Featured Food Blog - April 2016

Blogger and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Stacey Little is committed to getting folks back to the table for dinner.  His quick and easy recipes are allowing families to get a home-cooked meal on the table without a lot of hassle or expense.  Southern Living Magazine named Stacey one of the top 30 bloggers to be following for two consecutive years.  He has appeared on The Today Show and Fox and Friends and has lent his talents to national brands like Betty Crocker, GE, White Lily, Martha White, Kraft, and Queen Latifah, just to name a few.  Today, his easy, delicious recipes and heartfelt stories have brought millions to his blog, SouthernBite.com, since he created it in 2008.  Stacey's cookbook, The Southern Bite Cookbook, is available at book retailers across the country and online.  Stacey's deep Southern roots have him firmly planted in central Alabama where he lives with his wife, little boy, two dogs, and his collection of cast iron skillets.

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{Salted Caramel Bacon Monkey Bread}

Prep Time: 20 mins  |  Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 70 mins  |  Yields: 8-10 servings

10 slices Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon
2 (16.3-ounce) cans refrigerated honey butter flavor biscuits (regular biscuits will work fine, too)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cook the bacon over medium low heat to crisp and drain it on paper towels. Coarsely chop the bacon and set aside.
Open the biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. In a gallon-size zip-top bag, combine the white sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Add the biscuit pieces and close the bag. Toss the biscuit pieces to coat them in the cinnamon sugar.
Spray a Bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, then layer the biscuit pieces and bacon in the pan.
Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and salt and mix well. This may take some effort, but they will eventually mix together. Pour the mixture over the biscuits and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then place a platter over the pan and invert. Serve warm.

Cooking Tip
Be sure to read a recipe all the way through before beginning the first step.  Not everyone writes recipes the same way and sometimes there are things hiding in the latter part of the recipe. 

{Sweet Potato Casserole}
 with Pecan Praline Toppingeur}

Prep Time: 20 mins  |  Cook Time: 30 mins  |  Total Time: 50 mins  |  Yields: 8 servings

For the sweet potatoes:
3 lbs. medium Sweet potatoes
1½ cups Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 large Eggs
4 oz. Evaporated milk
¼ cup (½ stick) Butter, softened

For the topping:
1 cup firmly packed Light brown sugar
⅓ cup All-purpose flour
⅓ cup Butter, melted
¾ cup coarsely chopped Pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 1½-quart baking dish.
Peel and slice the potatoes, place them in a medium saucepan, and just cover them with water. Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
Drain the potatoes, and pour them into a large mixing bowl. Mash them well with a potato masher or a hand mixer. Add the sugar, vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk, and butter, and mix very well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
Combine the brown sugar, flour, butter, and pecans in a medium bowl. Spoon the mixture over the potatoes. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.