WHAT'S COOKING HUSHPUPPIES

4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1 cup water

In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil to 350° F or until a small amount of batter dropped into the hot oil sizzles and floats. Do not let the oil get too hot or the center of the hushpuppies will not cook thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, egg, salt, baking soda, milk, and water. Mix until batter is smooth and free of any lumps. Batter should be stiff (if batter is too dry, add milk; if batter is too thin, add cornmeal).

Using two spoons, push a small amount of batter into hot oil (370° to 380° F).
After about 10 seconds, hushpuppies will float to the top and begin to brown. Fry for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning to brown all sides.

Remove from oil and place hushpuppies on paper towels; continue cooking the remaining batter (fry in small batches, adding 4 to 6 hushpuppies to the oil at a time).


They can be held in a 200° F oven until serving time (approximately 30 minutes). Serve hot.

Makes 2 dozen hushpuppies.

GRANDMA'S OLD-FASHION POUND CAKE

The pound cake, most known as a rich cake, originally contained a pound of each of the main ingredients, including flour, sugar, and butter. That’s where the pound cake gets its name.
When I was a young girl, my grandmother didn't have a mixer she would beat this cake by hand and folded the dry ingredients in a little at a time before baking. She said it needed 300 strokes so we used to count as she mixed. She would bake it during the week for Sunday dinner,also she would bake one for my dad's Friday Fish Fry.


1,2,3,4 POUND CAKE


Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour sifted (to day we use Swans Down Cake Flour)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon orange zest, grated
1 - 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat on medium speed 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, creaming by hand until smooth after each addition. Spread batter into prepared 10-inch bundt pan. Bake until tester inserted into cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack.
Glaze with OLD-FASHIONED BOURBON GLAZE: Combine sugar, bourbon, zest and enough orange juice to make a thin glaze. Drizzle onto cake.

Mouthwatering Fried Catfish

Ingredients:

Enough Catfish fillets, about 3 or 4 medium
pieces per person.

1 cup Yellow Corn Meal (This should be enough
to coat the catfish fillets)
2 tsp. seasoned Salt
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
¾ tsp. onion powder
Crisco or your favorite cooking oil.
(Enough to cover the Catfish).

Preparation:
You can use fresh Catfish fillets, or you can use the farm raised variety available in the supermarket freezer section.

Rinse the fillets thoroughly, trim the Catfish of any skin or membrane, pat dry with a paper towel. If using fresh Catfish skin the Catfish and then wash thoroughly. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Roll the Catfish fillets in a mixture of corn meal and seasoning. A quick way to coat the fish in the corn meal and seasoning
mixture is to place it in a plastic or brown bag and just shake it.

Drop into deep fryer at 325 degrees. Fry until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Dump onto paper towel and allow to drain. (I use a deep fryer although a frying pan will work just as well)