Lib's Southern Baked Beans

Lib's Southern Baked Beans

Whenever we are invited to supper with our friends and family, more often than not, we are asked to bring over Lib Gurkin's recipe for baked beans. Because quite simply, they are the best we've ever tasted. Enjoy!

• 1 (31 oz) can pork and beans
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 6 slices cooked, crisp bacon
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. mustard
• 2 tbsp. Grandma's molasses
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon; pour most of grease out of pan. Saute onions and bell perpper in pan bacon was cooked in, until soft. Mix all other ingredients in baking dish along with cooked onions, bell pepper, and crumbled bacon. Bake about 1 hour, uncovered, in oven. 

Serves 8.

North Carolina Coleslaw

North Carolina Coleslaw

Our coleslaw is tangy and not too sweet - and no mayo.

• 3/4 cup coarsely grated onion (grated on large holes of box grater)
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 medium head of green cabbage, cored, thinly sliced (about 10 cups)
• 2 cups coarsely grated peeled carrots (about 3 large)

Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add cabbage and carrots; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Hot Mulled Wine

Hot Mulled Wine

If you prefer a drink that is hot and spicy instead of cold, try making this mulled wine recipe. Guaranteed to take the chill out of you!

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
• 1 sachet mulling spice blend
• Cinnamon sticks (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer; cook 20 minutes. Discard sachet. Serve warm. Serve with cinnamon sticks, if desired.

Candy Apple Rum Punch

Candy Apple Rum Punch

If there ever was a punch that has the look and taste of Christmas, this is it. Bright red and tasty. If you prefer a non-alcoholic punch, substitute water for the rum.

• 6 cups cranberry-apple drink
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup spiced rum
• 15 hard cinnamon candies
• 1 (6-ounce) can thawed limeade concentrate, undiluted

Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill 8 hours or until candies are dissolved. Pour mixture into a large Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Ham with Apple and Raisin Sauce

Ham with Apple and Raisin Sauce

We love a fresh ham at Christmas. The apple and raisin sauce goes perfect with it. And the best thing is that this recipe is real easy to make.

Ham

• 1 fresh ham (12 lbs)
• 2 tbsp. self-rising flour
• 3 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tbsp. salt
• pepper to taste

Apple and Raisin Sauce

• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Put the ham, thyme and salt in a large pot, cover with hot water, and let simmer for 2 hours. Remove the ham from the pot and let it cool. When the ham is cool, cut off the skin and fat. Mix the salt and pepper with the flour, and sprinkle the ham with the flour mixture. Place the ham in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the ham sit inside for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the ham from the pan and pour the juices into a cup or small bowl. Set the cup in cold water to harden the fat; remove the fat when it becomes solid. Serves 8.

Apple and Raisin Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until bubbly. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Eggnog Cheesecake

This cheesecake recipe will leave you warm and cozy - who needs a fire?!? You can make this cheesecake, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to three days. If you like, you can top it with your preferred candied fruit or pie filling.

• 5 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1-1/4 cups whole-grain nugget cereal (such as Grape Nuts)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla
• 1 tbsp. bourbon
• 1 tbsp. dark rum
• 1 tbsp. brandy

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter; set aside. In a food processor bowl, process cereal about 2 minutes, until a fine crumb forms. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and salt; process to combine. With processor running, add remaining butter through feed tub just until combined. Press crumb mixture on bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a clean food processor bowl (using an electric mixer, beating on medium speed), process the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup sugar until combined. Add eggs and process until creamy, scraping down sides once or twice. Add eggnog, vanilla, bourbon, rum, and brandy; process until combined. Gently pour filling into baked crust. Bake 45 minutes or until sides are slightly puffed (center will be soft). Turn off oven and leave door ajar. Let cheesecake stand in oven for 1 hour.

Transfer to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen the crust from sides of springform pan. Cool 30 minutes. Remove slides from the pan; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. 

Makes 12 servings.

Christmas Brownies

Christmas Brownies

Here's an old-fashioned Brownie recipe that we love to make at Christmas.

• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup butter
• 2 tbsp. cherry brandy (optional)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1-1/4 cups granulate sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup coarsely chopped candied cherries
• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease it. In saucepan stir semisweet chocolate and butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in brandy and vanilla. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add sugars and eggs. Beat on medium until well-combined. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add to chocolate-egg mixture. Beat on medium until well-combined. Stir in cherries and chopped chocolate. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely. Gently cut in bars or sticks using a sharp knife (to make slicing easy, let the pan of brownies cool completely before cutting in bars). Makes about 48 bars.

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

This is a great homemade cinnamon roll recipe for those cold, December mornings - especially Christmas morning. The smell throughout your house will be warm and inviting.

• 2 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened

In a bowl, combine yeast and 1/4 cup warm water (about 115 degrees). Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk, molasses, 1/4 cup brown sugar, the egg, oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir in as much flour as you can. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Kned in enough remaining flour for moderately soft, smooth, elastic dough (5 minutes). Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise until double the original size (1 hour). Punch down. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan. For the filling, in a bowl combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Roll dough to 12x8 inch rectangle. Spread butter on dough. Sprinkle filling to within 1 inch along one long side. Roll the dough up, beginning at the long side of the filling. Pinch the dough to seal. Cut 12 slices. Place in pan. Cover and let rise until nearly double the original size (45 minutes).

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake dough for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let stand 5 minutes and then invert onto the platter. Drizzle with Glaze. Makes 12 rolls.

Glaze - combine 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Whisk in enough milk (4 to tsp.) for drizzling consistency.

Peanut Butter Christmas Star Cookies

Peanut Butter Christmas Star Cookies

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup all-vegetable shortening
1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsps milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg and beat until blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to creamed mixture at low speed. Drop by rounded tbsp 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly and draw star pattern with edge of fork. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely. 

