﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><ttl>60</ttl><title>FRANKLYSOUTHERN.COM</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com</link><lastBuildDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:46:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:46:15 GMT</pubDate><language>en</language><copyright /><itunes:subtitle> </itunes:subtitle><itunes:author /><itunes:summary /><description /><itunes:owner><itunes:name /><itunes:email>JuliePTC@aol.com</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:category text="Arts" /><item><title>Chicken Croquettes</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/04/13/chicken-croquettes.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eat6.jpg?a=82" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Not to be confused with chicken croquet where you hit chicken balls through a wicket, these chicken croquettes are easy to make a double delicious.  (Okay, don't tell me you've never played chicken croquet! You know, you dress in all white and get your mallet and swing away.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Look at me in my backyard with my favorite pooch having the time of my life.  Puppy is just waiting to chomp on the chicken croquet.  I realize I'm out of the dress code with my peachy culottes but they looked so stylish with my wedgie heels designed to give me extra lift while I play.  And speaking of extra lift....oh well, I guess I won't go there.&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/croquet.jpg?a=57" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Chicken Croquettes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;3 tablespoons butter&lt;br /&gt;
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour&lt;br /&gt;
1 cup chicken broth&lt;br /&gt;
1/4 teaspoon salt&lt;br /&gt;
1/4 teaspoon pepper&lt;br /&gt;
1/8 teaspoon celery salt&lt;br /&gt;
dash red pepper&lt;br /&gt;
2 cups cooked, finely chopped chicken&lt;br /&gt;
1 egg, beaten&lt;br /&gt;
3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs&lt;br /&gt;
oil&lt;br /&gt;
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Melt butter in medium saucepan; stir in flour.  Add broth and stir until mixture thickens.  Add salt, pepper, celery salt, and  red pepper.  Add chicken;  chill several hours. Shape into balls.  Dip into egg, then bread crumbs.  Heat oil to 365-375 degrees.  Fry chicken until brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Makes about 24.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 1:&lt;/strong&gt;  Melt the butter and stir in the flour.&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/butter2.jpg?a=47" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 2:&lt;/strong&gt;  Add the chicken broth and stir until thick.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/broth.jpg?a=80" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Step 3:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;  Add the seasonings.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/seasonings.jpg?a=24" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Step 4:&lt;/strong&gt;  Add the chicken and mix it all together; chill. &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/chicken2.jpg?a=17" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 5:&lt;/strong&gt;  Scoop out the chicken and place the balls in the egg and then the bread crumbs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/egg2.jpg?a=66" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dipping1.jpg?a=14" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Step 6:&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Fry in hot oil.  I use vegetable oil which is basically soy bean oil.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/oil1.jpg?a=28" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Don't crowd the pan.  If the oil stays good and hot (365 - 375 degrees) the chicken will come out crispier and absorb less oil.  Brown on all sides and then drain on paper towels.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/pan11.jpg?a=91" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Step 7:&lt;/strong&gt;  Enjoy!  The outside will stay crispy and the inside is warm and creamy.  Really good!&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eat1.jpg?a=83" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/04/13/chicken-croquettes.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">a2e33a61-0255-4ed0-954d-7cb038b9a45a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:50:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SBX (For those of us over 18, SBX means Spring Break '10)</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/04/12/sbx-for-those-of-us-over-18-sbx-means-spring-break-10.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Sunset11.jpg?a=8" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;We were treated to a gorgeous sunset on our first night in Destin, Florida.  This is the view from our deck.  Quite a sight.  The kiddos were pretty excited, too.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/offspring.jpg?a=7" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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We did all the typical beach stuff.  Built a sandcastle...&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sandcastle2.jpg?a=30" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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...went for gokart rides...&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/gokarts.jpg?a=96" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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...and dodged the jellyfish!&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/jellyfish2.jpg?a=10" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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...although some of us were better at dodging than others.  Note to self... get the jellyfish stingy stuff BEFORE you get stung rather than dashing off to the drug store AFTER you get the paralyzing lacerations to the legs.  &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/jellyfish.jpg?a=27" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Another beautiful sunset.  To quote my Destin neighbor, "Another blissful day."&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/clouds.jpg?a=25" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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The next day, we decided to go fishing...&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/feeding.jpg?a=82" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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...and fortunately we didn't catch anything!&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/alligators4.jpg?a=71" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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Looks like a purse to me, or maybe a belt, or some boots!   Go ahead and call PETA.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/alligator1.jpg?a=25" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/alligators3.jpg?a=48" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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I will leave you with my two favorite photos from the trip.  The first is a picture of some sea grass outside the house.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/SeaGrass1.jpg?a=96" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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And the last is a photo of my favorite sunset over the waves.  &lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt="" style="border: 0px solid;" src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/waves.jpg?a=24" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</description><category>Events and Travel</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/04/12/sbx-for-those-of-us-over-18-sbx-means-spring-break-10.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">2c3d445e-0db9-4465-8aad-eed62517f9cd</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:57:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pleasant Hill Peanut Butter Cookies</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/29/pleasant-hill-peanut-butter-cookies.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/453985065c9c93e2e4d.jpg?a=71"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Although I have been to Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, these photos are randomly plucked from the internet for your enjoyment.&amp;nbsp; I went many years ago before my days of&amp;nbsp; digital photography and finding those photos would be a chore.&amp;nbsp; Not impossible, mind you, but not&amp;nbsp;fun so here are some photos courtesy of my Google search.&amp;nbsp; If you happen on this blog and see your family vacation photos, please let me know so I can give you credit.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;So, what is &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;A href="http://www.shakervillageky.org/"&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Shaker Village&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;?&amp;nbsp; It is a carefully preserved Shaker settlement from the mid 1800's in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.&amp;nbsp; Shakers were a protestant religious sect that came to America in the 1700's.&amp;nbsp; They believed in total celibacy and it is said that they got their name from shaking during relgious fervor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/NationalGeographicWallpaper_PleasantHillKentuckydisplay.jpg?a=49"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;You can take a walk back in time and wander through the grounds and buildings.&amp;nbsp; This house looks a little peanut buttery so I thought I'd share the recipe for peanut butter cookies from their cookbook entitled &lt;EM&gt;We Make You Kindly Welcome:&amp;nbsp; Recipes from the Trustees House Daily Fare &lt;/EM&gt;by Elizabeth C. Kremer.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/d_nash_pleasant_hill_shaker_village2.jpg?a=36"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Pleasant Hill Peanut Butter Cookies&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup butter&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup granulated sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup peanut butter&lt;BR&gt;1 egg&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon salt&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon soda&lt;BR&gt;1 cup flour&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets.&amp;nbsp; Cream butter and sugars together; add peanut butter.&amp;nbsp; Beat in egg and vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Add salt, soda and flour.&amp;nbsp; Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.&amp;nbsp; Use a fork dipped in sugar to make cross marks on the cookie dough balls and to flatten.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Bake for approximately 10 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Remove to a wire rack to cool.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is a&amp;nbsp;famous Shaker tune for you to&amp;nbsp;hum while you make these wonderful cookies.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Simple Gifts&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;EM&gt;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;by Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;BR&gt;'Tis the gift to be simple, 'Tis the gift to be free,&lt;BR&gt;'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,&lt;BR&gt;And when we find ourselves in the place just right,&lt;BR&gt;'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;P&gt;When true simplicity is gained&lt;BR&gt;To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,&lt;BR&gt;To turn, turn will be our delight,&lt;BR&gt;'Till by turning, turning we come round right.