Irresistable Ooey-Gooeys

Ooey Gooeys

So tell me, who can resist these?

1 box yellow cake mix
4 ounces butter, melted
3 large eggs
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper. Make the base first: mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Pat into pan, create an even layer. Make the ooey gooey layer: Cream together the cream cheese, 2 eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour gooey layer over cake layer, spread to edges.
Bake for 45 minutes or until edges are golden brown, center should be a creamy yet solid consistency like cheesecake or heaven. Cool completely in pan before cutting into 1-inch squares with a clean, dry knife. For best square results, pop into freezer and chill before slicing.

Butterscotch Muddies are a BODACIOUS FALL DESSERT

Butterscotch Muddies

Oh boy are these melt in your mouth delicious. The mix of the salty cashews with the caramely butterscotch and the rich bottom layer of a buttery brown sugar mud cookie make for a bodacious combination! Just perfect for fall desserts, tailgating, or even a camping trip.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture just until combined. Press into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

1 package (10 – ounce) butterscotch chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons water
2-1/2 cups salted cashew halves

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips are butter are melted. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with cashews; press down lightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Oh La La Y'all French Coconut Pie

French Coconut Pie

My mother, Josephine Murphy, received this recipe from Mrs. Youngerman of Lexington, the mother of a customer at Murphy Tractor Company in Jackson in the late 1950’s. She told her that she had been making this pie for her boys and now their families and that it was a recipe her mother had given her. It has a wonderful texture and taste and is one of my family’s favorites. Oh la la Y'all
1stick butter (melted)
1-1/2 cups sugar
Pinch salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 to 2 cups coconut (package or canned)
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all ingredients in order, pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 300 degrees about 55-70 minutes or until done. Don’t overcook.

Southern Fried Okra - garden fresh and oh so good!

This is what I call a true Southern delicacy and I fry up batch once a year. Tonight's the night. Some friends are coming over, one bringing his special cornbread and it will be an old-fashioned supper. I think I'll also cook a pot of white beans and serve some sweet pepper/onion relish, maybe some crispy coleslaw, homemade pickles, and guess they will expect a dessert. One of my friends dearly loves coconut, so we'll have coconut pie if anyone wants it. Wish you could all join us. Have a wonderful day.
1 pound fresh okra
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetable Oil
Wash and slice okra; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces; discard tops and stems. Combine eggs and buttermilk; add okra, and let stand for 10 minutes. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Drain okra, small portions at a time, using a slotted spoon. Dredge okra, small portions at a time, in flour mixture.
Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3-inches in a deep fat fryer and heat to 375 degrees. Fry okra until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, salt to taste and serve immediately.

Award Winning Songwriter's Alabama Sushi with Caramelized Bacon

Alabama Sushi with Caramelized Bacon

1 pack of Lit’l Smokies® (preferably pork sausages, but beef also works)
1 package of Bryan® bacon
1 heaping cup of light brown sugar
Line a sheet pan with foil (this makes for easy clean up).Take the bacon strips out of package and slice twice through the pack, making each strip into three equal pieces. Wrap each sausage with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place them on sheet pan and sprinkle each very generously with the brown sugar. Bake for approximately one hour or until the bacon is brown and caramelized in a preheated 375 degree oven. Remove from sheet pan with tongs and place in a serving dish. (It’s important that the brown sugar is caramelized. Just make sure it’s dark brown and the bacon is done.) Chris Tompkins, Nashville TN

Chris Tompkins is one of the most in demand songwriters in Nashville today, who truly touched our family. I hope you enjoy the story below that is very dear to me.

Chris Tompkins dreamed of becoming a professional songwriter; and as a student at Coffee High School in Alabama, he developed his vocals, honed in on his piano playing, and marched in the school band. Practice and hard work paid off, as Chris landed a gig as a full time demo sessions keyboard player and co-writing with some of the best in Muscle Shoals.

Along the way he met a physician in Florence Alabama, who believed in him, supported his efforts, encouraged him to chase his dreams – he touched him. But then Chris and his songs longed to be heard on the Row in Nashville, so in the summer of 2000 at age 22, Chris made the move and got his first publishing deal.
In 2004, Chris penned his first Top 20 hit single “Me And Emily”, followed with his smash hit “Before He Cheats,” recorded by American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. The song topped the country singles chart in 2007 and remained there for a total of five weeks and won Best Country Song at the 2007 People’s Choice Awards, ASCAP’s Song of the Year in 2007 and Country Song of the Year at the 2008 Grammy ceremony. It also has the distinction of being the first Country song to have over 2 million digital download sales. Armed with his first #1 hit, Chris was suddenly one of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters.

