Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman.com has some wonderful recipes, including one called Sausage Breakfast Casserole. This one is an “easy make-ahead breakfast casserole.”

          Century House Tavern in Woodstock, Georgia, is famous for their collard greens as produced by Daniel Porubiansky in large batches of 15 pounds at a time. We found this recipe in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. I looked up 14 tablespoons and it is 0.875 cup. I plan to use a scant cup of butter instead of measuring out 14 tablespoons!

            If you like peas, Emily Meggett has a recipe for you in her book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking. She says, “Many people are familiar with black-eyed peas, but not crowder peas. While crowder peas come from the same family as black-eyed peas, crowder peas are slightly bigger, and they don’t have that notorious black eye. Because crowder peas are hard to find outside of the Lowcountry, you can use black-eyed peas or cowpeas for this recipe. Whichever you choose, make sure to wash your peas thoroughly to remove dirt and stones, and purchase the best ham hocks you can, as they give a salty and meaty flavor that you just can’t resist.”

            For Mrs. Meggett’s Chocolate Cream Pie, she says, “The chocolate lovers in your life will adore this pie. This light filling benefits from a night in the fridge, which will allow the filling to fully firm up. The whipped cream topping adds another layer of sweetness; it also helps to balance some of the chocolaty taste.”

For dessert, try Darlene Brammeier’s Cherry Torte. It appears to be fairly straightforward; she won’t make us do any backflips. Thanks to Northside Baptist Church for their cookbook where we found Darlene’s recipe.

SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Recipe from ThePioneerWoman.com

Butter or nonstick spray

1 pound breakfast sausage, such as Jimmy Dean

4 scallions, chopped, white and green parts divided

1 red bell pepper, chopped

10 eggs

1-1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (8-ounce portions)

1 30-ounce package frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

            1) Grease 9 x 13-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook the meat until no pink pieces remain, about 6-8 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and white and light-green parts of the scallions, and cook 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate to let cool slightly. 3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, mustard, hot sauce, salt, black pepper and about one-half of the remaining green parts of the scallions (save the rest to sprinkle on top of the casserole once baked.) Gently fold 1-1/2 cups of cheese, the hash-browns, and the sausage mixture into the egg mixture. Transfer all to the baking dish and smooth into an even layer. 4) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil, and top with the remaining 1/2-cup of cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and finish baking until the center of the casserole is set (not jiggly) and the top is slightly golden, 10-15 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes, top with the remaining green parts of the scallions, then serve.

DANIEL PORUBIANSKY’S COLLARD GREENS

CENTURY HOUSE TAVERN, WOODSTOCK, GEORGIA

Authored by C. W. Cameron in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 pound smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 pounds collard greens, stems removed, washed, cut into bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more if needed

2-1/4 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed

6 tablespoons maple syrup

6 shakes Tabasco

Salt

            In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add bacon and onions and cook until onions are translucent. Slowly add collards, stirring between each addition until collard greens soften and more can be added. When all collard greens are in the pot, add vinegar and cook until liquid reduces by half. Add chicken stock and maple syrup and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add Tabasco and lightly season with salt. Simmer over medium heat 1 hour, continuing to stir occasionally. Taste and add vinegar, maple syrup or salt as needed. If collards are not tender, continue cooking, adding water as needed. Once collards are tender, they can be served immediately, or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Makes 6 cups.

EMILY MEGGETT’S CROWDER PEAS, BLACK-EYED PEAS, OR COWPEAS

Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett

2 14-ounce smoked ham hocks sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 quart fresh or dried crowder peas, black-eyed peas, or cowpeas

1-1/2 tablespoons salt, plus more if needed

1-1/2 teaspoons pepper, plus more if needed

            1) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine 3 quarts water and ham hock chunks. Cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. 2) While the ham hocks are cooking, wash the peas thoroughly, removing any dirt or stones. About 30 minutes into cooking the ham hocks, add the peas to the pot, bring to a boil, and boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. If using fresh peas cook for about 1-1/2 hours. If using dried peas, cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. 3) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: The liquid in the finished pot of peas should be a gravy consistency, not watery.

When working with peas/beans, canned peas/beans require the least amount of cooking time, about 15 minutes, followed by green or frozen peas/beans, which require 45 minutes. Fresh-from-the-garden peas need 1-1/2 hours.

Dried peas/beans require the longest cooking time, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Bring them to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until done. Add water and cook longer as needed.

EMILY MEGGETT’S CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett

3 ounces Baker’s unsweetened chocolate

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups milk, whole or 2%

4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 baked (9-inch) pie crust

Sweetened whipped cream

            1) Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. 2) In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, and salt together with 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth. Add the egg yolks and the remaining 2 cups milk. Add this mixture to the melted chocolate, whisking well. 3) Stir constantly and cook over medium heat until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla, stir until melted, then pour into the pie shell. 4) Let cool, then cover loosely and refrigerate the pie overnight to chill. 5) Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate.

PUBLISHED: 2024.05.03

DARLENE BRAMMEIER’S CHERRY TORTE

Recipe from Northside Baptist Church cookbook

Pastry:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Mix and press into 9 x 9-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Crumble after cooling and press back into pan.

Filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces whipped topping

1 can cherry pie filling

Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread over the crust. Top with can of cherries. Chill. Serve.