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Cream together the butter and sugars.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/butter1.jpg?a=47"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;My sugar is a bit lumpy.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/lumpy.jpg?a=59"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;Add the peanut butter and then the egg next.&amp;nbsp; The moisture from the egg helped reduce&amp;nbsp;my lumps.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Then, add the flour, salt, and soda to make a soft cookie dough.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/withegg.jpg?a=58"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Use a scoop to place the balls of dough on a greased cookie sheet.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/pan5.jpg?a=26"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Criss cross with fork dipped in sugar.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sugardough.jpg?a=27"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.&amp;nbsp; These don't look all that special in the photo but I have to tell you they are really good.&amp;nbsp; They are lighter than most peanut butter cookies I've tried.&amp;nbsp; The generous amount of sugar in this recipe makes them chewy and not as dense as traditional peanut butter cookies.&amp;nbsp; This is truly&amp;nbsp;my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. Hope you enjoy it, too.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cookie1.jpg?a=61"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/29/pleasant-hill-peanut-butter-cookies.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">4f9883ff-ce23-4eb9-a515-33c9e4088418</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:40:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Mint Shortbread Tea Cookies</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/17/mint-shortbread-tea-cookies.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;We needed a bit of green for today so I made these mint tea cookies.&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/swirl21.jpg?a=81"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;They are a buttery shortbread with a great minty flavor.&amp;nbsp; I took way too many photos of these cookies so you're going to have to play my little St. Patrick's Day quiz as we wander through the cookies.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;True or False&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; St. Patrick was an Irish&amp;nbsp;leprechaun.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/swirltray.jpg?a=11"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Double false.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; St. Patrick wasn't a leprechaun and he wasn't Irish.&amp;nbsp; He was born in Wales in AD 385.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;True or False&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; St. Patrick's real name was Maewyn.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/swirl2.jpg?a=58"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;True.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; He was born a pagan and was sold into slavery.&amp;nbsp; He changed his name to Patrick after he had become converted during his time in slavery.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;True or False&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Patrick became a Catholic and helped establish&amp;nbsp;monasteries in Ireland.&amp;nbsp; The trade of each of these monasteries was to make green beer.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dotty.jpg?a=75"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Really false.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Patrick did help establish monasteries in Ireland but they didn't make green beer.&amp;nbsp; That tradition started at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1952 or so says Wikipedia which we know could never possibly be wrong!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Mint Shortbread Tea Cookies&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;1 1/2 sticks butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;2/3 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;1 egg&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;BR&gt;2 cups flour&lt;BR&gt;1 tablespoon peppermint leaves, finely chopped&lt;BR&gt;pinch of salt&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Cream the butter and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Beat in the egg and extracts.&amp;nbsp; Gradually mix in the flour.&amp;nbsp; Stir in the mint leaves and salt.&amp;nbsp; The dough will be soft.&amp;nbsp; Divide the dough into 3 parts.&amp;nbsp; Using waxed paper or plastic wrap to shape the dough, roll each part into a cylinder about 1 1/4 inch in diameter.&amp;nbsp; Chill the rolls for 1 or 2 hours.&amp;nbsp; Remove the waxed paper and slice the dough into 1/4 inch rounds.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Makes about 4 dozen.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Frosting&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;4&amp;nbsp;tablespoons butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;3 cups powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;3 to 4 tablespoons milk&lt;BR&gt;green food coloring&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Mix all ingredients together.&amp;nbsp; Add more milk if necessary to make spreading consistency.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Chocolate Drizzle&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;1 1-ounce square baking chocolate&lt;BR&gt;3 tablespoons butter&lt;BR&gt;1 cup powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;In a small pan, melt the chocolate and butter together.&amp;nbsp; Stir until smooth.&amp;nbsp; Add the powdered sugar and stir until lumps are gone.&amp;nbsp; Add the peppermint extract.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/STRONG&gt;Mix together the butter and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Add the egg and extracts.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eggdough.jpg?a=24"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; &amp;nbsp;Add the flour.&amp;nbsp; If your butter is soft enough, it makes a really creamy dough.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/plaindough.jpg?a=14"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Chop the mint and add it to the dough.&amp;nbsp; If you don't have mint in a bottle, you can use&amp;nbsp; the mint from a mint tea bag!&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/mintinjar.jpg?a=51"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/mint.jpg?a=99"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/doughinpan.jpg?a=42"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Roll the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate OR take the speedy way out and scoop out balls of dough right out of the mixing bowl&amp;nbsp;with a small scoop (melon ball size).&amp;nbsp; Your choice.&amp;nbsp; They taste the same.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/log.jpg?a=28"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Slice and bake...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sliced.jpg?a=91"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;...or scoop and bake.&amp;nbsp; (Looks like mashed potatoes with parsley, doesn't it?)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dough5.jpg?a=88"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/STRONG&gt;Let cookies cool on a wire rack but be sure to sneak a few while they are&amp;nbsp;still&amp;nbsp;warm.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Here is what they look like if you slice them.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/slicedandfrosted.jpg?a=80"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here they are scooped.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/scooped1.jpg?a=71"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Either way, eat them quickly because I understand real leprechauns have an affinity for mint and these cookies will be disappearing quickly!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Going...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG height=210 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/going.jpg?a=12" width=305&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;going...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG height=131 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/going2.jpg?a=22" width=186&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;gone.&amp;nbsp; Perfect size for a leprechaun.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/going3.jpg?a=4"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/17/mint-shortbread-tea-cookies.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">f3acc756-f33b-44f4-b477-131c0b68e2d4</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:11:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Reuben Casserole for St. Patrick's Day</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/15/reuben-casserole-for-st-patricks-day.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;There are lots of stories about when the first Reuben sandwich was served.&amp;nbsp; The most popular version is that it was first made for Charlie Chaplin's leading lady Annette Seelos in 1914 by Arnold Reuben in New York&amp;nbsp;City.&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Annette was hungry after a performance and wanted something to eat.&amp;nbsp; The owner put together meats, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and a large slathering of his famous Russian dressing.&amp;nbsp; The Reuben sandwich was born.&amp;nbsp; Now that St. Patrick's day is nearing, I thought you might like this recipe to get&amp;nbsp; your corned beef and cabbage in one tasty casserole.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Why is it called corned beef?&amp;nbsp; Is there corn in the beef?&amp;nbsp; Were cows fed corn to make the beef different?&amp;nbsp; None of the above.&amp;nbsp; The corning refers to the preservation of the meat.&amp;nbsp; Beef was rubbed with large pieces of salt about the size of a corn kernels.&amp;nbsp; The name has stuck over the years even though now corned beef is made by a liquid brining process and not with dried salt.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Why do we eat corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day?&amp;nbsp; In Ireland, corned beef and cabbage is served to American tourists and not necessarily a dish that originated in Ireland.&amp;nbsp; As the story goes, when Irish immigrants came to America and Canada in the late 19th century, beef and salt were less expensive than in Ireland.&amp;nbsp; The new immigrants would soak the&amp;nbsp;inexpensive corned beef in water to draw out the salt and boil with with cabbage and bay leaves.&amp;nbsp; In Ireland this same dish would&amp;nbsp;contain a&amp;nbsp;more expensive&amp;nbsp; "bacon joint" instead of corned beef.&amp;nbsp; So, basically we eat corned beef and cabbage because we think Irish people eat corned beef and cabbage but they really don't. How's that for bursting your shamrock?&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;But if you are a fan of Reuben sandwiches like I am, you will like this recipe whether the custom of eating corned beef and cabbage is authentically&amp;nbsp;Irish or actually Irish-American.