Tompkins’ next No. 1 single came in 2011 with Chris Young‘s hit ‘Voices.’ In addition, Tompkins has had singles released by Kenny Chesney (‘Ain’t Back Yet’), Jimmy Buffett (‘Bama Breeze’), Steel Magnolia (‘Bulletproof’), Blake Wise (‘Cornfields’), Little Big Town (‘Shut Up Train’), Gary Allan (‘Kiss Me When I’m Down’), Chuck Wicks (‘Old School’), Jack Ingram (‘Seein’ Stars,’ featuring Patty Griffin), Whitney Duncan (‘Skinny Dippin”), Hank Williams, Jr. (‘That’s How We Do It in Dixie’), Plain White T’s (“Welcome To Mystery” ), Luke Bryant (“Drunk on You”), and Scotty McCreery (‘The Trouble With Girls’); plus a slew of album cuts by the likes of Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, and Kellie Pickler. At the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw debuted their duet “Feel Like A Rockstar” which was written by Tompkins.

But it was a song he penned called “Touch,” which was produced by Buddy Cannon and recorded by Donnie and Marie Osmond that will forever be etched in my heart. That song was written as a tribute to that orthopaedic surgeon he met in Florence Alabama many years before, who never stopped believing in him. The doctor, who with his wife, Teresa hosted a Grammy send-off party for Chris at their home so that all of the Shoals friends could honor the home town boy who had made it to the big-time. That doctor who had been there for the yet to be discovered hit maker was my brother, Dr. John T. Murphy, Jr., who slipped off to Heaven way too soon. Chris Tompkins once again made my brother very proud I feel quite sure, and our family is very touched by this moving tribute to his life by one of Nashville’s finest.

State Fair Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

We're getting ready for the Fair next week. Once again my mother and I will be judges in the culinary competitions and it happens to fall on her birthday - what a sweet way to celebrate part of the day with her. Yesterday her card club met and they enjoyed a Fair themed luncheon. She made this pie and served it with the stew and corn light bread/country ham sandwiches I mentioned a few days ago. Though none of these ladies have plans to eat cotton candy and ride the ferris wheel this year, they sure had fun reminiscing about the many Fairs they have attended over the years.

This was the blue ribbon prize winner at the West TN State Fair and was made by Suzanne Grimsley. Oh y'all this is old fashioned delicious! It's worth making the crust, I promise! The apples are sliced and stacked for rows of rich goodness. And with a scoop of vanilla ice cream oozing as it melts! Who could resist?

Crust

2-¼ cups all purpose flour

1 generous cup of shortening
¼ tsp. salt
1 T. cider vinegar
3-4 T. cold water

Add salt to flour. Cut in shortening thoroughly. Add vinegar and 3 T. water. Mix with a fork until dough

rounds up in the bowl, adding water if necessary. Line greased pie plate with half of dough.

Filling

5-6 apples

1 cup sugar

3 T. flour

Cinnamon

2 T. butter

Peel and core apples. Slice thinly into pie shell. Mix flour and sugar. Sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Dot with butter. Add top crust. Cut vents for steam. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower oven to 350 and bake for 45 min. to 1 hour.

Hokey Pokey is a honeycomb candy that's easy to make and fun to eat

A Cornish term for honeycomb, Hokey Pokey is wonderful eaten in golden shards, crumbled into vanilla ice cream, or used as a garnish atop the whipped cream of a peanut butter pie. It is also a much sung scout song. . .go ahead, make a batch and sing along.  
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Melt sugar and golden syrup over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, being careful not to burn the mixture. Remove from heat, add the baking soda and stir. The mixture will froth up. While mixture is still frothing pour into a buttered dish and let set. Don't spread in out as it will spread by itself. Once cold, break into pieces and enjoy!
The Hokey Pokey

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,

You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it's all about.
2) left hand
3) right foot
4) left foot
5) head
6) back side
7) whole self

Creamy Butterscotch Pie

This is one of the creamiest pies you'll ever eat. The velvety texture and taste of the butter and brown sugar together isn't overpowering, just pure deliciousness in every bite! I shared this recipe with a cafe that now claims it as their best seller.
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a double boiler, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, and cornstarch. Add just enough milk to make a paste. Mix in beaten egg yolks, and then add the remainder of the milk. Cook slowly, stirring constantly; when thick, remove from heat. Add butter or margarine and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell.
In medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Beat in cream of tartar, white sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread meringue over pie filling. Bake at 375 degrees until meringue peaks turn a golden brown.

