Southern Food....

I always love Paula Deen .. and I am sure some people don't like her cooking.. but I am very interested in Southern cooking.. I always have been, maybe I lived in the real South in a past life.  I stumbled upon two southern recipes of Paula's that I had to try.


One recipe was with Crawfish tails.. and I have never purchased crawfish or cooked with them.. So it was a fun thing to learn about and to cook.

  The name of the recipe.. is Ragin' Cajun Fettuccini
You will need:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 (8oz) package of a prepared cheese product, cubed with Jalapenos, I used Velveeta.. not my favorite but it worked... I would use less next time..
maybe 4 oz...
2 (14oz) packages frozen cooked... peeled, deveined crawfish tails, thawed. I only got 1 14oz because the recipe is for 4 people and it was just for my husband and I... but if you like a lot of meet get 2 (14oz). I also did the peeling, and deveining myself.. it was not hard.
1 (16oz) box fettuccine, cooked according to package directions and kept warm.
In a large skillet, melt butter over  medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery,and garlic; saute for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add flour and Cajun seasoning; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half - and half; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Add crawfish, and cook until warmed through. Serve over fettuccine.

 
   After dinner I decided I must make a Southern dessert... I know Paula Deen makes cupcakes with Jam inside... and we just made our own blueberry Jam.. so I decided to make her Tennesse Jam Cupcakes
with no-cook caramel frosting...
The recipe made 15 cupcakes....

This is what they look like when you fill them with the jam..then you put more batter on top of the jam and cook..

   This exact frosting color and flavor.. was suppose to be on my wedding cake.. when I arrived at my reception to see my cake was frosted with Chocolate.. and not this.. I was crushed... I did not let it ruin my day.. and got over it quickly.... The cake at my wedding was still delicious... but I really love the light brown, color... of this frosting on a cake in the fall.

     This cupcake does not have as much jam as some of the other ones.. but the taste is superb.

Here are both recipes:

Tennessee Jam Cupcakes

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon  ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup blackberry or raspberry jam.. I used blueberry...
No cook frosting...
Preheat oven to 350 Spray muffins pans with nonstick cooking spray... very important.. even if you are using liners..
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well each after each addition. Beat in sour cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just over blended ( do not over mix)
Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into prepared pans, top with 1/2 tablespoon of jam. Spoon in remaining batter.

*** Try not to overfill cupcake liners or batter will spill over.. and makes a mess. Some people like to rotate their cupcake pan halfway through cooking time to ensure even cooking. Bake them on middle rack.


Frosting... No-cook Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk, divided
2 cups confectioners' sugar divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt



In a medium bowl, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add 2 tablespoons milk, and gradually beat in 1 cup confectioners sugar, add remaining 2 tablespoons milk, and gradually add remaining 1 cup confectioners sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt. Use immediately.