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Reuben Casserole&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;(Better Homes and Gardens)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;6 slices rye bread, toasted&lt;BR&gt;12 ounces deli corned beef, chopped&lt;BR&gt;1 14-ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, and snipped&lt;BR&gt;1&amp;nbsp; 10 1/4 ounce can condensed cream of celery soup&lt;BR&gt;1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 ounces)&lt;BR&gt;3 tablespoons bottled Thousand island salad dressing&lt;BR&gt;2 tablespoons water&lt;BR&gt;1 tablespoon butter, melted&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Preheat oven to 375 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Cut 4 slices of the toasted bread into cubes.&amp;nbsp; Toss bread cubes with the corned beef; spread in the bottom of a greased 2-quart&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;baking dish.&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&amp;nbsp; In a medium bowl combine sauerkraut, soup, swiss cheese, Thousand Island salad dressing, and the water; spoon over corned beef and bread.&amp;nbsp; Tear the remaining 2 slices of bread and place in a food processor or blender.&amp;nbsp; Cover and process or blend&amp;nbsp; until coarse crumbs form.&amp;nbsp; Toss crumbs with melted butter;&amp;nbsp; sprinkle on top of sauerkraut mixture.&amp;nbsp; Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until heated through.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Cut the toasted bread into cubes.&amp;nbsp; Cut the meat into small cubes, too.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cutmeat.jpg?a=93"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cutrealmeat.jpg?a=33"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;Mix together the bread and meat and place in the baking dish.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/breadandmeat.jpg?a=89"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together the sauerkraut, soup, cheese, salad dressing and water.&amp;nbsp; Spoon this mixture over the bread and meat.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/spread1.jpg?a=87"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Top with the remaining bread crumbs and melted butter.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF6176.JPG?a=92"&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/chopped.jpg?a=30"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Enjoy!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/casserole.jpg?a=59"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/15/reuben-casserole-for-st-patricks-day.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">6da1022c-4e18-4be9-bf66-63b3429e8815</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:29:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Happy Birthday Sherri!</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/15/happy-birthday-sherri.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;It was a dark and stormy night and someone was&amp;nbsp;having a birthday!&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;FONT size=3&gt;First, we started with some outdoor celebratory streamers. (Where is &lt;A href="http://franklysouthern.com/2009/07/13/happy-birthday.aspx"&gt;Roxie&lt;/A&gt; when you need her?) It's a bad photo but it's all I've got!&amp;nbsp; I didn't even get a photo of the Birthday Girl.&amp;nbsp; We went late at night and she was ready for slumber and consequently I&amp;nbsp;was forbidden from taking photos of her.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Imagine that!&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG style="WIDTH: 364px; HEIGHT: 409px" height=516 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/tree7.jpg?a=56" width=364&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;However, I did take a picture of the cupcakes.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cuppy.jpg?a=99"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;The cupcakes&amp;nbsp;are chocolatey and cute.&amp;nbsp; Exactly what the Birthday Girl likes! I used cupcake toppers from &lt;A href="http://www.layercakeshop.com/Shop/Decorating/Toppers-Picks/View-all-products.html"&gt;here&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp;They have the&amp;nbsp;really fun baking&amp;nbsp;stuff.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/duo.jpg?a=96"&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Each cupcake had a different pan or dish on top. This photo looks like a churning sea of chocolate with flotsam cupcake tins and pans.&amp;nbsp; I never get good pictures at night, but when birthdays happen, you gotta be there.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/allnine.jpg?a=30"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;All boxed up and ready to go.&amp;nbsp; Happy Birthday, Sherri!&amp;nbsp; (Oh, and sorry about the rain and all the tiny pieces of celebratory streamers in&amp;nbsp;your yard.&amp;nbsp; I'll send my clean up crew!)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/covered.jpg?a=29"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Frankly My Dear...</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/15/happy-birthday-sherri.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">ac79dead-9dc0-41e4-98d7-b7d666058547</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:34:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Almond Crusted Chicken</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/13/almond-crusted-chicken.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Get your chompers ready because this crispy chicken is&amp;nbsp;indeed crispy and good!&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/chicken1.jpg?a=31"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Almond Factoids for Today!&lt;BR&gt;Most of the almonds grown in the world come from California -&amp;nbsp;80% to be exact.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;40% of those are surfer dudes while a whopping 60% are Valley Girls.&amp;nbsp; Okay, I made that last&amp;nbsp; part up but this next fact is true.&lt;BR&gt;Almonds are one of two nuts specifically mentioned in the&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;Bible - Jeremiah 1:11.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Can you guess the other nut mentioned in the Bible?&amp;nbsp; I couldn't, but now I know because I obviously looked it up!&amp;nbsp; The other one is pistachios - Genesis 43:11.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;This recipe got two chicken wings up in my house (get it?....two thumbs up...two wings up...I'm probably only cracking myself up here).&amp;nbsp; It was good to eat&amp;nbsp;cold from the refrigerator the next day, too.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Almond Crusted Chicken&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;3/4 cup finely chopped almonds&lt;BR&gt;1 tablespoon cornstarch&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon paprika&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)&lt;BR&gt;1 egg&lt;BR&gt;2 tablespoons milk&lt;BR&gt;3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into slices&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp;Generously grease a baking pan.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Mix together the almonds, cornstarch, paprika, and salt.&amp;nbsp; Place in a dish.&amp;nbsp; In another bowl whisk together the egg and milk.&amp;nbsp; Pour into a flat pan or dish.&amp;nbsp; Place the chicken slices in the milk mixture and then roll in the almond mixture.&amp;nbsp; Place in the prepared pan.&amp;nbsp; Bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together the almonds and dry ingredients.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/almonds.jpg?a=3"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Cut the chicken into strips.&amp;nbsp; You'll notice I'm using a Christmas present from my mother.&amp;nbsp; It is a &lt;A href="http://www.asseenontv.com/"&gt;"as seen on TV"&lt;/A&gt; ceramic knife.&amp;nbsp; Now you may be wondering if we have Bumpits, Popeil Pocket Fisherman, and the Ab Circle.&amp;nbsp; No, I do not although I could probably use the Ab Circle.&amp;nbsp; I still have my Health Rider.&amp;nbsp; It was also seen by me on TV and purchased in the 1990's.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/healthrider12.jpg?a=27"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Although it looks like a novelty health and fitness machine, I find it to be quite a workout, that is when I can find the time to use it after dinner made on my George Foreman grill while wearing my Snuggie.&amp;nbsp; Makes me want to get a dog so I can buy a Snuggie for it, too.&amp;nbsp; Do you think dogs really like Snuggies?&amp;nbsp; I guess it is important to keep those paws free so they can dig through garbage and such before going to lie down on their memory foam mattresses.&amp;nbsp; Well, I digress.&amp;nbsp; Here is the chicken with my Christmas knife in the background.&amp;nbsp; Oh...I must say that I love the knife.&amp;nbsp; Sharp as a...well.. a knife.&amp;nbsp; No really.&amp;nbsp; They &lt;EM&gt;are&lt;/EM&gt; incredibly sharp and do indeed slice through tomatoes like some kind of laser beam from Mars.&amp;nbsp; &lt;EM&gt;Call now and they will send you two of them for the price of one.&amp;nbsp; Seriously!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/knife.jpg?a=40"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Dip the chicken in the milk and egg mixture.&amp;nbsp; You can also cut the pieces into nugget sizes instead of strips.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/egg.jpg?a=71"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Stop, drop and roll in the almonds.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Then, place the pieces in a generously. greased pan.&amp;nbsp; I cooked my strips for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees although they were probably done much sooner.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;nbsp;forgot about them (watching TV I guess)&amp;nbsp;so, you might want to&amp;nbsp;check them in about 30 minutes.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/rolll.jpg?a=39"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Enjoy!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I'm going now&amp;nbsp;to listen to my Barry Manilow Mega Collection - not available in any stores!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/crust1.jpg?a=82"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/13/almond-crusted-chicken.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">dbba6747-09bc-485e-976f-0e52012e2e2e</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:44:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apple Clafouti</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/10/apple-clafouti.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;I am always looking for good apple recipes and I found this&amp;nbsp;one for Apple Clafouti.&amp;nbsp; I had heard of a&amp;nbsp;clafouti although the fruit used is traditionally cherries and not apples. Some adventurous chef was thinking "outside the pan" so I thought I would&amp;nbsp;give it a try.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;What does clafouti mean?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;The dish's name derives from&amp;nbsp;&lt;FONT color=#002bb8&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;I&gt;clafotís&lt;/I&gt;, from the verb &lt;I&gt;clafir&lt;/I&gt;, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries"). Clafoutis apparently spread throughout France during the 19th century.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I think I just found a new word, "Hey, can you clafir my glass?&amp;nbsp; I'm thirsty."&amp;nbsp; Or, go to the gas station, "Clafir it up!"&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;What is a clafouti?&amp;nbsp; It's not a pie, not a cake, not a crumble, not a pandowdy, or not a slump.&amp;nbsp;It really has a&amp;nbsp;texture&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;different from any of these desserts.&amp;nbsp;With the eggs and milk in the filling it has somewhat of a custard-like filling but with the addition of the flour, it becomes thicker.