Southern Made Simple

Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm

recipe

Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Pie

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This recipe and photographs for Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Pie were updated September 2019. Affiliate links may be included throughout this post at absolutely no cost to you.

No matter where you are in the world, there’s always that one thing that immediately takes you right back home. One of the most beautiful things about the United States is that each and every state has something unique that sets it apart from the rest. I pride myself on having roots planted deep within the Alabama clay, and I love to celebrate my Southern heritage because it’s a building block in the foundation of who I am (and this very blog, too!)

Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Pie…

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Cheesy Bacon & French Onion Spinach Dip Recipe

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If you’re anything like me, you may have a hard time incorporating certain greens into your diet. I like most veggies, but I don’t just love them. It’s something I should really try to change about my tastes and my lifestyle, because vegetables are good for you! I just have a hard time straying from the norm. You know, peas, green beans, corn, and…yeah. That’s about it when it comes to actually making it to a dinner plate in this house. The only time I would ever eat spinach on purpose is on my Subway sandwich when it’s hidden amongst the lettuce and tomatoes. It’s like I said, I don’t dislike veggies, I just don’t really know to incorporate them into foods that I definitely love.

I tried hiding spinach in my smoothies for a little while. It lasted about a week. I could tolerate it in my smoothie, but I soon found out I was pregnant and then quickly found the smoothies to be absolutely repulsive. That’s pregnancy for ya! Now that I’m no longer pregnant, I still just can’t bring myself to drink them. However, I’ve now found a new way to incorporate spinach into my diet. Now, I’m not saying that dish is healthy at all. In a perfect world, it would be fat free...just like every other food would be, but let’s just celebrate one small victory at a time here. I’m eating lots of spinach these days, and it’s in the form of a hot, savory and cheesy bowl of deliciousness. Say hello to your new favorite dip recipe: Cheesy Bacon & French Onion Spinach Dip.

BOOM! You’re welcome. 😉

Cheesy Bacon & French Onion Spinach Dip Recipe - This dip is SO delicious and so simple to make! You can even prepare it ahead of time and bake when you're ready!

Forget what you think you know about spinach dip. Before I first made this dip, I thought of spinach dip as that super bland dip you can buy in the chip aisle next to that less than stellar cheese in a jar stuff. It’s typically served room temp and it’s pretty lackluster next to other dishes in a spread. This dip is anti that, y’all. But what about those regular hot spinach dips that are pretty good and not from a can? Forget ’em. They’re likely missing that special oomph. They’re probably missing that extra somethin’ somethin’ that you really want in a dip. You know, that va va voom! But not this dip, y’all. This one is in a league of it’s own….

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Southern Egg Salad (with Bacon!)

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This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when I need to whip up a yummy side dish for an event or a pot-luck. It’s got a little somethin’-somethin’ that sets it apart from your typical egg salad, and boy is it a game changer!

I’ve always liked egg salad, but I’ve never loved it. Sure, I’d help myself to some at a bridal shower or at a picnic/cookout, but that’s really only sort of occasion I’d ever eat it at. It was never something I thought to prepare at home and eat as an actual meal, and I certainly never craved it. That is, until this happened:

Cream cheese + Bacon

Yes, my friends. Cream cheese and bacon. All up in yo egg salad. AND it’s glorious. Whip these two rock star ingredients up into this egg salad and you’ll be licking the spoon! Think I’m kidding? Try it.

Savory Southern Egg Salad with a twist! The cream cheese and bacon really make this one spectacular!

Savory Southern Egg Salad with a twist! The cream cheese and bacon really make this one spectacular!

Gone are the days where I viewed egg salad as being just okay. With this flavorful twist on a Southern staple dish, you’ll have people going back for seconds. And you certainly won’t think twice about eating this as a meal in your own home. It’s deee-lish! I personally love to eat it on slider buns, but it also pairs nicely with crackers. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

(Note: This recipe is doubled to feed a larger crowd. Feel free to reduce the ingredients as you see fit.)
  • 1 dozen hard boiled eggs
  • 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 Tbs butter, softened
  • Bacon, cooked and chopped. (Real bacon bits work fine as well)
  • 4 Tbs low-fat mayo
  • Pickle Relish (to taste)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk into a large bowl.
  2. Blend egg yolks, cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
  3. Mix in remaining ingredients, making sure the egg whites are blended in last.
  4. Cover in air-tight container and chill for an hour
  5. Serve on your choice of bread or crackers and enjoy!

