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Simplicity Gourmet explores Katie’s Nanny’s Kitchen…with a little snippet of wisdom too…

So…I talk about my Nanny a lot. She was a huge influence in my life – in cooking and countless other ways. She was extremely giving and generous, sharp as a tack, and very, very sassy (gee…it’s a wonder I’m not more like her…)!

This weekend, I traveled home to East Tennessee for a visit with my mom and siblings. My Nanny passed away earlier in the year and my mom has all sorts of treasure lurking around her house from my grandmother. Perhaps my favorite thing though, is a cookbook my Nanny wrote years, and years, and YEARS ago for a church sale…for only $1! I had soooo much fun looking through all of the recipes and even remembering her making several of them.

My favorite part, though, is a little excerpt she wrote in the beginning of “Let’s Have A Parteé” (she was quite ahead of her time!) called “The Morning Party”. You see, my Nanny was no morning person – she loved to sleep late – and combined with breakfast, coffee, paper reading, and “getting ready” – she easily needed three hours to get out the door.

What struck my mom and I most about this excerpt is how very much alike my Nanny and I write –      our  wit, world view, and humor. I always thought she was just so “proper” and that somehow, I just could not seem to overcome my outlandish ways to be such a person. It made me so happy to hear her voice on these pages, a voice that was so very close to my current age when it was written, and sounding just like me…

It has always been difficult for me to realize that some people are not forced from the bed, they get up by themselves, willingly. Not only are they awake…they are energetic, cheerful, able to function and ready for the day. It has become my habit, over the years, to avoid contact with this type of person until at least twelve-o’clock noon, with the exception of morning bridges, special coffees, and neighborhood get – togethers. These are just too much fun to miss, even if one must go half asleep, to smile and appear near normal, all the while downing one cup of coffee after another, sending caffeine laden messages of help to slovenly, morning rust-covered mind and muscle.

It is our hope the following recipes will be easy “do-ahead” helps for fellow “morning droops” and yet yummy enough to please all you energetic souls in “Morningland.”
Barabara Jean Brewster

Doesn’t she sound so awesome? You’d invite her to bridge, right?

Well, I’m not going to leave you without some of those yummy recipes she enticed you with. One of which is Tullahoma’s very own “cake maker” extraordinaire, Faye Whitt’s “Pecan Tassies” and of course, my Nanny’s Christmas morning staple, “Bacon N’ Cheese Puff Pie.” I hope you enjoy them as much as my family has over the years!

Happy Cooking!
Miss K

Bacon ‘n Cheese Puff Pie – Mrs. Barbara Jean Brewster

INGREDIENTS: 10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (or 1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled), 3 eggs (separated), ½ Cup All Purpose Flour, Paprika, 1 Can Crescent Rolls, 5 slices Cheddar Cheese, ¾ Cup Sour Cream, ½ tsp Onion Salt (or plain salt, if you desire)

INSTRUCTIONS: Fry the bacon (or sausage) until crisp; drain. Spray the 9” pie plate with Non-Stick spray (or butter it). Unroll crescent rolls and place triangles on the pie plate, pressing together to form a crust. Sprinkle bacon (or sausage) over the crust, place cheese over the bacon. Beat Egg whites until stiff, set aside. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, sour cream, flour, onion salt and dash of pepper. Blend well, and gently fold in egg whites. Pour mixture over cheese layer, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. NOTE: This may be prepared the night before a party, stored overnight in the Frigidaire, and baked fresh in the morning.

Pecan Tassies – Mrs. Faye Whitt

INGREDIENTS: 6 oz Cream Cheese, 1 Cup Butter, 2 Cups All Purpose Flour (sifted) / FILLING: 2 TBSP Butter, 1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar 1 TBSP Vanilla, dash salt, 2 Eggs, 1 1/3 Cups Pecan, chopped, 48 pecan halves

INSTRUCTIONS: Cream softened cream cheese and butter together. Blend in flour. Chill dough for at least 1 hour. Cream 2 TBSP butter and brown sugar together. Add salt, vanilla, and the eggs. Beat well. To form cookies, make 48 balls of chilled dough, press into miniature greased muffin tins. Sprinkle each cookie with a few chopped pecans, 1 tsp of filling on each, and then top with a pecan halve. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remove from tins immediately.

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