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Snow Cream

Snow Cream

It is very rare to get snow in December, in North Carolina. The first snow is always the most special. My Mom would be just as excited as we kids were when it started snowing. After there were several inches on the ground, Mom would say "Who wants Snow Cream?!?". She would give us a large mixing bowl and tell us to fill it up. But you had to make sure that you scraped away the very top layer of snow - and avoid the snow closest to the ground. And stay away from yellow snow!

• Large mixing bowl of fresh snow
• 1 - 2 cups of Milk (whole milk is best)
• 1 - 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or other flavoring
• 1/2 - 1 cup sugar

Take the large bowl of snow and stir the snow around a little to fluff it up. Then quickly stir in just enough milk to make a similar consistency to ice cream. Start with 1/2 cup of milk and keep going until you have enough to make the snow creamy. If you add too much milk and it becomes runny, just add some more snow. Then stir in a little vanilla and sugar to taste. That's it! Eat it as fast as you can before it melts!

Mom - I Swear I Saw Santa!

Mom - I Swear I Saw Santa!

I have a lot of memories of Christmas as a young boy. It's amazing how children's imaginations can open up whole magical worlds to explore - like the movie "Polar Express".

I can remember one Christmas eve - I must have been 4 or 5 years old, when I swore I saw Santa. It was a full moon that night and I woke up from a deep sleep after hearing bells - the kind of bells that would be on a sleigh. It was very late at night and everyone in the house was fast asleep.

I jumped up out of bed and looked out my window. The light of the moon was so bright, it was almost like daytime. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walking from in front of my house towards my neighbor's house. That someone had on a red coat, a red hat, a beard and a large bag slung over his shoulders. It was Santa!

My Mom had always told me that Santa wouldn't come to our house unless all the children were fast asleep. So I quickly got back in bed and tried my best to go back to sleep. But there was no way I could - I had just seen Santa walking away from our house! And so that meant he had already left presents for us. But, I thought that he might come back and take our presents away if he sensed we weren't all asleep - because you know Santa knows when you're awake! My heart was pounding!

I managed to fall back asleep at some point - but I woke up again just before dawn and jumped out of bed, ran into the living room. Lo and behold, there were Santa's gifts under the Christmas tree! I ran and woke up my Mom to tell her that I had saw Santa that night. She said, "Of course you did!" and I knew she didn't believe me. So I said, "Mom - I swear I saw Santa last night!". She said, "Well if he really came, did you check and see if he ate the cookies that we left for him?" I ran back into the living room, and sure enough, he had eaten all the cookies except for half of one last cookie. And he had drank half of the glass of milk we had left for him too.

These memories are the ones that I can still remember in vivid detail, even though they were long, long ago. I only hope that my children have had similar memories that they can share when they grow old. Because that is what Christmas is all about. You know - I always wonder who that "Santa" was walking in front of my house that Christmas eve - or did I just imagine it. It must have been the real thing.

-Rick Gurkin

Lib's Chocolate Eclair

Lib's Chocolate Eclair

This is another one of Lib Gurkin's wonderfully quick, easy and delicious recipes that I know for a fact that Chuck Gurkin is crazy about. I guarantee that if you close your eyes and take a bite, you will swear that you just tasted the real thing.

• 1 box Graham Crackers
• 2 small boxes (or 1 large box) French Vanilla Pudding
• 1 large Cool Whip (9 oz)
• 1 can Hershey Chocolate Frosting
• 3 cups cold milk

Mix milk and pudding. Fold in Cool Whip. Place a layer of crackers. then a layer of pudding, etc. End with crackers on top. Spread with Frosting and cool overnight.

Quick Peach Cobbler

Quick Peach Cobbler

• 2 large cans sliced peaches (32 oz.)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
• 2 ready-made pie shells
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2tsp. vanilla flavor
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix peaches, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla flavor and lemon juice. Pour in deep cooking pan. Cover top of pan with ready-made pie shells. Sprinkle with with 1/4 cup sugar (splenda) and 1/4 cup butter, melted, over pie shells. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until pie crust is done and serve. Allow to cool 30 minutes.

Fried Pie Dough (Applejacks)

Fried Pie Dough (Applejacks)

When we came home from school we would usually have a snack waiting for us. Generally it would be a baked sweet potato and a piece of frying pan bread, but sometimes it would be applejacks. Ymmm Mmm!

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 4 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup shortening
• Fruit of your choosing (apples, peaches etc.)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until well mixed. Combine vinegar and water. Dribble in a small amount at a time and use a fork to mix. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and leave about 30 minutes, then pinch off small balls and roll out in circles. Fill half the circle with fruit. Fold over the other half and dampen all around with water. Press together with the tines of a fork. Fry in deep oil.

Note. We generally used apple and called them Applejacks. Today apple pie filling out of a can would work very well, or any other filling you desire.

Buttermilk Pie

Buttermilk Pie

This is an old Southern recipe that was really popular in the south from the late 1800s up through the 1950s. We still enjoy it.

• 1 unbaked pie shell
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar or Splenda

Put eggs in mixing bowl. Add and mix remaining ingredients. Bake in uncooked shell at 350 degrees for about 45 mins or until done.

Ice Box Fruit Cake

Ice Box Fruit Cake

This recipe is so old that it literally meant an ice box. When I was a youngin, we used to get a delivery of ice every Wednesday. Us kids would gather at the back of the ice truck and sometimes the iceman would chip off a piece of ice for us after he had put a large block of ice in the oak and zinc icebox in the kitchen. The great thing about a fruit cake is that if you didn't eat it at Christmas, you could always use it as a door stop!

