Southern celebrity and musician recipes [classic article]

As first seen in Southern Fried Magazine, where I was Editor in Chief. I wrassled up these recipes from the stars themselves!
From Billy Webb and his family:

Recipes from the descendants of Maude Leona Collins of DeQueen, Arkansas

 

CORN PONE PIE

 

1lb. ground beef

 

1 onion, cut up fine

 

1 can kidney beans

 

1 can tomato sauce (15oz.)

 

Salt, pepper & Chili powder to taste

 

Cornbread topping (see recipe below)

 

Brown ground meat and onion until the red is gone. Add tomato sauce, season with salt, pepper and chili powder to taste. Add beans, drained & some water so it won’t cook dry in oven.

 
CORNBREAD TOPPING

 

Oven: 400 F

 

Cooking Time: 30 min. or until done

 

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cornmeal

 

1 egg

 

3 tsp. baking powder

 

1 tsp. salt

 

small amount of shortening (melted)

 

Mix all ingredients well. Spoon about 1/2 of this recipe on top of the bean mixture and put the remaining half in a

 

small pan to bake beside the casserole. ( If you use the whole recipe, it will be too thick.) Bake at 400 F until done, about 30 min.

 
William & Blanche Webb

 

Deep Creek, North Carolina

 

Maude Leona Davis Collins

 

Lillian Collins Switzer

 

Blanche Switzer Webb

 

Billy Webb

Andy Tanas made this last night…”always a favorite here.” (Memphis, TN)

Lemon Lime Tilapia with Parmesan

to 1 1/2 pounds of fresh tilapia
Half a lemon…half a lime (use the rest in a few vodka cranberries)
1 cup of mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
Two tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic
2 tablespoons of parsley (fresh or dried)

Wash and rinse the tilapia. Place evenly on a rectangular cookie sheet (lined with foil) or baking dish.
Melt the butter in a small dish or cup then add half the lime’s juice and the minced garlic. Stir it up and spread evenly over the tilapia…add a little salt and some fresh ground pepper if you like…then the parsley.
Place the oven on broil at about 400 to 425.
Place the tilapia as close to the top broiler as possible without burning it or causing a fire.
The idea is to get the tilapia cooked where it flakes easily but not over done.
Keep an eye on this because it’s easy to burn it. Remove the tilapia when done.
In a small bowl add the mayo, parmesan cheese, half the lemon’s juice and mix it up good.
Spread this over the tilapia where it stands up a little but not too much.
Place the tilapia back in the oven and broil at the same temperature until the topping
turns a slight golden brown. Keep an eye out here too just in case you’ve had two more of those
vodka cranberries with lime.
Serve with a lemon garnish and enjoy. Really good with dirty rice or roasted garlic potatoes
and steamed asparagus.

Greg Martin of The Kentucky Headhunters sends this:

Muddy Waters’ Fried Bologna Snack

The HeadHunters and myself are all fans of fine southern soul food. Give us some Bar-B-Q, Turnip Greens, Black Eyed Peas, we’re some happy boys.

It’s also no secret that we love the blues. Muddy Waters is one of our all time favs, McKinley Morganfield was blues personified. This is a recipe I learned many years ago from a Muddy Waters story. I was very intrigued because my mother made the same snack. But for now, let’s give Muddy the credit.

Story goes that Muddy would set his big cast iron frying pan on a fairly low heat and put slices of the bologna in the pan, slowly frying each side until brown. Muddy always used Oscar Mayer brand, it was his favorite.

Once fried to his liking, he would cut each of the bologna slices into 4 pieces. The way he ate them was one piece on one Ritz cracker, sprinkled to taste with Tabasco sauce. Easy to prepare tasty mid-morning or anytime snack. This is some good eating on a Musician sized budget.

Thanks Muddy!!!
From the Ghost Riders’ Steve Grisham (Tarpon Springs, Florida):

CHEESE GRITS

1 sm pkg of Velveeta cheese

2 servings of Quaker grits

make grits to instructions on box,

cut up Velveeta into small chunks

and slowly blend in, adding salt and pepper to taste!

