Paula Deen~I Love Your More Than Dumplings

Krispy Kreme Bread Puddin'
Only in the South!
INGREDIENTS:
2 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 (4.5 ounce) cans fruit cocktail (undrained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9 ounce) box raisins
1 pinch salt
1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Butter Rum Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top of donuts and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible. Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled. Top with Butter Rum Sauce.

Butter Rum Sauce

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar
Rum, to taste (This does not mean a little rum to drink while you are making the puddin', save some for the sauce.)

Melt butter and slowly stir in confectioners' sugar. Add rum and heat until bubbly. Pour over each serving of Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.

Now this Ladies, is really Thigh Voo-Doo at it's best!

Love,

The Bumpkin

Mocha Mousse Puffs

This recipe is quite impressive for afternoon coffee. Perfect for that friend you just die to impress. Pillsbury recipes are some of my favorites. Try this one, you won't be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
12 chocolate-covered coffee beans or fresh strawberries ( I used the strawberries for the color.)
1 teaspoon cocoa or powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS
1. In 1-quart saucepan, mix 1/4 cup of the whipping cream and the coffee. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture simmers; remove from heat. Using wire whisk, stir in chocolate chips until melted. Stir in vanilla.
2. Pour into medium bowl; cool until room temperature, about 10 minutes. In another medium bowl, beat remaining 3/4 cup whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Refrigerate half (about 3/4 cup) whipped cream for garnish. Fold remaining whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on work surface; firmly press perforations to seal. Using ruler, push dough into 10x7-inch rectangle. Cut into 24 squares, 6 rows by 4 rows. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. In small bowl, beat egg and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar with fork. Brush on tops of squares.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
5. Just before serving, spoon about 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture on 12 of the crescent squares. Place remaining crescent squares on top. Top each with about 1 tablespoon reserved whipped cream and 1 chocolate-covered coffee bean. Measure 1 teaspoon cocoa into fine mesh strainer. Sift cocoa over tops of puffs.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Orange Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a fabulous recipe a must try and just the right time for it.

ORANGE BUNDT CAKE with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1 super moist Betty Crocker white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) orange Jello
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs

Add all ingredients to the cake mix including dry Jello. Beat well. Add one egg at a time and beat after each addition. Spray Bundt pan with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cake turns loose from side of pan. Remove hot cake from pan, cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
1 (3 ounce) package softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze: Beat one 3 oz. package of softened cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add 1 tablespoons orange juice and 1/4 tsp of vanilla; beat until smooth.
Gradually add 1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Spoon Orange Cream Cheese Glaze over warm cake.

Serve warm, or place in the refrigator and remove 30 minutes before serving.

White Cap's Shrimp Salad~Shhhh Don't Tell

If you have ever traveled to Marine Life in Gulfport, Mississippi, you probably ate at White Cap Seafood located on the water just behind Marine Life. Hurricane Katrina destroyed The White Cap, and 5 years later they have reopened in another location. I was lucky enough to get the recipe when they closed after Katrina. This is top secret, follow the recipe exactly.



White Cap's Shrimp Salad

- 5 lbs. boiled peeled shrimp, chopped
- 1 small bunch green onion, chopped
- 5 boiled eggs, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup dill relish
- 1 full stalk celery, chopped
- 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup sweet relish
- 1 to 2 tablespoons horseradish
- 4 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 cups heavy mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste.

Mix ingredients except mayonnaise and cream cheese, a scoop or a spoonful at a time and blending thoroughly, then mix a little of each ingredient again until all ingredients except mayo and cream cheese are in salad. Blend 1 cup mayo and cream cheese then add to salad. Add more mayo until a creamy texture is attained. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with paprika, parsley and tomato wedges if desired. Serves 15 to 20. -

Not Wasting Away In Margaritaville Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
8 oz margarita mix (liquid)
2 oz tequila
1 oz Grand Marnier
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated lime zest

Lime Buttercream Icing:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
cane sugar & fresh limes (for garnish)
*****

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º and prepare muffin pans.