&amp;nbsp; I personally&amp;nbsp;loved it although it got mixed reviews in the house.&amp;nbsp; I think because the texture is different from other apple desserts they have tried, no one knew quite what to think.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Maybe I'll make it again with cherries so I can be authentically French, merci beaucoup, and everyone won't try to compare&amp;nbsp;the clafouti&amp;nbsp;to apple pies or apple crisps.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Time to shut my "pie hole" or should I say "clafouti" hole and cook!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Apple Clafouti&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;4 cups peeled, sliced apples&lt;BR&gt;1 1/2 cups whole milk&lt;BR&gt;3 large eggs&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Butter or grease a 10-inch deep dish pie plate or baking dish.&amp;nbsp; Arrange apple slices in the pan.&amp;nbsp; Combine the milk and eggs using a blender or food processor.&amp;nbsp; Add the flour, sugar, and vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Mix about 30 seconds more.&amp;nbsp; Pour the batter over the apples.&amp;nbsp; Bake for 60 minutes or until custard forms and inserting a toothpick comes out clean.&amp;nbsp; Serve warm.&amp;nbsp; (Optional:&amp;nbsp; I melted one tablespoon of apple jelly and brushed it over the cooked clafouti to make it shiny on top.&amp;nbsp; Serve with cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon if desired.)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Peel and cut up 4 cups of apples.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF6085.JPG?a=51"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Blend the eggs and milk.&amp;nbsp; Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Blend for 30 seconds more.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/batter11.jpg?a=40"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Pour the batter over the apples and place it in the oven.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/oven1.jpg?a=59"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; When it is out of the oven, brush with one tablespoon of melted apple&amp;nbsp;jelly, if desired.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/pan21.jpg?a=38"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 5:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Serve&amp;nbsp;your clafouti&amp;nbsp;warm from the oven with a little cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.&amp;nbsp; I really liked it.&amp;nbsp; Let me know if you give it a try.&amp;nbsp;I would love to&amp;nbsp;hear what you think&amp;nbsp;about it, too.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Enjoy!&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/plate11.jpg?a=38"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/10/apple-clafouti.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">115f757f-3729-4a5f-8015-27c409b0b4bb</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:17:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pumpkin Whoopie Pies</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/08/pumpkin-whoopie-pies.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF6139.JPG?a=9"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;For those of you that just can't get enough Whoopie&amp;nbsp;Pies, here is another variety to try.&amp;nbsp; This recipe is from the Libby's pumpkin people so when the recipe is done it tastes exactly like their pumpkin roll that you see on the cans only it is waaaay easier to make.&amp;nbsp; I love the pumpkin roll but what a chore lining the jelly roll pan, dumping the baked cake onto a powder sugar linen towel, rolling it up warm, unrolling it and putting on the filling and then rerolling.&amp;nbsp; Whew.&amp;nbsp; I'm&amp;nbsp;tired just thinking about it.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;This recipe involves plopping the scoop of batter on a greased pan, baking for 10 minutes and cooling.&amp;nbsp; It's that easy and they taste great.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Pumpkin Whoopie Pies&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;2 cups all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon baking powder&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon baking soda&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon ground cinnamon&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon ground ginger&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon salt&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;1 1/4 cups granulated sugar&lt;BR&gt;2 large eggs, lightly beaten&lt;BR&gt;1 cup Libby's Pure Pumpkin (NOT the pumpkin pie mix - it already has the spices in it)&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Lightly grease baking sheets.&amp;nbsp; Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium bowl.&amp;nbsp; Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.&amp;nbsp; Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.&amp;nbsp; Stir in flour mixture until combined.&amp;nbsp; Drop by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.&amp;nbsp; Bake for 10 - 13 minutes or until springy to the touch.&amp;nbsp; cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Cream Cheese Filling&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature&lt;BR&gt;6 tablepsoons butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;BR&gt;1 1/2 cups powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small bowl on medium speed until fluffy.&amp;nbsp; Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.&amp;nbsp; Spread filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with another cookie.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Beat together butter and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Add eggs, one at a time.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF6121.JPG?a=43"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add dry ingredients.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/flour2.jpg?a=44"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Place heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Cool and fill. This is a very easy recipe. Enjoy!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Whoopi.jpg?a=56"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/08/pumpkin-whoopie-pies.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">8e3431f2-0570-4f18-b3b6-c00c3ec1aee2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:55:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Whoopie Pies</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/06/whoopie-pies-1.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Cake11.jpg?a=13"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;If you've never had a Whoopie Pie, they are large, cake-like cookies with a fluffy marshmallow filling. &amp;nbsp;Very good and very rich.&amp;nbsp; Beware...you will have a lifelong craving for them once you try them.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cake2.jpg?a=57"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;The first time I had a Whoopie Pie was at&amp;nbsp;a church function&amp;nbsp;about 15 years ago.&amp;nbsp; Miss Opal made dozens&amp;nbsp;and brought them to a tag sale for the youth group.&amp;nbsp;She was about 85 years young and didn't miss an opportunity to support any part of the church - from the nursery crew to the other seniors in the church. &amp;nbsp;I don't think many of&amp;nbsp;the Whoopie Pies she brought that day&amp;nbsp;got sold to benefit the tag sale because we knew the reputation of Miss Opal's cooking and the&amp;nbsp;tray of Whoopie Pies was pretty much gone before the sale began.&amp;nbsp; Everyone&amp;nbsp;kept sneaking by and grabbing one or two as they worked to get the sale ready.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Miss Opal moved to Minnesota to live with some family members but I was able to get the recipe from her to include in a church cookbook.&amp;nbsp; Here is her recipe.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Miss Opal's Whoopie Pies&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;2/3 cup shortening&lt;BR&gt;3/4 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;1 egg&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1 cup Nestles Quik chocolate flavored mix&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon salt&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon baking soda&lt;BR&gt;1 cup milk&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Filling&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;3/4 cup butter&lt;BR&gt;2 cups powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;2 cups marshmallow creme&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Mix together shortening and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Add egg and vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk.&amp;nbsp; Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Let cookies cool for 2 - 3 minutes before removing to a wire rack.&amp;nbsp; While cookies are cooling, cream together butter, sugar, marshmallow creme and vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Spread marshmallow mixture between 2 cookies making a cookie sandwich.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Now, recently on the day&amp;nbsp;my family&amp;nbsp;desperately&amp;nbsp;decided we needed some Whoopie Pies, I didn't have any Nestles Quik so I found this recipe for Whoopie Pies.&amp;nbsp; It was good but a little bit crumbly.&amp;nbsp; I would have liked the cake to hold up better with the heavy filling (the marshmallow makes for a dense filling.)&amp;nbsp; Nevertheless, the taste was rich and chocolatey and this recipe is a keeper, too.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Whoopie Pies #2&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup&amp;nbsp;shortening&lt;BR&gt;1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar&lt;BR&gt;1 dgg&lt;BR&gt;1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa&lt;BR&gt;2 cups all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon baking powder&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon baking soda&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon salt&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;1 cup milk&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Filling&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;3/4 cup butter&lt;BR&gt;4 cups powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;2 cups marshmallow creme&lt;BR&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Lightly grease baking sheets.&amp;nbsp; In a large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg.&amp;nbsp; In another bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.&amp;nbsp; Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; add vanilla and beat until smooth.&amp;nbsp; Drop batter by the 1/4 cup onto prepared baking sheets.&amp;nbsp; With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake.&amp;nbsp; Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch.&amp;nbsp; Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together the shortening and sugar.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/shorteningandsugar1.jpg?a=71"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Add the egg.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/shorteningandsugar.jpg?a=85"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk.&amp;nbsp; Add the vanilla.&amp;nbsp; You will have a creamy and thick batter.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/batter10.jpg?a=66"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Use a scoop to drop the batter onto a greased cookie sheet.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/scoop3.jpg?a=17"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cookiesheet.jpg?a=63"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together filling.