1/2 cup peas cooked and drained.

1/4 cup Trinity chopped ( onion. bell pepper, celery)

1 glove garlic minced

1tsp butter

1 tsp sage

1 tsp paprika

1 egg

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp corn meal

A pinch of salt and pepper

A pinch of ground red pepper( optional I guess)

2 Tbsp veggie oil

Saute the Trinity and garlic in butter until just soft, remove from heat and

Let cool.

Mash peas with a potato masher, leaving some whole for texture.

Mix all other ingredients ,stir well until incorporated. If needed add just

A little more corn meal. You want the consistency of a fritter.

Form in 1/2” think patties. Fry 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Béchamel Sauce

5 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons white pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. At this point you can add a smooth melting cheese and stir in well or set aside until ready to use.

Justin Wilsons Hush Puppies

Justin Wilson said, "Hush puppy is an old Southern term that originated after the Civil War. People didn't have enough for themselves to eat let alone feed their dogs, so when the old hounds started barking from hunger, they would throw pieces of fried corn bread to them, yelling, Shut up dogs!, Hush Puppies!!"

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

ground cayenne pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup green onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons hot bacon drippings or oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)

Deep fat or veggie oil for frying

Combine all dry ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk, onion, and oil or bacon drippings. Mix well. Drop in deep hot fat by spoonsful and brown on all sides.

Crawfish Pie

1/2 stick of real butter

1/2 cup of chopped green bellpeppers

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1 small onion chopped

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 cup of canned tomatoes that are chopped

1 lb. of fresh Louisiana crawfish tails

2 teaspoons of chopped parsely

2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of 1/2 water and crean mixture

1 pie crust (Frozen or your own recipe)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat.

To the melted butter, add the onions, celery, bell pepper, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are a golden color.

Add the tomatoes and cook for another 7 minutes, stirring ocasionally.

Add the parsley and the crawfish, and cook for another 5 minutes.

In a seperate bowl, dissolve the flour into the water and cream. Add this mixture to the skillet. Stir this for about 4 minutes until it thickens.

Pour the ingredients that are in the skillet into a cool bowl. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Place the pie crust onto a 9" pie pan. Crimp the edges.

Pour the mixture from the cool bowl into the pie pan.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and into the oven.

Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the edges are goelden brown.

Corn and Crab Bisque

You can subtitute other seafood for the crab or just add them on in.

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup minced onions

1 cup uncooked sweet corn from the cob

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced celery

Favorite Cajun spice blend

1 cup crab stock or fish stock

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

2 cup milk

2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoons liquid crab boil

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 -1 cup lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Chives for garish

In a large sauce pot, heat the pan to medium low and add butter. Add the onions, corn, shallots, garlic, celery and saute for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until you get a blond roux. Season with Cajun spice. Add the stock, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk in the milk, cream, and crab boil.Bring back to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, whisking until the mixture thickens. Stir in the crab meat, green onions, and Worcestershire and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Reseason if needed. Remove the bay leaves and Ladle into a shallow bowl and garnish with chives.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken

5 cups water

3 carrots, diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 slices of Bacon

3 green onions, sliced

2 large celery ribs, chopped, tops and leaves reserved

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1 (8.5-ounce) can sweet green peas, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon sage

refrigerated pie crust

Cranberry sauce

Bring first 5 ingredients plus celery tops to a boil in a large Dutch oven; reduce heat, and simmer mixture 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken and carrots, reserving 3 1/2 cups broth in Dutch oven; discard celery tops. Let chicken cool; skin, bone, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Sauté green onions and chopped celery in hot drippings in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Gradually whisk in flour until blended. Gradually add reserved broth; cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken, bacon, eggs, carrots and next 5 ingredients. Simmer on low 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.

For a richer pie, replace 1/2 cup of the chicken broth with 1/2 cup Half and Half.

Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking dish, and top with refrigerated pie crust.


Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with cranberry sauce or rep pepper jelly.

Banana Pudding

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup self-rising flour

2 cups milk

3 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Vanilla wafer cookies

3 bananas, ripe but firm

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and the self-rising flour in a bowl.