What are your thoughts on egg salad? Have you ever added anything different to a traditional dish to give it a new life? If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Pumpkin Layered Cheesecake Recipe

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Cheesecake.

It’s a beautiful thing, y’all. When I count my blessings, I count cheesecake twice. It’s basically the 8th wonder of the world if we want to get real here. At least, in my mind it is. 😉

You’d THINK a girl like me who loves cheesecake more than most would’ve been to The Cheesecake Factory a time or two. But nope! I really haven’t. Sadly, the closest I’ve gotten to The Cheesecake Factory is an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Weep not for me, my cheesecake lovin’ friends. I will go forth into the golden gates of cheesecake heaven one glorious day, and I will indulge. Hard.

In the mean time, I’ll just make my own! Now, I don’t know that this could hold a candle anywhere near to what The Cheesecake Factory cranks out, but this pumpkin layered cheesecake recipe is pretty ding dong good if I do say so myself! Right on time for Thanksgiving, too! 🙂

Pumpkin Layered Cheesecake Recipe - Perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert!

You may have seen me share my love of all things pumpkin before. It’s something I just can’t keep a secret! I recently shared a delicious recipe for Glazed Pumpkin Praline Mini Cakes, which would also be an AH-MAZING addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table. Just sayin’.

Right now, though, I’m all about this cheesecake. It’s pretty simple to make, and it only calls for 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (which means you can totally use the remaining pumpkin puree to make those mini cakes I just shared.) #Yourewelcome

Here’s what you’ll need for this dish:

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 9 inch graham cracker crust pie shell

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Using a mixer, beat together cream cheese, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Then add in eggs.
  3. Dip out 1 cup of cream cheese mixture and set aside.
  4. Try really hard not to lick the spoon.
  5. Pour remaining mixture into pie crust.
  6. Using your reserved cream cheese mixture, blend in pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  7. Pour pumpkin mixture on top of cream cheese mixture in the pie crust.
  8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center of the pie is mostly set.
  9. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for 3 or more hours.
  10. Enjoy!
Are you a cheesecake lover, too? Maybe you’re crazy about pumpkin like I am? Do you have another fabulous cheesecake recipe you’d like to share? I’d LOVE to hear about it!

Copycat Peppermint Patties

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I’ve definitely been on a peppermint kick here lately. I’ve been having so much fun buying stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts for my 6 month old this week, and it’s just really put me in the holiday spirit! While I’m not ready to start decorating my house yet (that absolutely comes AFTER Thanksgiving in this house), smelling and using peppermint essential oil certainly makes me want to!

I recently posted a delicious recipe for double mint brownies using peppermint essential oil. I mentioned how it would be a great gift to package up and give to family members or friends for the holidays. I then started brainstorming some other ways that I could use peppermint oil in the kitchen. I wanted to think of some yummy treats that would also be great to share with others as a gift. Then I thought of these:

Say hello to my little friends!

Copycat Peppermint Patty Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

I was so excited to try my hand at making these. They’re pretty darn close to real peppermint patties as far as taste goes. They’re just missing that perfectly pressed/processed round shape that the real ones have. But who needs that anyway, right?! These are also a little bit healthier that the real deal, too. Here’s what you’ll need to make these:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup refined coconut oil (It doesn’t have a coconutty taste)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 or 4 tbs corn syrup (Honey also works great!)
  • 6-7 drops peppermint essential oil (You can also use 1 tsp peppermint extract instead of EO)
  • Chocolate almond bark or baking chips, melted

Copycat Peppermint Patty Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

Directions:

  1. Mix coconut oil, peppermint oil, corn syrup and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. The coconut oil will start to soften as you mix. (Tip: Before mixing, slightly melt the coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds to ensure that you can stir it easily. Do not melt so much as to make it completely liquid.)
  2. Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to harden a bit.
  3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
  4. Once the filling has hardened in freezer, take it out and dip out spoonfuls of the filling onto the wax paper. If you’d like, press them into a flatter shape. Be careful though, because the coconut oil will melt very quickly if you use your hands to press them.
  5. Place back into the freezer for another 10 or so minutes.
  6. Melt chocolate
  7. Remove patties from freezer. Using a spoon, pour chocolate over each patty. *Note: You may find that the chocolate doesn’t stick right away because the coconut oil melts quickly. That’s OK. You’re going to repeat this process a second time, and it will stick much better the second time.
  8. Place back in freezer for another 10 minutes. Remove and pour chocolate over each patty once more. If you’d like, you can repeat the process a third time to cover the bottom with chocolate
  9. Place in freezer or refrigerator for a final time to allow to harden. Once you’ve done this, you’re all done! Enjoy!