&amp;nbsp; Now, some Whoopie Pie purists will say that the filling should be made from vegetable shortening instead of butter.&amp;nbsp; I tend to agree with Miss Opal and use butter in my filling.&amp;nbsp; But, if you want to be a Whoopie Pie snob, you will need to substitute the butter in my recipes for Crisco.&amp;nbsp;(Some REALLY traditional Whoopie people even use lard!!!) &amp;nbsp;The Whoopie Pies you get from bakeries will most decidedly use shortening instead of butter, but I just can't quite make myself eat a glob of shortening between two cookies.&amp;nbsp; I know, I know... grease is grease.&amp;nbsp; Butter is a fat and so is shortening, but I must admit I like the taste of butter&amp;nbsp;better and I just have never really made many kinds of frostings or fillings with a shortening base.&amp;nbsp;Maybe I'm a butter snob. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;So, with that said...scoop whatever filling you decide between two cooled cookies.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cake31.jpg?a=0"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/03/06/whoopie-pies-1.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">48295d66-6cb9-45bf-bb9d-4b2991ad7ee1</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:17:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Snowy Morning</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/14/snowy-morning.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/One1.jpg?a=70"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;I want &amp;nbsp;to show some photos from our snow day.&amp;nbsp; Witty commentary may prove difficult since I took pictures of a tree...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Six.jpg?a=55"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;...more trees...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Two.jpg?a=54"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;...and a bush.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Three1.jpg?a=14"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I did hear on The Weather Channel that because of this snow storm, a portion of&amp;nbsp;all 50 states except Hawaii&amp;nbsp;had snow at the same time.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is a photo of the snow as it came down.&amp;nbsp; It was in big fluffy flakes. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Thirteen.jpg?a=46"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Thy sky was gray during the storm.&amp;nbsp; It was only about 4:00 but seemed like twilight.&amp;nbsp; The blue sky photos are from the next morning.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eight.jpg?a=23"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is Davis and two of his friends making a snow something.&amp;nbsp; It never quite got finished.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Eleven.jpg?a=13"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I have a question for you.&amp;nbsp; When you make a snow angel do you go in on your back or front?&amp;nbsp; I always lie down in in the snow face up, but this intrepid snow angel&amp;nbsp;goes down face first.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Ten.jpg?a=24"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;His technique was different but his results were quite effective.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Nine.jpg?a=50"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;Back to the sunshine!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Five.jpg?a=8"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Seven1.jpg?a=62"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;It was a heavy snow that weighed down&amp;nbsp;branches.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Twelve.jpg?a=12"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Fifteen.jpg?a=4"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Four.jpg?a=21"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/fourteen.jpg?a=68"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Then the winds and sun came and the snow was soon a memory!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Home and Garden</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/14/snowy-morning.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">d7df12aa-ba1a-48cf-acd9-45b45b786379</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:27:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Cinnamon Rolls</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/13/cinnamon-rolls.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked11.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;We had a snow day in Atlanta so I had a little extra time this morning&amp;nbsp;to make these cinnamon rolls.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I used rapid rise yeast so they really didn't take long at all to make and there is nothing quite like homemade bread to get your day off to a wonderful start.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;This recipe is from &lt;SPAN style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"&gt;&lt;A href="http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Who-Cookbook-Updated-Julie-Murphy/dp/B000IOF490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1266078272&amp;amp;sr=8-1"&gt;&lt;SPAN style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"&gt;The Cat Who..Cookbook&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;, a book near and dear to my heart!&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;The recipe is on page 311 to be exact!&amp;nbsp; But here it is in case you don't have the cookbook - &amp;nbsp;although I can't imagine&amp;nbsp;anyone not having this fine cooking journal in&amp;nbsp;their cookbook collection! &amp;nbsp;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;(Copyright police, don't panic. I am the co-author of the book&amp;nbsp;and don't mind sharing the recipe!&amp;nbsp; And yes, the cookbook is still available for sale at closeout prices because, sadly, it is nearing the end of its production.)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Cinnamon Rolls&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;2 tablespoons shortening&lt;BR&gt;3 tablespoon sugar&lt;BR&gt;1 cup sour cream&lt;BR&gt;1/8 teaspoon baking soda&lt;BR&gt;2 eggs&lt;BR&gt;3 cups + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1 package dry yeast, sdissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)&lt;BR&gt;1/4 cup butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;1/4 cup packed brown sugar &lt;BR&gt;1 tablespoon cinnamon&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Cream shortening and 3 tablespoons sugar together.&amp;nbsp; Add sour cream, baking soda, eggs, and 3 cups of flour.&amp;nbsp; Stir in the softened&amp;nbsp;yeast.&amp;nbsp; Knead in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.&amp;nbsp; Dough will be very soft.&amp;nbsp; Place in&amp;nbsp; a greased bowl and then turn the dough over to grease the top.&amp;nbsp; Cover with cloth and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour (or less with rapid rise yeast.)&amp;nbsp; Place dough on floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thickness and 12-inch by 15-inch in size.&amp;nbsp; Spread with butter and sprinkle with sugars and cinnamon.&amp;nbsp; Roll dough jelly-roll fashion lengthwise.&amp;nbsp; Cut into slices about 1-inch to 1 1/2 inches thick.&amp;nbsp; Place in a greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan.&amp;nbsp; Cover.&amp;nbsp; Let rise until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.&amp;nbsp; Allow to cool slightly.&amp;nbsp; Drizzle frosting over warm rolls.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Frosting:&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;1 cup powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;2 tablespoons milk&lt;BR&gt;1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;BR&gt;To make frosting, mix powdered sugar with milk to make a drizzling consistency.&amp;nbsp; Add vanilla extract.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is another photo to encourage you to give these a try.&amp;nbsp; I know, I know...baking bread seems challenging, but it is really easier than you think and the smell of yeast in the house is wonderful.&amp;nbsp; They should make yeast scented candles!&amp;nbsp; Except you'd probably go around hungry and frustrated all the time looking for the real thing only to find&amp;nbsp;the burning flame of the imposter.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked31.jpg?a=23"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Dissolve the yeast in warm water.&amp;nbsp; Inhale...&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/yeast.jpg?a=24"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix the shortening and sugar.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sugar3.jpg?a=6"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the sour cream and eggs.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/batter9.jpg?a=69"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Add the baking soda and flour to make a soft dough.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I added about a 1/4 cup more of&amp;nbsp;flour than my original recipe.&amp;nbsp; The dough needs to be soft but not runny.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;This is a very tender bread because of the sour cream but you need enough flour so that it doesn't have an airy or cakelike consistency.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dough4.jpg?a=41"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Place the dough in a greased bowl.&amp;nbsp; You can turn it in the bowl to grease the top or simply spray it with shortening such as Pam.&amp;nbsp; You just don't want the dough to crack as it rises or stick to the towel you have placed over the top.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/bowl3.jpg?a=4"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 6:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; After the dough has risen, place it on a floured surface.&amp;nbsp; You will have to place flour on top, too&amp;nbsp;in order to&amp;nbsp;roll it.&amp;nbsp; Make a 12 X 15 rectangle.&amp;nbsp; Keep a pastry brush nearby to brush off any excess flour.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/rectangle2.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 7:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugars and cinnamon.&amp;nbsp; If you know me, you know that I don't like cinnamon so I will give you the only-on-the-blog insiders secret.&amp;nbsp; I left out the cinnamon. Now, since these are called "Cinnamon Rolls," I guess I just have "Rolls."&amp;nbsp; Should I call them "Sugar Buns?"&amp;nbsp; Nooo, that sounds like a creepy term of endearment from some couch potato spouse.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; "Hey Sugar Buns, can you bring me another beer and some of them pretzel rods?&amp;nbsp; shudder.... &amp;nbsp;Regardless of the name, they were very good without the cinnamon.&amp;nbsp; The taste was a bit more delicate than the cinnamon laced ones&amp;nbsp;(or in less poetic terms - plain) &amp;nbsp;but we enjoyed them very much.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sugarondough.jpg?a=38"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 8:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Roll the bread dough starting with the long side.&amp;nbsp; (You will have a 15-inch roll when done&amp;nbsp;or a gigantically fat 12-inch roll if you start from the wrong side.)&amp;nbsp; Slice the rolls about an inch thick.&amp;nbsp; You will have 12-15 rolls depending upon the thickness.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I probably shouldn't show the next photo because it looks like carnage from a bun war, but when you see the photo after this one, you can tell that the sloppy slicing doesn't matter very much to the finished product.