Plantation Pecan Pie - Top it with Brown Sugar Ice Cream if you dare!

Plantation Pecan Pie

Goodness knows there are hundreds of variations of the premier Southern dessert – Pecan Pie. This recipe came from a plantation in the Deep South and has been a favorite of many families for generations. I've served it to people who typically turn their noses up to this traditional favorite, and they ask for the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and friends have!

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 pound butter

1 cup brown sugar (light)

3/4 cup corn syrup (light)

1/4 cup honey or sorghum

Zest of ½ small orange

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 eggs (large)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, uncooked

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a heavy-bottomed pan, brown butter over medium-high heat. The browning of the butter gives this pie its unique flavor. Do not burn the butter. Remove butter from heat and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, orange zest, vanilla, eggs, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Using a wire whisk, blend ingredients until well mixed. Add the browned butter and pecans, blending well into the egg mixture. Pour contents into the pie shell; cover edges with circle of aluminum foil and bake on center rack of oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake approximately 30 - 35 minutes until set. Remove pie from oven and allow to cool before slicing. This is a moist and gooey pie. Serve warm with brown sugar or caramel ice cream if you dare!

The KING and The KILLER honored at MEMPHIS Blues Ball - Rock on Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis!

Upcoming this weekend is the Blues Ball in Memphis and I'm on the National Committee. It's the largest charity ball in the country and it ROCKS. This year Happy 75th to ELVIS and Jerry Lee Lewis. Oh it's such fun and honors the KING and the KILLER - THE BLUES BALL 2010.

Each fall, partygoers from around the globe arrive in Memphis for The Blues Ball, a celebration of the music that changed the world—Memphis Music. From the Hollywood Hills to the Upper East Side, The Blues Ball is attended by one of the most eclectic crowds ever assembled. "We always sell The Blues Ball out the first day, 2,500 seats," Pat Kerr Tigrett, founder and general chairman, said. "The secret is the extraordinary musicians. Despite the name, the focus at The Blues Ball is on all kinds of Memphis Music, from rock to gospel," she said. Each year the artists that shaped the Memphis Sound attend and perform at The Blues Ball. Legendary B.B. King, Soul Man Isaac Hayes, wild man Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Blue Bland, Reverend Al Green, Eddie Floyd, Jason D. Williams, Ruby Wilson, The BarKays, and the late Carl Perkins and Rufus Thomas have been just a few of the legends to play the Ball.

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

A favorite of the KING, made often in the kitchen at Graceland.

3 tablespoons peanut butter

2 slices light bread

1 banana, mashed

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

Mix soft peanut butter and mashed banana together. Toast bread lightly. Spread peanut butter and mashed banana on toast. Place into melted margarine; brown on both sides.