Recap: Masters Sunday Party

When I describe a sporting event as a family tradition and akin to America's birthday, like I did when I talked about the Masters golf tournament a few weeks ago, you should assume that food, drinks and a party will ensue.

This year I was inspired by a friend who had recently cooked us a traditional Irish meal for St. Patrick's day. Since the Masters tournament takes place in Augusta, GA and because I love bbq almost as much as I love Hokie football and cupcakes... a Southern theme seemed obvious.

I tried to carry the theme from appetizers to dessert but it's kind of hard to serve an entire Southern meal and not have people falling asleep on your couch. We're watching golf after all, it practically begs you to fall into a food coma!

So I modified it a bit. For appetizers I made caprese salad on golf tees, french onion dip with chips and pimento cheese sandwiches (for a bit of Augusta authenticity). The picture below shows the grape tomatoes and mozzarella balls on the golf tees but not dressed with balsamic and olive oil. Forgot to snap a shot after that, whoops!

For dinner I made lazy woman's pulled pork BBQ with 2 sauces, cole slaw, corn spoon bread (a family favorite) and a side salad.

And for dessert... a dump cake, one of the easiest desserts you'll ever make!

Never one to miss any action, Foster stayed front and center for all the cooking, hoping that we'd stumble over him and drop some food. 

 

The food and friends were fantastic and if you watched the final round, you were treated to some great golf (unless you were Rory McIlroy that is). I love nothing more than a race to the finish on the back nine. Except maybe a sudden death playoff. Or BBQ.

Dump Cake - the easiest dessert you'll ever make

If this isn't the easiest dessert you'll ever make, it should land somewhere in the top 3.  In case the name wasn't a dead giveaway, you literally dump the ingredients in and pop it in the oven. 

Ma Rob found this recipe a few years ago and it's been making an appearance at most major family holidays ever since.  It came from Adriana Trigiani who is a fabulous author.  If you haven't read her books, add these to your list immediately: Lucia, Lucia and The Queen of Big Time.

The dessert isn't really a cake, but it's not really a pie either.  It's indescribable.  But it is easy and delicious and it will do a great job of appeasing cake and pie lovers at every gathering.  I like to do this for dinner parties, you can pop it in just before sitting down to eat or just after you finish the meal and the timing will be perfect for a heavenly smelling kitchen right as your guests realize they did in fact save room for dessert.  Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream!

I don't typically do process shots but I had my camera handy when I was making this so I snapped a few so you could see how it comes together.  Sorry I don't have any pictures of a finished piece of cake.  I got busy eating and then forgot.  Whoops!

Dolly Parton Dump Cake

(Adriana Trigiani perfected the recipe while working as a writer on a Dolly Parton television project)

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of crushed pineapple
1 can of cherry pie filling (I've made it using raspberry filling too, just as fantastic)
1 can of blueberry pie filling
1 stick of butter

Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan (or save time and use the Pam spray with flour, woohoo for simplicity!)

Pour the can of crushed pineapple (including the juices) in the pan.  Next, carefully add the cherry pie filling in spoonfuls.  Then add the can of blueberry pie filling. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top of mixture (don't add eggs, oil, etc, JUST use the cake mix).

left: cherry pie filling on top of crushed pineapple
right: with blueberry pie topping on top of the cherry and pineapple

Slice the butter into tabs and place all over the cake (or use a grater and sprinkle it like grated cheese however watch your hands, I gave myself a nasty gash or 4 doing this).  Freezing the stick of butter beforehand can make it easier to work with. I've also been known to wear an oven mitt while grating the stick of butter.  Unwieldy?  Yes.  But better than the alternative.

looks like cheese but it's really a stick of grated frozen butter

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

finished product, just add ice cream

Note: The original recipe called for you to put the cake mix on the bottom of the pan and then add the fruit.  I had a hard time getting the cake mix at the bottom of the pan to cook all the way through, so I reversed it.  Do whatever sounds best to you.

Family Favorite Corn Spoon Bread

This side dish from the Masters Sunday party also qualifies as a lazy woman's recipe.  It's a family favorite and is actually what I contributed to the Thanksgiving table at Royfriend's house this year. 

Corn spoon bread is a bit like corn bread but it's much moister and actually has whole kernels of corn that give it a nice bit of crunch.  You eat it with a fork, not your hands, it doesn't need to be slathered in butter and it can be made ahead and reheated (bonus!).  And did I mention it was as easy as dumping some stuff in a bowl?!?  The sprinkling of monterey jack cheese on top is the proverbial icing on the cake, adding a bit of flavor without overdoing it like cheddar cheese might.

It pairs well with BBQ but would also go well with chicken, ham, a roast, you get the picture.  Consider it as an option for your next holiday or pot luck!  And in case you find yourself thinking about this for a big family meal and wondering hmm, Corn Spoon bread, should I still serve rolls?  The answer is yes!  This is much more of a side than a bread like item.

Happy Eating!

