Granny's Secret Ingredient for Fantastic Eggs

Most of my life in the south has been centered around food.  Working around the house, food was set out to make sure we snack in between to keep our energy going.  Family and friends show up, food was always served to entertain them.  Singing rehearsals at our Grandparents house, food was always sitting around for us to snack on when we were hungry.  Anything happening at church, food was always served after service.  Is there any wonder why I post so many recipes of my favorite dishes on this blog? 

One question I'm asked all the time is, "Granny, what is your secret ingredient for your eggs?  They are the bomb!"  So I decided to share this secret ingredient I use in my fantastic eggs:

That's it in a nutshell. Just a splash of white wine mixed with anything else you use except milk (doesn't compliment each other well).  Any white wine you prefer to drink is good.  Granny never uses cooking wine.  Why would I when the greater stuff is in the house already?  I'm partial to my Robert Mondavi Private Selection.  I never stray from it and use it in a lot of my dishes.

Breakfast was really great Sunday.  No starches used this time.  I've trained myself to cut back on bread.

FYI:  Sunday is my "Be Greedy a Little Day". It's the day I allow myself to have a little more than usual.  Now you know the reason for the extra piece of veggie sausage on my plate.  Turns out, I was full before I got to it so I saved it for the next morning.

Much love,
Granny

Do you have a secret ingredient used in special dishes you're willing to share?  What is the main compliment you receive when you use it?  Share with us in comments below.


Feel free to visit my other sites:
Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://www.timewithgranny.tumblr.com

AHA Moment With My Meatless Chicken

**Disclaimer:  Random Post:  No story to go with this recipe, sorry Charlie
 
Granny never knew you could take this

and create this.

Instead of cooking with oil as the instructions call for, I used water and steamed on med-low for approx. 5 min.  Use the same ingredients you normally would for Chicken Salad.
The only difference is the texture.  The taste is the same.

Off to eat my bowl of Meatless Chicken Salad before going back to the Women CEO Summit.

Much love,
Granny

Is there a meatless product you use to do the same thing you would for regular meat?  Share with us below.

Feel free to visit my other sites:
Be Wise and Know http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://www.timewithgranny.tumblr.com

Cabbage and Kielbasa

One thing is for sure, my sisters and I always thought we were being rewarded when Nah Nah served us this dish when we were little.  Whenever we would sneak into the kitchen to see what she was cooking and saw the ingredients for this delightful meal, we were just as excited as if Christmas was the next day.  It is still one of our favorites to eat whenever we are together -- Cabbage and Kielbasa.

Me using Tofurky Kielbasa.  Regular Kielbasa is richer in color.

By the first sentence, you can tell we were stinkers for girls, huh.  Nah Nah used to say, "Raising my girls is like raising boys; rough and always hungry."
This recipe will include both Nah Nah's (beef) and my version (vegan). Two recipes in one post.  Lucky you!

Ingredients
Large head of cabbage
Large sliced onion
Crushed garlic (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Beef Kielbasa or Vegan Kielbasa by Tofurky 

Clean cabbage as usual.  Cut cabbage to fit in pot.  Add all ingredients into pot, except kielbasa.  Bring cabbage to boil.  Stir, reduce heat to medium-high.

If you desire boiled Kielbasa:
Cook cabbage for approx 10 min before adding kielbasa.  Continue cooking meal, stirring occasionally, until cabbage and sausage are to your liking.

If you desire Kielbasa sauteed or grilled:
Saute separate in pan with very little oil of your choice, or, grill to your liking.

Add ingredients together in large bowl, without liquid, from pot (this will cause the cabbage to be too wilted and reduce the great taste of the creation).  

Another great option is use the Kielbasa with Granny's Sauteed Cabbage which can be found here.

Serve with Granny's Corn Cake found here and you have yourself something wonderful.

Enjoy!

Much love,
Granny

Feel free to visit my other sites
Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://www.timewithgranny.tumblr.com

   

Compilation of Childhood Snacks

Growing up in the '70s, the grownups seemed to be very concerned about children's bowel movements.  They believed most illnesses came from unhealthy colons.  Every Friday night, we had to get in line for some form of laxative to ensure we remained healthy.  The choices often used then were Castor oil, Cod Liver oil, Ex-Lax chocolate, Milk of Magnesia, or Feen-a-mint gum.  Of course there were more used then, these were the top five used in my household.

You always end up with this one person who was the odd ball in the fold, namely me, whose body just did not react to things as everyone else did.  So my family decided to give me all types of snack food to help me.  The one thing I hated so much were prunes.  I could not stand the smell of those things (even to this day I cringe and gag at the smell of them).  Weird story before giving you a tasty recipe, huh.  I know, but it was the only one that came to mind as I was writing this.

The snack I'm sharing with you today is a compilation of things I like.  In the 70s, we didn't do much with dried fruit except bake them into cakes.  This recipe makes it easier to carry the snack to work and store in my locker, or purse, until I'm ready for it.  I haven't come up with a name for this combination as of yet so I am requesting help from each of you to help me name this delightful treat.  Now on with the recipe Granny!!!

Ingredients
Unsalted Cashews
Dark and Golden Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Banana Chips

Just take a little of everything and mix in a bowl.  If you're not really big on sweets as I am, you can add more nuts to balance the flavor of the mixture. Around the holidays I tend to use mixed nuts because that's what everyone else prefers when I serve this treat.  Normally, I would use carob for chocolate but it is so
hard to find in my area now.

Hope you enjoyed Granny's weird post for the week.  Enjoy the snack and enjoy life with a happy colon.

