Pretzel Salad, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Pretzel Salad

By Beverly Hicks Burch

I don’t know what it is about Southerners, but nothing says comfort to us like a covered dish. Give us a sick or injured friend or family member, or heaven forbid a funeral, or “dinner on the ground” and someone goes into gear organizing the “Covered Dish Brigade” making sure there will be a spread “laid out” fit for a King…well, at least maybe Elvis. I’ve often wondered if the habit harkens back to the Scots-Irish ancestry so many Southerners share and the habit those ancestors had for celebrating the dearly departed with wakes.

One of the staples of those covered dish meals is the congealed salad. And, believe me there have been creative and inventive souls over the years who have done things with the imagination and gelatin that well, is kind of like the Star Trek tag line…they have gone where no man (or woman) has gone before (and in some cases probably should have gone)…

Several years ago I was at one such covered dish event…the occasion escapes me now…but, one dish stands out in my mind. Yes, it was a congealed dish. I must confess I have a soft spot for some of these little maligned dishes. Don’t know why other than my folks always said I had a thing for the underdog…

Anyway, it came highly praised, but I was very hesitant to give it a try. (I wasn’t quite as adventurous back then.) It was called Pretzel Salad. My younger mind just could not conceive the juxtaposition of pretzels and gelatin/Jell-O. It only took one bite to convince me.

So for the curious of mind…here is Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

© 2009 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups thin stick pretzels, coarsely crushed

¼ cup butter, melted

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 – 8 oz. package cream cheese

8 oz. container Cool Whip (I use the Lite Cool Whip)

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

2 ½ cups water

1 6 oz. package strawberry Jell-o

2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Evenly spread the pretzels in the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.

3. Combine the melted butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour this evenly over the pretzels.

4. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

5. In a bowl beat cream cheese until soften. Add remaining ¾ cup sugar, vanilla and Cool Whip. Beat at medium speed and make sure mixture is creamy and smooth.

6. Pour and spread over pretzels.

7. To the Jell-o add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until Jell-o is dissolved. Add ½ cup cold water and the strawberries. After the Jell-o cools, pour over the cream cheese mixture.

8. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares to serve.

Bacon! …and Pimiento Cheese, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Bacon! …and Pimiento Cheese

By Beverly Hicks Burch

Am I the only one that thinks bacon should belong it its own special and totally honorable food group? Can you think of anything bacon doesn’t make better? Well, ok, maybe not caramel or chocolate…

Yes, I know…bacon isn’t considered to be particularly healthy for you, but there are precautions you can take.

· You can limit your intake or consumption of bacon.

· Years ago I discovered the wonders of center cut bacon. Center cut bacon reduces the fat and calories found in bacon and it tends to be leaner.

· Also, the market now offers low sodium varieties of bacon. And, of course there are different types of bacon like Canadian bacon which is extremely lean and lower in fat. Then there are the foreign types like Serrano (Spanish) and Prosciutto (Italian) types of bacon.

Another food I acquired a fondness of…kind of late in life…was Pimiento Cheese. I think I was at a tea or shower or reception and had for the first time in my life home-made Pimiento Cheese. It began a love affair. Maybe it’s a Southern thing, but I don’t know anyone that eats the stuff like we do. We’ll slather it on anything. Ever wonder who first put the combo of celery sticks and Pimiento Cheese together? As the Brits say, “Brilliant!”

Well, imagine the overload my taste buds went into when I saw a recipe in the July 2009 issue of Southern Living…we’re talking the kind where your mouth get all watery inside just from anticipation… The recipe was for Bacon Pimiento Cheese. Somewhere there has to be a culinary genius treading the soil of terra firma.

I’m going to share my version of the recipe. I called it my version because there are a couple of adaptations I would make to “lighten” it up just a tad. If you choose not to do this I’m sure yours will turn out just as yummy.

Enjoy!

©2009 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Bacon Pimiento Cheese

Adapted from a recipe from Southern Living July 2009

4 strips center cook bacon

16 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 – 4 oz. jar diced pimiento, rinsed and drained

½ cup low fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt or salt to taste (I reduced the salt also from the original)

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Cook bacon and drain well on paper towels. Crumble or chopped bacon.

2. Stir together bacon and remaining ingredients and mix until just blended.

3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.