Blackberry Lemonade

 ¾ cup white sugar

4 ½ cups water, divided

1 cup blackberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Let cool.

Place blackberries and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Combine simple syrup, blended blackberries, remaining 4 cups of water, and lemon juice. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a pitcher and pour lemonade into the pitcher; discard solids. Serve over ice.

Grilled Bourbon Chicken marinade

 3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces for kabobs

1/2 cup low sodium or gluten-free soy sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 teaspoons grated ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup bourbon

1/4 cup BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Place all ingredients in a gallon Ziploc and marinate 2-12 hours, the longer the better.

Collard Greens

 2 - 1lb bags

1 extra large smoked ham hock make sure it is meaty!

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp seasoned salt

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes you can go down on this to 1/2 teaspoon if you like less heat.

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Start by pulling and tearing greens away from stems. Take a hand full of greens, roll them up and cut the rolls horizontally into small pieces. We personally remove the stems but this is a personal decision.

Next, add greens to empty clean sink and wash them removing all grit, sand and debris thoroughly with cold water until water becomes clear.

Next rinse the ham hock very well then add to a large pot along with enough water to fully submerge the ham hock then cover with a lid. Cook over medium high heat for about 45 minutes or until ham hock is near being tender.

Once ham hock is almost tender, add greens and about 4-5 additional cups of water (or chicken stock for more flavor) or enough to just barely cover greens to the pot. This will become your pot likker.

Add along the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cook while covered for at least 2 hours or until completely tender. Most water should have evaporated by this point just having enough to barely cover the greens.

Pina Colada Rum Cake

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Golden Butter Cake mix (preferred mix) or Classic Yellow

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

8-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve juice to make 1/4 cup)

1/4 C reserved juice of crushed pineapple

1/4 C Malibu Rum (or any light rum)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Pam for baking into a bundt pan. Using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, 1/4 C reserved juice and 1/4 C Rum, beat at low speed to combine. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Fold in drained crushed pineapple. Pour batter in prepared pan Bake 33-36 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. While cake is baking, prepare glaze.

GLAZE:

1/2 C cream of coconut (Coco Lopez)

1/2 C Malibu rum

1/4 C confectioner’s sugar

Shake cream of coconut can well before measuring. Add cream of coconut to small saucepan and heat just until bubbles form. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Set aside. When cake is done baking, set on rack. Use a thin bamboo skewer to poke holes in cake. Pour half of glaze over warm cake, letting it soak in.

When cake is cool, turn onto serving plate. Whisk together remaining glaze with confectioner’s sugar until smooth and drizzle over top of cake.

Green Bean Casserole

Green Beans

1 ½ lbs. fresh green beans washed. See notes for frozen or canned.

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

Filling

8 oz. mushrooms plus a pinch of salt for cooking

3 cloves garlic minced

3 tablespoons butter divided

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half and half

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried parsley, mustard powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded

1 cup crispy fried onions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Begin boiling water in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Once a boil is reached, add the baking soda and bouillon.

Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, half and half, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, parsley, mustard powder, salt, and pepper in a medium measuring cup with a spout. Set aside.

Dice the mushrooms and cut the green beans in half or into thirds.

Boil the Green Beans

Boil the green beans for 5 minutes. Set a timer to avoid overcooking, we don’t want them to be mushy. When they’re done, they’ll have softened but will still hold their shape nicely.

Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking further. Spread out on a clean dish towel to dry.

Make the Filling

Use the same pot that you used to boil the green beans and melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the remaining butter along with the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the chicken broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. (Adding it slowly ensures that the mixture is thick and that the roux doesn’t break.)

Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it bubble gently for 4 minutes, or until desired consistency is obtained. Stir occasionally as it cooks.

Remove from heat. It will thicken a little more upon standing.

Assemble and Bake

Add the green beans and stir to combine. Stir in the Parmesan cheese along with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the crispy fried onions.

Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish. (I used a 9x13-inch, but any size that holds the casserole is fine!) Top with remaining cheddar cheese and fried onions.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve!

Notes

Cheese: Shred/grate the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than packaged cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow and  Belgioioso Parmesan. 

Baking Soda: Adding baking soda to the water helps maintain the vibrant color of the green beans!

Using Frozen Green Beans: Let frozen green beans thaw and pat them completely dry. Boil for just 3 minutes instead of 5.

Using Canned Green Beans: Drain the beans and pat them completely dry. No need to boil them first. Note that canned green beans contain sodium as well.

An alternative topping option is 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers + 1.5 tbsp. melted butter.

Check out all of my holiday recipes here!

Make Ahead Method:

This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time.

Assemble the casserole as outlined but don’t top with fried onions yet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, cover and bake for 10 minutes, then add the fried onions and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Leftover casserole does freeze/reheat well (aside from the crunchy topping doesn't stay crispy).

From: https://thecozycook.com/green-bean-casserole/