Summer is the time of year when everyone’s good food spirit awakens! And this means there is an interesting awakening of new and exciting foods!!! I have provided you a superb buttery corn and English pea casserole that is splendid for your lunches or dinners! This rich buttery Ritz cracker crust on top really “seals the deal” for this perfect mélange of flavorful ingredients! I have additionally provided you two pie recipes perfect for parties or get-togethers!!! My mama’s million dollar pie will send you into dessert euphoria! It’s homemade and it’s one of my family’s all-time favorites! And last but not least, a little tidbit on “good” sweet tea, plus my personal sweet tea recipe I have used for years. It is more than likely the best you will ever taste! Sweet Tea is the Elixir of the South, as noted by my cookbook author and friend Christy Jordan. She writes: “Nothing, I mean nothing, is more Southern than sweet tea. We drink it at almost every meal (yes iced tea for breakfast is quite good, actually), we make it daily, and we even put it in our baby’s bottles. Dr. Phil once jokingly mentioned that Southerners started drinking sweet tea at age three, but my mother and I looked at each other in complete confusion as we knew perfectly well all of us had started on it by age one!” Thanks Christy for your comments! Enjoy, readers!
Buttery Ritz Corn & English Pea Casserole
Note: This buttery and cheesy casserole makes all your other casseroles look really plain! Try this one out on your family and friends! The richness of this recipe makes it a winner!
3 cans sweet whole kernel corn (drained)
2 cans English peas (drained)
2 cups mayonnaise (Blue Plate preferred)
8 oz. sour cream
1 small sweet onion, diced finely
One half cup diced green onion
12 oz. grated cheddar cheese
2 tsp. ground black pepper
Half tsp. salt
3 stacks Ritz crackers, crumbled not crushed
1 stick butter, melted
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, except for crackers and 1 stick butter. Pour into a large 13x9x2 casserole dish. Crumble Ritz crackers on top of casserole. Do not crush them finely, but crumble them into rough pieces. Melt butter and evenly pour on top of crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly, covered.
Mama’s Million Dollar Pie
Note: The best pie in the world is probably the following dessert I have featured this week. The taste is a combination of a buttery crust and pineapples, and every single bite is scrumptious. My family and friends fight over who has the remaining piece of this masterpiece of southern pies. It is ideal to serve at any spring social gathering.
Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
One half cup fresh lemon juice
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (frozen)
4 oz. cool whip
Pie crust:
Three fourths stick butter, softened
1 cup all purpose flour
One half cup chopped pecans
For crust, combine butter and flour together and add pecans. Mix until it forms a ball. Press into lightly greased sides and bottom of pie plate, using a slight bit of flour on your hands. Cook 15 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Cool and set aside. For filling, fold all ingredients together until incorporated. Pour into cooked and cooled pie shell. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Slice and serve.
Brock’s Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Note: Probably the easiest and best recipe for sweet tea in the world!
6 family style bags Lipton orange pekoe tea
1 gallon water
Two and one half cups sugar
This is an old family recipe that we’ve used for generations, and it’s not fancy, but let me say this-it is the best sweet tea in the world, just ask my friends and family. I use an old large Cool Whip container to heat the water and tea bags in the microwave. Fill water up three fourths full in the large cool whip container, and place the tea bags in the water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Let stand and steep for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave. Drain bags of excess goodness (squeeze out as much of the good tea as you can). You do not want your tea to be too light. You want it to be very brown and dark. Pour sugar into gallon sized tea jug container. Pour microwaved tea into sugar (discard bags). Fill up remainder of jug with cold water, stirring with a long wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate. Serve in glasses with lots of ice.
Editor’s note:
Brock W. Rogers is an educator, overseas traveler, musician, award-winning southern food writer, and a passionate student of the culinary and pastry arts. E-mail him at brockrogers1@gmail.com.