2. Combine margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass and stir well.

3. In large bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, lime zest, vegetable oil, and margarita mixture from step one. Stir ingredients together, then beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup/liner about 2/3 full.

5. Bake at recommended temperature on cake mix box (usually 325º – 350º) for 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Icing:
6. In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

7. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.

8. Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake* or use a pastry bag to frost. Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels & wedges.

*Make sure to remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Tip: Leftover frosting makes a great dip for fruit!

Cap'n John's Boat Jam & Bonus Recipe

Mornin Ya'll!

If you missed this on Friday night, you better get your tail over to CMT and watch the whole show. What a kick off for the season this was. This is a Newie But Goodie and an Old But Goodie combined, confirmation of the whole idea behind CMT's Crossroads. Jimmy's getting old like me, and I am glad to see the next generation carrying it on.

Now there's just one more thing you need, and I'm gonna tell you exactly how to do this:




Captain John's Pina Colada

1/2 can real coconut oil, like Coco Lopez shown above.
1 basket fresh ripe strawberries, about 10-12 good size, the riper the better.
2 bananas
12 shots Myer's Dark Jamaican Rum

Put all ingredients into a Kitchenaid Blender (because any other one sucks)
Plug the blender in to a power invertor located on floation vessel
Blend three or four 2 second button pushes
Fill it to the top with ice, will be a little thick, but melts quick on the water.
Do not over mix, 5 or 6 button pushes only or it turns into a watery mush. (The Bumpkin always over mixes and it's a watery mush)

Now grab the bag of crawfish, prop your feet up on the side of the boat, and enjoy.

*****WARNING****** Do not operate vessel for at least 3 hours after consumption.

In case you don't know this has to be done when just cruisin' around on the boat.
On a Fishing Charter Boat, they are two voodoos to have on the boat.
One is a banana, and the other is a woman. (Don't get pissy on me, I know some pretty good Fishin' Chicks)

Now crank it up, and head Due South!

Life Is Good Today,
Captain John

Jimmy Buffett
 
More CMT Music
 
More CMT Music Videos

Pascagoula Praline Cheesecake

Prep Time and Total Time: 30 min

Ingredient List and Recipe Steps:

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

extra creamy cool whip, and chocolate syrup for decoration

Directions

For crust, in a large bowl combine flour, melted butter, 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans and the powdered sugar. mix well. Press mixture into the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is set and light golden brown around the edges.

Meanwhile, for filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, granulated sugar, and the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour filling over baked crust. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

For topping, in a medium saucepan combine brown sugar and whipping cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1 cup chopped pecans and the 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.

Pour topping over cheesecake. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours before serving. Cut into squares.

serve with a dallop of extra creamy cool whip on top, or on the side of your serving dish. Z ( drizzle in the shape of a Z) with chocolate syrup, lightly.



Servings: 24 squares

Pascagoula is a small town in Southern Mississippi, known for the best pot-luck suppers in the south. You pronunce it as pass-ah-goula.

From My Messy Kitchen to yours!
Love,
The Bumpkin

Happy Mardi Gras Dahlings

Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday, because I ate all that King Cake this weekend. Fat Tuesday, because I'm beginning to bloat from The Margaritas I am consuming today.