While these can sit out, they are best stored in the refrigerator. Coconut oil can quickly melt if it is ever at a temperature slightly hotter than room temp.

If you’re making these to give as a little DIY gift, you can put them in a cute little Christmas tin or put in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon like I did! These are so yummy and just melt in your mouth. Anyone who loves chocolate and mint together would love these for sure!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, I recommend checking out this post that my sister wrote. You can find it here: Getting Into Essential Oils as a Skeptic. It’s packed full of great into and tips on how to get started.

Glazed Pumpkin Praline Mini Cakes

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I have a problem, y’all.

When Fall rolls around each year and I see that the grocery store has moved the pumpkin puree to the end cap or center aisle (hello impulse shoppers!), it’s like moths to the flame. Every time. No lie. There is no buying just one can. I’ll buy seven! There’s just something about this time of year that sends my mind in a tizzy. If you could hear the voices inside my head, they’d probably sound something like this:

Pumpkin Meme

I mean, I don’t mean to be THAT girl, but I cannot deny my love for pumpkin. There’s just so many things you can do with it. What’s not to love?!

I found this recipe scribbled down in a 3 ring binder in my recipe collection. I made it several years ago and actually forgot all about it! I did a little tweaking and turned it into something new that I am absolutely loving. These little cakes are so stinkin’ delicious. Make sure you have a tall glass of milk on hand, because you’re gonna want it after you have one of these bad boys!

These Pumpkin Praline mini cakes are SO delicious and perfect for a holiday treat!

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, room temp
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (roughly half the can)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
  • 2 c all purpose flour
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • dash of salt

Glaze:

  • 3 tbs butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 c milk
  • 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
  • chopped pecans (No limit. Use however much you like!)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt
  3. In another bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together
  4. Blend egg, vanilla and pumpkin into butter/sugar mixture
  5. Mix flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture
  6. On a greased cookie sheet, drop a tablespoonfuls of the batter spaced roughly 1-2 inches apart
  7. Bake for 10-11 minutes
  8. Remove the cookies and immediately transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely
  9. Prepare glaze as follows:
    • Glaze: In a small saucepan, stir butter and sugar over medium heat and allow to bubble. Stirring constantly, cook for roughly 1 minute. The sauce will begin to thicken slightly. Pour milk into mixture and stir.
    • Beat in powdered sugar and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. The sauce should thicken considerably. You’re going to want to frost the cookies quickly, as this sauce will harden fast.
    • I personally dunked the cakes into the sauce, allowing only the top to be glazed (pictured below), but you can also brush the glaze on with a basting brush.
    • Pumpkin Praline Mini Cakes Recipe
    • While the glaze is still wet on the cakes, sprinkle with pecans. Using a spoon, drizzle a little more of the sauce over the pecans.
    • Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite fall sweet treats? I absolutely love cooking with pumpkin and am always looking for a new way to use it in the kitchen! If you try this recipe for glazed pumpkin praline mini cakes, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Super Simple Cornbread Casserole Recipe

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There’s always that one dish at Thanksgiving dinner that you just CAN’T EVEN wait to stuff your face with. Some may say that’s true about almost everything on the table at Thanksgiving, and I’m over here raising my hand agreeing with you! But there’s usually that one that you KNOW you’ll be having seconds (or thirds,I won’t judge) of.

This casserole is that dish for me. When I think of comfort food, cornbread casserole is one of the first that comes to mind for me. It’s full of warm, creamy, and savory corn-tasticness that almost melts in your mouth. It’s SO simple to make, too! I usually always have the ingredients on hand, because I love to take this dish to church events and family gatherings. It’s always on my menu for Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s great any time of year. I’ve had several people ask me for this recipe, and I’m so happy to share it with y’all!

This is a MUST have on the dinner table during Thanksgiving! Simple Cornbread Casserole - made with Greek yogurt

Ingredients:

  • 1 Box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can cream style corn
  • 1/4 cup sugar (I use Stevia or Splenda)
  • 1 cup sour cream (I use Greek yogurt)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray
  2. Combine all ingredients and pour into dish
  3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set
  4. Enjoy!

If you’re looking for something with a little spice, try adding a can of Mexican corn in place of the regular corn. You could even substitute Mexican cornbread in place of the Jiffy Mix!

Do you have a favorite dish during the holidays that you’re always SO excited to eat? I always love to hear others share what they MUST have during Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!