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Let these rise in&amp;nbsp;a warm place&amp;nbsp;for about 45&amp;nbsp;minutes - or&amp;nbsp;less if you are using rapid rise yeast.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/rollinpan.jpg?a=68"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 9:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 mintues.&amp;nbsp; Look how pretty!&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked4.jpg?a=92"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 10:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Glaze and enjoy with your favorite coffee or hot chocolate!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked22.jpg?a=30"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/13/cinnamon-rolls.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">16189611-a5d6-48a1-a425-8ed4ac78b96f</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:05:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Rocky Road Cupcakes</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/07/rocky-road-cupcakes.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Are you ready for the Super Bowl tonight?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I'm almost ready.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;I'll be&amp;nbsp;making&amp;nbsp;a pot of chili pretty soon, but first, I thought you might like to start with dessert.&amp;nbsp; These are over-the-top-loaded-with-calories-and-deliciousness Rocky Road Cupcakes.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Are you a football fan or a Super Bowl commercial fan?&amp;nbsp; I would have to say that I am a commercial fan.&amp;nbsp; I love funny commercials and I've seen a number of previews for this year's commercials and I can't wait.&amp;nbsp; I have to admit that I will probably be doing the chick flick on another channel and then flipping over for commercials.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I will give you my assurance that these cupcakes go equally as well with girlie-girls or the gridiron!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/finished21.jpg?a=8"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Sour Cream Chocolate Cake&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;(Better Homes and Gardens)&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;1 3/4&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; cups all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;1&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;teaspoon baking soda&lt;BR&gt;1/2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; teaspoon salt&lt;BR&gt;1/2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; cup shortening&lt;BR&gt;1 1/2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;cups sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;eggs&lt;BR&gt;3&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled&lt;BR&gt;1/2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; dairy sour cream&lt;BR&gt;1&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;cup cold water&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake papers in tins.&amp;nbsp; Melt chocolate and allow to cool slightly.&amp;nbsp; In a small bowl, mix flour baking soda, and salt; set aside.&amp;nbsp; Mix together shortening and sugar; add vanilla.&amp;nbsp; Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.&amp;nbsp; Add cooled chocolate and sour cream.&amp;nbsp; Add dry ingredients and water alternately using the slow speed of the mixer.&amp;nbsp; Do not overbeat.&amp;nbsp; Place batter in cupcake tins.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until cupcakes test done.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Rocky Road Frosting&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;(Julie)&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;1&amp;nbsp; stick butter, softened&lt;BR&gt;4&amp;nbsp; cups powdered sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/3 &amp;nbsp;cup cocoa&lt;BR&gt;2 &amp;nbsp;tablespoons chocolate syrup&lt;BR&gt;4-6 &amp;nbsp;tablespoons milk or cream&lt;BR&gt;1 &amp;nbsp;teaspoon vanilla&lt;BR&gt;1 cup marshmallow fluff&lt;BR&gt;1&amp;nbsp; cup chopped pecans&lt;BR&gt;8 large marshmallows cut into small pieces&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Mix together butter, powdered sugar, cocoa,&amp;nbsp; chocolate syrup&amp;nbsp; and milk or cream.&amp;nbsp; Add more milk if necessary to make a thick spreading consistency.&amp;nbsp; Swirl in marshmallow fluff, pecans, and marshmallows.&amp;nbsp; Do not over mix.&amp;nbsp; Spread on cupcakes.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Step 1:&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together the shortening and sugar.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sugar2.jpg?a=49"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Add eggs, one at a time.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eggs3.jpg?a=41"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Step 3:&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the chocolate and sour cream.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/addsourcream2.jpg?a=50"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the flour&amp;nbsp;alternating&amp;nbsp;with the cold&amp;nbsp;water.&amp;nbsp; Place batter in cupcake papers. Bake 13 - 15 minutes or until done.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cupcaketin2.jpg?a=99"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, syrup and milk or cream.&amp;nbsp; Add the vanilla.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/frostingingredients.jpg?a=91"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 6:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp; Swirl in the marshmallow fluff, nuts, and marshmallow bits.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/swirlmarshmallow2.jpg?a=14"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Glob on LOTS of frosting and enjoy!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/frosted2.jpg?a=2"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/07/rocky-road-cupcakes.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">5d792452-fb8b-46dc-9041-7471c3f812a5</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:12:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pepper Dilemma</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/06/pepper-dilemma.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Do you remember my &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;A href="http://franklysouthern.com/2009/04/20/pickle-dilemma.aspx"&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Pickle Dilemma&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;?&amp;nbsp; Well, it happened again.&amp;nbsp; This time with a roasted red pepper.&amp;nbsp; I was happily eating my Lean Cuisine for lunch yesterday and what did I find?&amp;nbsp; This is straight out of the camera with no PhotoShopping!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF5653.JPG?a=22"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Why are there always faces on my food??&lt;BR&gt;I know that some vegetarians object to eating meat because they won't eat food that has a "face" but if my vegetables have faces, too, what's left to eat?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Candy?!!!&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Ice cream?!!&amp;nbsp; Cookies?!!&amp;nbsp; I could get into a "no face" diet!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF5654.JPG?a=11"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/02/06/pepper-dilemma.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">478fc125-a58f-4a28-a944-c8e675593836</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:09:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Swheat Market and Deli</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/24/swheat-market-and-deli.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sign3.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Cartersville, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta,&amp;nbsp;is the home&amp;nbsp;of the &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;A href="http://www.swheatmarket.com/index.html"&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Swheat Deli &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Open for lunch and dinner with soups and sandwiches made from organic foods, it is a great place to stop. &amp;nbsp; We did and it was really good.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF5429.JPG?a=91"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;They boast about having 100 recipes for soups and&amp;nbsp;serve 3 soups daily.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/three.jpg?a=18"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;We had the mushroom barley.&amp;nbsp; Fantastic!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/soup.jpg?a=43"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;My sandwich was the day's special - turkey, bacon, and tomato with ranch spread and Havarti cheese served on grilled sourdough bread.&amp;nbsp; It was&amp;nbsp;a wonderful combination. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/mysandwich.jpg?a=92"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Check out the inside!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/insidesandwich.jpg?a=80"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Olivia had the turkey and Swiss. It was good, too.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/turkey1.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;The restaurant is old with scarred wooden floors. Lots of feets over the years.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/floors.jpg?a=32"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;On your way out, you can buy candles, cd's, coffee, and stone ground grits.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/grits.jpg?a=20"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Great lunch on a beautiful winter day!&amp;nbsp; Hope to get back there&amp;nbsp;soon!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/side5.jpg?a=25"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Events and Travel</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/24/swheat-market-and-deli.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">06c1ee9c-6278-40f6-af6e-10850e13f75e</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:59:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Fresh Basil Roasted Chicken</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/21/fresh-basil-roasted-chicken.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;I watch a lot of TV cooking shows and they are always "lifting the hood" of the chicken and stuffing in some herbs so I thought I would give it a try.&amp;nbsp; First, I bought some fresh basil at the grocery store.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/basil.jpg?a=12"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I also got a whole chicken, brought it home, took out the innards, rinsed it, and put it&amp;nbsp;in a roasting pan on a rack.&amp;nbsp; Whew, that was a lot of action for one sentence.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Then I lifted the skin off of the breast meat and placed some sprigs of the basil in it.&amp;nbsp; As much as I cook, I still don't like messing with raw meat but I was just glad that I didn't have to&amp;nbsp;live like my great grandmother did when she had&amp;nbsp;to go out to the chicken coop, select the chicken for dinner, kill it, pluck it, clean it, and then lift up the skin to stick in some herbs that she had also&amp;nbsp;had grown in her garden.&amp;nbsp;A true pioneer woman.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/lift.jpg?a=7"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I put some melted butter on the outside along with some dried basil, salt, and pepper.