Slowly stir in milk. Put mixture in top of double boiler over simmering water and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Beat egg yolks then briskly stir a small amount of the hot mixture (about 1/2 cup) into them. Add egg yolk mixture back into the hot mixture in top of double boiler and stir in butter and vanilla. Cook until mixture thickens again.

Place a layer of vanilla wafers in an 11x7-inch baking dish (or other shape 2-quart shallow baking dish). Add half of the sliced bananas. Pour half of pudding mixture over banana layer. Repeat layers, ending with remaining pudding. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy; gradually beat in 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pudding. Bake at 350° until browned completely. Remove from oven. Serve hot or cold.

Egg white merinue is the traditional topping. You can always go with Whipped Cream, or other favorite topping.

If you don't make the merinue, Here are some easy and great tasting cookies.

Pecan Meringue Cookies

1 cup whole pecans (preferably lightly roasted - 8-10 min at 250°F)

3 egg whites

Pinch salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vinegar

 Preheat oven to 300°F.

 Place pecans in zipper baggie and beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Set aside.

 Put egg whites into a standup mixer bowl. Add salt. Start the mixer speed on low, gradually increasing the speed until soft peaks start to become visible and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 Increase the speed to medium-high, and slowly add the sugar to the egg whites. Continue to whip the eggs and sugar for a few minutes. Then add the vinegar to the bowl. Increase speed to high and whip the egg whites until they fluff up and become glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 4-5 minutes.

 Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pecan pieces. Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper .

 Put the cookies sheet in the 300°F oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Leave them in the oven overnight. In the morning they should be ready.

Praline Pudding Cake

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

 3/4 cup granulated sugar

 1/3 cup chopped pecans

 1 tablespoon baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1/2 cup milk

 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted ( gonna use butter)

 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 1 3/4 cups boiling water

 2 cups whipped topping

 Chopped pecans for topping

 Combine brown sugar and the 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl. In another larger bowl, Add 1 1/4 cups flour leveled with a knife. Combine with granulated sugar, the 1/3 cup pecans, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

 Combine milk, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

 Spread batter into an 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Pour boiling water over batter (do not stir). Bake for 35 minutes or until pudding is bubbly and cake springs back lightly in center.

 Serve warm with whipped topping. Garnish with pecans.

CWP's Country Captain

This is a new recipe that was just recently tested and proven by my Friend and Foodie, Jim Linton. Thanks for the Habanero addition!

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped sweet onions

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 bay leaf

1/2 tablespoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon dried ground thyme

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

2- 12 oz  jars of roasted red peppers with liquid rough chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 habanero pepper, seeded, ribbed and chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Cooked long-grain white rice, as accompaniment

4 ounces toasted slivered almonds, for garnish

In a large shallow dish, combine the flour, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and stir to blend. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat on all sides, shaking to remove any excess.

In a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the pan. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, crushed red pepper and tomato paste. Cook stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic,habanero and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the roasted red peppers and their liquid, the chicken broth, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to blend and reduce the heat to medium. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the apricots and cook for 15 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve hot over the white rice. Garnish with the almonds and serve.

My Crawfish Etouffee

1 stick butter

1/2 cup flour

1 lb. crawfish tails with fat

2 Slices bacon chopped

1/4 link Cajun sausage chopped fine

1 medium white onion, chopped

3/4 cup bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups clam juice or stock made from shrimp heads and shells

1/2 cup cream

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

the green ends of 4 green onions, chopped

1 TBSP chopped parsely

1 TBSP Tabasco pepper sauce

Salt, white pepper and Creole or Cajun seasoning

Render copped bacon and sausage in a heavy Dutch Oven on medium until crispy. Remove on to a towel and add celery, bell peppers and onions and cook on low until tender. Remove Trinity and reserve in a bowl. Melt the butter on medium low in the Dutch oven and add flour and stir slowly until the flour reaches a reddish brown color. ( Think of the color of a penny)

Add garlic and the reserved Trinity and stir on low for one minute. Add the clam juice or stock and and turn the heat up to medium high and stay with it stirring until it comes to a slow bubbling boil. ( you will not know for sure how thick your roux will make the dish unless you follow this step.) Turn down the heat to low simmer.

