Tuesday Night #6 - 1/18/11

This menu is dedicated to the Deep South.

MENU
Sweet Baby Gherkin Pickles
Deviled Eggs
http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/12/basic-humble-deviled-egg.html
Brown Sugar Glazed Baked Ham w/ Coca-Cola
http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/01/brown-sugar-glazed-baked-ham-with.html
Sauteed Collard Greens
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Collard-Greens-15805
Southern Fried Corn
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southern-Fried-Corn/Detail.aspx
Jimmy Carter Cake
http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/11/jimmy-carter-cake-pudding-dessert.html

Unfortunately, no pics this week.  I did remember to take some but then managed to lose them somehow in the process of transferring them from Blackberry to computer.

I loved this menu.  Nothing was complicated.  Jason volunteered to help with the last minute food prep so I was able to mingle with guests before dinner.  This ham was the bomb.  Easy to prepare with just a simple warm up in the oven.  It made the house smell like what heaven should smell like.  I love ham and this is definitely the way to do it.  I certainly makes a good amount too.  No complaints from me this week about no leftovers!  I did send most of the leftovers home with the guests though.  We were heading out of town on an extended trip.  I suppose I could have froze some but that kind of grosses me out.  I did keep the bone and made some awesome crock pot beans that I was really excited about.

Out of the greens and the corn it seemed to be the corn that was the big hit.  I suppose anything sauteed in bacon fat generally out-flavors contenders.  I will definitely be making it again.  I used organic peaches and cream corn that I had frozen this summer.  It is so much tastier than frozen stuff from the store.  That was worth the mess and the work this summer.

I love greens.  These were simple with just olive oil and garlic.  It could maybe be said that they were on the bland side but the lemon juice brightened them up.  I tried to prepare them in a lighter way since the rest of the meal was heavy.  One thing I an continually running into is that the portions that the recipes claims to make are all over the board.  In this instance I ended up preparing only 1/2 of the greens I had bought and we had leftovers of those.  I simply prepped the rest for the freezer and am happy that I can easily make then in the future.

Jimmy Carter Cake just cracks me up.  First of all it is not cake.  If you have ever been to a church basement potluck dinner I am sure you've had it (or at least seen it).  It's delicious.  Why wouldn't it be?  It has peanut butter, chocolate, cream cheese, whipped cream and a crumb crust.  I loved placing the maraschino cherries on top of the whipped cream.  I could eat a piece for breakfast lunch and dinner!  I did send it home with the guests though as I am attempting to slim down.

Thanks to Susie, Jeannette, Tom, Finnley and of course Jason.