• 1 1/2 cups evap. milk (If you want it extra rich you can use 1 cup evap. milk and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cups marshmallows
• 8 oz candied cherries (red and green)
• 4 cups nuts (English walnuts and pecans)
• 8 oz candied pineapple (You can substitute mixed candied fruit for the pineapple)
• 1 16 oz bag of coconut
• 16 oz of raisins (or less, if you desire)
• 1 box graham crackers (Be sure to crush them to crumbs)

Mix butter, milk and marshmallows over a low heat. Stir constantly till completely melted. Be careful to keep the heat low and stir so you won't scorch the milk. Pour the mix over all of the other ingredients that you have placed in a large bowl. Mix it well. Place waxed paper in the containers you choose. (Baking pan, bowls, etc.) Be sure to pack the mixure in tightly. (In the old days, we would even use small cardboard containers, such as your raisin box. But whatever you use be sure to put waxed paper in first) Next put it in your refrigerator for approximately 24 hrs or till its firm. As long as it's kept covered this cake will keep for four or five weeks.

Miz Beasley Gets Religion

Miz Beasley Gets Religion

When I was a young lad my grandmother used to take me to the Dismal Swamp Baptist Church of the Holy Ghost. Later, our type of church was called a "Holy Rollers" church. I don't know if you ever saw the church scene in the movie "The Blues Brothers", but that would get somewhat close to a Holy Rollers church. One family in our church was the Beasley family. Mr and Miz Beasley and their seven or eight children. I don't recollect ever seeing the kids still enough to count, so that number is approximate. Mr Beasley stood about 5' 4" tall in his boots and was too skinny to throw a shadow. Miz Beasley was only about two or three inches taller, but she was bigger around than she was tall. When she came walking down the road you just had to stop and watch her go by. I honestly believe you could have stopped one of those Dreadnought Battleships before you could have slowed Miz Beasley. A fine, fine woman.

In the Dismal Swamps it can get awfully hot during the summer and the time I'm speaking of took place on the second Sunday of August. It had been mostly quiet in the church and Parson McCloud was speaking in "tongues" and a few of the men had started saying Amen's and some of the ladies would give out a chirp or "Oh Lawd, hep me" just another typical Dismal Sunday. In the meantime Miz Beasley had slipped out the door and made her way to the little necessary house behind the Church. After doing her business she scooped everything up and came on back into the church. Just as she slipped into the back of the aisle a bumblebee made it clear to Miz Beasley that he had gotten scooped up with everything else. I mean he made it known with a vengeance.

Well sir. You ain't never. Miz Beasley made the most blood curdling screech I have ever heard come from anyone, even including a rebel soldier. For a big woman she would have put the Olympics gymnasts to shame. She did two forward flips, a cartwheel, a backwards flip and ended up doing a really great split. The whole time she was carrying on like the spirit had hit her something fierce. I would give a hunnerd dollars if I could yodel half as good as she did whilst doing everything else. Well, you ain't heard the last of this yet. Miz Beasley sprang up from the floor and started ripping off her clothes and the members of the congregation thought that the Holy Spirit had flung itself upon her and joined in too. The yodeling, screeching, and praising God and the clothes flying through the church made Parson McCloud get right out of the mood of talking in tongues and he just held on to the podium and stood there with his mouth hanging open.

Finally, Miz Beasley had gotten down to where she just barely had enough clothes on for modesty and ran and jumped right through the only stained glass window we had and took off to the pond on a dead run with the rest of the congregation right behind her. Well heck fire, us kids never missed an opportunity to get in the water so we just came right along. Parson McCloud took the opportunity, while everyone was in the water, to baptize the entire congregation again.

I must admit that was the best Sunday I have ever spent in church!

-Bob Gurkin

Thanksgiving Luau Memories in Baja

Thanksgiving Luau Memories in Baja

This is a true story about an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime Thanksgiving that I was fortunate enough to experience in 1995, down in Baja California, Mexico. I know this tale doesn’t really fit in with the scope of our White Trash Cooking blog – but who cares? I want to share my tale with everyone else and this is the only way I know how to share it!

My next door neighbors, Steve and Linda Paliska owned a house on a cliff in an enclosed, gringo enclave called Las Gaviotas - just south of Rosarito Beach, which is about an hour drive south of San Diego/Tijuana, along the Pacific coast. It was a beautiful, rugged place that still had authentic Mexican charm and gorgeous beaches. Steve and Linda invited my family to come down for Thanksgiving in 1995 and we hesitantly said yes. We weren’t real comfortable with going out of the country with young kids, especially Mexico, but Steve assured me that all would be fine. He told us to arrive a couple of days before Thanksgiving so that we could see the area and help with preparations – and so we did just that.

Steve’s brother, Paul and his family were already there when we arrived. Steve showed us around his house and the enclave. The house sat on top of a 100 foot cliff, with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, and in the distance, the island of San Clemente. There was a long, zig-zagging staircase that dropped down to the beach below. The first night we were there, we all climbed down the stairs to the beach and made a huge bonfire. On the beach were thousands and thousands of black and gray, water-sculpted smooth rocks – about the size of a large, russet potato. We talked about our plans for Thanksgiving and it was all agreed that we were going to have a traditional turkey feast with all the trimmings. Steve had bought a big, 25 lb turkey to cook. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and we all drank and partied late into the evening.

I got up early the next morning and after grabbing a cup of coffee, I began looking through Steve’s large collection of books in the living room. I soon found an old book from the 1940’s, which was a short story on how to go about doing a Hawaiian Luau. Steve and Paul got up shortly after me and joined me in the living room. I was fascinated by the book, which was very simple and with exact step-by-step instructions on what was required to cook a pig, Hawaiian-style. I showed the book to Steve and he said that he had acquired it at a neighbor’s yard sale years before. He had never even read it.