Mouth Watering Yeast Rolls - smell them baking? It's intoxicating!

Grandmother Sims’ Yeast Rolls

Country ham and yeast rolls are one of the Tripp family favorites.
5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages yeast
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Crisco shortening 1 cup warm water
Scald milk; add half of the water and sugar. Let cool. Dissolve yeast in half cup warm water until yeast comes to top. Mix all together. Knead. Let stand until double in size. Knead. Melt butter in pan. Roll, cut out and place in pans dipping both sides of rolls in butter. Let rise. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Judy and Charlie Tripp, Brownsville TN

Corn Light Bread Good to the Last Crumb - so good you'll slap your mammy!

(L-R) Carol Ann Watson and her longtime friend, Rose Ann Donnell

This regional favorite has been made in west Tennessee kitchens for well over 130 years. It doesn’t have the crustiness of cornbread, but is more cake like. Many people serve it with barbecue; some make turkey sandwiches with it; others serve it with a plate of fresh garden vegetables. But my favorite way, is sandwiches with thin slices of Tripp country ham. The sweetness of the bread and the saltiness of the ham is a perfect match.

For a number of years, Brown’s United Methodist Church sponsored a food booth at the West Tennessee State Fair and these sandwiches along with hundreds of gallons of Brunswick Stew. Though they no longer have the booth, a friend who has long been one of the ring leaders at the fair, Carol Ann Watson, shared her grandmother’s recipe with me. It is a little time consuming, but once you’ve tasted it, nothing else matches up. The Master Chef of the Year flipped over this recipe from the undisputed “Queen of the Kitchen.” It really is good to the last crumb, and just like that old saying, "So good you'll slap your mammy."

Grandmother’s Corn Light Bread

Scald:

1 cup plain meal with 2 cups boiling water

Add:

1-1/2 cups milk

Salt to taste

Beat in:

1 cup meal

1 cup plain flour

Spread 1 cup dry meal over top; cover with a towel; let stand overnight. Place in a warm environment. (I put in the oven with just the light in the oven on. Do not turn on the oven, just the light.) Batter should be

slightly puffed on top and the meal broken across the top.

Next morning, add:

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons oil

Beat. Grease a large loaf pan or 2 medium size loaf pans. Line bottom of pan with parchment or wax paper, if pan is not non- stick pan. Pour into pan and bake at 350 about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours for large pan and 1 hour for smaller pans. (Bread will not rise a great deal.) Check for doneness with a toothpick…should come out clean. The secret to this recipe is letting the batter ferment! Carol Ann Watson, Jackson TN

Corn Light Bread Made Easy

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon self-rising white cornmeal, divided

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Grease a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan, and sprinkle pan lightly with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Combine 2 cups cornmeal and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add remaining ingredients, stirring until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan, and let stand 10 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, just lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. May be served hot or cold.

Stirring the Pot – Stew Masters blend the ingredients in seasoned black kettles until the Brunswick Stew is just right!

Browns United Methodist Church was a popular spot in Jackson Tennessee this morning beginning shortly after midnight. Pickup trucks rolled in, lights in the pavilion blazed, ingredients were assembled, cooks gathered, and Stew Masters Lee Tomlinson and David Pearson got the six pots, ranging in size from 30 to 10 gallons, cooking by 4:30 AM. Perched on stools with boat paddles in hand, the men stirred the pots continually, talked, and watched as the sun came up over the Browns Church Cemetery where many of their ancestors now rest. Making stew is typically a ‘guy-thing.’

Men don’t stand around the pots just to gossip although plenty of that is done. They do it because it takes a lot of work to stir a stew, which must stay in motion to prevent scorching and to blend the flavors. You can’t stir 30 gallons of stew with a kitchen spoon. It takes an unvarnished boat paddle and a figure-eight movement to do the job right. Stewmasters are particular about what goes into the pot and when, but they will turn over the stirring to just about anyone with strong arms who is willing to do it.

Today the stew was made by the Browns Church Ruritan Club, following the tradition established by the Browns community when cooks at the Browns School and members of the church would cook the stew and sell it at the West Tennessee State Fair every fall.