We sneak to the Marginy [Mare run knee] , an artsy hippie kind of place, south of The Quarter.
A laid back type of Mardi Gras with much better costumes.
A hot sausage in a napkin kind of place. An airplane made of a bicycle built for two, complete with Amelia Earhart and The Wright Brothers zooms by, the cardboard makes it hard for Amelia to pedal. How cool was that? Sippin' a Mint Julep with a priest on one side, and the devil on the other side. What's that you say, Mr Devil, the priest is your boyfriend, oh How Nice! Only in Nawlins'! A toast with the Pope, with his "kid in the korner" doll attached face forward to his crotch. A Naked Chef or 6 with aprons covering the front, wide "ass" open in the back. Those naked chefs scare me with those big spoons they have, that could be one ugly accident. It's Mardi Gras Ya'll! The ugliest shoes I own, it's puke protection for the cute ones left sitting in my closet. A love connection right there during the parade, oh they just met, quick movers they are, it's conception time, right here for all the kiddies to see.
Thanks young lady there in the LSU shirt for reminding my John that my boobies don't look like that anymore. He turned his head, I'm pretty sure, but I will carefully watch next time, I'm feeling a little bitchy, might need that for the fight home.
Oh Lovely, here come the trannys. How is it that their stuff, you know, STUFF looks so much more appeasing than mine would in the camel toe special bathing suit they bought for the parade today. Do they wax, and if so, do they go somewhere and pay someone to do this for them? Not a job for The Bumpkin for sure. Mardi Gras always makes me want to get a boob job. Same price as last year $4900.00 nothing has changed except an extra year of droop. Wonder if there is an extra charge for over 40? That's alot of hoisting.

Oh look it's Elvis, over there too! That's Elvis. Did you see the Dad dressed as Elvis with his little girl as Priscilla, did he mean to make that pun? Funny.
He's been dead so long, how about someone gets innovative, and just for kicks we see Bono, or maybe Sting instead this year.
Here comes the Fema Roof people again, it's been 5 years almost. Enough with the Katrina jokes. Looters with their big screens in the shopping baskets, Fema trailers, and the such. Enough. Get a New Costume.
Oh that's that Bullmastiff from last year. He's a good boy, just got to get one pat in, don't leave me. Hi There Lady! wag, wag, wag, "Do you have some water for me?" No sorry Big Boy recycle some of that slobber you got there.

Honey, "I have to pee within 20 minutes!" "I did not just pee an hour ago." That was at 10am and it's 2 now what do you think I am Queen Holditzilla. "Bumpkin Your'e Whining." "I am not whining, and I saw you look at the girls boobs earlier." "I told you not to wear those shoes."
/
How far away is the truck? I'm tired can I stay here, and you can just drive by and pick me up? Oh, you parked in the residential zone? That's $25 for the parking ticket John. Well, it's $30 to park 3 blocks further, so I saved you $5 and 3 blocks of bitching.

Let's get coffee and head across the lake before the parade's over. We'll beat the traffic. Oh wait that coffee shop is not far from that one little jewelry store, and the Pizza Kitchen. We finish dinner just as the parade is ended, and find we are stuck in the quarter with no way out. Roads are blocked, but every year we have to do the drive around in circles searching for a way out. "We were here 10 minutes ago John. There is the same lady with the Big Fedora I pointed out earlier. This is not the way. Shut up, I lived in New Orleans for 10 years, I know where I'm going. I saw you look at that girls boobs. There goes the lady with the Fedora on again. Same lady, same Fedora.

Look those ladies are drunkity drunkity drunk. Did she just show you her boob John?
That'll fix you...Old boob for you.


Now readers it's just like you're there. Feel better about not being in New Orleans for Mardi Gras?

Do this instead, it's a hell of a lot easier.



Emeril's Easy King Cake Recipe

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) can crescent rolls
1/4 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1 (21 ounce) can fruit pie filling (suggesting Peach in a passive aggressive kind of way here)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup icing (see below)
3/4 cup sugar, divided into 3 parts (that's 1/4 a cup three times ya'll)
food coloring (gold, purple, green)

Directions
1. After opening the can of crescent rolls, unroll in one piece. With your fingers, press seams together to form one piece of dough.
2. Mix together butter and cinnamon, gently spread over the dough.
3. Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Drop teaspoons over the top of the dough. Drop teaspoonfuls of pie filling (cherry, blueberry or peach) over the dough as you did the cream cheese.
4. Starting on the long end, carefully roll the dough, horizontally, with the filling and cream cheese inside. Insert plastic baby at any place within the dough.
5. Place on baking pan with the seam side down in a circle, pinching the ends together.
6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
7. While the cake is baking, use the food coloring to dye the sugar.
8. When cake is cool, pour icing over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the colored sugar, alternating the three colors as you go around the circle.
9. For icing: Combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water until smooth.

