Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes Mark Busbee & JT Handy

Long, Long Ago
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And long, long ago.
Chorus
And for long, long ago, my dear
For long, long ago,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago
And surely youll buy your pint-jug!
And surely I'll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago.
Chorus
We two have run about the hills
And pulled the daisies fine;
But we've wandered manys the weary foot
Since long, long ago.
Chorus
We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since long, long ago.
Chorus
And there's a hand, my trusty friend!
And give us a hand of yours!
And we'll take a deep draught of good-will
For long, long ago.
Chorus
Did you know that Auld Lang Syne literally translates to “Old Long Since” and was Robert Burns and Scotland’s gift to the world. It is a song I never bothered to really study however it’s a song that’s sang all over the world on New Years it connects the world with words. I wish we could make peace all over the world with just a few words. Any who New Year gives us like a fresh start with our lives. Sometimes we start the New year with resolutions that we take with us into the new year. However, am not one to make resolutions, because I don’t want to break one that I make. Any who when I was in the café business everyone had a resolution to lose weight, that lasted all of two weeks. Then I went out and ask a few friends if they made New Year resolutions and a few do like my friend Suzie, who says she needs to learn to say no and put herself first for a while. Then my friend Ginger at the Magnolia Natural Market is thinking about opening three nights a week and juicing more. Then I talked with Marcie and she is going to study the Argentine Tango and in April go to the jungles of Costa Rica and study Shamanism, I think I’d like to go with her,. That sounds really interesting, am with you girl! Any who I wish everyone lots of luck and wealth in the next year. Don’t forget to eat your Greens for wealth and Black Eyed peas for luck. I will be eating them twice because when Chef JT Handy came on the New Years show with me he made some tasty Hopping John with some greens tossed in. I’d never had them served together before. I know his secret ingredient was his famous Bacon Fat that he uses on his smoked meats when he BBQ’s. That’s one of the tricks I learned from that Master Grille Chef. Then from Master Grille Chef Mark Busbee I learned how to make a wonderful Hash Brown Casserole and the best Smokin’ meat loaf, he adds lots of spices just the way I like it. JT as he’s called, says you should mix the woods when smoking your meats it seems to bring on a lighter smoke flavor. He is what you call a pit Master of JT’s BBQ and also co-host of the popular radio talk show BBQ Shop Talk and Mark is the other co-host of the radio talk show. Mark also is Co-owner of “Smokin Cole’s line of sauces and seasoning and my favorite is Buzz’s Butt Dust”. He also is an awarding winning Pit Master of the Q ”Fore” U cook Team, and a Judge as well. These two men I could talk about for days with all their awards and what they do for the Southern BBQ and statewide events. I just want to say buy their products and listen to them on the BBQ Shop Talk radio show to learn a lot more from them if you are interested in learning more about BBQ. I want to wish you all a very Happy, healthy New Year and please try some of these recipes to bring on the New Year. Thanks to all for watching the “Cooking With MadJon and Friends” on ASTV 95, we will be starting our fourth season.  You can also view the videos from this web site.

Rosemary Sweet Potatoes Roasted

4 Sweet Potatoes Diced
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1.5 tsp. Garlic and Onion Powder 
2 tsp. Rosemary, dried
3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Onion, Sliced

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place Sweet potatoes and the six other ingredients in a bowl and mix till well blended.  Pour onto a flat rimmed cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees or place on your BBQ grille covered in foil for about 20 minutes. 

Happy New Year and Happy trails to you until we meet again.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Happy New Year

Hello to all my foodie friends and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Our New Year show was filmed with two of the best Pit Master Grille Chefs In the South Carolina area.  Mark Busbee and JT Handy one judges BBQ events and the other teaches the art of wood smokin' meats.  They both co-host a radio show called BBQ Shop Talk out of Columbia which is a live show and they talk BBQ the whole time.  If you want to know BBQ then these are the two Chefs to learn from.  When they were on the show they had on the menu some Grille Stuffed pork Chops, smoked with some Apple Wood.  Then we had some Hash Brown Cheese Casserole and some smoked Meat Loaf made with some Cole's Smothin' BBQ Sauce.  Then on the menu for me was some Cole Slaw with Cranberry's and toasted Walnuts and some Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potato's.  Then I made some Pineapple Upside-Down Cake which was made with some Greek vanilla yogurt.  Did you know that the pineapple upside-down cake was invented because Dole made the hole punch machine to cut the pineapple with.  There are a few tasty dishes invented because of the machines.  Any who are you ready for some great Pineapple Upside-Down Cake?