At this point it is time to check thickness and season. If it is to thick just add a little water or clam juice/stock if you have any extra. Once you are satisfied with thickness, add the Tabasco pepper sauce and reserved bacon, sausage and crawfish stir for a minute or so. Taste at this point and add salt, pepper and seasoning spice small amounts at a time until you are satisfied with the flavors.

Add lemon juice, cream and half the green onions and stir on low for 3 minutes. re-taste for seasoning. turn off heat, cover and let the flavors marry for about five minutes.

While this is happening, I get out the bowls, slice some French bread and place under the broiler and find my Ice cream scoop and ladle. Buy time I find the scoop and ladle it's time to check the toast!

I place a heaping scoop of rice in the center of the bowls and ladle the Etouffee over the top. Since Etouffee means smothered or covered, be generous! Garnish with remaining green onions and parsley and serve with the toasted French bread.

For a Creole twist to the above recipe. I render the bacon and sausage in a separate skillet. When I add the Trinity to the drippings, I add a heaping Tbsp of tomato paste to it as well. I just add the garlic and Juice/Stock to this and stir well and add to the roux to thicken. The finished dish calls for a side of fried okra!

Creamy Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup  Butter or bacon grease
1/4 to 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 can of whole tomatoes with liquid(crush tomatoes with your hands to make large chunks)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of cream or milk
2 Tbs butter



In large cast iron skillet, heat bacon grease
Stir in flour and lower heat to med. low
Keep stirring to cook flour to a light roux stage.
Be careful not to burn roux. This only takes a couple of minutes. You just want the flour not to have a raw dough taste.
When flour gets to the light roux stage, slowly stir in tomatoes with liquid.
Add cream a little at a time until desired thickness while stirring gravy.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes.
Before serving, add butter and stir.
Serve over fresh baked homemade biscuits.

Country Fried Steaks

  1 cup vegetable oil

    1 pound round steak, cut into 4 (4-ounce) pieces

    Salt

    Freshly ground black pepper

    1 egg, beaten

    3 cups milk

    1/4 cup buttermilk

    1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Heat the oil in a heavy 9-inch cast iron skillet, to 360 degrees F. Using a meat mallet, pound out the steak. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Combine the egg with 3 the buttermilk. Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour in a shallow pan and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the steaks in the flour, coating each piece evenly and tapping off any excess. Drip the steak in the egg wash, coating it completely and letting the excess drip off. Dredge again in the flour, shaking off any excess. Fry the steaks in the hot oil, until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully pour off the oil, leaving behind about 1/4 cup of the oil along with the brown bits. Over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the remaining 3 cups milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking constantly. The gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick, add a little water to thin it.

Add the steaks back to the gravy and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Let cook on low for at least one hour, the longer the better. Check often adding milk or water if needed. After cooking low and slow taste and add any needed seasoning.  Serve the fried steak and gravy with mashed potatoes and green beans and Homemade biscuits.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

4 tbsp. butter

1/4 c. flour

2 1/2 c. milk

4 oz. (1/2 c.) Swiss cheese, shredded

2 c. broccoli, chopped

1 med. onion, sliced in 1/2 inch rings

1/2 red sweet bell pepper, chopped

1/2 c. cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 c. mushrooms, sliced

4 c. cooked linguini

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in heavy saucepan, add flour and stir to a roux. Cook for about 5 minutes, medium heat - do not scorch. Slowly stir in the skim milk and stir to combine well. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture begins to thicken slightly. Add the Swiss cheese, stirring well to mix. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium. Add all the vegetables, stir until they are slightly cooked.(Add precooked Chicken or shrimp to pan with vegetables.) Pour cheese sauce, stir, then add pasta. Stir until well blended. Remove and place in a warmed bowl and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Gravy Recipes

Sawmill Gravy

     1 pound bulk breakfast sausage

     1/4 cup flour

     2 cups milk

     Salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet. When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.) Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits.

