Southern Easter Dinner

These recipes are compliments of The Divine Dixie Deva’s,”Supper Time in the South”. Remember my books would be great Mother’s Day Gifts and they are being offered buy 1 get 1 free for a limited time only! Making room for more inventory.

CARAMEL CAKE
The Divine Dixie Deva’s Favorite Cake

1 CUP BUTTER, SOFTENED
2 CUPS GRANULATED SUGAR
4 EGGS, SEPARATED
3 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
1 TABLESPOON BAKING POWDER
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1 CUP MILK
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT OR BUTTERNUT FLAVORING

CAKE RECIPE:
CREAM BUTTER, GRADUALLY, ADDING SUGAR, BEATING UNTIL FLUFFY. ADD EGG YOLKS, BEATING WELL AFTER EACH ADDITION. COMBINE THE FLOUR, WITH BAKING POWDER AND SALT. ADD TO CREAMED MIXTURE ALTERNATELY WITH MILK, BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH FLOUR. BEAT EGG WHITES UNTIL STIFF , BUT NOT DRY. FOLD INTO BATTER. STIR IN THE FLAVORINGS. POUR BATTER INTO 3 (9-INCH) GREASED, FLOURED AND WAX PAPER LINED PANS. BAKE AT 350-DEGREES ABOUT 25 MINUTES. DO THE TOOTH PICK TEST. WHEN DONE, YOU MUST COOL THE CAKE LAYERS COMPLETELY.

OLD FASHION CARAMEL ICING

4 CUPS LIGHT BROWN SUGAR, FIRMLY PACKED
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 CUP BUTTER
1 1/3 CUPS HALF & HALF
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
4 TABLESPOONS (ADDITIONAL HALF & HALF OR CREAM)

IN A HEAVY SAUCEPAN, COMBINE THE BROWN SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER AND HALF AND HALF. STIR UNTIL THE MIXTURE BOILS. CONTINUE TO BOIL UNTIL IT REACHES A SOFT BALL STAGE
OF 234-DEGREES. TAKE OFF OF THE STOVE AND COOL TO LUKEWARM OR UNTIL YOU CAN TOUCH THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN. DO NOT STIR DURING THE COOLING PERIOD. YOU MAY BEAT WITH A WOODEN SPOON OR AN ELECTRIC MIXER ON HIGH UNTIL THE ICING THICKENS OR BEGINS TO LOOSE ITS GLOSS. STIR IN THE VANILLA EXTRACT. IF THE ICING IS TOO THICK ADD THE ADDITIONAL CREAM.
YOU WILL HAVE AMPLE ICING WITH THIS RECIPE TO ICE THIS CAKE BETWEEN THE LAYERS AND SIDES, IF YOU HAVE ICING LEFT OVER, PUT IN A SAUCER AND GIVE IT TO YOUR CHILDREN OR HUSBAND WITH A SPOON AND HAVE THEM TO GO FOR IT.

Southern Baked Pork Loin With Sausage Stuffing and Mushroom Sauce
Serves 12

Pork Loin is another very economical way to serve your family. It is a meat that you can dress up or dress down. It has absolutely no waste, for you can freeze the leftovers. When I see a Pork Loin in the store on sale, I never pass it up. You will find them wrapped 2 in a package or packaged as 1 whole Pork Loin. If I can’t use the entire Pork Loin, I purchase it and cut it in half and freeze the other half. Just prepare a 1 (4-pound) Pork Loin, if you need a smaller amount.

2 (4-pound) boneless pork loins, center cut
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
Heavy kitchen string (save for the stuffing)

In order to prepare the roasts for stuffing, you will need to butterfly the roasts. This is a very simple method. Simply turn the roast fat side down. Make a single lengthwise cut down the center of the loin, cutting within ½-inch of the other side. Spread the loin sides open. Pound both sides of the loin with a meat mallet to 1-inch thickness. Make tiny slits in both halves of the loin and insert the tiny slivers of garlic into them. Season with salt and pepper.

Sausage Stuffing

This stuffing recipe is enough to stuff 2 (4-pound) pork loins.

8 fresh bread slices, wheat or white, whatever you have on hand
1 (1-pound) roll of your favorite brand of sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (Grind onion and celery together in food processor together)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple juice (Save this for pouring in the bottom of the roasting pan)
1 cooking apple, diced (Do not peel)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ cup pecans, chopped
1 cup butter, melted

Cut bread into cubes, crust and all, setting aside. Cook the sausage in a skillet along with the celery and onions. Cook until there is no pink in color. Drain and discard grease. Remove from the heat and stir in the bread, bouillon cube, broth, apple, poultry seasoning, pecans and butter. Spoon 2 cups of the sausage stuffing on the bottom half of each pork loin and tie with a kitchen string at 4-inch intervals. Place the roasts in the roasting pan and sprinkle any leftover stuffing on top of the roasts. Pour apple juice in the bottom of the pan. Bake covered at 325-degrees for 2 ½-3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches at least 170-degrees. Ovens vary. The last 30-45 minutes of the cooking time, bake with the cover off of the roaster, so that the roast will brown nicely. Take out of oven and let the meat sit in the pan for 15 minutes to rest before slicing. This lets the juices seep back into the meat.

Mushroom Sauce

1 stick butter
2 (8-ounce) packages fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup white wine
½ cup Baked Pork Loin drippings

Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat, adding the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Sauté until tender, adding the salt, wine and pan drippings. Cook about 10 minutes and serve over the Southern Baked Pork Loin Roast.

Mama Gillis’ Baked Macaroni N’ Cheese

This is very easy. There is a SECRET trick is making this.
You do not have to make the cream sauce separately. Just watch.

2 cups elbow macaroni
1 stick butter
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups Sharp cheese, grated
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper-just a touch,if desired
Paprika

When boiling the noodles, put the noodles in a pot with enough water to cover the noodles. When the noodles are tender DO NOT DRAIN THE WATER OFF OF THE MACARONI. SOME OF THE WATER HAS ALREADY BOILED OUT SO IT WILL NOT BE TOO WATERY. DO YOU KNOW WHY? I ASKED MAMA GILLIS. SHE SAID THE WATER THAT YOU BOILED THE MACARONI IN IS FULL OF STARCH. WHY WOULD YOU THROW IT OUT. THE STARCH WATER IS A THICKENING.

On with the recipe.

Put a stick of butter in it. The hot water will melt the butter.
Then pour this mixture into a 2-quart greased baking dish. Pour enough of the evaporated milk in this baking dish to just about cover the macaroni. Then add :

1 1/2 cups (Save the other 1/2 for the top) grated cheese
and stir until melted. Stir in just enough black pepper to taste and cayenne pepper if desired for that extra punch.

Then add the remaining cheese and sprinkle with black pepper and paprika on top.

Bake at 350-degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

While baking you will add the rest of the milk to keep the
macaroni moist.