On this particular morning (the day before Thanksgiving), I guess Steve and Paul woke up ready to start partying early because the next thing you know, they had a bottle of tequila out and started passing the bottle around. I figured what-the-heck, might as well join them – after all, I am in Mexico. The next thing you know, Steve decided that we were going to have a Hawaiian-style Thanksgiving – which meant that we were going to have both Turkey and Pig. The problem was that we had absolutely none of the items necessary to cook a pig, Hawaiian style - and we were in Baja – not Hawaii. Nevertheless, Steve was certain that we could find everything we needed nearby in Rosarito Beach. Paul and I merrily agreed to join Steve in his quest to get everything that we needed to cook that pig – Hiccup. Thus started our incredible scavenger hunt.

Basically, we needed: a small pig, banana leaves (to wrap around the pig and seal in the juices), burlap (to go around the banana leaves), chicken wire (to wrap around the burlap), firewood (no problem), and small, round rocks (thousands on the beach) that were heated up in a fire and placed all around the pig, which was placed in a hole that we had to dig somewhere.

Steve spoke Spanish pretty well and so we set off in his truck to Rosarito Beach. We first went to the Rosarito Beach hotel, which is very famous. We told the clerk at the front desk what we were doing and he gave us some leads on where we might find what we needed. The only items that he wasn’t sure about were the pig and the banana leaves. While we were at the hotel, Steve bought us Carta Blanca beers and shots of tequila. We were lucky and found the chicken wire and burlap at a hardware store in town. But no luck on the pig and banana leaves.

We ended up driving all the way from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada – stopping at what seemed like every bar in between - Calafia, Puerto Nuevo, La Fonda – drinking beers and tequila. A bartender at Hussongs Cantina in Ensenada finally pointed us in the direction of a farmer outside of town. After arriving at his farm, selecting a pig and haggling over price, we finally came to an agreement. We waited outside by our truck while the farmer “prepared” the pig for us – and yes, you guessed it – drinking beers and tequila. And wouldn’t you know it, the farmer actually had banana plants growing on his land. We again negotiated a price for the banana leaves and came to an agreement. I can only imagine what that farmer thought about us – those “loco gringos!”.

We somehow managed to get back to Steve’s house by dinner time – we were obviously pretty looped by then. But we were just getting started and time was running out. After woofing down some tacos and burritos, we discussed our next step. We needed to dig a hole someplace for the pig. We decided that the logical place to do that was down on the beach. So we grabbed all our items, including a shovel and pick, and climbed down the stairs to the beach. We dug a pit in the beach sand and started a bonfire. Then we collected rocks and threw them in the fire – which was a mistake. Never throw cold rocks into a blazing fire because they can, and do explode. Hmmm, what to do? We decided to start a new fire –this time placing the rocks underneath the wood first, so that they would gradually heat up. This worked fine. However, we forgot one crucial factor with our plan – the tide.

We, or actually Steve, had forgotten about the fact that the beach was almost completely covered by the ocean at high tide. Our fire was soon out. Hmmm, what to do? It just so happened that there was a “shelf” carved into the soft sandstone cliff about 12 feet up from the beach, by the stairs. So we got the pick and started carving out a pit hole in the sandstone. Fortunately, we had beer and tequila to help us with our task. By midnight, we had carved out our pit, had our bonfire going again and had our rocks heating up. We placed the hot rocks in the pit, the banana leaf, burlap, chicken-wrapped pig on top of that, more rocks and then shoveled beach sand on top of the pig - we then placed a Mexican blanket on top of the sand to try and keep as much heat in as possible. We were working solely on our belief that the instructions in the Luau book were fool-proof and that we had accomplished our tasks perfectly. If we had done everything right, the pig would be fully slow-cooked in 8 hours. It was now 2 in the morning. I don’t know how we did it, but we managed to stay up all night long next to the pig, just in case wild coyotes (or locals) decided to wander by – drinking beer and tequila. At some point, I passed out – and woke up at dawn on Thanksgiving morning – about as hung-over as I have ever been in my life.

After we all had showered and changed clothes, we pulled the pig out of the pit sharply at 10am, desperately hoping that it was finished cooking. We peeled off a corner of the pig “blanket” and sliced off some of the meat – it was incredible – tender and moist, with an enticing aroma that reminded me of Hawaii – must have been the banana leaves. We had done it!

Thanksgiving dinner was due to be served at noon and guests were already arriving. Steve had contracted to have workers from the Rosarito Beach hotel set up and serve all the food – and he had also arranged for Mariachis to play. The chef did a great job of preparing the pig – although the way he prepared it was very similar to Carnitas actually. Who cared though – the pig represented the fruits of our hard, drunken labor.

The day was like a dream – beautiful weather – overlooking the ocean – with the Mariachis playing the Macarena (yes, we all danced to it) – and of course, drinking Mexican beer and tequila. A most unforgettable Thanksgiving in Mexico.

- Rick Gurkin

Candy Coated Carrots

Candy Coated Carrots

This recipe has been around for 4 generations. You can serve this instead of candied yams if you have a hankerin'.

• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup tabasco pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 6-8 carrots, sliced and cooked

Place butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until combined. Add tabasco and salt; mix well; add lemon juice. Remove from heat. Add hot, drained carrots and toss gently until coated evenly. 

Serves 4.

Polka-Dot Pumpkin Pie

Polka-Dot Pumpkin Pie

This is a real delicious and easy to make pumpkin pie that will go great with Thanksgiving dinner.

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• pinch salt
• 1 small can (5 oz) evaporated milk
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 9-inch pie shell

Mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and spices together, blending well. Put into the pie shell and scatter the raisins evenly over the top. Bake on the middle rack of 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until set.

Southern Pecan Pie

Southern Pecan Pie

We were fortunate to have a pecan (pronounced "PEE can" in the south) grove in our backyard. As a boy, I would fill up so many paper grocery bags of pecans in the Fall, that we would have to stack them in the utility room. We had pecans to eat throughout the Winter. You are gonna love this classic, southern pecan pie recipe - easy to make and looks real pretty too!