Red Eye Gravy

Pan juices from frying a 1-pound ham slice (about 1/4-inch thick)

1/2 cup strong black coffee

Black pepper

Worcestershire Sauce

Fry the ham slice in the usual manner. Deglaze the frying pan with the coffee, scraping all bits and pieces loose from the bottom of the pan. Boil mixture for approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced in half. Season with pepper and Worcestershire to your taste.

Pour Red Eye Gravy over cooked ham slice and biscuits.

Giblet Gravy

Turkey giblets and neck

2 boiled eggs coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, quartered

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup water

pan drippings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

salt and freshly ground pepper,to taste

While turkey roasts, place giblets and neck in heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the top. Add vegetables and, if needed, a little additional water to cover them; return to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer; cook slowly for about 2 hours, until liquid has reduced to a rich stock. Strain, pressing stock from vegetables; discard vegetables. Reserve stock; you should have about 1 1/4 cups.

Chop giblets in small cubes and remove any neck meat; reserve. When turkey has completed roasting, remove it from the roasting pan, set roasting pan atop two burners, and over low heat add the 1/2 cup water to pan. Blend water with pan drippings, using a wooden spoon to stir mixture and loosen browned bits from bottom of pan. The water and pan drippings together should equal about 1 cup. Reserve this liquid.

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour; raise heat to medium and cook until flour mixture begins to turn golden brown (about 2 minutes).

Stir in 1 cup of the reserved giblet stock and the reserved 1 cup of liquid from the roasting pan, stirring constantly until thickened. If mixture is too thick, whisk in additional turkey stock or, for a creamy gravy, add a little milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in giblets and boiled eggs serve hot with favorite cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes.

Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup bacon grease or shortening.(you can also use oil) 

1/4 to 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1- 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes with liquid(crush tomatoes with your hands or use a food processor) If using fresh tomatoes 3-4 large, scalded, peeled and crushed to make about 2 cups.

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of water or milk for a creamier gravy

In large cast iron skillet, heat bacon grease or shortening

Stir in flour and lower heat to med. low

Keep stirring to brown flour to a dark roux stage. (If making a creamy gravy, just cook flour on low about 3-5 minutes to cook out the raw taste and be sure not to darken. This is referred to as a bechamel.)

Be careful not to burn roux. This takes a little while so don't try to hurry it up.

When flour gets to the dark roux stage, slowly stir in tomatoes with liquid.

Add water or milk a little at a time while stirring tomato gravy.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes or until preferred thickness is achieved.

Before serving, add butter and stir. You may want to add a little salt and pepper, that's up to your taste.

Serve over fresh baked homemade biscuits with a little extra butter on top!

Peanut Butter Gravy

2 TBS Sausage or Bacon grease

1 TBS Flour

1/2 cup or more Milk

1 TBS Peanut butter

Salt and pepper

Brown flour in the sausage grease. Stir in 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. Add milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. This is great on toast, biscuits or hash browns.

Brown Gravy

2 tablespoons pan drippings

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 /2 cup milk

1 cup water

Immediately after removing meat from a roasting pan or other pan, drain off the drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle the flour over drippings; cook and stir over medium heat until brown. Gradually stir in milk, whisking with a fork to scrape up all of the meaty bits from the pan, then gradually whisk in the water. Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Rice Beignets

1/2 cup uncooked rice

 3 cups boiling water

 1 package active dry yeast

 3 eggs, well beaten

 1/4 cup flour

 1/2 cup granulated sugar

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

 seeds of one vanilla bean or 1 cap of extract

 oil (for deep-fat frying)

 confectioners' sugar

 Cook rice in boiling water until very tender and mushy. Drain and set aside to cool. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water. Mix with cold rice and let stand in a warm spot overnight or at least 4 hours. 

 Beat in eggs, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, adding more flour, if necessary, to make a thick batter. Heat oil to 370 degrees F on deep-fat thermometer. Drop batter from tablespoons into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm