i had chili on my mind all day yesterday.  we also have sweet potatoes coming out of our ears over here.  so i decided to make a sweet potato chili.  i love putting butternut squash in my chili so i thought sweet potatoes might be nice too.  they added a sweetness that i love in chili.  we also made some cornbread to go along with it… i’ll just say, i am glad there is leftovers!

recipe follows

ingredients

medium onion

green pepper

2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 big can of tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

water

salt

1 Tbsp chili powder, or more to taste

directions

-saute the onion and  green pepper until slightly browned

-put all of the ingredients in crock pot, including the onions and peppers

-turn to high and cook for a couple of hours

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i have said this time and time again, we are so lucky to have an all year growing season.  it always makes me happy to see winter gardens.  the plants look tough and strong which helps then get through the cold nights.

yesterday we visited a lovely garden of a couple who moved a big farmhouse to their lot 19 years ago.  they have created this amazing space and eat from their garden all year long.  i left their country home….feeling inspired.

they also had a room of vines that was magical.

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if you have ever driven south, i am sure that you have stumbled upon not just one but hundreds of waffle houses along the way.  eating at them is always an experience….and i mean that in a good way.  they still crack every egg by hand, make every hash brown to order, the coffee cups are stacked in perfect order, and i am always amazed at their shouting system of relaying orders.  their old time system works and those pecan waffles keep me coming back!

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you can get mac and cheese at just about anywhere you go in the south-  and everyone does it different.  some cheesy..some creamy. some better than others.

yesterday i made this recipe which i cannot take any credit for.  it was surely worth mentioning though.  this is one of the best mac and cheeses that i have ever eaten.  the nutmeg in the recipe may sound strange but trust me it makes it amazing.

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this time of year you see collards everywhere. the frost has sweetened them up, and out in the country, you might see a whole truck load of collards.  if a crowd is coming for new years, you may see people cooking up a black cast iron pot full over a fire. some people still do it that way, but most cook a big pot full in the house.  we picked a pile of leaves and simply chopped them up, and cooked them down.  we ate them seasoned up with a little soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.  we had enough to eat for 4 days, just keeping them in the pot on the back porch at night.  good eatin’!

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this weekend was filled with lots of celebrations to bring in the new year.  amongst the collards and black eyed peas i made a spinach artichoke dip to share.  this one is always a crowd pleaser.

ingredients

2 cans of artichokes, not marinated

3/4 cup mayonnaise

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup + 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 cups fresh spinach

1 small can of chillies

crushed red peppers, optional

directions

-pre- heat oven to 350 degrees

-usually artichokes are quartered so i like to chop them up a little bit

-put the artichokes, mayonnaise, chopped garlic, 1 cup parmesan, spinach, chillies, and spice to your likings

-mix and pour into a baking dish

-bake with foil for 40 minutes

-remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so .  you want the cheese to be melted and slightly browned.

-enjoy with crackers, pits, crostinis, or fresh bread

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for our holiday feast,  my contribution was sweet potato pie.  we ran out of vanilla so i added some bourbon.  i think that this will be my new standard sweet potato pie!

there was enough filling for one full pie and another partially filled pie.  glad that there was left overs.

click to read recipe

ingredients

1 pie crust, i used a pre-made crust

2 cups sweet potato puree

4 Tbsp brown butter, click here for instructions

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

directions

-pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

-blind bake pie crust with pie weights

-remove crust and turn oven down to 375 degrees

-mix the rest of the ingredients together

-pour filling into pie crust

-put pie into oven and bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees

-enjoy with some freshly whipped cream, sweetened with maple syrup

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our friend shae is the talented pastry chef at 5 and 10.  every year she makes the most amazing gingerbread house.  take note of the details.  this year she featured the entire kitchen staff including hugh with his uni-brow and radish tattoo.

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you can find cheese straws just about everywhere this time of year.  these savory and buttery cookies are pretty simple to make and they keep for a couple of months.  i personally think that they taste better a day or two after you make them.  i love to put them in holiday gift baskets and give them to friends and neighbors.

i like to add toasted pecans in mine and i also like them to have a little bite.  so… add a little more cayenne and crushed red pepper if you like yours on the spicy side.

want to make a little gift basket?  try out our recipes for candied citrus and spiced pecans.

recipe follows

ingredients

3/4 cup toasted pecans

4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, room temp

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups AP flour

2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper… or more if you like them spicy

10 drops of tabasco sauce

a dash of red pepper flakes…. or more if you like them spicy

directions

-pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

-toast the pecans and set them aside to cool

-chop the pecans in a food processor with a metal blade.  pulse until they are in small pieces- not too big but not too small.

-set the pecans aside

-add the rest of the ingredients into food processor.  process and add pecans when the dough begins to form.

-continue processing until a ball forms.

-remove dough and place in a bowl.

-refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

-line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

-remove dough from refrigerator.

-on a lightly floured surface, take 1/4 of dough and form dough into a brick shape.  your brick should measure about 1″ x 10″ x 3″.

-with a sharp knife, cut 1/4″ slices and place them on your cookie sheets.

-bake for 25 minutes.

-cool and store in a airtight container for up to 2 months.

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