A Paula Menu Brunch

Wow… This post is long over due. In honor of my sister in law, Becky, coming into town a while ago (she lives in Orem, Utah- about 6 hours north of Las Vegas) I decided to have a brunch. Not just any brunch, but a Paula party brunch. As in, cooking my way through Paula Celebrates! kind of a brunch. Becky has been so excited and supportive of everything cooking and Paula related, so I wanted to include her in a Paula menu since she has missed so many others. We had a ton of fun, even though no one else showed up!



The recipes were:
Collard Green Wontons- fried pockets of spicy greens and cream cheese
Crab and Spinach Casserole- a layer of garlicy spinach under a cheesy, creamy layer ot crab- yum!
Baked Tomatoes- -covered in crunchy breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese
Hash Brown Casserole- an old classic- bread, sausage, onions, cheese and hash browns soaked in eggs and baked until golden
Blueberry Gems (muffins)- light and delicious
Pecan Pie Muffins- actually tasted just like pecan pie
Hummingbird Cake- basically banana nut bread/cake with cream cheese frosting

My personal favorite would have to be the wontons- they were fabulous, and unique! Here is that recipe:

Fried Collard Green Wontons

Ingredients
• 1 pound ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones
• 1 teaspoon House Seasoning, plus more for seasoning
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 1/2 large bunch collard greens
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 70 wonton wrappers, approximately
• Peanut oil, for frying

Directions
In a large pot, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil and add the meat, House Seasoning, seasoned salt, hot sauce, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the thick stem that runs down the center of the greens by holding the stalk in 1 hand and stripping the leaves from the stalk with your other hand. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of each other, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-inch ribbons. Place the greens in the pot with the meat. Add the butter. Cook the greens, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When they are done, taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove the collard greens with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Remove ham hock and chop into pieces. Place into bowl with collard greens. Mix in the softened cream cheese, working it into the mixture.
Have a bowl of water ready and dip your finger in it, running it along the seams of the wonton before pressing to seal. Place a scant teaspoonful of the collard green mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper and fold into a triangle. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Place on a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet, covered with a damp paper towel, until ready to fry.
Heat 3-inches peanut oil in a heavy deep pot to 350 degrees F.
Fry the wontons in batches until they are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Place on paper towels to drain and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Award Winning Empanadas!

After mentioning my Paula Deen experience with the Real Women of Philadelphia in my last blog post, I thought I should explain a little for anyone who didn’t know what it was all about. I entered an online competition (it was considered a “talent search” and not a “cooking contest”) by submitting videos of myself preparing recipes with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I was chosen as one of 16 finalists and flown to Savannah for one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Here is the clip from the awards show about the appetizer cook off:



The other finalists were amazing women and I am so blessed to have them all as friends now. We were treated like royalty- we stayed at the only 5 star hotel in Savannah, we went to all the best restaurants (Paula’s of course, but also some fancy- schmancy ones), we were driven around in a caravan of black SUV’s with tinted windows and bodyguards dressed in all black, and we got a private tour of Savannah that included Paula’s home. Of course we got to hang out with the fabulous Paula Deen a couple of times- she is the funniest, most gracious and down-to-earth person I have ever met. I was so impressed with who she is. It truly was the experience of a lifetime and I am so blessed that I got to be a part of it!




Anyway, here is the recipe for my "award winning" (or at least finalist level) Empanadas, if anyone wants to try them:
(Brandon, Paula’s personal style guru- he designed the set, her new line of furniture and co-authored Paula’s latest style book- he said they were “like crack”- meaning delicious and addictive- so be careful!)

Spicy Breakfast Empanadas:
1 lb. hot pork sausage
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 tsp Paula’s House Seasoning
1 tsp cumin
1 can refrigerated jumbo biscuits
4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
½ tsp garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, over medium- high heat, cook sausage, crumbling into small pieces. Once cooked through, drain fat. Add cream cheese to sausage and stir until melted. Add Rotel tomatoes, House Seasoning and cumin. Stir to combine.
3. Open can of biscuits; separate raw biscuits into 2 halves. Flatten with your hands to make larger. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of sausage mixture onto center of biscuit. Fold biscuit in half and seal by pressing seam together. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with Chipotle Cream.

Chipotle Cream: In a small saucepan combine cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers and garlic salt. Cook over medium heat until cream cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined.

First Post!!!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog! A month ago, I never would have thought I would be “blogging.” But I have just returned from the experience of a lifetime with Paula Deen (one of my most favorite people ever!!!) and it made me want to share myself and my love of cooking with whoever wants to know about me. I just returned from Savannah, GA where I was a finalist in the Real Women of Philadelphia talent search!

(This is a picture of me in Paula Deen's kitchen!!!)

Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Paula Deen teamed up to find 4 hosts that would share an online cooking show, help write a cookbook and generally lead an amazing online community at http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/. I was one of 16 finalists in 4 categories. Sadly, I did not go on to be one of the hosts, but I enjoyed one of the best weeks of my life!

These are all the fabulous women I cooked with in Savannah- they are all amazing!

I came away from Savannah with these 3 ideas/goals:

1. I desperately want to own a house in the historic district of Savannah GA and spend days sipping sweet tea on the porch. If you have not visited Savannah, put it on your must- see list.

2. I may or may not want to start a cupcake business. (Who doesn’t love cupcakes?)

3. I am reaffirmed in my passion for cooking and entertaining. It is what I am passionate about. I want to share my love with anyone who will take it!

So, here is what I am going to do- I am going to spread my love of all things Southern but with a Southwestern kick. I grew up in Mississippi but I live in Las Vegas, so I want to bring the South to the Southwest! Get ready for Southern dishes, a whole lot of Paula Deen (you will learn about my love for her), some spicy food, and probably some cupcakes thrown in too!

I had to throw in a picture of me chattting with Paula in the cookoff kitchen