Much love,
Granny

What were some of the things your parents/grandparents gave you for your colon health?  If you have a name to help Granny attach it to her snack, leave it below in comment section.  

Feel free to visit me at my other sites:
Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://www.timewithgranny.tumblr.com

Sauteed Cabbage

** In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to do a post on an Auntie who was also a Mom for everyone that encamp around her.  Pictures of Auntie and her work will be in August's post.
 
Hello everyone!  Granny here!!
Nice to be back with you with another great recipe.  This one is a favorite dish we all love for Aunt Beverly to fix when we visit her in DC: the famous Cabbage Dish.  I call it Sauteed Cabbage.
The ingredients are diverse and very pleasant just like Aunt Beverly.  A woman of many talents and always pleasant.  She is very skilled in playing the piano, videography, historical documentation, and training people to find their singing part.  OH, did I mention she has been a Nurse for over 30 years as well as an Artist who grace us with her own designs of Birthday and Christmas cards each year.  In another post this summer when I post mini biographies on my family members, I will showcase some of Aunt Beverly's work.

Now to the recipe (Granny's version, of course):

Ingredients
Large head of cabbage
1 whole onion sliced (the size of onion depends on how much you like)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic crushed (you may substitute with garlic salt if you wish)
Fresh carrots sliced (the quantity depends on how much you like)
Olive oil (or oil of choice)

Begin cutting cabbage open and cleansing to prepare it for cooking as you would any other time.  Set aside to drain.  Place sliced carrots in pan of olive oil cooking on med-low, covered (the amount of oil used is of
your preference when sauteing). Stir frequently to keep from burning.  Cook until soft.  You may brown them just a bit if you choose.  Once done, but into a bowl and set aside.

You may use the remainder of the oil used for the carrots or use another pan with fresh oil for cabbage.  Place cabbage in oil using the same med-low heat (cabbage cooks quicker than you realize).  Add onions and garlic (or garlic salt).  Cover cabbage.  Aunt Beverly just uses regular salt and black pepper for seasoning.  Stir frequently to keep from burning.  Cook to your liking (Granny likes her cabbage with a little crunch, Aunt Beverly cooks hers longer to get very soft).  Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and allow to sit covered for approx. 10 min to allow all flavors/seasonings to incorporate.

**Sometimes Granny mix in a pan of fried potatoes in the mixture

Serve with cornbread or bread of choice and enjoy!

Much love,
Granny

Do you have a memory of a recipe from an Auntie or other relative you loved them to fix when you visited as a child?  Comment Below. 

**Stay tuned for next week when Granny shares a combination of different childhood snacks into one tasty treat**

Feel free to visit me at my other sites:
Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://timewithgranny.tumblr.com 


Click links to see who I honored last year on Mother's day:
http://www.1elegantgranny.com/2012/05/these-mothers-of-mine.html
http://www.1elegantgranny.com/2012/05/these-mothers-of-mine-part-2.html

Tasty Treat

One of my favorite snacks growing up was Dairy Queens Ice Cream.  It's still one of my favorites today.  But since I'm working out more, I've decided to do healthier snacks like smoothies.  My first remembrance of tasting one was in high school on one of my visits to the mall with my best friend Renay.  We use to go to Orange Julius as soon as we got there for one.

After working out yesterday, I made one and I believe it was the tastiest one yet.

 So glad I made enough for later.  It was delicious then too.

This smoothie was so helpful giving me what I needed to replenish myself after a good work out.

Ingredients
bananas
sliced peaches
blueberries
raspberries
almond milk (for sweetness instead of using sugar)  


Mix everything in blender and enjoy

Much love,
Granny

What do you use to replenish yourself after a great workout?  Leave comments below.

Feel free to visit my other sites

Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://timewithgranny.tumblr.com
 

  

Pinto Bean Soup

Hello Everyone!  Granny here!!

I know it's been a while since hearing from me.  Granny has been a very busy bee lately.  I really appreciate you waiting for me. 

This week, I do believe a Granny outdid herself.  I made a pot of Pinto Bean Soup that was out of this world.  While creating this dish, I thought about the song my sister use to sing every time Mama would make a pot of beans, "Beans, beans are good for your heart.  Beans, beans will make you fart."

Most of my recipes consist of beans so I'm assuming that is the reason for me not experiencing the above dilemma.  Those beans sure help a Granny keep a flat belly. 


Ingredients:
1 lb pinto beans
chopped onions
1 clove fresh garlic (crushed)
diced tomatoes
ground cumin
chili powder
oregano
diced red, yellow, and green peppers
2 pkg. Morning Star Grillers Recipe Crumbles (may use real meat if you so choose)
1/2 pkg 100%  whole grain elbow macaroni noodles

Prepare beans according to package.  Add onions, garlic, and other dry seasoning half way through beans cooking time.  45min - 60 min before beans are done, add remaining ingredients.  When soup is complete, allow to sit (in pot) for approx 20 min before eating to allow the ingredients to marinade together.

Very simple recipe for a very busy lifestyle.  You may use other ingredients to suit your taste if you so choose.  I prefer the Morning Star Grillers Recipe Crumbles over ground beef because it reduces the salt intake.  It is flavored enough for me where I don't have to add salt.

Top the soup with shredded cheese and sour cream and go to town eating -- ENJOY

Much love,
Granny

Any other ideas of what to add to the soup are welcome.  Share comments (or bean stories) below if you enjoyed the soup.

Feel free to visit me at my other sites:
Be Wise and Know  http://www.bewiseandknow.com
Time With Granny  http://timewithgranny.tumblr.com