From the world-reknowned Gene Odom:

Shrimp Au Gratin

Oven                               375 F

Cooking time                   15 – 20 min

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1 cup onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 can evaporated milk  (13- ounce size)

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 lb. crabmeat, optional

1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

garlic

Saute shrimp in 2 tablespoons butter or margarine with 1 clove minced garlic.  Cook until shrimp are slightly pink.  Remove from skillet.  Add 1/2 cup additional butter or margarine; add onion and celery; cook till wilted.  Blend flour in well with this mixture.  Pour in the milk gradually, stirring constantly.  Pour small amount of mixture in with the beaten egg yolks; blend well and return to remaining mixture.  Add salt and seasonings; cook 5 minutes.  Put shrimp and crabmeat, if using, with the cooked sauce and blend well.  Pour into lightly greased casserole and sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until light brown.  Serves 6

Enjoy!

Gene Odom

From the Westside, Shantytown

From “Coach” Leonard Skinner:

Quick & Easy Banana Pudding 

1 large box vanilla pudding

1 box Nilla wafers

4 or 5 bananas

Put Nilla wafers in bottom of 9″ dish.  Slice Bananas until wafers are covered.  Mix pudding and spread over bananas.  Put wafers on top and along side of dish.
Leonard & Rosemary Skinner

Jacksonville, Florida

From Dallas Moore:

Chili

1 pound lean ground beef

1 Half pound Spicy sausage

1 half pound lean(preferably fresh kill) Venison

2packs Buena Vida Chili Powder

1 Large vidalia onion

1 can Brooks chili beans

1 can Brooks HOT chili beans

1 and a half Large Tomatoes (DICED)

1 and a half Large Bell (green) Peppers

2 Sweet banana peppers (diced)

1 large Serrano pepper (sliced to preference)

4 Jalapeno peppers (Sliced in rings)

2  Habanero peppers (minced or slice to preference)

3-5 bottles Dos Equis Amber Beer (depending on consistency)

Salt, Pepper, and Hot sauce to taste

4 shakes Garlic

2 squeezes Spicy Mustard
Listen ONLY to WILLIE NELSON WHILE PREPARING!!!

From Film Maker and Photographer Tony Beazley (Nashville, TN):

Broccoli Salad (“addictive!”)
1 Bunch of Broccoli, cut in small pieces
1/2 lb. of bacon,cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup of  diced or shredded sharp cheese
1 red onion, diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup of raisins
1/3 to 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of your favorite salad dressing or mayonnaise
(Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

Ed. – We suggest you combine in a glass bowl and chill for several hours before serving.

From Tod Bowers, bass player of THE STEEPWATER BAND:

RAUNCH DIP

Ingredients: cream cheese, French’s yellow mustard, onion, garlic,
Miracle Whip, horseradish, mixing bowl

Set the cream cheese out until it reaches room temperature and softens.
Place in a mixing bowl.

Add French’s mustard and whip until it turns light- to medium-yellow.

Add 1/2 diced white onion
Add 3 tablespoons of chopped garlic
Add 1 tablespoon of Miracle Whip
Add 1 tablespoon of horseradish

Taste and add additional quantities of ingredients to match your taste.

BEST SERVED WITH: ridged potato chips, Fritos, and pretzels

From MYSTR Treefrog – Pie Aficionado

Ray’s Momma’s Sweet Potato Pie (straight outta Alabama)

2 beaten eggs/ 2 cups sweet potato mashed

1 stick melted butter 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup whole milk or cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 9 inch unbaked pie shell- (bake 5 minutes before putting in filling, it keeps the pie from being soggy)

combine eggs and potatoes

mix butter,sugar,spices and vanilla

combine all ingredients and pour in pie shell

bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Let this culinary treasure cool in a safe place — otherwise some little kid like I used to be will snitch it, climb a tree and eat it ALL.

From Cowboy Troubadour Rob McNurlin’s mom (Rob says he can only fix cold cereal!)
He says it goes great with everything, or make it a meal in itself.

Mexican Cornbread

mix:
3 cups of self rising corn meal
2 1/2 cups grated cheese
1 large onion chopped
4 large or 8 medium hot peppers
3 eggs
1 small can cream style corn
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 cups milk

place in greased pan and bake 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes
cut in pieces and serve.

The perfect dinner – from Leo of Atlanta’s Small Town Concerts

He says it goes great with everything, or make it a meal in itself.

mix:3 cups of self rising corn meal
2 1/2 cups grated cheese
1 large onion chopped
4 large or 8 medium hot peppers
3 eggs
1 small can cream style corn
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 cups milk
place in greased pan and bake 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes cut in pieces and serve.
(2) Steaks of your choice

Prepared marinated in a mixture of Ceaser’s dressing and olive oil blended. Marinate over night in the fridge.