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 Box Pineapple Cake Mix
3 Eggs beaten
1/3 Cup Oil
1/3 cup Pineapple Juice, from the can of Pineapple Rings
3/4 cup Water

Mix all ingredients together until well blended.  Set aside.

Butter, 1 stick
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Coconut
1 can of Pineapple rings
1 jar Maraschino Cherries
1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar



Heat butter and sugar together in a skillet until the sugar is melted.  Arrange the pineapple rings and cherries on top of the sugar and butter.   Then sprinkle the coconut on top of the rings.  Mix the yogurt and brown sugar together and pour on top of the coconut and hen add the cake mixture over the top of the yogurt mix.  Bake in a pre-heated oven on 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until done and tooth pick clean.

I hope that you try this recipe and go yum.  I also want to say have a very Happy New Year.  Eat your greens and Black Eyed Peas, we all need the wealth, health and luck that it can bring.  Please visit my fan page and like, "Cooking With MadJon and Friends".  Watch it on ASTV 95, www.aikenstandard.com.  Happy trails to you until we meet again.  Eileen Hutson, MadJon.  Oh and check out my e-cookbook on ITunes, MadJon Holidays for your new Ipads out there in web land.

What Does Christmas Mean To You? Christmas Raspberry Coconut Ice Box Cake

 

 

 

Hello to all my foodies friends out there in web land just want to say Merry Christmas  to you all and send you out a wonderful Christmas Raspberry Coconut Cake recipe to try that my sister and I made for our Christmas Show this year.

Today am writing about Christmas.  It’s the time of year where we are celebrating as Christians, the birth of Christ, my Lord and Savior.  I know that it’s hard to celebrate Christmas when we have so much sadness around this year with the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and the loss of so much innocence with the victims.  The loss of 26 victims total and 20 of them children and we ask why? I don’t have the answer for that.  Any who I just want to say that my prayers are with each and every family member including the shooters, they are all victims in one way or another.  All I know is God’s angels are crying along with our nation and the world.  I also want to remember the other shooting victims from this year and I pray also for their families and the loss of their loved ones during this holiday season.  That being said What Does Christmas Mean To You?  For me am very thankful for my family and friends.  Am thankful for the love they hold for me as well.  Am thankful my sister Imogene Clark was able to come and join me on my Christmas Shoot this year.  If you saw the show she was the Red Head.  We had some fun with the show and made a Christmas Brunch which I hope you try some of the recipes like: Brown Sugar Thick sliced Bacon and some Southern Fried Cheese Christmas Grits Ball’s, which were very tasty indeed. Did you know that grits came from dried ground Hominy and they were introduced to the colony’s by the American Indian. Not a lot of Northerners have ever tried grits.  They don’t know what they are missing.  Grits were a staple at our house when I was a kid. Then we tried our hand at some Pumpkin Pancakes with toasted walnuts, with some nutmeg thrown in.   We also rustled up some Fruit Salad, Fried Chicken Tenders with Milk Gravy, Ham and Spinach Quiche, and managed to make some Bloody Mary’s to take the edge off.   All was to our liking for our Christmas Brunch and I hope that your Christmas brunch is just as tasty.  I remember one Christmas when the three older children were called upon to pass on our Christmas gifts to the little ones at our house, which we did but not with great joy I have to say being that I was at the age of about 8 then and I still believed in Santa but not after that.  However we got over it and at least helped the little ones with their gifts.  Yea our dad was that way he said, one of life’s lessons is it’s time to let you know who the real Santa is and that it’s a tough world out there and its time you learned a lesson.  So I remember that lesson very well however it did show me how to share.  I also managed to do a shoot with a friend of mine named Mark Busbee, which I will write about later, however I asked him what dish he had to serve up for Christmas and he said that it was his Pecan Cake that has been passed down in their family for years.  He painstakingly grains down the pecans for the cake and I asked him if he had ever toasted the Pecans first to bring out the oil in the nuts for a more nutty taste before he grains them and he said no but he will have to try that.  Any who, I hope for Christmas that all your wishes come true but if they don’t I wish you luck in putting everything back together so it works out for you.  I wish you peace and joy in your lives.  I wish you to feel the love of God in your lives as well.  Blessing to you all and I hope you enjoy these recipes and don’t forget to make that favorite family recipe for your menu and keep watching the Cooking With MadJon and Friends show on ASTV 95. Visit me on facebook at http://www.cookingwithmadjon.blogspot.com/.  If you own an Ipad please go buy my e-cookbook on ITunes called MadJon Holiday and Merry Christmas.  Happy Trail to you and yours until we meet again.

