Tantalizing Thursday-Atlanta/Labor Day Edition

Welcome to Tantalizing Thursday on Chief 187™Chatter.

The short track racing at Bristol Motor Speedway has moved on to the faster speeds and the greater distance of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Drivers arrive in “Hotlanta” for the penultimate race before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase is officially under way.

Atlanta is known for their state-of-the-art cuisine as well as their southern delicacies. It is a bastion of good taste and the home of comfort foods. I certainly enjoyed rounding up the following recipes that would be ideal for watching racing, entertaining over Labor Day Weekend, and any time!

Let’s face it, over Labor Day Weekend people love to grill. As the unofficial end of summer it is people’s last big hurrah for entertaining by the grill. So, along with your hamburgers and hot dogs, flank steaks and London broils, chicken kabobs and grilled fish, add some of these side dishes and desserts to the menu to make it a decidedly Georgian fare.

Here are some of the great recipes I found.

Georgia Cracker Salad
Recipe found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/georgia-cracker-salad/detail.aspx
Provided By: CHEAPMARYHUNT
"This is a traditional Southern salad. Best if eaten immediately upon preparing."

Ingredients:

1 (4 ounce) packet saltine crackers
1 large tomato, chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions:

Coarsely crumble the saltines into a medium bowl. Mix in the tomato, onions and mayonnaise. Stir in the hard-cooked egg, and season with salt and pepper.


Georgians are fiercely proud of their peaches and all they can do with them. This is a great way to preserve the season’s best peaches for use throughout the year.

Georgia Spiced Peaches
Recipe found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/georgia-spiced-peaches/detail.aspx
Provided By: Donna
"This is an old, old recipe from relatives in Georgia."

Ingredients:

19 pounds firm ripe peaches
7 pounds white sugar
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 quart water
24 whole cloves
3 tablespoons crushed cinnamon stick


Directions:

Peel peaches and set aside. In a large pot over medium high heat, boil sugar, vinegar and water until the syrup is moderately thick.
Add cloves, cinnamon and peaches. Bring to boil stirring occasionally until the peaches can be pierced to the pit with a fork.
Fill sterilized canning jars with peaches. Continue boiling syrup until heavy and add to peaches to cover.
In a large stock pot, pour water half way to top with boiling water. Using a holder, carefully lower jars into pot. Leave a 2-inch space between jars. Add more boiling water to cover them, about 2 inches above the tops. Bring to a boil and cover, processing for 35 minutes. Remove jars from pot. Put jars on a wood or cloth surface, several inches apart and allow to cool. Jars will be sealed.


If you are a gardener with a bumper crop of squash or someone gifted you their surplus of this versatile vegetable, here is a terrific use for it all!

Summer Squash and Onion Cheesy Casserole
Recipe found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/summer-squash-and-onion-cheesy-casserole/detail.aspx
Provided By: Coleman Bell
"My Great Great Grandmother used to make this when I was young, and it has always been a favorite of my Atlanta and Alabama relatives! I learned how to make it from my Aunt Edith Russell, while visiting her in Atlanta in the mid-1990s!"

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 summer squash, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 onions, chopped
1 pound shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
1/2 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, divided


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish with about 1/2 tablespoon of butter.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and cook the summer squash and zucchini until the squash pieces begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and spread into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the chopped onions.
Mix together the white Cheddar cheese and yellow Cheddar cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined, and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture over the onions. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of the sweetened condensed milk. Repeat sprinkling cheese, onions, and condensed milk twice more, then top with remaining cheese mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is golden brown and the onions are tender, about 30 minutes.


Once again, peaches are the pride and joy of Georgia so they get a lot of play in recipes. Here is a classic summertime treat that can be enjoyed year round!


Georgia Peach Homemade Ice Cream
Recipe found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/georgia-peach-homemade-ice-cream/detail.aspx
Provided By: NANCED35
"This is the best Peach Ice Cream you'll ever eat!!!"

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pint half-and-half cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk, or as needed


Directions:

Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor.
In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream.


Finally a recipe to try now and file away for the holidays! My family celebrates a “Fakesgiving”, turkey and all of the trimmings with close friends and family over Labor Day Weekend as a farewell to summer and a welcome of the new school year. It’s a fabulous way to enjoy Thanksgiving without the stresses of the actual holiday season. I highly recommend you host a “Fakesgiving”! I’m saving this recipe to try for sure!


Sweet Potato Pie I
Recipe found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-pie-i/detail.aspx
Provided By: COUGAAR
"This recipe was shared with me by a special friend in Atlanta, Ga. It has long been a favorite, and everyone who tastes it says it is the best they have ever had."

Ingredients:

1 (1 pound) sweet potato
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust


Directions:

Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.


So here is a fun collection of recipes to flesh out the mainstays in your repertoire. They all connect back to Georgia and are a great way to “armchair travel” to the race from Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

Please join me tomorrow for the week ending and always interactive Friday Music Blog on Chief 187™Chatter.