Cooked in a cast iron skillet heated to maximum temp. Just before you reach your desired texture, season with a full shot of brandy into the surroundings of your steak.

Serve with steamed mixed veggies (broccoli/carrots & artichokes)

Prepare a cheese cream sauce made of Velvet’s spiced cheese melted in 1/2 cup of milk  and a premium salsa. Blend into the sauce before extraction from your sauce pan.

Pour sauce over veggies

Complete this with good French or Italian garlic bread .

A good merlot is always a great choice to enjoy with this simple but very flavorful dinner.

Dinner By: Leo of STConcerts

From Nicole Trivette, St. Simon’s Island, Georgia

Buttermilk chicken
——————————
(my boys LOVE this recipe!)

4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Combine flour, salt and pepper.
Dip chicken into 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Roll in flour, salt and pepper mixture.
Melt butter (or margarine) in a baking pan, put chicken in pan.
Bake at 425° uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn and bake 15 minutes more.
Turn breasts again. Pour 1 cup buttermilk and cream of chicken soup mixed together over chicken.
Bake 15 minutes more.

Crockpot Chili
————————-
2 pounds coarsely ground beef round or chuck
1 cup chopped onion
2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans tomatoes, drained
1 green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 to 3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground *****in
salt, to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with the chopped onion.
Put the ground beef, onions, and other ingredients in a 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker.
Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 11 hours.

Pork & Rice Casserole
———————————

1 pound lean pork, cut in cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked rice
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) cream of chicken soup
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat your oil over medium heat;
brown pork cubes then add onion and celery
(the celery’s optional)

Continue cooking until onion is golden brown.
Add remaining ingredients & mix it all up.
Pour into a lightly greased shallow casserole dish.
(About a two quart dish)
Cover & bake at 350 for one hour, then yum yum!
Serves 4-6

Red Beans and Rice
—————————–

(I know this recipe by heart! We ate it almost daily when we lived in New Orleans.)
We were pretty poor back then, and a pot of beans went a long way! I was lucky enough
to aquire a whole set of spices for Christmas, and I really experimented on the beans a
lot. The spices below seemed to serve it best though.

1 pound dry red kidney beans
2 Ham Hocks
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups chopped onions (finely cut)
2 cups green bell peppers (chopped fine)
2-3 cups chopped celery (optional)

Both my boys and my sister DESPISE cooked Celery, so I don’t use it
any more. (And it tastes just fine with out it, so it’s your choice.)

4-5 bay leaves
2 tsp. thyme (dried leaves)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic
(powder or salt-I use powder coz it’s thicker.)

1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 tbsp. Tabasco Sauce
1 pound smoked (or polish) sausage cut in to pieces

Get’cher beans ready (sort & wash) Cover with water and soak overnight.
Drain beans well, then put’cher hamhocks, beans vegetables and seasonings
in a stockpot with enough water to cover the beans by 1 or 2 inches, then
bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour and a half.
(The beans will be slightly tender, but not falling apart.) Some people pick
the meat off the bones of the ham hock, but I don’t. I do however, pick it
off of chicken bones when making chicken and rice.

Which brings me to my next recipe…

Queenie’s Chicken and Rice
——————————————

Place one dead featherless chicken in pot, & bring to a boil.
Boil chicken thoroughly, then set aside.
Pour two 8 oz. cans Campbell’s Cream of chicken soup in chicken broth,
along with 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions and 2 cups rice. Bring to
a thorough boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes while picking the’
meat from the chicken. When rice is done, add chicken.

My boys don’t like a lot of spices in their chicken and rice, so I just let them
add their own salt, pepper and butter to taste. Add some home made bisquits
(or canned, if that’s what you fancy) and voila! Very easy recipe.
This recipe can also be used to make chicken and dumplings by substituting bisquits
for the rice. Serves 4-6
~Queenie~

_________________
“Well it just don’t make a damn…When ya got good friends like me…”

This is actually a funny story. There was a time when singer/songwriter Rob McNurlin was supposed to stay with us during his East Coast tour. I contacted the folks at www.downsouthjukin.com to ask what I should serve. Here are their kind and Southern responses.

