Servings: 6-8

Savannah restaurateur and Food Network star Paula Deen joined "Good Morning America" to whip up a few of her favorite home cooking recipes from her book, "Deen Family Cookbook."

"Whip up a bowl of this light and refreshing beauty anytime you want to make salad a little more special than just plain greens. It's just so perfect for brunch on a hot summer day, it'll perk you right up!" she said in the book.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook; Simon & Schuster 2009.

Ingredients

Dressing

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons shallots, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Salad

1 head Boston lettuce, rinsed dried and torn into pieces

2 medium navel oranges

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered

1/2 cup pitted dates, thinly sliced crosswise

Cooking Directions

To make the dressing, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, shallot, and tarragon. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, coat the greens with all but 1/4 cup of the dressing. Arrange the greens on individual serving plates.

Cut off the top and bottom of each orange, just exposing the flesh. With a sharp knife, follow the curve of the fruit to cut away the peel, completely removing the white pith. Slice out each segment of the fruit, cutting along the membrane. Divide the oranges, strawberries, and dates among the greens.

Drizzle each serving with the remaining dressing.

I’m a huge fan of Jello salads, all of them, Perfection,  Orange with Mandarin Oranges, Lime with Pineapple and Cream Cheese, but my favorite of all is the one Mother made when I was a child.  In fact, I whipped up a batch this morning and it’s chilling in the fridge.  I think she originally made hers with raspberry jello, but I’m a cherry girl, so that’s the way I make it.  It’s so simple, here’s the recipe. 

~ jan
Mom’s Apple Pecan Jello Salad
1 large package sugar free Cherry Jello
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1-1/2 cups cold water
2 apples cut into small dice – I use one of my favorite kitchen gadgets for this, my Williams-Sonoma Vegetable Chopper, the full size one, not the mini
chopped pecans
chopped celery (Mother always put this in, I omit it)
Chill all ingredients, occasionally stirring it when it begins to set up so that the apple mixture is distributed evenly throughout the Jello.  This stuff is really addictive!

Ingredients
   
2 large lemons, sliced paper thin (do not peel, use rind)
2 cup(s) sugar
5 large eggs, beaten
2  store-bought piecrusts

Directions

For filling: In a medium, non- reactive bowl, mix together lemon slices and sugar; cover and let stand overnight in refrigerator. Bring lemon mixture to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Fit 1 crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Stir eggs into lemon mixture and pour into pie pan. Top with remaining crust. Trim excess dough, fold top crust under bottom along rim, and crimp to seal. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Source:  Country Living

Ingredients
   
2 cup(s) heavy cream
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) brown sugar
1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
3 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar, for sprinkling
1/2 cup(s) whole milk
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1  (9-inch) store-bought piecrust
1 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For filling: In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream, flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Fit crust into a 9-inch pie pan and dot bottom with butter. Pour filling into crust. Combine cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake pie until set and center is firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.

Source:  Country Living

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package corn bread mix
• 10 slices bacon
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (11 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained

Directions

1. Prepare corn bread according to package directions. Cool, crumble, and set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Whisk together the dressing mix, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
4. Crumble half the corn bread in the bottom of a large serving dish. Top with half the beans. Layer the beans with half of the tomatoes, green bell pepper, and green onions. Sprinkle with half the cheese, corn, bacon, and the salad dressing mixture. Repeat the layers. Cover, and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 580 | Total Fat: 41.5g | Cholesterol: 52mg

Source  AllRecipes

Note:  This recipe got a lot of positive reviews, people love it!

I downloaded this PDF file and it’s a great cookbook.  Here’s the page to snag the download link,  it’s a goodie.  ~ jan

Martha Stewart Grilling Cookbook>>>

Serves 4

• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• Vegetable oil, for grates

------------------------------------

1. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to marinade, turning to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate, up to overnight).
2. Heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Lift chicken from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Tent loosely with aluminum foil; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Source:  Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

  4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  1 whole fresh beet, cooked, peeled and mashed (about 1/2 cup)
  1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1 tablespoon white vinegar
  1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
  Dash cayenne pepper
  8 hard rolls, split and toasted
  8 teaspoons butter, softened
  1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
  8 lettuce leaves
  8 slices tomato
  8 slices onion

Directions

  In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and beet until blended. Beat in
  the horseradish, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and cayenne.
  Spread rolls with butter and beet spread. Layer with beef, lettuce,
  tomato and onion.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich equals 356 calories

Source:  Tate of Home

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

12  to 15 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 16 cups)*
3  cups  sugar
1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon  nutmeg
1 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla
2/3  cup  butter
2  (15-ounce) packages refrigerated piecrusts
1/2  cup  chopped pecans, toasted
1/4  cup  sugar
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a Dutch oven, and let stand 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring peach mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; add vanilla and butter, stirring until butter melts.

Unfold 2 piecrusts. Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans and 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over 1 piecrust; top with other piecrust. Roll to a 12-inch circle, gently pressing pecans into pastry. Cut into 1 1/2-inch strips. Repeat with remaining piecrusts, pecans, and sugar.

Spoon half of peach mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange half of pastry strips in a lattice design over top of peach mixture.

Bake at 475° for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon remaining peach mixture over baked pastry. Top with remaining pastry strips in a lattice design. Bake 15 to 18 more minutes. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

*2 (20-ounce) packages frozen peaches may be substituted. Reduce sugar to 2 cups, flour to 3 tablespoons, and nutmeg to 1/4 teaspoon. Proceed as directed.

Note: To make ahead, let baked cobbler cool; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator over-night. Uncover, and reheat in the oven at 250° for 45 minutes.

Southern Living, MAY 2004

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.