&amp;nbsp; If you don't like looking at raw meat, you can skip this photo and go straight to the delicious roasted chicken in the last photo.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/ovenready.jpg?a=33"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here it is! Straight from the oven.&amp;nbsp; It was very elegant and had lots of flavor. This is about as pioneery as I get.&amp;nbsp; I'm sure that's not a word but who cares.&amp;nbsp; It's time to eat some chicken.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/roasted.jpg?a=65"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/21/fresh-basil-roasted-chicken.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">85713bc3-be6a-4ef8-820c-e119a81861d0</guid><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:42:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Kolachi</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/19/kolachi.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked2.jpg?a=35"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;More New Year's Resolution treats!&amp;nbsp; This cookie is only 42 calories!&amp;nbsp; Hope your diet is doing well and you can&amp;nbsp;include a little cookie in your calorie count. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;This yummy cookie is a family favorite.&amp;nbsp; My mom got&amp;nbsp;the recipe&amp;nbsp;from her friend Alice over 50 years ago in Ohio.&amp;nbsp; I don't think Kolachis are particularly southern but they are&amp;nbsp;particularly good.&amp;nbsp; I remember eating this most often during the Christmas holidays because my mom would use strawberry jam as the filling for the cookies to go aong with other festive red foods.&amp;nbsp; This week, I made them with strawberry jam and also with peach jam.&amp;nbsp; I made these jams last summer and they are really tasty.&amp;nbsp; We used very ripe fruit for the jams and the flavor is so much better than&amp;nbsp;jelly from the store.&amp;nbsp; I'll save making jams on the blog for another day.&amp;nbsp; For now, you really need to try these easy-to-make cookies because apart from the jam, there are only 3 ingredients!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Kolachi&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;2&amp;nbsp;sticks butter&lt;BR&gt;1 cup cottage cheese&lt;BR&gt;2 cups all-purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;jam or jelly&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Mix together the butter and cottage cheese, add the flour.&amp;nbsp; Chill for an&amp;nbsp;hour before rolling on a floured surface.&amp;nbsp; Cut the dough into 2-inch squares.&amp;nbsp; Fill each square with 1/2 teaspoon jam or jelly.&amp;nbsp; Pull sides over top of jelly and pinch to close.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 56 cookies.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Mix the butter and cottage cheese.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/butterandcottagecheese.jpg?a=71"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the flour.&amp;nbsp; The dough is crumbly.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/doughcrumbly.jpg?a=59"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Use a scraper to bring the dough together into a ball. Chill for about an hour.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/doughcrumbly2.jpg?a=31"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/STRONG&gt;Use a floured surface to roll out the dough.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/rollout2.jpg?a=88"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Trim the edges to make a rectangle.&amp;nbsp; Use a sharp knife to cut into 2 X 2 inch squares.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/rectangle.jpg?a=35"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Fill each square with jam or jelly.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dough11.jpg?a=14"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/dough21.jpg?a=67"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/row.jpg?a=77"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Enjoy!&amp;nbsp; They are so good warm from the oven.&amp;nbsp;I freeze them, too, and pull one out&amp;nbsp;for a lunch box treat or quick homemade dessert cookie.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked21.jpg?a=72"&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/19/kolachi.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">9d172464-df0a-4480-be1a-ffa7c4019c2f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:51:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>CCFC Syndrome, Girl's Movie Night, and Chocolate Souffle Cake</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/16/ccfc-syndrome-girls-movie-night-and-chocolate-souffle-cake.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;P&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;I've diagnosed myself with CCFC Syndrome.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; It's a somewhat common problem that flares up from time to time.&amp;nbsp; I hope you never get this ailment.&amp;nbsp; Do you give up trying to figure out the acronym for CCFC Syndrome?&amp;nbsp; First let me show you some of its symptoms.&amp;nbsp; The first photo shows my most recent result of CCFC.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/partymix.jpg?a=26"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;This may look like harmless party mix but it's not.&amp;nbsp; It, too, has suffered&amp;nbsp;because of&amp;nbsp;my problem.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is another example of some cookies that have fallen as helpless prey.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cookies.jpg?a=92"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;CCFC is wreaking havoc.&amp;nbsp; Okay, I will keep you in suspense no longer.&amp;nbsp; I have contracted "Can't Cook for Company" Syndrome.&amp;nbsp; Never heard of it???&amp;nbsp; Well, just come over to my house and you will see it in action.&amp;nbsp; Lately, EVERY time I try to cook for people other than my family, NOTHING works out right.&amp;nbsp; For example, I have made party mix for years, and I decided to make some for our girl's movie night last night and it was almost inedible.&amp;nbsp; I got in a hurry and didn't measure things and just started dumping.&amp;nbsp; Most of the time that works, but tonight it didn't.&amp;nbsp; It was waaaaay too salty and too buttery/greasy and basically burned your throat when you ate it.&amp;nbsp; Again, how many times have I made party mix in my life??? A zillion.&amp;nbsp; How many times has it not worked out??? Once.&amp;nbsp;And look at the cookies.&amp;nbsp; They are another casualty.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Most of them&amp;nbsp;turned out thin and burned and not so good.&amp;nbsp; Didn't serve them.&amp;nbsp; I can give many other fine example of the results of this problem.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;What is it about cooking for company that sends the most experienced cook into a spiral of spicy despair?&amp;nbsp; Do you ever have this problem?&amp;nbsp; It's like when you have guests in your car&amp;nbsp; and you end up hitting every pot hole in the road and swerving crazily around darting squirrels.&amp;nbsp; Stuff like that never happens when you are alone.&amp;nbsp; It only happens when you have your boss in the car or your best friend and her new baby with you.&amp;nbsp; When she gets out and screams "Land" and kisses the ground, you know you have CDFC - Can't Drive for Company, too.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;So here are the very relaxed participants in our Chick Flick night.&amp;nbsp;(To make matters worse, we watched &lt;EM&gt;Julie and Julia&lt;/EM&gt; last night! They both could cook for company!)&amp;nbsp; I guess probably my problem is that I am in a hurry to join the gang and I just start rushing.&amp;nbsp; Or maybe, I want everything to be perfect and keep messing with things just a little too long.&amp;nbsp; Or maybe it &lt;EM&gt;is&lt;/EM&gt;&amp;nbsp;a real disease!!!!!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/girls.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;The&amp;nbsp;scary diversion of my daughter and her friend in their best Halloween X imitation gave everyone a chance to use the&amp;nbsp;moment to&amp;nbsp;stash the party&amp;nbsp;mix &amp;nbsp;behind the cushions and under the couch.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Halloween.jpg?a=1"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;To add further insult to injury, here is a cake I threw together for dinner.&amp;nbsp; No one was here except my family.&amp;nbsp; No one will ever see or eat this cake except my family and yet it was perfect.&amp;nbsp; Here is the recipe in case you don't have company and want to try it.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cake1.jpg?a=48"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Chocolate Souffle Cake&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;1 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips&lt;BR&gt;1 stick butter&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup all purpose flour&lt;BR&gt;4 eggs, separated&lt;BR&gt;1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar&lt;BR&gt;1/2 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;Sweetened whipped cream&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Chocolate Sauce&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;BR&gt;1/3 cup-semisweet chocolate chips&lt;BR&gt;3 tablespoons sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/4 cup milk&lt;BR&gt;1/2 teaspoon butter&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Heat oven to 325 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Grease the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan with shortening.&amp;nbsp; In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the butter. Cool five minutes.&amp;nbsp; Add the flour and stir until smooth.&amp;nbsp; Stir in egg&amp;nbsp; yolks until well blended.&amp;nbsp; In a large bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.&amp;nbsp; Beat in the sugar a few tablespoons at a time until glossy.&amp;nbsp; With a scraper, gently fold about 1/3&amp;nbsp;of the egg white mixture at a time into the chocolate mixture.&amp;nbsp; Spread the batter in the pan and top with the remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips.&amp;nbsp; Bake at 325 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes.&amp;nbsp; A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean and the top of the cake will appear dry and cracked.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Cool 10 minutes and then remove the sides of the pan.&amp;nbsp; Cool completely on&amp;nbsp; a wire rack.&amp;nbsp; Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.&amp;nbsp; To make the sauce, melt chocolate chips, sugar, and milk together over medium heat.&amp;nbsp; Remove from heat and stir in butter. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Melt the chocolate chips and butter.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/chocolatemelt.jpg?a=59"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 2:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the flour and egg yolks. I have a drawer full of gadgets and this one ranks right up there with my favorites.&amp;nbsp; It is an egg separator.&amp;nbsp; See the holes on the bottom of the white cup?&amp;nbsp; The egg whites just slide right through leaving the yolk.&amp;nbsp; So much easier than juggling the yolk from egg shell half to egg shell half.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eggyolk.jpg?a=42"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 3:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.&amp;nbsp; These are probably&amp;nbsp; past the soft peak stage but I was having fun making batman heads in the foam.