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix yolk with water and stir in until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Roll out and place in a 9 inch pie plate.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place pecans in the bottom of pie crust. In a large bowl, Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar and flour. Mix in the eggs, corn syrup, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Blend well and pour over pecans in crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is set.

Biscuits

Biscuits

This is an old Southern recipe that can be traced back to the Civil War. Peggy Gurkin was originally born in Bell Island, Newfoundland - married a southern man (Bob Gurkin), moved to North Carolina, and having never made a biscuit in her life, used this recipe to make the best biscuits that anyone has ever tasted! Peggy passed away a few years ago - God rest her soul. Biscuits and gravy are always served at Thanksgiving.

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ½ cup shortening
• 3/4 cup whole milk (you can substitute buttermilk for whole milk – add ¼ teaspoon baking soda when making buttermilk biscuits)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Cut shortening into the flour with a fork until consistency of coarse meal. Add milk all at once; stir with fork just until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Knead gently 10 times or until no longer sticky. Roll out dough to ½ inch thickness; cut with 2 inch floured biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 12 mins or until golden brown. 

Makes 12 biscuits.

Okra and Tomatoes

Okra and Tomatoes

If fresh vegetables are not available you can substitute a 10 oz package of frozen okra and a 14-½ oz can of tomatoes.

• 2 cups ½-inch pieces of fresh okra
• ½ stick margarine
• ½ cup water
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes

Place the okra in a pot with the water and let come to a boil. Add the tomatoes, butter, and salt to the okra, stirring to mix well. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. If you use canned tomatoes, cut them up before adding to the pot and add the juice along with the tomatoes. Add the okra and the butter but not the salt (canned tomatoes have enough salt). Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes. 

Serves 4-6.

Corn Casserole

Corn Casserole

This is a delicious side dish that everyone will enjoy at Thanksgiving.

• ½ cup margarine
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 (17 oz) cream corn
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (17 oz) corn Niblets
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 (8-1/2 oz) box corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt margarine in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. After margarine is melted, add both corns (including liquid), bread mix and eggs. Mix gently with a fork. Drop sour cream by spoonfuls in different areas. Using a knife, marbleize the sour cream. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

What would Thanksgiving be without mashed potatoes? Don't forget the gravy!

• 2 lbs white potatoes
• 3/4 cup milk (maybe less)
• 3/4 stick margarine
• Salt to taste

Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut into quarters. Put the potatoes into a pot, cover with water and boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Add the butter and mash the potatoes well, using a potato masher. With a wire wisk or electric mixer, add the milk, a little at a time, until the potatoes are as soft as you like. 

Serves 6 to 8.

Old Fashioned Stuffed Turkey

Old Fashioned Stuffed Turkey

Mom used to make a wonderful stuffed Thanksgiving turkey with delicious moist dressing inside. My mouth still waters just thinking about it!

• 1 (14 pound - serves 12) turkey
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 12 cups unseasoned stuffing cubes (or use your own bread cubes)
• Warm water
• 1 cube melted butter

In a large skillet, saute the onions, celery and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add broth and seasonings; mix well. Place bread cubes in a large bowl; add mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Stir in enough warm water to reach desired moistness.

Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter.

Bake turkey, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180 for the turkey and 165 for the stuffing, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)

Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 30-40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover turkey with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy. Makes 12 servings (10 cups stuffing).

Thanksgiving and Christmas 2009

Growing up as a kid, I used to love the holiday season. We didn't have a whole lot of money, but from Thanksgiving through the New Year, my Mom would go to great lengths to try and make us happy with food, decorations and music. I can still hear Mom's favorite Country Christmas albums - Brenda Lee, Elvis, and Jim Reeves to name a few. There seemed to be something different cooking each day and I would look forward to the scents from the kitchen when I walked in the door of our house after a day at school.

The postings for November and December will be focused on the types of foods we used to eat at our house during the holidays. I'm not going to list them all, but I'll try and post a few ones that stand out the most in my mind - with a variety of main dishes and desserts too. Heck, there's even a recipe for snow cream that my Mom used to love to make after the first snow of the season. Hope you like them as much as we did then, and do now.

-Rick Gurkin

Southern Grits with Shrimp

Southern Grits with Shrimp

We like to take trips down to southeastern North Carolina along the coastal waterways and one of our favorite things to do is to look for the shrimp boats coming back in with huge catches of fresh shrimp. You used to be able to buy a pound for as little as a dollar right off the boat. There's nothing more satisfying than shrimp and ice cold beer! Just ask Lib and Jim Gurkin.

Here's a great southeastern Carolina recipe for grits and shrimp. Who said you only ate grits at breakfast? This makes for a truly mouth-watering supper!

Grits:

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 3/4 cup stone-ground grits
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• black pepper - coarsely ground

Shrimp:

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 2 cups thickly sliced button mushrooms
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1-to-2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• black pepper - coarsely ground

To cook the grits, bring water and milk to a boil over high heat. Add grits; cook according to package directions. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. If grits become too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk. Keep warm in double boiler.

To cook the shrimp, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; saute' until almost crisp. Remove from skillet, reserving pan drippings. Add shrimp and mushrooms to pan drippings; saute' until shrimp is light pink, about 4 minutes. Add beer; green onions and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, Tabasco, pepper and parsley.

Divide the grits equally among 4 plates. Spoon shrimp mixture on top; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Serves 4.

Lib's Spaghetti

Lib's Spaghetti

Lib Gurkin has a real simple, great-tasting recipe for jazzin' up Chef Boyardee spaghetti. Sounds crazy, but give it a try and let us know what you think. We all love it.

• 1 lb hamburger
• 4 16-oz cans Chef Boyardee spaghetti sauce w/ meat
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4-cup catsup
• 1/2-teaspoon sweet basil
• Accent (sprinkle to taste)
• Salt and pepper (sprinkle to taste)

Mix onion and meat...cook over medium heat until done. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce plus up-to 1 cup of water. Don’t make it too watery, but keep in mind that it will thicken as it cooks. Add catsup, Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms. Sprinkle on sweet basil and accent. Boil the spaghetti. After it is done, drain off the excess water and then combine the cooked sauce and spaghetti. 