From Proudbird:

Banana Pudding Pie

7 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups whole milk
1 5oz. pkg. French Vanilla pudding mix (instant)
1 8oz. pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon banana flavored liquor or extract
1 14oz. can condensed milk (sweetened)
1 12oz. tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust

Mix the pudding mix with the milk in a blender or with an electric mixer. Use the type of instant pudding mix which doesn’t require cooking.

In a separate bowl, blend condensed milk with the cream cheese until smooth, then fold in the Cool Whip.

Combine cream cheese mixture and pudding mixture and stir in the liquor or banana extract, combining well.

Slice the bananas and layer over the bottom of the piecrust. Spread mixture over the bananas.

Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish vanilla wafers and/or graham cracker crumbs and/or banana slices.
_________________
~ Fly on you proud bird, you’re free at last. ~

From Bruce Wall:

Bruce’s Roast Beef and Cheese Sauce

This is really not a Southern Dish. However, my kids would not let me hear the end of it if I did not put it on here as it is their favorite dish. This is a dish I make to taste and not very technical so try it out, let me know what y’all think.

Ingredients:

Hoagie Rolls

Roast Beef

Provolone Cheese

Mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip)

Garlic Salt

Whole Milk

The making of this is really simple. Amounts are totally based upon # of Sandwiches you wish to make. Take a saucepan, begin melting the cheese. Add a little whole Milk to thin it just a tad. You want the texture to be thick enough to spread with out being watery. Next add about 50% less Mayo than you have melted cheese. In other words, if you have about 3 cups of melted cheese, add about 1.5 cups of Mayo. Now, I do this by site and taste so you don’t need to be precise. Next, season with Garlic Salt. Add it to taste as to not get it too salty but has a good garlic zing to it. Once the Sauce is made, turn heat down really low to keep it warm. Now the meat you can either heat it up in Au Jus or use it cold, I like it both ways. Simply add your meat to a saucepan of Au Jus and warm it up. Remove the warm meat. Place meat on Sandwich Roll, top with lots of Cheese sauce. I prefer mine just meat and Cheese. However, Some folks like to add toppings like onions, peppers, etc. Experiment and let me know what ya think. Enjoy.

From Original Marshall Tucker Band member George McCorkle:

Chicken Bog
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

6 c water
1 tb salt
1 md onion; finely chopped
1 3-lb chicken or(3-4 whole ch
1 c long-grain rice
1/2 lb smoked sausage; sliced
2 tb herb seasoning
1 pk chicken and herb seasoning

Instructions

Measure 6 cups of water, salt, onion, and chicken. Boil until tender.
(About 1 hour.) Remove chicken, let cool and remove bones. Chop meat
in bite-sized pieces. Skim off fat from juices. Measure 3 1/2 cups of
this broth into a 6-qt saucepan. Add rice, chicken pieces and smoked
sausage, herb seasoning and “chicken and herb” seasoning. Cook these
ingredients for 30 mins. Let come to a boil and turn to low, keeping
covered the entire time. If rice mixture is too juicy, cook uncovered
until desired consistency. Yield: 6 servings

From Sue Wall:

Hillbilly Chili
This recipe my Mother calls Ham Chili or Nana’s Ham Chili. However, I always call it Hillbilly Chili. I hope you don’t mind Mom I labeled it Hillbilly Chili.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 strips diced bacon
2 lb of sliced ham
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 to 3 chopped jalapeno peppers (how hot do you want it?)
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups or 2 cans pinto beans

Heat oil in skillet and add bacon until brown. Remove from heat and drain. Reserve skillet and grease. Cut ham into 1/2 inch cubes. Place flour in paper bag, add ham and shake. Remove ham and shake off excess flour. Brown ham in skillet with bacon grease. Drain on paper towel and return ham and bacon to skillet.

Add onion and garlic, cook about 8 minutes. Dump into 2-quart saucepan and add chili powder, peppers and broth. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours until meat is tender. Add water, if needed. Add salt and canned or precooked beans. Cook until beans are warm.

Serve with dollop of sour cream and a pan of corn bread.

Oh, and my fish formula, (usually shark or swordfish but works on all fish very well)…. Marinate in Captain Morgan Spiced Rum over night. Then baste on Grill with more Spiced rum while on grill (lightly blackening),,,,, YUMMMMMMY

I’m such a Lucky Man
“I try to be a stronger man, Shed a tear or two that don’t make me a weaker man, It’s made me a better man, I’m giving all I can to a world that sometimes thinks me a lessor man,

From Flora-Bama:

OK this is off the top of my head and it’s not really a Southern recipe either, though the woman who gave it to me is from Mississippi and my ex-mother-in-law.

