On September 22, fall will officially be here, and it couldn’t happen soon enough. We definitely need a break from 90 degree temperatures.
In addition to cooler weather, fall brings pumpkin scents and flavors, beautiful foliage, corn mazes and hayrides, and the South’s two other seasons – football and hunting. In my house, both of these seasons are sacred, with my husband Keith taking a break from hunting to watch his Mississippi State Bulldogs play.
With football – high school, college, NFL, or even a highlight reel on ESPN – comes football foods – real man food usually containing a messy sauce and bacon. Yes, bacon. My husband and his friends have an annual party to celebrate bacon, with everyone bringing a dish where, as Food Network’s Bobby Flay would say, is the star ingredient. Keith brought candied bacon, and Lord have mercy, it is as good as it sounds.
Candied Bacon
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place a baking rack on top. Set aside.
Add brown sugar and pecans to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until pecans are finely chopped. Add cayenne pepper and pulse again.
Cut bacon in half cross-wise and place on top of rack. Be certain that the slices do not touch each other. Bake for 5 minutes and then use a spoon to spread 2 teaspoons of the pecan-brown sugar mixture on top of the slices of bacon. Drizzle the top with maple syrup and then place back in oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are browned but not burned. Remove from oven and place on a paper towel lined plate. Serve at room temperature.
My mother-in-law Ann Ferguson introduced me to ham and cheese sliders at a family reunion many years ago. They were so good, I was hesitant about sharing with the rest of the family. They are just fantastic in their ooey, gooey goodness.
Ham and Swiss Sliders
2 package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls (12 per package)
1 package (16 oz.) deli ham
12 slice Swiss cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons brown or Dijon mustard
1 teaspoons onion powder
Slice top from rolls and place bottoms in baking pan. Layer ham and cheese on rolls. Replace tops. Combine butter, poppy seeds, mustard, Worcestershire, and onion powder in a saucepan. Mix well. Drizzle over rolls. Refrigerate until butter is firm or overnight.
Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese melts. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Every year, The Winona Times and The Conservative host a reception honoring the Top 20 Under 40 business professionals in our community. This would not be possible without the Winona High School Culinary Arts students catering the event. I will say this, these students have a bright future ahead of them in the food industry because there is nothing they have ever prepared that wasn’t absolutely delicious. In many cases, guests at the reception are asking for the recipes. The most asked-for recipe in the many years we have been doing this is for the spicy corn dip. Grab your Scoops, guys, because this dip is truly addicting.
Spicy Corn Dip
3 (11-ounce) cans MexiCorn (sweet corn & diced red and green peppers), drained
1 (7-ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 (6-ounce) can chopped jalapeno peppers drained and liquid added to taste
1/2 cup green onion chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (16-ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2-3 bags corn or tortilla chips (Fritos Scoops are the best.)
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except chips. Chill two hours to overnight. Serve with your favorite chips.
In my family, football isn’t football without hot wings. More particular, Crumpy’s Hot Wings in Memphis. In my 20s when I was living in DeSoto County and working at the Southaven Press, I watched every football game with my sister and our regular group of friends. In fact, what were we doing when the new millennium dawned? Watching Ole Miss play Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. The game came down to an Ole Miss field goal with seconds left on the clock, and we didn’t even see the ball drop in Times Square. But that’s okay because Ole Miss won the game, and we had Crumpy’s Hot Wings.
If you aren’t in the comfort of your own home, eating hot wings can be messy – like not even a bib will help save your clothes messy. However, the Buffalo chicken dip is the perfect compromise if you are tailgating in the Grove or the Junction. You get your hot wings without ruining your game day outfit.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Frozen chicken breasts minimum of 3 breasts
1 package cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1 cup Red Hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Using a large pan, place frozen chicken breasts inside. Cover with water and boil on high about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. In a large bowl/crock pot, mix one package cream cheese, ranch dressing, Red Hot Sauce and cheddar cheese.
When chicken is fully cooked, shred with a fork and toss into bowl/crock pot with other ingredients.
Heat in a crock pot for about thirty minutes. Serve with tortillas.
A college friend made former First Lady Laura Bush’s cowboy cookies years ago, and I am telling you, they are the absolute best cookies I’ve ever had. There are a whole lot of ingredients, but they are worth the mixing.
Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips1 ½ bags
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugars, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon with an electric mixer until well combined. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans with a wooden spoon.
For each cookie, drop ¼ cup of dough onto cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 17-20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool.