Serves 6.

Grandma Estelle

Grandma Estelle

I don't recall every seeing Grandma just a settin at rest. During the day, she would be in the tobacco fields, just like us boys. She could sucker the tobacco, or crop them as well as any of the guys, and probably better than most. Her tote sack would be just as heavy as the men's in the cotton patch, and her rows were picked clean. She didn't leave much white for us 'little fellers' to glean behind her. When she wasn't in the fields, she would be up under the sheds tying and hanging the tobacco in the barns to dry. Even up to the house Grandma stayed moving. Chopping kindling for the cook stove, hauling buckets of water from the spring for washing and cooking. Down here we don't mow the grass, we sweep the yard with a homemade broom. That was Grandma's job also. Even on a Sunday afternoon, when we would all be settin on the porch, with a glass of tea and telling each other Swamp Stories, Grandma would laugh right along with the rest of us, but she would have a tub of field peas or butterbeans in her lap and she would never quit shelling. I was a tad at the time, and dearly loved my Grandma. There wasn't a lot a little feller can do to help around the house, but one job I did for Grandma was every morning to take her slop jar out to the Necessary House and empty it and clean it out for her. She never once failed to say thank you, and I know she appreciated it. (She would slip me a little extra piece of Chitlins or Hog Skin, every now and then) One summer, the spring started to dry up and Grandma was having to go further and further to get water. She decided she wanted a well. Grandpa Kader Lewis just snorted at "sech wimmins foolishness", and refused to dig that well. Then one evening, after a long hot day in the cornfield, him and his sons came to the cabin and they won't no supper waitin on the table. Grandma explained that she had taken so long to haul water that she didn't have time to cook. They all sat down to cold biscuits and black sorghum molasses. Grandpa Kader didn't say a word, but afterwards he got out the lanterns and led his sons to a spot about 10 feet from the back door and said "Boys we are gonna put a well, rite chere". They dug that well with picks, shovels, iron bars and buckets. Grandma now has one of the finest 40-foot deep wells in the county and I learned a great lesson that night. It don't take much to make a woman happy. Just give her some respect, a little love and a good well.

-Bob Gurkin

Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

• 1 chuck roast (3-4 lbs)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup self-rising flour
• 3 carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1 stalk celery, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 potatoes, cut up
• 3 tablespoons oil or shortening
• 3 cups hot water as needed

Heat the oil in a pot or Dutch oven big enough to hold the roast. Mix the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper together. Place the roast in the flour mixture and turn and rub it until coated all over. Place the roast in the pot over medium heat and brown on both sides. Add the remaining flour mixture to the pot, along with 2 cups hot water and the onions. Let come to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Let simmer for 1-½ hrs, adding as much of the remaining hot water as may be needed to keep the roast from cooking dry. Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes to the pot and let simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Or optionally, add the vegetables to the pot and cook in the oven at 325 degrees, with the pot covered, for about 1-½ hrs or until tender. Serves 8.

Crème Brûlée French Toast

Crème Brûlée French Toast

Here is one of the best French Toast recipes that I have personally ever tasted - courtesy of our good friends - Sue & Mark Abrahams. Now this isn't one of our traditional southern recipes but we made an exception in this case because it really is easy and inexpensive to make - and it tastes so darn good! Be sure to pour warm Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth's maple syrup over it! Goes great with a nice Prosecco. Yum, Yum!

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• an 8- to 9-inch round loaf country-style bread
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish. Cut six 1-inch thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. In a bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350° F. and bring bread to room temperature. Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot French toast immediately. 

Serves 6.

Rabbit and Spare Ribs

Rabbit and Spare Ribs

If you're the hunting type and aren't opposed to shootin' or snarin' a nice, fat rabbit - or even if you're not the hunting type and just like experimentin' with different kinds of wild meats - like bear, venison, etc. - you can find dressed rabbits in certain specialty meat stores. Personally, catching a rabbit is my preference.

• 1 rabbit, cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 lbs pork spare ribs
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• 2 teaspoons salt

Wash the rabbit well and place in a large pot covered with water. Let come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook slowly for 45 minutes. Add the ribs, seasonings and 3 cups water. Cover the pot and let come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low; cook until all the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. Note. 3 lbs pork neck bones can be substituted for the spare ribs. 

Serves 6-8.

Pickin' Tobacco

Pickin’ Tobacco

When I was a very young boy, barely standing as high as a full-grown tobacco plant, my Dad asked me one summer if I was ready to help pick tobacco. My full day’s pay for picking tobacco was to be the great sum of one dollar. Well, in those days, one dollar was a whole lot of money – especially to a young boy like me – so I immediately said “Sure!” – thinking I was making easy money for hardly any work – boy, was I wrong.

The next morning, my Dad woke me up before dawn. We got into his pickup truck and drove over to the tobacco fields. It was August in North Carolina and the cool of the early morning would soon give way to the hot, humid and hazy heat of the day. If you have never seen or touched a tobacco plant, it has a sticky resin all over its leaves and coats your clothes and skin after touching it. At the end of the day, your whole body is coated with the resin, which is very hard to wash off. I would pick the leaves and carry armfuls to a trailer that was pulled over to curing barns by a tractor. The tobacco leaves were tied in groups to long sticks and then hung inside the curing barns, which were like hot ovens – temperatures inside would be almost 130 degrees. You could walk inside for only a few seconds before becoming soaking wet with sweat. And you had to be careful of the snakes – cottonmouths and copperheads – they were everywhere.

