Thursdays Are For Cooking….
This comes to us from Feast and Farm (link below): the traditional southern recipe for a chilled summer salad that is filling and nearly a full meal in itself. Be prepared to make a lot of it. Since it does best in a glass bowl, that is where you start. If you don’t have one, they’re still available on the store shelves and the bigger, the better.
Traditional Southern Seven Layer Salad – from Feast and Farm
https://feastandfarm.com/traditional-seven-layer-salad/
Ingredients:
3/4 head iceberg lettuce outer leaves and core removed
1 cup frozen peas thawed
4 hard boiled eggs chopped
3/4 cup chopped green onions
2 medium tomatoes diced bite size pieces
6 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise like Duke’s or Hellmann’s
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
salt and pepper for sprinkling
Instructions:
In a 3 1/2 quart glass bowl or trifle dish (make sure it’s at least that large), chop the lettuce in to bite size pieces and add it to the bottom of the bowl in an even layer.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper over the lettuce.
Add the peas, eggs, onions, tomatoes, bacon and cheese, layering them closer to the edges of the bowl if you choose. Add another sprinkle of salt and pepper then set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and sugar. Stir well and spread over the top of the salad “sealing” it all the way to the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese or bacon before serving, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two days.
Note: the secret to this dish is the dressing, and keeping the contents chilled once you’ve constructed it. When you set it out on the table, put a long-handled spoon with it, because the objective is to get a serving that goes all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
Bon appetit!
Yessum, it is a true Southern Tradition. We makes it up for the Family Reunion, the Church Homecoming/Dinner on the Grounds, Thanksgivings, Christmas, and Easter Feasts. Little heavier on the bacon and cheese than this one called for, but you know how I am. And for sure, Duke’s Mayo, Hellmann’s in a pinch. And yes, this makes a lot, so unless you’re a big fan of rabbit food, serve it when you have a crowd.
In case y’all missed it, I left a linky on the biscuit thread from Tuesday about the Crisco House and the old boy that invented it.
Thanks Ex!
I saw that, and made a note of it. When the label says “vegetable oil” now, it doesn’t saw what kind, so I tend to stick to olive oil, corn oil and a few others that are specific about the source.
When I found this recipe, I was right at home. The lady who runs that blog has a daughter who seems to have some bad allergies to the checmicals put into food products. You have to wonder now how much damage it’s doing to younger kids.
For that same reason, I prefer the old recipes and non-boxed products now. And I will make cornbread the old-fashioned way: no more mixes!
When fall returns, I’ll be making real biscuits and maybe pecan rolls, too.
Heh. I think you’ve foiled gitarcarver and his pressure cooker with this one, Ex.
Looks great, light and easy, thanks!
Ya’ll think that as this is a salad, cooking under pressure will not apply.
HAH! HAH! I say!
For those who like to cook under pressure:
How to Cook Eggs in an Instant Pot
The method is super simple. You can cook the eggs straight out of the fridge and make one or a dozen with the same recipe. (How amazing is that?)
Ingredients:
1 cup water
eggs
Directions:
Add water to a 6-qt Instant Pot. Place metal trivet into the pot. Gently add eggs on top of the trivet.
Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 3-7 minutes.* When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
Cool eggs in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain well and peel.
Notes:
*3 minutes: Soft, just set whites and runny yolks
4-5 minutes: Medium, firmer whites and jammy yolks
6 -7 minutes: Hard, firm whites and fully set yolks
https://damndelicious.net/2018/06/22/instant-pot-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs/
While cooking eggs under pressure won’t necessarily decrease cooking time, what it does is the recipe for 1 or a dozen eggs is the same. That’s a little different than cooking eggs in boiling water. In addition, the consistency of the eggs within each batch and independent of outside temps and weather is better. (You also won’t get cracked eggs that sometimes happens when boiling them and they are bouncing around.)
PS – you can cook bacon pieces in the IP as well. I do it all the time using the saute setting. However, I cook the bacon as a base for other sauces or before adding other ingredients in the pot. If you are looking to cook just bacon, frying or baking is better. (Southern tip: add a little sugar to the bacon when frying. The sugar turns to a caramel like crunch when cooked.)
DAMMIT! Should have seen that one coming.
*grin*
Hmmmm…. eggs….
