Americans have a love affair with our marshmallow PEEPS

PEEPS come in all sizes but they taste the same as always

… and we eat more than our share – we will eat 600 million PEEPS this Easter. (I call them all PEEPS, even if they are bunnies.)

PEEPS marshmallow candy – those bright-colored chicks and bunnies that we see at Easter have a long history. In 1953, it took 27 hours to make one Peep. Now the factory in Bethlehem, PA makes a billion a year. The first PEEPS were squeezed out of a pasty tube and the eyes were painted on by hand. Each PEEP is a character – as they settle the nose and eyes rearrange and they get a personality. [continue reading…]

When I was growing up we always had a winter garden of all kinds of greens and root vegetables, including turnips and rutabagas.

In cold weather my mother would make rutabaga rice soup that I now associate with life on the farm, warm fires and being happy. Other than my family members, no one I know has ever heard of this soup. If you like rutabagas, give it a try. Even if you aren’t sure if you like rutabagas, give it a try. You might surprise yourself.  Recipe below is easy.  Rutabagas make a great Rice soup – recipe below

I love the pecan trees that my parents planted in 1922 –
and honey roasted pecans are just the best.

This year I picked up 6 bushels of pecans. Hurricane Sandy knocked them off the trees for me. I had the pecans cracked at Martin Supply and then I picked them out.  I usually sell some of my pecans, but this year I decided to keep them all for the Bed and Breakfast and friends.

These honey roasted nuts are crispy, sweet and a bit salty  – perfect for snacking and parties. And this recipe is so easy! [continue reading…]

This Pumpkin Bread is quick, EASY and, oh, so tasty.

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Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin coconut bread, pumpkin coconut bread recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• ¾ cups sugar
• ½ cup cooked unsweetened pumpkin (canned works great)
• ¾ cups self-rising flour ***
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup coconut sweetener & shredded , reserve 1 Tablespoon. (Use a brand name coconut)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 mini loaf pans.
• Whisk eggs in medium-sized bowl. Add oil and pumpkin. In another bowl mix flour, cloves, cinnamon and salt.
• Add dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir. Fold in walnuts and coconut.
• Pour into loaf pans, filling about ¾ full. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut.
• Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cooking times vary, so keep checking to see to see if it is done.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg

When we all ate from the land and did not import exotic foods, we ate what was fresh. So in the fall of the year and for Thanksgiving and Christmas we had lots of pumpkin dishes. My folks let me grow pumpkins in the corn patch.

I hope you’ll give this easy holiday recipe a try. I bet it becomes a new holiday baking tradition!  click to read more about Chloe’s Pumpkin Bread

I first tasted Gazpacho in the sixties when I was a young student in Spain.

Gazpacho is perfect for hot summer days.

It was in a little cafe in Toledo and I still remember the cafe, the handsome young man and the Gazpacho.

It seems there are as many Gazpacho recipes as there are barbecue recipes. I finally found one that reminds me of that night in Toledo.  I have adapted my recipe from one in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook – my favorite cookbook. Did you know that Craig Claiborne – food editor for the New York Times  – was born in Sunflower, Mississippi?

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Gazpacho - Chilled Tomato Soup

Cold soup might seem odd to some, but it's great once you get used to it.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: gazpacho, tomato gazpacho, tomato gazpacho recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 4 cups tomatoes with cores removed 2 1/2 to 3 pounds* or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups peeled cucumber cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup cucumber diced into small pieces for garnish (reserved)
• 1 green pepper seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 small clove garlic peeled and minced
• 5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar wine vinegar is more distinctive
• 1 1/2 slices bread or 2 slices French bread

Instructions

• Place tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and bread into a blender. Blend until pureed.
• Pour through a kitchen sieve and press with the pestle to extract the liquid. Discard the seed and skins - they make great compost.
• Chill and serve in flat bowls with the reserved, diced cucumber as garnish.

Notes

*You can also make this gazpacho with one 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 31.1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Fresh tomatoes grown on the Farm

The basket in the photo (above) is very special – it was a gift from Miss Sadie, owner of the original Big Mill grist mill.  Years ago she used it to take three dozen eggs up town every week to trade for coffee and sugar and things she couldn’t grow. It still has the cotton seeds in it,  They were used to keep the eggs from breaking.

