Lisa Carter's Blog, page 27

A Navajo Proverbs 31 Woman—Happy Mother’s Day

Immerse yourself in the English words, bask in the Navajo sounds, enjoy the photos in this 4 minute #video.

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all American mothers.

 

Southern Pig-Pickin’ Cake #Recipe

Similar to Southern pineapple cake—as the name implies, a favorite dessert to serve at a barbecue (pig-pickin’ which is exactly what it sounds like). Barbeque in the Southern sense is always a noun, never a verb.

Cake Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

4 eggs (add 1 at a time)

3/4 cup corn oil

1 11 oz can mandarin oranges (undrained)

Makes 3 layers. Mix cake according to box directions, adding mandarin oranges. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Icing Ingredients

1 large carton of Cool Whip

1 large can crushed pineapple, drained

1 box instant vanilla pudding

Sprinkle instant pudding over pineapple and mix. Sir in Cool Whip.

Pineapple juice may be reserved and spread over layers before icing if desired but this make it very wet with a tendency to fall apart, although this version is very good and moist.

After icing, refrigerate.

Enjoy.

For more recipes and behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Southern Pecan Pie #Recipe

Foolproof Pie Crust—Ingredients:

•4 cups all-purpose flour

•1 3/4 cups vegetable shortening

•1 Tbsp sugar

•2 tsp salt

•1 Tbsp vinegar

•1 egg

•1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. With a fork, mix first 4 ingredients. In a separate dish, beat remaining ingredients. Combine the 2 mixtures, stirring with a fork till all ingredients are moistened.

2. Mold dough into a ball. Chill at least 15 minutes before rolling into desired shape. Dough can be left in the refrigerator up to 3 days or frozen until ready to use. Divide into 4 dough balls.

3. Roll out one ball for crust of pecan pie.

Pecan Pie—Ingredients:

•1/2 cup melted butter

•1 cup sugar

•1 cup light corn syrup

•4 eggs, beaten

•1 tsp vanilla extract

•1/4 tsp salt

•9-inch unbaked pastry shell

•1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

1. Spray medium-sized cooking pot with cooking spray. Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in pot.

2. Cook on low heat; be sure sugar dissolves. Stir constantly.

3. Cool mixture slightly. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix well.

4. Pour into pie shell and top with pecan halves. Bake 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

5. Serve warm or cold. Many Southerners top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Yield: 1 pie

For more recipes and behind-the-scene photos from Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Childhood Favorites

Erin’s favorite book

Adam’s favorite childhood book

What was your favorite childhood book?

For behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

My Grandmama’s Southern Pineapple Cake #Recipe

Cake Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

20 oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1. Bake cake per box directions.

2. When layers are cool, make holes by piercing with a fork.

3. Put half of pineapple can with juice over one layer.

4. Spread icing over layer.

5. Put remaining half of pineapple with juice over 2nd layer.

6. Spread remaining icing over layer and sides of cake.

Cooked Pineapple Icing Ingredients (For 2-layer 9″ cake)

1 can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1.5 cup granulated sugar

1 egg (beat slightly)

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 stick margarine

1. Mix all of the above ingredients and cook on medium heat till it thickens.

2. Spread over layers.

For more recipes and behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Navajo Country Landscapes from Beneath a Navajo Moon

Cottonwood—reminiscent of where Olivia’s life changed forever. BTW—cottonwoods make me sneeze. :)

Willow

Silver Aspen—Words cannot adequately describe the sound of aspen leaves fluttering in a canyon breeze. Sheer magic.

Pinon Pine

Juniper

Blue Spruce

Ponderosa Pine

For more behind-the-scene photos from Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Southern Deviled Egg #Recipe—Just in Time for #Easter

Ingredients:

6 eggs

Mayo

Mustard

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil eggs in with with a dash of salt 15-20 minutes.

2. Let eggs cool. Crack and peel eggs.

3. Slice eggs in half lengthwise.

4. Scoop out yolk onto plate and mash with a fork till lumps are out and yolks are blended.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add mayo (1/3 cup???) I add till it “looks right”.

6. Add mustard ( 1 Tbsp????) You know what I’m going to say here, right? This is how I was taught to cook by the best Southern cooks I know.

Until reaching desired color and texture.

7. Spoon into egg whites.

Yield: 12 eggs

Enjoy.

Southerners eat this at all social gatherings year-round. It’s about as de rigueur as sweet tea.

For more recipes and behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Wilbur’s—Goldsboro, NC—Erin’s favorite Down Home BBQ

In the South—barbecue is always a noun, never a verb.

http://www.wilbersbarbecue.com/home.html

Open 7 days a week—Are you hungry yet?

Don’t forget to check out Wilbur’s Hog Blog—http://www.wilbersbarbecue.com/hogsbl...

What’s your favorite BBQ joint?

For behind-the-scene photos from Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Easy Southern Ham Biscuit #Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients with a fork till blended.

2. Dough will be stiff.

3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times until a certain elasticity is achieved.

4. Roll dough to 1/2″ thickness and cut with 2″ biscuit cutter. (I have my grandmother’s.)

5. Place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

6. While warm, slice biscuits and layer ham slices inside. Can use bits of previously baked ham or deli ham slices for convenience.

Enjoy.

For more recipes and behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.

Southern Pecan Coffee & Southern Rites of Passage

Southerners love and baby their pecan trees. And picking up the pecans every fall is a true Southern rite of passage. Some of my earliest memories involve helping my great-aunt Polly pick up pecans in her yard or at the family home-place.

My girls also started early at Aunt Grace’s, each of them with their pecan pickin’ buckets—kind of like a Southern fall version of an Easter egg hunt.

These pecans will be cracked by hand or by a “professional” who lives down the road and has a machine. The hulls will be painstakingly picked clean from the meat. And these beauties will make their way into pies, casseroles, divinity candy, and entrees from church homecomings to Thanksgiving to Christmas celebrations.

What better way to cherish these fond family memories than by sipping Southern pecan coffee all year round?

(Which may be why Erin brings this gourmet coffee with her onto the Navajo Rez.)

What’s your favorite coffee flavor?

For behind the scene photos of Beneath a Navajo Moon, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beneath-a-navajo-moon/.