It’s one of my favorite recipes as I fix it all the time, it’s called Rotel Chicken.

You will need:

1) Couple of lbs. of boneless/ skinless chicken breasts

2) Large bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos

3) 1 lb. mexican style velveeta cheese

4) 1 can rotel dip sauce

5) 1- 8 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese

6) 1 can chicken broth

First you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Next you boil the chicken breasts on the stove for about 20 minutes at the most until the chicken is so tender you can peel it with your hands, but be careful as cool it first under cold water.

In the microwave you mix the cheese dip placing cut up cubes of the Velveeta cheese in a dish along with the can of Rotel sauce, it takes about 6 minutes on high. Do this while boiling the chicken.

In a very large clear oven dish spread a layer of the nacho cheese doritos along the botton of the dish crushing them a little while doing this. When the chicken is done tear it in pieces and place the pieces on top of the doritos about one third of the chicken.

Next when the cheese sauce is done pour in the chicken broth and stir well to make it very liquidy. Pour one third of it on top of the chicken you’ve placed on top of the doritos.

Keep repeating these steps layering it like lasagne where you should have threes layers of each. It goes doritos, then chicken, then cheese sauce in that order.

When you have three layers then sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and cover the whole thing very well with aluminum foil and place in the oven.

Bake this for about 45 minutes at the most.

I know it sounds wierd and funny, but it will all blend like a casserole and it comes out like a very cheesy chicken casserole.

Whenever we have special occasions at my office where we all bring dishes I bring this a lot as they all beg me to make it for them as it’s fantastic.
_________________
Life’s too short not to live in caution,
But life’s too long not to live at all!

From Missy:

Mississippi Mud

2 sticks margarine                 dash of salt

1/3 cup cocoa                        2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs, beaten                       1 1/2 cups pecans

1 1/2 cups flour                      1 jar marshmallow crème

2 cups sugar

Melt together in saucepan, margarine and cocoa.  Cool slightly and gradually add eggs.  Sift together flour, sugar, and salt… stir in batter.  Add vanilla and pecans, mix well.  Pour mixture in 14x9x1 1/2 greased pan.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  As soon as cake is removed from oven, spread marshmallow crème over cake.  ICING:  1/2 stick margarine, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 box powdered sugar.  Melt in saucepan margarine, cocoa, milk and vanilla.  Stir in powdered sugar and blend well.  Pour mixture on top of marshmallow crème.

“Good” Corn Casserole

1 can corn and 1 can cream corn
1 box cornbread mix
1 cup sour cream
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup butter

Mix all and pour into greased pan and bake at 350 til golden brown.. approx 35-40 mins

Corn Souffle’

1/4 cup grated carrots                                 1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup melted margarine (or butter)          1/2 cup grated velveeta cheese

1/2 cup cracker crumbs                               1 can cream corn

1/4 cup canned milk                                    1 teaspoon grated onion

1 teaspoon salt                                             1 tablespoon chopped celery

1 tablespoon sugar                                       2 eggs

Add the beaten eggs, milk, sugar and salt to the cream corn and pour into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle the grated veggies on top, then the cheese and then the cracker crumbs mixed with the melted margarine.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Skillet Cobbler

1 stick butter or margarine                     1 1/2 cups sugar

1 can fruit of choice w/juice ( I prefer       1 cup flour

peaches or blackberries)

2 teaspoons baking powder                     1/2 cup milk

Melt 1 stick margarine in skillet.  Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 can fruit with all the juice.  Mix remaining cup of sugar, flour, bakin powder and 1/2 cup milk and spread over fruit mixture in skillet.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Leave skillet in oven after heat is turned off and allow cobbler to get crusty.

Southern Custard Pie

1 cup sugar
3 cups whole mile (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon extract
nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter

Make regular pie crust in big pie pan. Crimp sides so will stand up. D not prick crust. Brush with slightly beaten egg white. Set aside. Do not bake.

Custard:
Beat eggs until well mixed but not foamy. Add sugar and salt and mix well with wire beater. Gradually add milk, vanilla and lemon extracts, and melted butter. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until firm.. 20-25 minutes. Insert knife slightly into center of pie. If it comes out clean, pie is done. Don’t cut while hot

This is my Grammaw’s pie…a true southern belle she was.