I grew these tomatoes in my Big Mill Cook’s garden. The garden is in my orchard where our livestock used to graze under the apple trees.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

This original salsa recipe is a crowd-pleaser and a cook-pleaser -It only takes 5 minutes to make.  [continue reading…]

Sweet cucumber pickles are as southern as iced tea

Chloe’s Sweet Cucumber Pickles are worth the trouble.

Not just any pickles either – they must be homemade and preferably homegrown. It is alright if someone gives you the cucumbers, or you pick them up fresh from your local Farmers Market.

We all have a family recipe that has been passed down and it usually involves days of work for our pickles to have just the right crunch. My mother, Chloe, had several pickle recipes, but this one is my favorite.

FYI – I also have a pickle fork in several different sterling patterns. It’s a southern thing.

Click here to get Chloe’s Sweet Cucumber Pickle Recipe

Big Mill B&B’s Watermelon Punch 
Refreshing libation for sultry summer days

Southerners love watermelon. If you want a real treat, make watermelon punch. And don’t wait for the party – serve it up for just the two of you – for romance or just for good friends.

Refreshing Watermelon Punch is the Perfect Summer Beveragel

(Photo credit: Chloe Tuttle)

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Watermelon Punch Recipe for Two

Southerners love watermelon. If you want a real treat, make watermelon punch. And don’t wait for the party – serve it up for just the two of you.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: watermelon punch, watermelon punch recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 1/4 seedless watermelon  (6 cups cubed watermelon chilled)
• 1/2 to 1 can chilled lemon-lime soda to taste
• 2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 slices lemon or lime for garnish
• 2 sprigs fresh mint for garnish

Instructions

• Place chilled watermelon in blender and blend for several seconds on medium speed.
• Pour watermelon puree into a pitcher. Add frozen orange juice concentrate and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Chill until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, add chilled lemon-lime soda to the watermelon liquid. Pour into champagne glasses and garnish with lemon or lime rings and mint.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1325IU | Vitamin C: 28.6mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

These wonderful fried peach pies used to be served in every southern kitchen.

I remember eating fried peach jacks whenever I went to Dinner on the Ground at a small country church in eastern North Carolina. Dinner on the Ground all over the south celebrated the end of revival – they called it Homecoming. Like peach jacks, these celebrations are a fading tradition.

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Peach Jacks Hand Pie – a Southern Tradition

A great southern treat, these jacks are made from cooked dried peaches in a crust that is fried in lard.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American southern

Keyword: peach hand pies, peach jacks hand pie, peach jacks hand pie recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 6 ounce dried peaches*
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups water Add water if it cooks out before peaches are soft
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• Extra flour for dusting cutting board and rolling pin.
• 1/2 - 1 cup lard for frying

Instructions

To make the filling

• Do this the day before and store in the refrigerator.
• Simmer peaches and water in a small saucepan for 45 minutes to an hour until peaches are soft. Be careful, they tend to stick. Add water if needed. Add the sugar and cook 15 minutes more, stirring often. Remove from heat and refrigerate overnight. You will have 2 1/2 cups peaches

To make the dough

• Stir together the flour and salt. Using two forks, cut in the shortening. Add milk and stir. Separate into 8 to 10 portions. Using the extra flour and a rolling pin, roll each dough piece into a 6" round. Roll dough as thin as you can without tearing dough.
• If you are using canned biscuits, roll each biscuit on a floured surface or waxed paper. Roll as thin as possible; each round should be about 6 inches across.

To Cook the Jacks:

• Put 2 Tablespoons cooked peaches in the center of the rolled dough. Fold the edges over to make a half circle. Crimp edges with a fork. Trim off excess dough.
• Melt lard in a medium-size frying pan. Grease should be quite hot before you fry jacks. Fry jacks until they are golden in color. Turn and brown the other side. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Continue until all jacks are cooked.
• The sweet, tangy taste of Peach Jacks is a treat. They are good cold but, oh, so good when they are hot. Yum!

Notes

Or you can use canned biscuits. Friend Nancy uses canned biscuits and her peach jacks are fabulous.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Click to learn how to make these Southern Peach Jacks