Double everything for the Party Size King Cake.


Love,
The Bumpkin

Superbowl Recipes~Ritz Cheesy Football

What You Need!
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
2 green onions, chopped 1/4 tsp.
black pepper
1 pkg. (3 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
2 Tbsp. pimiento strips RITZ Crackers

Make It!
BEAT cheeses and dressing with mixer until blended.

ADD onions and pepper; mix well. Refrigerate several hours.

FORM into football shape on serving plate; coat with bacon bits. Add pimento strips for "lacing." Serve with crackers.

Superbowl Recipes~ Easy Jambalaya

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
8 ounces kielbasa, diced
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken stock
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions
1.Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent. Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

You can also stir some chopped shrimp in for a little extra bayou to your tastebuds!

From My Messy Kitchen To Yours!

Love,
The Bumpkin

Superbowl Recipes~Beignets

The Bumpkin knows beignets. My favorite recipe for them is from a Georgia Lady, not a New Orleans Lady.


Paula Deen's French Quarter Beignets (Ben-Yay's)

Substitute this for an appetizer on Sunday. You will be dearly loved by your football fanatic friends.

Ingredients
•1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
•1/2 cup granulated sugar
•1 envelope active dry yeast
•2 eggs, slightly beaten
•1 1/4 teaspoons salt
•1 cup evaporated milk
•7 cups bread flour
•1/4 cup shortening
•Nonstick spray
•Oil, for deep-frying
•3 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

Lemon Pound Cake

This recipe is a winner! Enjoy!

Lemon Pound Cake

1 Pound Land O Lakes salted Butter
4 Cups granulated Sugar
12 eggs (yes, 12)
4 Cups sifted All-Purpose Flour (White Lily)
1 oz. bottle real Lemon Extract

GLAZE:
2 Lemons
1 ½ Cups Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together with mixer. Add one
egg at a time, mixing well. Add flour gradually. Mix in entire bottle of lemon
extract. Pour mixture into two greased loaf pans and one miniature greased loaf
pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. While
still warm, use a tablespoon and drizzle the glaze on between sides of cakes and cake
pans. Let glaze cool and thicken slightly and drizzle a small amount on top of cake.
Wait 15 - 20 minutes and remove cakes from pans. You can freeze the cake by cooling
then wrapping in clear wrap then aluminum foil. Will keep in the freezer 3 months.

Glaze: Heat juice of 2 lemons and zest of two lemons with 1 ½ Cups sugar until melted.
Drizzle over warm cakes.

For a heavier cake do not sift flour and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Love,
The Bumpkin

Mary Mahoney's Gumbo Recipe

From time to time a few of you have mentioned traveling down to Biloxi to test your kharma a bit, I suggest that you do two things.
1. YOU HAD JUST DADBURN BETTER CALL THE BUMPKIN AND COME TAKE A RIDE ON THE SWING!
2. Across the street from the Hard Rock Casino and Beau Rivage, is a little place called Mary Mahoney's.
Slip on your coastal casuals and slide across Hwy 90. Do it I promise, you will never forget it.

Bumpkin Hint:
Not to miss:
Fried Crab Claws w/Remoulade Sauce
Bloody Mary Mahoney's
Bread Pudding

All these previous item's aside, the best thing there is the Gumbo.
The Bumpkin is in search of the Best Gumbo Evah, and this is at least in the top 5.

Christmas, a few years back, a plane was flown from Keesler Air Force Base to Iraq containing 600 gallons of this:


Break out your recipe cards ladies, this is a rare one, and a Memorial Day Treat from the Bumpkin. Your'e gonna love me for this:

Don't Tell Anyone........







Mary Mahoney's Gumbo
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons bacon drippings
2 onions, chopped fine
1 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 small head garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
6 cups water
1/2 tablespoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 pounds shrimp (fresh or frozen), peeled
2 pounds crab meat (fresh or frozen), picked over to remove shell or cartilage
1 (16-ounce) package frozen cut okra
1 pint oysters (optional)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:
In an 8-quart stockpot, brown flour in bacon drippings over medium heat to make caramel-colored roux, stirring often for about 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful it doesn't scorch. Carefully add onions, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, salt and pepper. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour.

