by Webb, Peggy
1 lb. boneless chicken breast (You can also use chicken tenders)
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lb. box of farfalle pasta
1 c. of frozen English peas
Olive oil, as needed to coat chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 T. of Classico pesto sauce or your own Alfredo Sauce.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put chicken in a roasting pan. Sprinkle chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped garlic cloves. Cover with foil and bake approximately one hour or until chicken is done. Let chicken cool and shred with a fork. Set aside.
ALFREDO SAUCE
1 stick of butter
2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 C. whipping cream
In a small sauce pan, slowly melt the butter and parmesan cheese. Use very low heat and stir constantly till melted.
Whisk in 1 c. of whipping cream. Set aside.
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and put in pasta dish. Top with shredded chicken and Alfredo sauce or 2 to 3 T. of prepared Pesto sauce.
DEBBIE’S CHOCOLATE CHIP BUNDT CAKE
2/3 c. chopped pecans
¼ c. butter, softened
2 T. granulated sugar
2 ¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt.
1 t. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate mini-morsels
Garnish with shipped cream and cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together first three ingredients in a small bowl using a fork. Sprinkle in a greased and floured 12-c. Bundt pan. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Beat 1 c. butter, 1 c. brown sugar, ½ c.granulated sugar and vanilla at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer for 3 to 5 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Beat in chocolate mini-morsels. Mixture will be thick. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 50 t0 55 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool on wire rack for approximately one hour before serving.
“These are family favorites.” Debbie
Note from the author: This next recipe is my own version of a casserole I remember from many years of church suppers. I cook the way I write, seat of the pants, so you might want to play around with the amounts.
EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
6 deboned chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz carton of sour cream
½ cup of slivered almonds
Juice of one very large lemon
Garlic and salt to taste
2T, more or less, of olive oil
Topping:
I stick of melted butter
1 sleeve, more or less, of Ritz crackers, crumbled fine
Cut chicken into small strips. Drop into a hot skillet that contains the olive oil, approximately 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and a big dash of sea salt. Cook chicken until done and set aside.
Mix the chicken soup and sour cream, then stir in the slivered almonds and the juice of one large lemon. Cut cooked chicken into bite size pieces and stir into the mixture. Place all into a buttered casserole dish. Top with the buttered Ritz cracker crumbs and bake approximately 30 minutes at 350 until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
Note from the author: The recipe grand finale is my mother’s original Southern cornbread dressing. During her lifetime, Mama prepared this dressing at every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meal on the farm in Mooreville, Mississippi. She lived to be nearly 90 and was still feisty and funny the day she died. I miss her every day. Marie Hussey was my inspiration for Callie’s zany, opinionated mama, Ruby Nell Valentine.
MAMA’S SOUTHERN CORNBREAD DRESSING
2 large pans of baked cornbread (Recipe follows)
1/2 of a large loaf of sliced white bread, best if the bread is at least a day old
4 large onions, chopped fine
6 sticks of butter
3 to 4 T. of black pepper (or to taste)
5 or 6 cans of chicken broth, more if needed
1 can of cream of chicken soup
12 to 14 eggs, beaten
Bake cornbread and crumble in a large mixing bowl. While it is still hot, stir in 5 sticks of butter. Saute’ onions till golden in remaining stick of butter and add to cornbread mixture. Crumble loaf bread fine and add to mixture. Next add black pepper to taste, cream of chicken soup, and beaten eggs. Heat chicken broth then add it slowly to the cornbread mixture, stirring well. The mixture will be soupy when finished.
This mixture makes at least two large pans of dressing. You may want to freeze some to bake later.
When ready to bake, spray a large baking pan or Corning Ware baker with Pam. Fill the pan not quite to the top, allowing for expansion during the cooking process. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until dressing stands apart when spoon is inserted. This dressing should be moist and not firm like cornbread. Serve with turkey and giblet gravy.
MAMA’S SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
2 c. self-rising Sunflower or White Lily Cornmeal Mix
2 eggs, beaten
Approximately 1 cup of buttermilk (may use whole milk)
¼ c. of Canola oil or to taste
Combine cornmeal mix, eggs and milk. Stir well. This mixture will be the consistency of cake batter and pour easily. Add more milk if it is too thick. Put oil into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and heat on top of the stove until the oil begins to sizzle. Turn off the burner. Pour most of the oil into the cornbread batter and stir well, leaving only a thin coating of oil along the sides and bottom of the skillet. Immediately pour batter back into the hot skillet (mixture will sizzle) and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. This bread is equally good used as the basis for cornbread dressing with giblet gravy or served hot with black-eyed peas.
“If these directions seem vague, it’s because Mama rarely recorded her recipes. My two sisters and I have tried to re-create her famous dressing. Jo Ann is the only one who gets it right. Happy eating!” Peggy, who remembers her own mama saying, “Flitter!”
If You Enjoyed This Book…
If you enjoyed Elvis and the Buried Brides (A Southern Cousins Mystery), try Elvis and the Bridegroom Stiffs and the prequel to this series, Jack Loves Callie Tender (Prices will be reduced through August, 2015).
New from Peggy – Stars to Lead Me Home. Reviewers call this women’s fiction novel, “the Must Read book of year” and “the kind of book you can’t wait to share with friends.” Pub date: June 4, 2015. Preorder now and save 40%!
Details on these all Peggy’s books are at www.peggywebb.com. Join Peggy on Facebook and Twitter. Win giveaways at her blog at www.elainehussey.com.
