6. Try 30 recipes 
                                                                      “...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
                                                                                                      ― Julia Child, My Life in France                               
Nana's Southern Coleslaw
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/nanas-southern-coleslaw/                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                               
              Ingredients

•              1 head cabbage, finely shredded
•              2 carrots, finely chopped
•              2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
•              1/2 cup mayonnaise
•              1/3 cup white sugar
•              1/4 cup milk
•              1/4 cup buttermilk
•              2 tablespoons lemon juice
•              2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
•              1/2 teaspoon salt
•              1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 
  

            
Directions
1. Mix cabbage, carrots, and onion in a large salad bowl. Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a separate bowl until smooth and the sugar has dissolved.
2. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate slaw at least 2 hours (the longer the better).  Mix again before serving.

I made this delicious coleslaw for my friend Justin's Southern BBQ.  This is not a picture of the actual coleslaw I made, but it looked similar.  I also used a bag of coleslaw mix instead of buying all the veggies separately.  The coleslaw was a perfect compliment to Justin's  fall apart ribs.  And it just ain't a southern BBQ without some coleslaw.

    

Southern Banana Pudding
         

Ingredients

• 3 - cups of Milk
• 1/4 - cup of All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 - cup of Sugar
• 3 - Eggs, separated
• 1 - teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1 - box of Vanilla Wafers
• 4-6 - ripe Bananas, sliced
Meringue
• 1/8 - teaspoon of Cream of Tartar for the Meringue, if needed
• 1/4 - cup of Sugar for the Meringue, if needed

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Separate 3 eggs, set the whites aside for later use in the meringue.
3. Add 3 cups of milk to a medium saucepan. Place over LOW heat on your stovetop.
4. Slowly add flour, whisking continually to avoid lumps.
5. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of sugar, whisking continually until fully dissolved.
6. Use a fork and break up the egg yolks.
7. Slowly add the egg yolks to the saucepan, whisking continually to avoid making scrambled eggs. It's very important to stay with the cooking process at this point. Keep stirring.
8. Increase the heat gradually up to about medium as you constantly whisk the pudding mixture.
9. Using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture up to 170 degrees. Continue to stir it constantly as it thickens. When it reaches 170 degrees, remove from heat but continue to stir.
10. Add the teaspoon of Vanilla Extract and continue to stir off and on as it cools down. The mixture must cool down before you begin to assemble the banana pudding.
11. When fairly cool, spread a light layer of the pudding in a casserole dish.
12. Add a layer of Vanilla Wafers. Reserve about 5 or 6 wafers for topping later.
13. Add a layer of sliced bananas.
14. Add a layer of pudding mixture, spreading it out to the edges of the dish.
15. Repeat the layer process as needed, ending with a layer of the pudding mixture on top.
16. Crumble the 5 or 6 reserved wafers and sprinkle on top. If not adding the meringue, bake this at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool and serve. Hopefully you'll try the meringue.
Meringue:
17. Place the room temperature egg whites in a glass or metal mixing bowl.
18. Using a mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they appear frothy in texture.
19. Add about 1/8th teaspoon of Cream of Tartar.
20. Increase mixer speed and beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.
21. Add the sugar. Continue to whip, increasing speed as needed until the egg whites thicken and form firm peaks. Do not over work the egg whites as it will cause them to lose volume.
22. Use a spatula and gently spread the meringue over the pudding mixture.
23. Gently dab the spatula up and down in the meringue to form small swirls and peaks.
24. Place the dish in the preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch it carefully so the egg white meringue doesn't burn. It just needs to be slightly toasted and browned.
25. Remove from oven, let cool, refrigerate until cold then serve.
26. Enjoy!

http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/southern-banana-pudding-recipe/

Once again, not a picture of my work.  I really can't think of the south without thinking of homemade banana pudding.  It is something I don't eat often, but it always brings me back to my southern upbringing.  So, in order to keep up the tradition---I attempted to make homemade pudding.  Here is a tip- use whole milk.  I used 1% and it was soupy.  Despite the soupiness, it was tasty and I would definitely make it again. (p.s. I may have been too scared to try the meringue and used good old fashioned cool whip--still delicious!)

Crock Pot Honey Soy Sauce Chicken  
adapted from Very Culinary who adapted from here.

1 lb skinless/boneless chicken thighs

1/4 cup honey

1/4 soy sauce

half onion, diced

1 TBL tomato paste, loosened with a smidge of water

2 cloves of garlic, minced

healthy shake of red pepper flakes

salt/pepper to taste

the night before, mix everything in crock pot bowl. get your hands dirty, rub that sauce all over the chicken. cover and leave in fridge. when ready to cook, set on low in crock pot for 3-4 hours.

since this cooks for just 3-4 hours if you've a timer, set it to start 4 hours before you get home from work, or if you're lucky & able to come home during lunch break, start it then.

serve with brown rice, garnished with diced green onions.

http://www.angryasiancreations.com/2012/03/crock-pot-honey-soy-sauce-chicken.html

I made this little crock pot gem for my meal of the week.  Two of my roommates and I cook a meal each week, so we have something warm for dinner and enough leftover for lunch the next day.  It really makes my life so much easier to only have to cook once a week.  I thought it was fine, but my roommate, Cami, loved it.  She even ate the leftovers for breakfast.  It was definitely an easy meal to make with few ingredients.  I served it up with some steamed broccoli and brown rice.

Well there you have it.  3 recipes down and just 27 more to go!!!  I love trying out new recipes.  There is something so therapeutic about cooking.

“There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.”
― Thomas Wolfe