At the end of the long, steamy hot day – almost at dusk, my Dad said we were finally done. I was way past done – I immediately fell asleep in the truck on the way home. I didn’t want to take a bath after supper because I was so tired, but I had to because I was filthy. The next morning, we got up again at dawn and did it all over again. This went on for a couple of weeks, until all the tobacco had been picked and hung for curing.

I was finally paid for my two weeks of work – a grand total of $14 – plus an extra $1 as a bonus for getting the job done ahead of schedule. I never had so much money in my life. I couldn't wait to spend some of it, so the first place I went to was the “Toot ‘n Tell It” drive-in in Garner, North Carolina. They had the best “All The Way (mustard, chili, coleslaw, and Frosty Morn weiners)” hot dogs I'd ever eaten – and their ice cream milk shakes were to die for. I put the rest of the money into my piggy bank.

I’ll never forget those tobacco pickin’ days. It was hard work, but I sure loved it.

- Rick Gurkin

North Carolina Stump Beer

North Carolina Stump Beer

Also known as “Pure Old Panther Piss”. This recipe is very simple and can be made without having to go out and purchase a lot of equipment. If you happen to have a fermentation lock and carboy, use it. But if you don’t, this method will work fine. This beer was popular in North Carolina during the Prohibition because the main ingredients, malt syrup and hops flavoring, plus sugar and yeast were sold in most food stores (still is in some places).

• 1 3-lbs can Blue Ribbon or other hops-flavored malt syrup
• 4 lbs cane sugar
• 1 packet beer yeast (bakers yeast works – but beer yeast is preferred because it settles better)
• 1-1/4 cup cane sugar (for priming)
• 5 gallons water

Boil malt, 4 lbs sugar and water for 30 minutes, and then pour into a sterilized food-grade plastic bucket, marked at the 5-gallon level. Add boiled water to the 5-gallon mark, cover with a plastic trash bag secured with rubber bands. When cooled to room temperature, add yeast and let it work until only a few bubbles are breaking the surface (about 5 days at room temperature).

Next, siphon your beer into another sterilized bucket, leaving the gunk (lees) that’s settled to the bottom behind. Cover and let settle for about 3 days until bubbling has ceased. Your beer is flat at this point. Dissolve 1-1/4 cup of sugar in about a quart of boiling water and pour into a sterilized bucket. Then siphon the beer into it carefully, being sure to leave the gunk (lees) behind again. Mix the beer and bottle. The beer will carbonate in the bottle.

For success and safety, bottles must be sterilized and strong. For sterility, clean them with a diluted bleach/water mixture, then rinse well. Be sure to rinse the bottles completely of bleach, as bleach kills yeast. Regarding strength, use only bottles that require a bottle opener to remove the cap. Bottles with twist-off caps are thinner and prone to explosion. Or use the 2-liter plastic and aluminum containers, which some beer comes in. You should buy new caps and a capper from a homebrew store. 5 Gallons = 640 fluid ounces, or 54 – 12 oz. Bottles.

This recipe is very simple and can be made without having to go out and purchase a lot of equipment. If you to have a fermentation lock and carboy, use it. But if you don't, this method will work just fine.

This beer was popular in North Carolina and during Prohibition because the main ingredients, malt syrup with hops flavoring, plus sugar and yeast were sold in food stores (still is in some places).

- Bob Gurkin

Building The Baseline

Building The Baseline

Back in the year of'1948 the Dismal Swamps stretched about 60 miles from the edge of Pinetown, North Carolina - clear over to the other side of Little Washington. Every tree in sight had been hacked down and hauled out of the swamps on a narrow gauge railroad spur that had been run 7 miles out into the swamps for the express purpose of hauling those trees out. That spur later became a short stretch of road called Gurkin's Switch. My Great Grandfather James David Gurkin drove that train, and my daddy, James Lewis Gurkin was a Southern Railroad man all of his working life. That spring of'1948, several trucks from the North Carolina Department of Prisons pulled up to the edge of the swamps and after all of the Prison Guards got their double-barreled, 12-gauge shotguns ready, the convicts on the chain gang were turned out and pointed to the swamps and told to "Git to diggin".

Two sets of prisoners consisting of 50 men in each set started digging a huge ditch. Here in the swamps the main ditches are actually canals and are called draglines. A parallel line of canals about 60 feet apart was dug, headed into the swamps, straight as an arrow. All of the dirt and muck removed from the draglines was thrown into the middle to create a roadbed. I cannot begin to describe the misery and hard life of the men on the chain gang. The working conditions were appalling. The pair of draglines was about 15 feet deep. The convicts had to work in two layers. The bottom crew would be in water all day long. Sometimes up to their waists. They would shovel the dirt and muck to a height of about 8 feet. Then the next layer of convicts would shovel it up to the edge of the roadbed. Then the last group of men would shovel and rake it mostly flat but humped up in the middle. Huge stumps from the old forest were wrestled by hand out of the dragline. Rain or shine. Heat of the summer or cold of the winter, those convicts pick-axed and shoveled. If a man didn't work hard enough he was dragged out of the ditch and chained to one of the trucks and beaten till he couldn't move anymore and then thrown into the back of a truck till time to go back to the prison camp. But the draglines kept moving. If a man died on the job he was put into the back of the same truck and the dragline kept moving. Today that road between those draglines is called The Baseline. It stretches as far as the eye can see, straight as an arrow through miles of the dismals. I take the long way around; I don’t drive the Baseline road.

Southern Boatman's Fish Stew

Southern Boatman’s Fish Stew

A really good 1960's ‘down south’ recipe. If you can't find any cod, haddock, or halibut, you can use whatever firm-fleshed white fish you can buy at the supermarket. A good, inexpensive and filling stew.