(Note: At this point you may divide the gumbo base, which will total about 12 cups. Continue cooking some with a proportional amount of the remaining ingredients, and refrigerate or freeze the rest of the base for another meal.)

To finish: Add fresh or frozen shrimp, fresh or frozen crab meat and frozen okra. Raise heat to bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer an additional 20 minutes. (If using oysters, add them during last 5 minutes of cooking.) Add Worcestershire sauce, remove from heat and stir well. Serve over hot rice. --- Adapted from: "A Passion for People: The Story of Mary Mahoney and Her Old French House Restaurant"

Notes:
Like many restaurant recipes, this one feeds a crowd. Its 24 cups make 16 generous main-dish servings over hot rice or 24 or more first-course servings. While it can be halved easily, why not stretch your effort by making the base up to the point of adding seafood, then dividing it. Use part to continue with the recipe today and freeze the rest. All you'll have left to do is add the seafood and okra, simmer 20 minutes, stir in Worcestershire and the gumbo's on. Be sure to offer Tabasco on the side for those who like it spicy.
Nutrition:
Per main-dish serving (without rice or oysters): 176 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 21 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams fat, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 977 milligrams

Thank you to all our Veteran's! Happy Memorial Day!
Love,
The Bumpkin

Damn That's A Great Cherry Cake!

This recipe courtesy of Ms. Jo, The Queen of the Back Porch, and a lady I really needed in my life. We nailed this down over our daily afternoon cup of coffee. Glad I can share some of this lady's cooking with you all. Looks tough, but no just like everything with Jo, stress free!



Prepare 1 Box of Betty Crocker Pineapple Cake mix according to directions, EXCEPT substitute the water with Pineapple juice. Bake in two round pans, and then cool completely.

For the icing:
2 8oz tubs of Cool Whip thawed(maybe I should have said container here, but hell it as a tub, you know, a tub of cool whip.)
2 8oz bars of cream cheese softened.
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 Large instant Vanilla Pudding, prepared according to directions(It took us a while to come up with the exact words for make the damn puddin')
Using hand mixer, mix until smooth, and peaks begin to form.

Using a large serrated knife, place one hand on top of each cake layer, and slice in half. They must be completely cool for this to work well.

You will need two large cans of either Cherry or Blueberry pie filling.

Start with a cake layer, and then add the icing mixture in center only do not cover sides with icing. Then pour a layer of cherry pie filling, then repeat until you get to the top layer of cake. Generously cover the top layer with icing, so that it overflows on to the sides of the cake, a little not a lot. Then generously pour remaining pie filling over top layer of icing, letting ooze all the way to your cake plate. Ms Jo says, "You can never have to many cherries!" Chill until serving.

4th of July spin: Use both cherry and blueberry filling for a great Red, White, and Blue.

Ms. Jo is perfecting a tropical version of this cake over the next few weeks. We will share before summer!

Love,
The Bumpkin

Hot Water Cornbread~I garontee it!

How Ya'll Are?

Over at Mable Cakes they are cooking up Jalapeno' Cornbread, so I sort of got cornbread on the brain, and wanted to share a good ole fashion Cajun recipe with ya'll from the original cooking Cajun Justin Wilson. For those of you who doesn't know Justin get over to his website, and check out some ummmmm ummmmm good recipes. You won't find this one there, but if any of you Mavens, Brides or Mommies, need to cook up some Turtle Soup real quick, Justin is your man. Don't miss the Pecan Praline recipe!

Justin was the Paula Deen of late 1980's. Life does come full circle, in that my Daddy taped every episode on his trusty VCR. Now, The Bumpkin falls back on those same recipes, time after time, for some authentic Cajun cooking. All these slang phrases I have hammered you with, were his tag lines, and are now his legacy, as Justin passed away in 2001. If there were a Food Network Hall of Fame, I bet this guy would definitely be an Honoree.

