Southern Pecan And Coconut Pralines

Enjoy the sweet taste of the South with these heavenly homemade pralines with roasted pecan and added roasted coconut... makes these babies great!

2 ½ cups roasted grated coconut

3 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon coconut extract

3 cups light brown sugar, packed

1   cup half and half

3   cups roasted pecan halves


Combine the sugar, milk in a heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring, until the mixture comes to the soft-ball stage (about 239 degrees on a candy thermometer). 

add pecan and coconut and coconut extract
Remove from the heat, add the butter and beat until the mixture begins to sugar.

Drop in small mounds on wax paper. Cool, then gently lift with a thin knife. Store in an airtight container.

Spicy Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks

Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks is nothing but a Soul Food Dish. You can just eat it with a good piece of cornbread and a tall glass of Ice sweet Tea.

Ingredients

3 smoked hamhocks are a high-fat food so don't used many

1 lbs. dried pinto beans sorted and rinsed

3 toes garlic chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium chopped chopped

2 c. tomatoes, chopped

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. chili powder

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce



Directions

The night before, cover the beans with water and let soak overnight. Drain. Add fresh water to cover the beans and hamhock.

Boil hamhocks and beans med heat for 2 hour adding all seasonings except onion.

After the beans and seasoning cook tender add onion. mashing some of the beans on the side with a wooden spoon of the pot to make them creamy.

this would be the time to remove the chipotle pepper for a milder dish. If left it in, resulting in a spicy dish of beans. cook beans 10 more mins on low heat.

Serve with cornbread . you can also use the hamhocks as your meat side dish.