• 2 lbs firm-fleshed white fish (cod, haddock, halibut), cut in large chunks
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 onions sliced
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• ½ teaspoon each; red pepper and black pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 6 slices of Italian bread (toasted, if desired)

Sprinkle fish with ½ teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour. Meanwhile, lightly brown onion in hot oil; drain. Stir in water, tomato paste, red pepper, black pepper, 1-½ teaspoons salt, parsley and wine. Simmer 20 minutes. Add fish; simmer about 10 minutes longer or just until fish flakes easily with a fork. To serve, place a slice of bread in each soup bowl, ladle soup over. 6 servings.

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

When making peach cobbler, be sure to taste the peaches. If they are ripe, use less sugar. If they are tangy, add a pinch of salt.

• 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
• 6 cups sliced fresh ripe peaches
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 stick butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• Cobbler crust (below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the flour, ginger, and sugar together; pour over the peaches in a bowl, and mix well. Put the peach mixture in a 9 x 12-inch baking dish, over a bottom crust. Dot the peaches with the butter. Place a top crust over the peaches and bake on the lower rack of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. 

Serves 8.

Coconut Custard Pie

Coconut Custard Pie

• 3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• Dash salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup coconut
• vanilla wafers
• 1 cooked pie shell

Combine ½ cup sugar (or Splenda), flour and salt in top of double boiler. Mix in 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks. Stir in milk and coconut Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into pie shell and top with meringue.


Meringue
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed; slowly add the sugar (Splenda) beating until the whites are stiff. Spread over the top of the custard. Brown in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Cherries In The Snow

Cherries In The Snow

This one of my favorite recipes that Lib Gurkin likes to make - it is delicious. Its wonderful served cold on a hot Summer day - and its really quick and easy to make. You can substitute the cherry pie filling for other toppings if you like - for example, blueberries.

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 medium angel food cake, torn into pieces
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
  1 cup milk
• 1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine cream cheese with sugar and gradually add milk. Fold in whipped topping and mix into broken cake pieces. Put the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and smooth cherry pie filling on top. Refrigerate. 

Serves 12.

The Land of the Quaking Earth

The Land of the Quaking Earth

The Dismal swamps stretch from the tidewaters of Virginia down through eastern North Carolina and on into South Carolina. Four hundred years of dredging canals and damming rivers have made it a shadow of its former glory. There are still areas that are very close to what it once was, but the hand of man has touched nearly all. Endless miles of huge trees have been hacked and hauled from the swamps. In their place are millions of pine pulp wood trees to make newspapers and cardboard boxes. I admit that my kin helped do that cutting. Where the lumber train used to run to haul out the huge logs is now a dirt road and is called "Gurkin's Switch". That's my name also - Bob Gurkin. Carrier pigeons have been commercially hunted to extinction. Deer were slaughtered to the point that they had to be imported from other states to help start the herds here again. The red wolf was hunted to extinction. There are exactly 6 red wolves in the state at this time. A man who said he thought the wolf ‘might harm one of his children’ killed the 7th. Here we call a panther a 'painter'. One person claimed to have seen a painter 4 or 5 years ago, but everyone thinks he was either drunk or lying. I don't think any of those are left.

There are a very few Cherokee left in the east and a some of the Lumbee Indians are around. My great, great grandma was a Lumbee. Her name was Hattie Mae. I can still remember some of her kin coming up to the back door of our cabin, begging for some food. The members of the Lumbee Indians claim that the people who made up the "Lost Colony" of North Carolina came to live with them, and quite a few surnames from the "Lost Colony" are used by the Lumbees. My great, great grandma's last name was Waters and that was one of those names. The Indians here call this land "The Quaking Earth", and it's easy to see why. There are areas in the swamps where you can stomp on the ground and for yards around the earth will shake and quiver like a bowl of Jell-O. There are floating islands also. A tree or bush will fall into the water and start picking up debris. Soon grass and reeds will start growing from it and it will become a small floating island. Some of the islands may get up to a half-acre in size. If you jump on an island, it will rock and move like a boat. You better not walk across it though. If you fall through, you may not come back up. The water is a dark, dark brown. You can hold up a glass of it and not be able to see the other side of the glass. Water moccasins and cottonmouths make it home and yes they can bite under water. Just watch one of them coming up with a fish in its mouth sometime if you doubt that. The largest alligator I personally have seen was about 14 feet long, but I have seen a bunch of smaller ones. I have seen gators cut open and the derndest things would be in their stomachs. Turtles, bricks, shotgun shells. I haven't a clue as to why they eat that stuff. I guess I better quit right here. I could write about my beloved Dismals forever.

Banana Pudding, Southern Style

Banana Pudding, Southern Style

• 3/4 cup sugar, granulated
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• Dash of salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vanilla wafers
• 5-6 medium fully ripe bananas

Combine ½ cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Mix in 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks. Stir in milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Spread small amount on bottom of 1-½ quart casserole; cover with layer of Vanilla wafers. Top with layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make 3 layers, ending with custard on top. Beat remaining 3 egg whites until stiff, but not dry; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until mixture forms stiff peaks. Pile on top of pudding covering entire surface. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 5 minutes or until delicately browned. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 8.

Desserts in June

Coming up in June, we're gonna post strictly yummy Southern desserts. Oh, and of course another old tale or two. Stay tuned!

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

Here is a simple recipe for making good, old-fashioned Carrot Cake. A perfect ending to Supper - or really just good to eat any ole time.

• 2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2-½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-½ cups vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Icing:

• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup crushed walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. Combine the oil and sugar, beating until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well mixed. Stir in the flour mixture, add the carrots and walnuts, and mix gently just until well combined. Pour the batter into three greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and let them cool completely on wax paper or a wire rack before icing.

To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese together until well combined; beat in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, and the vanilla, mixing until smooth. Spread between the layers, sprinkling nut on top of the icing as you go, and on the top of the cake, sprinkle more nuts.

Bob Gurkin’s Irish Crème

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1-3/4 cups Irish whiskey
4 egg whites
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Bottle and steep in the refrigerator for one week. Will last up to 1 month refrigerated. Enjoy!