This is the Christmas Kapers edition! Everyone is excited and ready for our very favorite holiday of the year because it is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.
From the 1997 edition of Southern Living Annual Recipes, how about Peppercorn Pork Roast for a really lovely and celebratory main dish?
We found in this Southern Living’s 1997 Annual Recipes, Potato Latkes from Julie Ben-son of Louisville, Kentucky.
Carrot Cake… Yumm. From the 1997 edition of Southern Living Annual Recipes, we have their Best Carrot Cake! And the Glaze for the top as well as Cream Cheese Frosting. This recipe was contributed by Phyllis Vanhoy of Salisbury, North Carolina.
Spiced Iced Tea for your Christmas celebration is pretty simple these days. Boil some water, throw in some tea bags, open a couple cans of frozen citrus concentrate, and you have it ready for the chilling.
Fresh Garden Relish from the Progressive Farmer’s SOUTHERN Cookbook is superb over turnip greens. I can see this addition of fresh chopped vegetables used with many different vegetable dishes, blackeyed peas included.
PEPPERCORN PORK ROAST
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (4-1/2 pound) rolled boneless
  pork loin roast
1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add roast; brown on all sides. Place roast in a roasting pan, and cool slightly.
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 tablespoons cracked black pepper   corns or multicolored peppercorns
2. Combine mustard seeds and peppercorns in a heavy-duty, zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Crush spices with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3. Combine crushed spices, 2 tablespoons flour, and next 3 ingredients; stir in 1/4 cup softened butter and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Spread mixture on top and sides of roast. 4. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 325 degrees. Loosely cover with aluminum foil; bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160 degrees. Remove roast from pan, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings; keep roast warm.
2 tablespoons reserved drippings
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups apple cider, divided
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5. Combine reserved drippings, 1 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoons of the apple cider, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Set aside this flour mixture for step 7.
3 tablespoons apple brandy
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6. Bring remaining apple cider to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; boil 8 minutes or until reduced to (almost half) 3/4 cup. Stir in brandy; boil 1 minute. 7. Whisk in flour mixture, salt, and pepper; cook over medium-high heat until thickened. Serve with roast. Makes 10 servings.
JULIE BENSON’S
POTATO LATKES
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled
1 small onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Shred potatoes and onion in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Stir in flour and next 3 ingredients until blended.
Drop mixture by 2 tablespoonfuls into hot oil in a large skillet; fry over medium-high heat, turning once, until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Yield: 12 servings.
BEST CARROT CAKE
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple,  drained
1 (3-1/2 ounce) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Buttermilk Glaze
Cream Cheese Frosting
Line three 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside. 2) Stir together first 4 ingredients. Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Re-move from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake.
BUTTERMILK GLAZE
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stir-ring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
Yield: 1-1/2 cups.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,  softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese,  softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add pow-dered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.
Yield: 4 cups.
SOUTHERN LIVING’S
SPICED ICED TEA
Recipe from Southern Living’s
1997 Annual Recipes
2 quarts water
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 family-size tea bags
1/2 cup sugar
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven.
Remove mixture from heat, and add tea bags; cover and steep- 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard tea bags, cinnamon, and cloves.
Stir in sugar until dissolved; stir in concentrates. Chill; serve over ice.
Yield: 2 quarts.
FRESH GARDEN RELISH
ON TURNIP GREENS
Recipe from The Progressive
Farmer’s SOUTHERN Cookbook
3 tomatoes, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium cucumber, peeled, sliced,  and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 medium-sized green pepper, Â Â Â chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons French dressing
2 tablespoons vinegar
Mix and chill. Birmingham serves superb food, many old as well as new recipes. Our favorite there (and we never saw it served elsewhere) is just plain turnip greens topped off by a fresh garden relish. These quantities are for 6 portions.
