Hi! I’m Ellie, just your ordinary newlywed southern gal with a passion for cooking and baking from scratch.

I’ve been baking pretty much since I could see over the countertop. Before that, I had to use a stool to reach up and help mom stir. Cooking has always been a deeply seated part of my life, which is why this blog has become such a passion for me!

I grew up with a rich tradition of family recipes that had been passed down for generations. Instead of keeping these recipes a secret, I find great joy in sharing them with my readers all over the world.

Call me sentimental, but I believe that recipes can bind families together. I believe that a shared meal can bring loved ones closer. My mom taught me this, and it’s something that I hold close to my heart. I hope that my blog makes you feel the same way!

You don’t need to be a Martha or a Giada to make something that shows someone you love them. Most of my recipes here involve simple ingredients found at your local store or farmer’s market – the same ones your grandmother probably used. We don’t really have many specialty stores where I live, so I know how difficult it can be trying to drive all over creation looking for some obscure ingredient!

And most of my recipes are pretty easy and pretty quick – I pride myself in being able to bake a cake from scratch in the same amount of time it would take to stir a store-bought mix together. Just ask my grandmother Nanny – it drives her nuts!

I hope you enjoy my blog, and please come back and visit often.

Cheers!
Ellie

I really don’t like fruitcake. At all.

I know, I know, this is very “un-vintage” of me.

Maybe it’s the creepy little mystery bits of neon-colored candies. Or maybe it’s the dense and soggy texture. Or the weird not-quite-recognizable flavors.

However, I am married to a man who loves fruitcake. So in a valiant attempt to do something sweet for my dear hubby, I decided to transform fruitcake this holiday season into something better, something yummy, or at least something not quite so creepy and mysterious.

It started with a cookie recipe I found in my parents’ old Woman’s Day Collector’s Cookbook pages. But even tweaked that recipe a little bit to make these delicious, tender little cookies.

Instead of fluorescent-colored candies, I decided to go with some tasty dried fruits. Instead of bread that is soggy with liquor, I reconstituted the fruits with bourbon. Instead of a brick of dense cake, this recipe turned out light and fluffy.

All in all, it was a success . . . Much better than your average fruitcake! They almost turned out like tiny fluffy fruitcake muffin-tops. Excellent as an afternoon snack or for breakfast with some coffee!

Fruitcake Cookies
Inspired by Woman’s Day Collector’s Cookbook

1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried pineapple
1/4 cup rum
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
3/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, combine raisins, cranberries, and bourbon. In a second bowl, combine dried cherries, dried pineapple, and rum. Allow both bowls to stand for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

With mixer on low speed, add flour gradually and mix until smooth.

Add the fruit mixtures and nuts and mix well. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shape dough in balls the size of walnuts, and put on greased cookie sheets.

Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes about 4 dozen.

Made up an awesome recipe tonight using a few ingredients we had on hand. We’re going out of town tomorrow, so I didn’t want to have to buy a bunch of groceries. Plus, we’ve been eating so much heavy food over the holidays that we were both in the mood for something light and fresh! This hit the spot!

Italian Stuffed Peppers

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 green bell peppers
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 lb. ground turkey breast
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite spaghetti/marinara sauce
2 teaspoon italian seasoning (or a combination of fresh chopped herbs: basil, parsley, oregano)
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 slices provolone, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large heavy frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers. Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove all seeds and veins from inside with a knife and a spoon.
Add chopped onion to the frying pan, seasoning with salt and pepper, and sautee until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground turkey and season again with salt and pepper. Sautee the turkey, breaking up into pieces, until cooked all the way through. Add garlic, and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat down to medium, and add the tomato sauce, and sprinkle in the Italian seasoning or herbs. Stir to coat the meat. Add the rice, the parmagiano reggiano, and the cream cheese. Mix until cheese is melted and incorporated.

Place the peppers on a greased roasting pan or cookie sheet. Fill the peppers with the turkey mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling and sizzling. Remove and top each pepper with provolone cheese. Return to oven for another 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Serve with some crusty garlic bread, and enjoy!

My hubby’s favorite wedding gift that we received is our little fry daddy. It’s small – just the right size for making appetizers for our friends or making dinner for the two of us. When we’re feeling particularly indulgent, we’ll have a fish fry night: fried fish, fried potatoes, and hush puppies. Since we’re about to start our New Year’s diet, we wanted to spluge by having one last fish fry. Here is our recipe for hush puppies – they are delicious!!!

Hush Puppies
Adapted from Paula Dean’s recipe

6 cups canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Using a deep pot or fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir together corn meal, flour, baking soda, salt, and Old Bay Seasoning. Mix in the chopped onion.

In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and egg. Add this mimxture to the corn meal mixture, and stir until just incorporated.

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls into preheated oil. To prevent sticking, dip your spoon into a glass of ice water after dropping each hushpuppy into the oil. Turn hushpuppies as they brown, and remove from oil when completely golden.

Drain on paper towel, and serve immediately.

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to make Monkey Bread – it’s perfect because you can fix it the night before, leave it out to rise overnight, and then pop it in the oven on Christmas morning. Here’s my Aunt Cathie’s recipe that we love.

Ingredient Note: This recipe calls for frozen bread dough. You should be able to find this in the freezer section at your local grocery store – most often I find it in the form of dough to make dinner rolls. Just be sure you get the actual dough, not “warm and serve” rolls. If you prefer, you can always substitute hunks of home-made bread dough.

Aunt Cathie’s Monkey Bread

3/4 cup chopped pecans
18-19 pieces of frozen bread dough
1 3-ounce package “cook ‘n’ serve” butterscotch pudding (not instant)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

The night before, spray a tube-pan or bundt pan with cooking spray. Then, sprinkle the bottom of the pan with pecans, spreading evenly. Arrange dough pieces evenly on top of the pecans. Sprinkle with butterscotch pudding mix. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle this mixture over the bread. Leave out to rise overnight, uncovered.

The next morning, dough should be double in size, like this:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate and serving.