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/eggwhites.jpg?a=85"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 4:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Add the sugar.&amp;nbsp; The egg whites will begin to look glossy.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Now it looks like an ear.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/glossy.jpg?a=46"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/swirl1.jpg?a=54"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 6:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Top with chocolate chips.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/chipsontop.jpg?a=98"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 7:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cake3.jpg?a=30"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;So, &amp;nbsp;if you want something decent to eat at my house, you are going to have to just show up at the door one evening when I'm not expecting you because otherwise I make no guarantees&amp;nbsp;for my food when I am in the grips of CCFC.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/16/ccfc-syndrome-girls-movie-night-and-chocolate-souffle-cake.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">4eff1cf3-7147-4866-acf9-4224ff14ed0d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 17 Jan 2010 03:51:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Miniature Lemon Cheesecakes</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/10/mini-lemon-cheesecakes.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;P&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cheesecake2.jpg?a=84"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Mini Cheesecakes are a great little dessert&amp;nbsp;perfect for New Year's Resolution portion control! These&amp;nbsp;diminuative cheesecakes are creamy and satisfying in a small package!&amp;nbsp; My friend Bonnie has been making them for years and gladly shared the recipe.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Lemon Cheesecake Muffins&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;SPAN style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Crust&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;BR&gt;6 tablespoons melted butter&lt;BR&gt;1 3/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers (For Grahams, that is one whole sleeve of the crackers plus 3 whole crackers)&lt;BR&gt;1/4 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;SPAN style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Batter&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;BR&gt;2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 8&amp;nbsp;ounce packages cream cheese&lt;BR&gt;3/4 cup sugar&lt;BR&gt;2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice&lt;BR&gt;2 large eggs&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"&gt;Glaze &lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;1/2 cup sour cream&lt;BR&gt;1 T sugar&lt;BR&gt;1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Preheat oven to 350 degrees.&amp;nbsp;Melt butter&amp;nbsp;for crust over low heat or in the microwave.&amp;nbsp; Combine butter and crumbs and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Press into&amp;nbsp;24 muffin tins.&amp;nbsp; With mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar.&amp;nbsp; Add lemon juice.&amp;nbsp; Add eggs. Do not overmix.&amp;nbsp; Pour into crusts and bake 12 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile in a small bowl, &amp;nbsp;combine sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Remove muffin tins from oven and let sit for 2 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Put on glaze.&amp;nbsp; Return to oven for 2 minutes.&amp;nbsp; Chill before serving. Makes 24 muffin sized cheesecakes or 48 mini-muffin sized cheesecakes.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Mix together the grahams, sugar and butter.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Actually, the butter is on the way from the microwave.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/crust.jpg?a=26"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; If you are using regular sized muffin tins, then you will press one tablespoon full of the graham mixture in the bottom and slightly up the sides of the tin.&amp;nbsp; If you are opting for the mini muffin tins, then you will use 1/2 tablespoon.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/inpan.jpg?a=53"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I call this next photo "Sunrise over the Grahams."&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/inpan2.jpg?a=82"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;At this point, I'm sure you're wondering, "How did she ever get those&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;FONT size=3&gt;grahams pressed so perfectly into the pans?"&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;FONT size=3&gt;Well, I feel&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;FONT size=3&gt;that I must share my secret kitchen wonder gadget that no home should ever be without.&amp;nbsp; It's the Kermit the Frog plastic spoon!&amp;nbsp; He is graham-pressing perfection.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Kermit3.jpg?a=4"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Great Job!&amp;nbsp; He gives it a webbed thumbs up!&amp;nbsp; You, too, can have this wonderful kitchen utensil by going to your local grocery store and looking in the plastic spoon aisle.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/Kermit5.jpg?a=15"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Mix together the cream cheese and sugar.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sugarandcheese.jpg?a=54"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Add the lemon juice.&amp;nbsp; I used a fresh lemon and then used the zest for garnish.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/lemon1.jpg?a=93"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 5:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Add the eggs, one at a time, and you will have a nice creamy filling.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/scooper1.jpg?a=9"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Step 6:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Use 2 tablespoons of filling for the regular sized muffin tins and 1 tablespoon for the mini muffins.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/addfilling.jpg?a=4"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;After I brush away the crumbs, it will be ready for the oven. Bake for 12 minutes for regular size and 10 minutes for mini size.&amp;nbsp; Remove from the oven.&amp;nbsp; Wait two minutes.&amp;nbsp; Add the glaze and return to the oven for 2 additional minutes.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/readyforoven.jpg?a=19"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Calories?&amp;nbsp; I used&amp;nbsp;full fat&amp;nbsp;cream cheese, sour cream, &amp;nbsp;and grahams so the calorie count would probably be less if you use reduced fat items, but the count is...88 calories for a mini cheesecake and 175 for a regular size cheesecake. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Good luck on your New Year's Resolution diets.&amp;nbsp; Hope these help to satisfy your cravings!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/cheesecake1.jpg?a=2"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/10/mini-lemon-cheesecakes.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">3337e240-2f42-4548-9161-c3b4b2b3283d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:04:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Snowy Morning Bacon Basket</title><link>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/08/snowy-morning-bacon-basket.aspx?ref=rss</link><dc:creator>Julie</dc:creator><description>&lt;FONT size=3&gt;We woke up to a Friday morning dusting of snow here in Atlanta&amp;nbsp;so we decided to enjoy the morning off from school with a big brunch of bacon, eggs, cheese grits, &lt;A href="http://franklysouthern.com/2009/03/14/pancakes.aspx"&gt;pancakes&lt;/A&gt;, strawberries, and hot chocolate.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/sideyard.jpg?a=75"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I made some bacon baskets&amp;nbsp;for our cheese&amp;nbsp;grits and scrambled eggs.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/brunch1.jpg?a=66"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;They are not hard to make but get ready to use plenty of aluminum foil for easy clean up.&amp;nbsp; You will need one pound of bacon for 6 bacon baskets.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 1:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt; Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.&amp;nbsp; Use a large muffin tin.&amp;nbsp; Turn it over and cover the bottom with aluminum foil.&amp;nbsp; I found it easier to pull out one long sheet of foil&amp;nbsp;and then start with the middle muffin cup and press the foil around it before moving to the outer ones.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/foilonone.jpg?a=69"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 2:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/STRONG&gt;Save out six slices of bacon and then cut the rest of the slices in half.&amp;nbsp; Arrange the half slices across the tops of the muffin cups and down the sides like the spokes of a bicycle wheel.&amp;nbsp; I used from 3 to 4 half slices for each.&amp;nbsp; Then take the one long slice and weave it&amp;nbsp;in and out of&amp;nbsp;the slices on the sides.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Here is what a finished one looks like.&amp;nbsp; Yummy!&amp;nbsp; Nothing like a jumbo photo of raw meat to whet your appetite!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/DSCF5110.JPG?a=1"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Make all six the same way and them place the muffin tin on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet&amp;nbsp; that has also been covered in foil.&amp;nbsp;Just be sure the cookie sheet or jelly roll pan has sides to help catch any grease from the bacon. &amp;nbsp;Place&amp;nbsp;the pans&amp;nbsp;in the oven on&amp;nbsp;the middle rack. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/allsix.jpg?a=81"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Step 3:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp; Bake for about 35 minutes.&amp;nbsp; The bacon needs to be crisp but not brittle.&amp;nbsp; After I removed mine from the oven and then took the bacon&amp;nbsp;baskets off of the pan, they were still a little soft on the inside.&amp;nbsp; I turned them cup side up and broiled them on high for a minute or so to get them really nice and crisp.&amp;nbsp; They shrink a lot during baking but they still&amp;nbsp;hold plenty of filling.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/baked1.jpg?a=86"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;You can see how the insides don't get quite as done as the outside.&amp;nbsp; A quick broil will help.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/bacon2.jpg?a=48"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;I filled the baskets with cheese&amp;nbsp;grits, scrambled eggs, and topped them with a sprinkling of shredded cheese and green onion.&amp;nbsp; They were really good to eat and&amp;nbsp;very pretty on the plate. Happy snow day!&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/5/8/7/9/5/169997-159785/brunch3.jpg?a=27"&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;</description><category>Southern Sideboard</category><comments>http://franklysouthern.com/2010/01/08/snowy-morning-bacon-basket.aspx#Comments</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">3aac8043-5bb5-43c1-9c4e-e5630ab7a370</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:02:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>