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About Peggy Webb
Peggy Webb is a USA Today best-selling author from Mississippi with more than 70 books to her credit. She writes romance, women’s fiction and the hilarious Southern Cousins cozy mystery series starring Elvis, the basset hound who thinks he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll reincarnated. Her peers call her a “comic genius.” She also writes literary fiction and is a member of PEN under the name Elaine Hussey. Pat Conroy calls her literary work “astonishing.” This critically acclaimed author has won many awards, including a Romantic Times Pioneer Award for creating the sub-genre of romantic comedy. Several of her romances have been optioned for film.
Peggy is a member of Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Her award-winning books, Touched by Angels, A Prince for Jenny, the Donovans of the Delta se
ries and her boxed sets have all been Kindle Top 10 bestsellers.
Follow the author on her websites: www.peggywebb.com and www.elainehussey.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
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Other E-Books from Peggy Webb
Classic Romance
Dark Fire
Touched by Angels (RT Reviewer’s Choice)
A Prince for Jenny, sequel to Touched by Angels
The Edge of Paradise
Duplicity (Rave review, RT Reviewer’s Choice)
Where Dolphins Go (RT Reviewer’s Choice, women’s fiction, optioned for film)
Night of the Dragon (time travel romance)
Christmas in Time (time travel, prequel to Only Yesterday)
Only Yesterday, (time travel, sequel to Christmas in Time)
Summer Jazz
Taming Maggie (#1 on romance bestseller list)
That Jones Girl (sequel to the Mississippi McGills series)
Indiscreet
The Donovans of the Delta Series:
Donovan’s Angel (Paul Donovan’s story)
Sleepless Nights (Tanner Donovan’s story)
Hallie’s Destiny (award winning book, Hallie Donovan’s story)
Any Thursday (Hannah Donovan’s story)
Higher Than Eagles (Jacob Donovan’s story)
The Mississippi McGills Series (spin-off from Donovans of the Delta)
Valley of Fire (Rick McGill’s story)
Until Morning Comes (Jo Beth McGill and Colter Gray Wolf’s story)
Saturday Mornings (Andrew McGill’s story)
Forever Friends series
Can’t Stop Loving You (Book 1, Helen’s story)
Only His Touch (Kat’s story, Book 2)
Bringing Up Baxter (B. J.’s story, Book 3)
Angels on Zebras (Maxie’s story, Book 4)
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Belinda
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Janet
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Molly
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Bea
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Clementine
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Joanna
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Catherine
Sunday Cove Series
Naughty and Nice
Birds of a Feather
Disturbing the Peace
….5 more to come
Romantic Suspense
Witch Dance
From A Distance
Boxed Sets
Donovans of the Delta
Forever Friends
Finding Mr. Perfect
Finding Paradise
Time’s Embrace
Warrior’s Embrace
When I Found You
Southern Cousins Mysteries
Elvis and the Dearly Departed, 2008
Elvis and the Grateful Dead, 2009
Elvis and the Memphis Mambo Murders, 2010
Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble, 2011
Elvis and the Blue Christmas Corpse, 2012
Jack Loves Callie Tender (series prequel and companion guide), 2013
Elvis and the Bridegroom Stiffs, 2014
Elvis and the Deadly Love Letters, a short story, 2014
Elvis and the Buried Brides, 2014
Women’s Fiction/Literary Fiction
Stars to Lead Me Home: Love and Marriage, June, 2015
Her Secret Hero, March, 2014
The Language of Silence (Gallery, Simon & Schuster), July 30, 2014
The Tender Mercy of Roses (Gallery, Simon & Schuster), written as Anna Michaels
The Sweetest Hallelujah (MIRA), written as Elaine Hussey, July 30, 2013
The Oleander Sisters (MIRA), written as Elaine Hussey, July 30, 2014
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Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my books, for your generous reviews, and for your wonderful letters telling me how much you love Callie, Elvis and the Valentine gang. I had actually intended to retire these characters after the first five books (published by Kensington), but you convinced me to continue with this series. So here we are…
For now, you can only find my new Southern Cousins Mysteries in digital format; but I do plan to offer them in paperback, hopefully by the fall of 2015. I want everybody to have a chance to enjoy the quirky original art created by my beautiful granddaughter, Cecilia Griffith. She’s been drawing since she was a little girl, and still continues to do so in between her college classes.
As many of you know, this series was inspired by my faithful doggie companion, Jefferson, a chocolate Lab who spent the 15 years of his life protecting me, adoring me and sitting under my desk listening to the rapid rat-a-tat-tat of my ancient keyboard. Originally, I was going to make Elvis a ghost, but when Jefferson stood up and did his shake, rattle and roll dance, I knew everybody’s favorite character had to be a dog.
Last fall (2014) Elvis and the Buried Brides made its debut and was only available in a limited-time, multi-author box set. That set is now gone forever, but my intent was always to make this Southern Cousins Mystery available permanently. I’ve paired it with a Southern Cousins short story I think you’ll love.
I plan to bring you the next Southern Cousins Mystery the winter of 2015. Though I created the story bible for this series before I wrote the first book, I’m a seat of the pants writer. I love nothing better than turning my characters lose and letting them knock my socks off. Currently, I’m putting the finishing touches on Stars to Lead Me Home, a women’s fiction novel…and LOVING IT! If I could clone myself I’d also be finding out what Callie and Jack and Elvis are up to now, but even I will have to wait to find out!
Now, about those recipes…I’m surrounded by great Southern cooks! Most of the recipes from Lovie’s kitchen actually came from my son, my older sister, my mother (long-gone and dearly missed), and my big collection of fabulous friends. Enjoy some good eating and good reading!
Best,
Peggy
