Paul McCartney shows off his masterful mashed potato cooking skills in this video clip. He says some amazing lines like “Get me wee cloth and wipe me handies” and even gets into an argument with his oven mit. As I’ve been assigned mashed potatoes duty at this year’s Thanksgiving feast, I’ll be using this clip as my guide. Cooking with Paul…wish me luck!

Click here to view the embedded video.Paul and Linda McCartney- Eat At Home

In honor of Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday, why don’t you put on some sweet Elvis tunes and make one of his favorite creations (and I’m not talking about polk salad).  Now, we all know that Elvis had a passion for fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches. But if you really want to go all out, you can attempt to make the famous Fool’s Gold Loaf, which was a sandwich that he actually flew from Memphis to Denver to get on the evening of February 1, 1976. He literally got the craving in Memphis, hopped on his plane and flew the two hours to Denver (arriving at 1:40 am). He then had 22 Fool’s Gold Loaves delivered from the Colorado Mine Company Restaurant right to the airport hangar where he ate them with his friends and crew over the course of three hours and then returned home right after, never leaving the airport. The sandwich features an entire loaf of bread hallowed out and filled with bacon, grape jelly and  peanut butter. Check out the recipe for the sandwich after the jump.

Fool’s Gold Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 loaf Italian bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 lb lean bacon
1 (10 ounce) jar smooth peanut butter
1 (10 ounce) jar grape jelly

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spread the butter on sides of the loaf. Place the bread on a baking sheet in the oven. Fry the bacon until it is crisp and drain it thoroughly on paper towels. Remove the loaf from the oven when it is evenly browned, approx. 15 minutes. Slice the loaf lengthwise and hollow out the interior, leaving as much bread along the walls as desired. While the bacon is still warm, fill the insides of the loaf with peanut butter and jelly to taste. Arrange the bacon slices on top of the peanut butter and jelly. Close the loaf. Enjoy.

My old college buddy Richard recently started a website called Pie a Day where he bakes a different pie every single day and shares his experiences and recipes with you. I asked him to create a little country themed pie for When You Awake and he came up with this delicious deep dish Bourbon Peach Pie. You can find step by step instructions (with pictures) on how to make this delectable treat at Pie A Day.com. We recommend pairing the baking and devouring of it with a little Thin Lizzy and the booze-fueled tune, “Whiskey in the Jar.” Total peach perfection.

What better way to start off your weekend than with Willie Nelson and some tangy booze. Whether you’re just looking to wake up in the morning or to fix a broken and bleedin’ heart like our man Willie, check out the recipe after the jump.

Ingredients:
1 Large Bottle of Tomato Juice
Pimento Stuff Green Olives
Pepperoncinis
Celery Salt
Horseradish
Worcestershire Sauce (If you are a vegetarian, Annie’s Naturals makes a veggie version free of the anchovies included in the standard issue)
Tabasco Sauce
Black Pepper
6 lemons (4-5 for juicing, reserve 1 for garnish)
1 lime for garnish
1 head of celery for garnish

Other great additions include: spicy green beans, thick slices of salami, shrimp, pickled okra, and for the truly adventurous, oyster shooters at the bottom of the glass!

Directions:
Mix a ½ cup of fresh squeeze lemon juice with 2 rounded tablespoons of horseradish, 1/8 of a cup of olive brine, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, 3 teaspoons of celery salt, 2 teaspoons of black pepper and a splash of pepperoncini brine in a large measuring cup. For the Tabasco, how much or how little depends on how spicy you like your drinks! For these ratios, start with 6-8 drops and then add to taste once your mix is completed.

The simplest way to mix this all up is to pour out about a cup of tomato juice from your bottle and then pour in the mixed spices. Put the lid back on and shake it up! To serve, pour over ice with as much or as little vodka as you would like then add 2 olives, 1 stalk of celery, 1 whole pepperoncini and a slice each of lemon and lime.
(Recipe from Slash Food. )

To join in the Mardis Gras revelry, why not whip up a bowl of the New Orleans’ staple Jambalaya? The Creole/Cajun dish, made from a mixture of rice, meats and spices, is so good that it has actually inspired numerous artists to sing it’s praises.  For instance, here is Leon Russell singing  ”Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” in February of 1965 at the tender age of 23. Did you notice Glen Campbell rocking out on the banjo? The recipe for this delicious dish and more versions of the tune by Hank Williams (who wrote the tune), Dwight Yoakam, Andy Kaufman and others are after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.Hank Williams- Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Click here to view the embedded video.Dwight Yoakam- Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Click here to view the embedded video.Emmylou Harris- Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Click here to view the embedded video.Roy Clark- Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Click here to view the embedded video.Andy Kaufman- Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Bubba’s Jambalaya from All Recipes

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
6 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound cubed cooked ham
1/2 pound cubed cooked chicken
1/2 pound cubed smoked sausage
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, with liquid
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 cups uncooked white rice
1/2 pound salad shrimp

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add celery, bell pepper, and onion to the bacon drippings, and cook until tender.
Add the ham, chicken and sausage to the pot, and pour in the tomatoes, beef broth and chicken broth. Season with thyme and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Stir in the shrimp and bacon just before serving, and heat through. If you use uncooked shrimp, let it cook for about 5 minutes before serving.