 

Christmas Raspberry Coconut Cake

Cake Mix Yellow  1 Box
Coconut 1 Cup

Cook the cake according to box directions. Use three layer pans like 8 or 9 inch.

Raspberry Filling

1 pint fresh or frozen Raspberry's
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP Corn Starch
1 Box Jell-o Raspberry
Butter 1 TBSP
1 cup water

Mix all the ingredients and bring to a simmer about 10 minutes.   When cake is cool add the raspberry sauce in the middle of the cakes.  Now you are read to ice the cake.

Icing

1 large cool whip
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Sour Cream

Mix all ingredients together and Ice the cooled cake and top with some extra coconut if you wish.      

Southern Fried Christmas Cheese Grits Ball's

Southern Fried Christmas Cheese Grits Ball's Northerners Gotta Try Them

Hello again to all you foodies out there in web land, its MadJon again, wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas season.  However, before I start I just want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the people of New town, Connecticut and the families of the victims.  I can't even start to say how you may feel.  All I can say is am very sorry for what has happened to you and yours.  Blessings to you during your time of need. 
Now do you know where grits came from? Well they came from the American Indian and they passed it on in the Colony days.  They come from dried Hominy and when ground they become our wonderful Southern Grits.  Which can be served with breakfast and buttered, boiled, pan fried, cheesed up and made into some wonderful South Carolina Shrimp and Grits.  I've also made a dish called Italian Shrimp and Grits. Which is one of my favorites.  When I did our Christmas show on the Cooking With MadJon and Friends set with my sister Imogene this year we made this recipe, which I liked.  However I decided they would taste better with some green onions cooked in the mix.  When I lived in Illinois we couldn't find these wonderful grits and when ever we went home to Texas we'd stock up on grits until our next visit.  My father was from Tennessee and we ate grits all my life however if you were from the North they never knew what a grits was.   My mom didn't know what grits were until she married my dad, come to think of it she hadn't eaten mush either, however she was from Connecticut.  I have heard people from up north say,"What the heck is a grits anyway"?  I hope this recipe helps introduce grits to you all. Any who I hope you give this recipe a try going down this grits road.  I also want to wish you the very best holiday season. Most of all enjoy your families you all. 

Fried Cheese Christmas Grits Ball's

Cooked 4 servings Grits, cooled
1 Egg, beaten
Onion Powder, 1 tsp
Garlic Powder, 1 tsp
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Green Onions, Chopped, 2 each
White or Yellow Cheese, 1 1/2 Cup
Jalapeno Pepper, 1 diced, no seeds, unless you want some heat
Panko Crumbs, 1 1/2 cups, to coat the balls

Cool your cooked grits.  In a bowl add your egg, spices, salt and pepper, green onions, cheeses, jalapeno, and mix until blended.  Roll into 2" balls and roll into the panko crumbs.  Heat your oil to about 325 degrees and cook balls on both sides until they are nice and brown and serve HOT.  Sever with your favorite sauce.

 This is my sister and I on the set of Cooking With MadJon and Friends Christmas shoot.  To watch the show go to www.aikenstandard.com ASTV 95 and the show is listed or go to my face book fan page https://www.facebook.com/CookingwithMadjon also I do have the Itunes MadJon Holiday e-cookbook out for your holiday menu needs.  Happy trails to you and yours until we meet again.  Eileen Hutson, MadJon.

Happy Holidays DC American Turkey Meat Loaf Obama Victory Cake

Well hello to all you foodies out there in web land, I hope all is well and that you had a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.  My hubby and I went to DC again and just loved it.  They served Ham, Turkey, Dressing, Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potato's and a Mixed Fruit Pie and Baked Apple Turnovers.  All was well in the hood and tasty I might add.  My son had friends and family this Thanksgiving at their home in the hood, as they call it.  We talked about the election and even though I batted for the other team when it all came down to it.  The Dem's want the same things for America as I do.  They want to be free and live with out government control and live where we can prosper as a nation.  We are all Americans living in this big melting pot of people with all the same dreams of what America should be.  So on this Thanksgiving I give thanks for every American and for our freedom and I say God Bless to the men and women who help keep us free.  Now let's talk about what other foods we made while I was in DC.  I made a Pecan Pie for Peggy Parnell and I made stir fried Collard Greens and Meat Loaf for the Hood party for my friend Anne Seymour. Then to show my support for our Presidents re-election I made a Blue-berry Obama Victory Cake.  Which I will be sharing at another time.  So am ready to share a few pictures from our Thanksgiving with you all on this blog.  We also hung out at the DC Market down Town and I always love looking at all the fresh meats and foods there.  If you are ever in DC on the weekend you need to stop by for a wonderful experience.