*****

Family Favorite Corn Spoon Bread

5 mins active, 50 mins total

Serves 6-8

1 – 8.5oz box of corn muffin mix

1 – 7.5oz can of whole kernel corn*
1 – 7.5 oz can of creamed corn*
1 cup of sour cream
2 large eggs (beaten)
½ cup of melted, unsalted butter
½ cup of grated, Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese 

*make sure you get the smaller 7.5 oz cans of corn, the regular size throws everything off

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine everything except cheese in a large mixing bowl.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Bake for 35 min.  Sprinkle cheese on the top and bake 10 min more.

MAKING IT AHEAD OF TIME?  Bake only for the first 35 minutes until the mixture is set.  Cool and store in the fridge for up to a day.  Before serving, bring the spoon bread to room temp, then sprinkle with cheese and bake 10-15 min to reheat the dish and melt the cheese.

Lazy Woman's Pulled Pork BBQ

I love BBQ.  I think it should be it's own food group.  Right next to oreos and cheese plates. 

That's why it was the natural thing for me to make for my Masters Sunday Party.  The recipe below could not be any simpler but everyone will be amazed at your homemade pulled pork.  Plan on half a pound of pork per person and make sure you give yourself enough time for everything to cook.

As with most crock pot recipes, your house is going to smell spectacular.  The ingredient list is short but powerful.  It has the most wonderful, almost tangy flavor (thanks to the vinegar) that you don't get with the store bought stuff.  I had to force myself to stop sneaking bites while I was shredding it.

I served mine straight from the crock pot with two sauce options on the side - my fave, Sweet Baby Ray's, and a new one, a Culinary Circle Carolina Mustard sauce. I even put them in squeeze bottles to be authentic!  Turns out my attempt to make it official was the way to go.  It made it a lot easier for everyone to make their sandwich to taste while trying both the sauces.  

Not pictured here is the slaw I served to go with BBQ.  I got a pre-shredded cabbage mix and dressed it myself using Marzetti's Slaw Dressing, so I could keep it from drowning in the sauce.  When you're fixing up your sandwich, put the slaw on top of your BBQ.  It's magical. 

Moral of the story... hang on to this one.  It's a fantastic, easy recipe that's perfect for a party, pot luck or tailgate.  One of those that makes it seem like you worked a lot harder than you did ;)  And great when you want to stay out of the kitchen and spend time with your guests. 

Happy Eating!

*****

half shredded, half falling off the bone

back in the crock pot after shredding

Pulled Pork BBQ  - the lazy woman's version

3-4 lb Pork Shoulder Roast
1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water
2 T. sugar

Place your roast in the crock pot.  Add apple cider vinegar, water and sugar.  Cook for 12-15 hours on low setting. 

After 10-12 hours, take the pork out of the crock pot and place it on a cutting board or platter (leave the liquid in the crock pot!!).  The roast should be falling apart.  Shred it with two forks or your hands. 

Place the shredded pork back in the crock pot with all the liquid.  Keep it on low or warm until you're ready to serve. 

The sauce in the crock pot is good, but your pork will probably need a real BBQ sauce.  Use your favorite and enjoy!

A bad bet

The Master's is this weekend.  It's one of golf's majors and it's a pretty major deal in my world too.  It's something my family has been actively celebrating for the past 10 years.  A chance for us to get together with family and friends and eat and drink.  Like Halloween or the 4th of July ...just minus America's Independence.  Or costumes.

We're having a Southern themed Masters Sunday Party this year and I'll be posting the recipes over the next few weeks. 

This year the Royfriend and Little Brother made a bet.  A bad bet, if you're Little Brother.  And unfortunately, Little Brother has not realized this yet. 

Little Brother and Royfriend

On Thursday, Royfriend called Little Brother and offered him 2 players or the field for a $10 bet.  Little Brother selected 2 players, meaning he'd get to pick 2 players and if either of them won, he'd win the $10.  The Royfriend got the field so if anyone one other than those 2 players wins, he's $10 richer. 

It doesn't sound exactly fair does it?  It actually sounds a lot like the kind of scam a big brother would pull on a younger sibling.  Neither Royfriend or Little Brother have a biological brother.  It's so sweet that they have each other now :) 

Little Brother selected Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. By Friday night it was obvious that Tiger was in the hunt but there were also a handful of unexpected contenders.  Little Brother reached out to the Royfriend to discuss refining the terms of the bet and picking up an unexpected contender.

Just to make sure you're following this at home... little brother is contacting big brother... to talk about adding the tournament leader to his bet... half way through the tournament.

As the big brother, Royfriend couldn't let this opportunity pass.  He and Little Brother agreed to a new bet.  Little Brother picked up the leader, Rory McIlroy, and Royfriend got the field (again).  Another $10.  Not a part of the earlier bet.

Meaning that yes, the Royfriend wins here either way.  And there are substantial odds that he wins both bets given that he has all but 3 of the players.  I'm not sure Little Brother has figured this out yet.

While this bet involves money, there's about a 1% chance that cash will actually change hands.  Like most sibling rivalries (biological or otherwise), it's all about pride. 

There's a lot on the line.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!