Stew Masters Lee Tomlinson and David Pearson

The Brunswick stew which many Tennesseans were raised on may be foreign to those new to West Tennessee. Originally cooked by Edward Claiborne Sturdivant of Brunswick County, Virginia; the recipe came with him to Tennessee when he married Mary White and moved to Haywood Country in the 1840’s. One of their sons founded Sturdivant Packing Company and produced the stew using the original recipe. It later was sold to Kelly Foods in Jackson who produced the stew for years.

Several country churches and individuals in West Tennessee still make the stew each year. The stew plays a starring role at fund-raising events and holiday gatherings, anywhere crowds gather to eat. Typically it is cooked outside either over a fire or with gas burners, as you can’t make just a little bit at a time. It takes a big pot and a boat paddle to keep it stirred from start to finish. There’s no telling how many community centers were renovated, homes rebuilt after a fire, needy families clothed, or critically ill children helped because of this tradition.

The black kettles used for cooking are prized and many are over a hundred years old. Some were originally used to boil lard so they are really seasoned. You can’t run out and buy these kettles just anywhere today, but it takes something this large for the big batches. It is also a minimum of a three men operation, as the stew must be stirred with a boat paddle from the moment the burners are turned on until about 20 minutes after they are turned off to prevent the stew from scorching. Four hours of stirring is quite a workout! That’s if everything is preboiled; otherwise it takes about 8 hours of cooking.

Most stew masters have tweaked the recipe over the years to suit their tastes, but it’s still close to the original. Country living guaranteed you usually had plenty of garden vegetables and though Browns Church uses only chicken and beef in their stew, others mix in pork, squirrels, or rabbits. The next time you have to feed a crowd or raise a few dollars for a good cause, try your hand at cooking up a pot of the stew that has been popular in our neck of the woods for over 170 years. That’s if you can find a kettle big enough.



Coach Don Williams and Page Tomlinson Jackson



If not, just mosey on over to Browns Church during Labor Day weekend, take a number, and get in line for some of the best stew on Earth. Page Jackson, and her able bodied assistant, Coach Don Williams, welcomed the customers, took their orders and gave them numbered tickets. Funny how they knew the biggest part of the crowd; Don laughingly called most them by name, and Page concentrated on keeping the orders straight. Gallons sold for $17 and quarts for $5; within hours the pots were emptied. Over 120 gallons of stew was sold, the Ruritan Club, though tired and worn out, had another successful venture, and the Browns Chuch Labor Day tradition continues.

BRUNSWICK STEW (Sample recipe as most Stew Masters guard their secret concoctions. Some won't add black eyed peas because it looks like bugs; some add a bottle or hot sauce; others add sugar and butter; and some refuse 'to drag it through the garden' as they call it, preferring less vegetables.

50 pounds boiled chicken

3 gallons chicken broth from cooking chicken

30 pounds of stewed beef

2 gallons of beef broth from cooking beef

6 gallons tomatoes

6 gallons lima beans

1 gallon tomato ketchup

5 gallons green beans, cut into pieces

3 gallons carrots, sliced

65-75 pounds potatoes, cut up

4 gallons English peas

5 gallons onions, cut up

1 gallon tomato paste

6 gallons whole kernel corn

2 gallons cream style corn

4-6 ounces black pepper

Plenty of salt

Red pepper to taste

Remove all the skin and bones from the cooked chicken and pull meat into big pieces. Cut stewed meat into pieces, remove and discard fat and any gristle. Turn on the burner and add chicken broth to the pot first thing and start stirring. Then add the chicken, tomatoes, lima beans, tomato ketchup (which adds just the right amount of sweetener,) green beans, carrots, potatoes, English peas, onions, and tomato paste (which gives the stew the pretty color) and continue stirring. Bring to a boil and cook through and through for about 2-1/2 or 3 hours, stirring constantly. Add the corn, pepper, salt and pepper; stir constantly or the corn will stick. Cook another 1 to 1-1/2 hours. When it’s done, turn off the burner, add creamed corn and continue stirring for 30 minutes to prevent scorching. If you didn’t preboil the chicken, you would need to cook the stew for about 8 hours. When it’s done, ladle into bowls and serve. You don’t need many fixins because everything’s in the bowl. Saltine crackers and a cold Coke for washing away the sting of the hot pepper is all that’s needed. There's nothing like it, knowing that lots of love and elbow grease went into the cooking.