Turkey Meat Loaf

2 pounds Ground Turkey Meat
1.5 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Onion, diced
 4 Gloves Garlic, minced
1 8 oz. can Tomatoes Sauce
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 Egg
1 package crushed Saltine Crackers
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
2 tsp. Yellow Mustard

Sauce:
2 TBSP. Brown Sugar
1 Cup Ketchup
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

Mix your first 14 ingredients together until well blended.  Place mixture in a greased pan.  Mix your sauce together and pour it over the meat loaf.  Place it in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour covered and 15 minutes uncovered. You may wish to add the Bell Pepper on top of your loaf or add some jalapenos on top. What ever fits your pallet.

Cornish Game Hens and Apple Corn Bread Dressing

Hello there all you foodie friends out there in web land its Madjon again.  Boy what a month we all have had.  Yea the election is over and the TV is ours again.  Elections are always scary to me because I never know who really to believe. I sometimes feel like am in a court room when they are talking. I've been busy with a few catering jobs and getting our Thanksgiving shoot done and this year they featured recipes from my E-cookbook on Itunes called, MadJon Holiday.  They all look pretty good if I do say so myself.  My friend Sylvia came and joined in on the fun this year.  She is always a lot of fun.  Her daughter joined in but would not be on seen camera with us.  She talked from  afar.  Next week is Thanksgiving and my hubby and I will be going to DC for the holiday and we will be cooking with the hood.  Any who I had a chance to give some cooking lessons to my new friends at MHA Woman's shelter.  They made up the menu which the Cornish game hens with lemon and Rosemary and Apple Corn Bread dressing idea came to be.  The menu also included Macaroni and Cheese, Cranberry Orange Muffins, Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and Roasted Asparagus with Rosemary and Garlic.  We had fun and so did the kids.  Kids are always fun to teach because they ask the best questions and are always eager to learn and taste.  They wanted to know the difference between a large regular chicken and a Cornish game hen.  They also learned how to make the Macaroni and cheese with egg beaters.  It took use a long time to cook because we had to piggy-back the dressing and other dishes in the oven.  Its amazing what you can do when you need too.  You can share dishes when you cook it just takes longer to cook.  The ladies did a great job cooking and so did the kids.  I will be cooking with them again after the holidays.  I hope you give this recipe a try because we really enjoyed.

Cornish Games Hens

4 Hens, cleaned and dried inside and out
Salt and Pepper to taste, inside and out
Dust hens with Onion and Garlic powder
Dried Rosemary 2 TBSP
1/2 stick melted Butter, bush onto hens
Juice from one Lemon

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and grease a pan for baking hens on.  Dried your hens inside and out.  Brush some melted butter on the hens.  Dust with Salt, Pepper, onion, garlic powders, inside and out.  Sprinkle the rosemary onto the hens and pour the lemon juice over the hens and bake for 1 hour covered and uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Apple Corn Bread Dressing
5 cups Corn Bread
8 slices toasted White Bread

Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

Broth:

1 stick butter
1 Onion, diced
3 Bouillon Cubes
2 tsp Onion Powder
3 Stalks Celery, diced
2 tsp dried Sage
32 Ozs. Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Bunch Green Onions Diced
2 Apples, peeled and diced

Grease a 9"-13" pan.  Melt butter in a pan and add celery, onions, and green onions, cook till tender.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.  Add the salt, pepper, sage, and onion powder and bouillon cook for about 10 minutes. Add the apples with the cornbread mix and toss.  Then pour your broth into the cornbread mix and stir. You will use a little over half of the broth.    You'll have to be the judge because some people like a dry dressing and others like it moist.  Then pour the dressing into your pan and cover and cook for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Then cook it uncovered for about 30 minutes or until nice and brown.

Hope you give this a try and please come like my fan page on facebook called, Cooking With Madjon and Friends.  Visit the Tv show on ASTV 95, www.aikenstandard.com.  Check out my e-cookbook for the holidays called, MadJon Holiday on Itunes.  Happy trails to you and yours and a very Happy and safe Thanksgiving.  MadJon.

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