Cook you up some veggies, a big pot of butter beans, greens, or maybe some cabbage, and make this cornbread for your honey ladies, and "Why you'll have him eaten from the palm of your hand."

Hot Water Cornbread
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups boiling water
• Vegetable oil
Stir together the cornmeal and salt while heating about a half-inch of oil in a skillet, (the black, cast-iron, been-around-for-ages- kind works best). Heat the water to boiling and pour over the salted meal, stirring well. Drop spoonfuls of meal into hot oil and fry to a golden brown. Drain and blot with paper towels before sprinkling with salt. Perfect!

Enjoy Ya'll,

Love,
The Bumpkin

Easy Pleasy Spicy and Cheesy!

My friends are headed down this way for the big Mardi Gras party tomorrow, and the Bumpkin is cleaning and cooking, but I didn't want to forget my new blog friends in all the hoopla!

Here is a quick party recipe that you can throw together in a flash, and please a crowd.

Ingredients:

2/3 jar of Tabasco Hot Pepper Jelly (which you can buy on any jelly aisle south of the Mason Dixon, for the rest of you, you can order it here)
1 8oz bar of Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Ritz or any butter crackers

Spread the hot pepper jelly over the bar of cream cheese, serve with crackers.

It turns out really pretty, and tastes great! Trust the Bumpkin on this one!
It's sweet, spicy (but not really hot), and creamy.

I usually buy the red one, but the green is great for St. Patrick's Day.
To make it a little tangy, put a layer of champagne jelly first then the Tabasco jelly!

I'm spending the evening with the REAL HOUSEWIVES OF WILLOW GROVE.
Wait to you meet these ladies, you are gonna love em'

Now did I tell you this one was easy or what? I love recipes with layers of taste.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

The Bumpkin

The Bumpkin's Superbowl Sunday Spicy Southwestern Soup

Ingredients
1-2 pounds ground beef ( I like mine meaty so I use 2)
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper chopped fine, but still enough for the color effect
2 (16-oz.) cans light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes and jalapeños, undrained
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes and mild green chiles, undrained
2 (14-oz.) can beef broth
3 shredded chicken breasts
2 cups frozen yellow and white whole kernel corn
1-2 (1-oz.) HOT envelope taco seasoning mix (1 for 1lb beef-Or 2 for 2)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

For the toppings.
1 cup Tostitos (any kind will do, but the small round ones are the best because you don't have to break them, but if you get the big triangles or the big round ones break them in about 2-3 pieces)
sour cream
grated Monterrey Jack cheese (I always grate my own!)
Super thin sliced green onions.
Tabasco Hot Sauce (caution optional, on the Coast "Some like it hot")

Preparation
1. Brown ground beef, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often, 12 to 15 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink and onion is softened; drain.
2. Stir in kidney beans, next 10 ingredients, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Just before serving: And by Just I mean in the bowl wham, wham, wham, and get. it. to. the. table ( the TV tomorrow), or the chips get soppy, and it starts to sink.

Float 5-6 Tostitos rounds in the middle of bowl, then top with grated cheese
Finish with green onions, on top of small dollop of sour cream, on the top of Tostitos and grated cheese
(Don't let the sour cream touch the soup is the key, because it turns the soup cold)
Dash of Tabasco, for da Cajuns or brave at heart!



I'm having this and Ree's (The Pioneer Woman) Spicy Shredded Pork
I love me some Ree Recipes, if you don't read her you should! I wanna be Ree when my blog grows up. What are ya'll having?
**ALERT***Never fear to share a recipe with the Bumpkin!



P.S. You see that "I love me some up there", the bumpkin slipped out. I will leave it for authenticity but don't tell My J!

P.S.S. In the future we will make Southwestern Egg Rolls with this soup. The Egg Rolls are My John's, family, and friends' Bumpkin favorite!



I'm going for the Steelers tomorrow, and My John for the Cardinals, but only because these guys aren't available!


Yes, sorry, My John and I are die hard Chicago Bears fans, just in case you were wondering,
Have a fun, fun great day!
Love,
The Bumpkin