]]> http://whenyouawake.com/2009/02/24/shakin-and-bakin-with-leon-russell-and-jambalaya/feed/ 1 http://whenyouawake.com/2008/11/27/shakin-and-bakin-with-bob-dylan-and-country-pecan-pie/ http://whenyouawake.com/2008/11/27/shakin-and-bakin-with-bob-dylan-and-country-pecan-pie/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:13:43 +0000 jody http://whenyouawake.com/?p=2689 Click here to view the embedded video.Bob Dylan- Country Pie

The Holidays are here and the extended family is arriving. So you know what that means?  Tis the season to dust off that old bottle of Whiskey and put it to some use! To fire up that holiday spirit, add Country Bourbon Pecan Pie to your Thanksgiving meal. Pair it with a song like Dylan’s “Country Pie” and you’ll feel so calm and toasty, you won’t even mind Auntie Mildred pinching your cheeks. Recipe is after the jump.

Country Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. (From Southern Jewel’s Kiss the Cook).

What’s smooth, sweet and warm? It’s either George Jones’ love interest in the song ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ or this fine cup of Whiskey Tea! Get ready for some heavy relaxation when you mix up this heavenly concoction. With milk, sugar and a whole of lot of whiskey, it’s sure to hit the spot. Hmmm… is 11 am too early for tea time?

Whiskey Tea

INGREDIENTS
1 cup boiling water
1 tea bag
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger Tennessee whiskey
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon white suga

DIRECTIONS
Pour boiling water into a mug, and place the tea bag in to steep for about 1 minute. Remove and discard the tea bag. Pour in the whiskey, milk and sugar as desired. Stir, drink, relax. (from http://allrecipes.com/)

“I’ll even learn to like the taste of Whiskey”. Your sweetheart sure will when you whip them up a jar of Whiskey Cherries! Mix them into your favorite drink or even try baking them into an apple pie or atop some ice cream and you will be singing the praises of these sweet little things (with a kick of course). They are supposed to sit for at least 6 months to fully achieve that perfert whiskey-enhanced flavor, but what a delightful treat come winter! And who said that March is too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts?

Whiskey Cherries
Yields 6 jars

What you will need:
1 canning kettle
6 canning jars
5 pints sweet cherries, stems removed
750 ml cheap whiskey

1. Fill canning kettle with water and bring to a boil.

2. Turn jars upside down and immerse them on the kettle’s rack.

3. Pull jars out of the hot-water bath (use tongs or a dish towel) and fill with washed, unpitted sweet cherries.

4. Pack each jar to the rim with cherries, leaving a bit of airspace.

5. Pour whiskey into each jar, also to the rim, leaving some space at the top.

6. Place canning jar lids over jar openings and screw rings tightly around lids.

7. Allow jars to cool by setting them on a dry towel away from drafts. (Cold air can crack the jars, since they are still very hot.)

8. Once the jars reach room temperature, store in a dark, cool place for at least six months. (They’ll keep for years.)

9. Serve over ice cream, to accompany chocolates, or in a Manhattan for your favorite farmer boy.

A Lunar Eclipse only happens once every couple of years and we have provided you with the ingredients to make it the perfect experience! First, we are offering a special edition When You Awake Mixtape with songs about the Moon. And then to make tonight “out of this world”, pair the mixtape, which features music by Van Morrison, Hank Williams and Wilco among others, with our Whiskey Moon Cake recipe and let the moon gazing begin!

Mixin’ With The Moon:

1. Van Morrison- ‘Moondance’
2. Wilco – ‘More Like the Moon’
3. The Rolling Stones – ‘Moonlight Mile’
4. Hank Williams- ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’
5. Bill Monroe – ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’
6. Cat Stevens – ‘Moonshadow’
7. Feist – ‘My Moon My Man’
8. Echo and the Bunnymen – ‘The Killing Moon’
9. Emmylou Harris – ‘When My Blue Moon Turns Gold’
10. Jimmie Rodgers – ‘Mississippi Moon’
11. Grateful Dead – ‘Mountains Of The Moon’
12. Nick Drake – ‘Pink Moon’

Whiskey Moon Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup whiskey
4 fluid ounces strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Combine flour and white sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
Put 1/2 cup buttermilk into a large glass and add baking soda, stir until combined, set aside.
In medium sauce pan over medium heat combine water, shortening, 1/2 cup butter and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Stir until shortening and butter are melted. Allow to boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add chocolate mixture to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add buttermilk baking soda mixture, stir until blended. Add eggs and mix. Add the whiskey and the espresso and keep mixing. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes.
To Make Frosting: Combine 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons cocoa in medium sauce pan, allow to come to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add confectioners sugar and mix well, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and chopped nuts. Pour over hot cake. Allow cake to cool. The longer this sets, the better it gets!

The days have been sunny, but the nights have been freeeeezing here in Los Angeles! Should you decide to spend your Friday evening bundled up at home, I would completely understand. Let me offer you a hot whiskey beverage to make and enjoy in the comfort of your warmest pajamas.

Drink to Merle Haggard’s “Stay Here and Drink”, and you’ll find yourself nodding your head, tapping your fingers on your glass, and with the help of this recipe, singing the praises of old Merle. Yeah, I think I will stay here and drink!

Hot Toddy

Ingredients
1 teaspoon honey
2 fluid ounces boiling water
1 1/2 fluid ounces whiskey
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 slice lemon
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions
Pour the honey, boiling water, and whiskey into a mug. Spice it with the cloves and cinnamon, and put in the slice of lemon. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes so the flavors can mingle, then sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg before serving.
(from www.allrecipes.com)