Now I will have to return to my breakfast quiche recipe, which is simpler than tying shoelaces.
Okay, one of these days, the menu for the weekend will appear.
Thanks for the tips, y’all! 🙂
For those who enjoy cooking under pressure…
Instant Pot Breakfast Quiche
Ingredients
3 cups hash browns defrosted
1/2 pound ground turkey breakfast sausage
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup colby cheese shredded
Instructions
Brown Sausage
Turn pressure cooker to saute and let heat. Add in sausage and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove cooked breakfast sausage from instant pot. Add in 1 cup cold water to inner pan of instant pot for 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups cold water to the instant Pot for an 8 quart instant pot and add trivet into pressure cooker. Scrape up any browned bits on bottom of inner pot to prevent burn notice.
Prepare Breakfast Casserole
Whisk together eggs with milk and salt and pepper until well combined.
Lightly grease an oven safe 6 inch by 4 inch baking dish. Cover the bottom of the pan with defrosted hash browns. Sprinkle sausage over hash browns. Pour eggs mixture over sausage and hash browns. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with foil.
Place casserole on trivet in pressure cooker. Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes, using manual button.
Allow pressure to release manually for 5 minutes and then do a quick release and serve.
Equipment Needed
Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)
7 inch cake pan
Notes
Be sure your hash browns are fully defrosted. If not, this casserole will take MUCH longer to cook.
If you use a super heavy duty foil to cover this casserole, you will want to increase cook time by 5 minutes.
If you happen to only have a 6 inch pan, increase cook time to 23 minutes on high pressure.
heh heh heh
As promised, this years from-scratch birthday cake for Mrs. GB (the 45th in a series): From the Fanny Farmer Cookbook 10th edition, 39th printing, ©1959 – my notes follow: Jam Cake Butter and flour two 9-inch layer tins. Set the oven at 375º Sift together: 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt Cream until light and fluffy ¼ cup butter 1 cup sugar Add 3 eggs, beaten until light Mix 1 cup blackberry, raspberry, or strawberry jam ¼ cup sour milk Stir into the batter by thirds, alternating with the flour mixture. Spoon into the tins. Bake about 25 minutes. Frost with Portsmouth Frosting. Portsmouth Frosting Melt in a small heavy pan 4 tablespoons butter Remove from the heat. Add ¼ cup cream Beat in confectioners’ sugar until thick enough to spread. Beat until smooth and flavor with vanilla or rum. GB’s notes: I was surprised at how unclear or confusing this recipe was. For the cake: I mixed the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl I creamed the butter & sugar. In a third bowl I beat the eggs. I poured the creamed butter and sugar, then the eggs into the dry mixture, and mixed that together with a wooden spoon. Then using the wooden spoon, I mixed in the jam and sour milk (I used raspberry jam for Mrs. GB’s cake) . I put it into two 9” pans and baked as directed. For the frosting: I was astounded that no quantities were given on the confectioner’s sugar nor on the flavorings. I ended up using 2c of confectioner’s sugar – which made a frosting that was way too hard and thick to spread well. I would recommend using 1½ to 1¾ cups of sugar and only beating until thick and smooth. Add the flavoring before beating at all. I used ¼ teaspoon of Mexican vanilla (a stronger vanilla than Adam’s Extract tends to be). For Mrs. GB’s cake the icing was too sweet for our taste, the… Read more »
GB when I FIRST read the title and began the recipe, I thought that the term Jam Cake meant you just jammed all the stuff in a pan and baked it. 😆 😉 Then I read more into the actual “Jam” ingredient. Duh! Sorry it didn’t turn out exactly the way y’all wanted, but from what you’ve told us about Mrs. GB she’s sweeter than that cake could ever hope to be.
Baby Girl, Younger Brother, and Baby Sister may make it up and over for a mini vac next weekend 6 June. We will get some fresh peaches from the local home owned packing plant and are going to do the peach cake. And some cat headed biscuits…and chicken and dumplin’s…and this 7 Layer Salad featured today…and cornbread dressing…and…and…
5th/77th, my belt is getting tighter just thinking about it.
Mrs. GB liked it – it just didn’t quite hit the “perfect cake” mark this time.
I may make it again later just for fun.
3 more days of spring squirrel season – I may get get another one for the pot…