Mississippi Comback Sauce

Sadly, we are back home from our vacation in Florida. It was wonderful. I hated to leave. As a matter of fact, on our way out to the car after returning the keys to the house we rented I shed a tear or two. It's hard to leave family behind.

After a two day trip home and even after a good night's sleep, I still didn't feel like cooking an elaborate meal. We settled on burgers. I had ciabatta rolls (which we prefer to regular hamburger buns) and hamburger patties in the freezer, and lettuce, tomato and onion in the refrigerator. All I needed was Comeback Sauce to take an ordinary burger to the next level.

I hadn't heard of Comeback Sauce until I saw it on Pinterest, so I looked it up on Wikipedia: "Comeback sauce (sometimes spelled kumback or cumback) is a distinctive dipping sauce and salad dressing often seen in the cuisine of central Mississippi. Similar to Louisiana remoulade, the base of the sauce consists of mayonnaise and chili sauce (or some approximation of that combination). The origin has been credited to The Rotisserie, a Greek restaurant that was located in Jackson, Mississippi."

There are hundreds of versions on the internet. I've combined several different recipes to produce this particular one.

It's a simple recipe; easy to quickly throw together. I would recommend mixing it up several hours before you use it, or even the night before, to allow the flavors to fully meld.

We've also used Comeback Sauce as a dip for French fries (instead of ketchup) and a sauce for crab cakes, salmon patties and sauteed or fried fish fillets. It would be delicious on a wedge salad sprinkled with crumbled bacon, and chopped tomatoes and avocado, as a dipping sauce for fried shrimp or as a dressing for a Reuben sandwich instead of the traditional thousand island.

But do not miss the opportunity to use Comeback Sauce to enhance the flavor of the lowly hamburger. You will not be sorry you did.



This recipe makes a pint and any leftovers store well in the refrigerator.



Comeback Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup chili sauce (either Heinz or Del Monte, but I've used a generic and that works fine)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Louisiana Hot Sauce or a few drops of Tabasco
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of one lemon

Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cranberry Salsa

I know I've been posting quite sporadically since just before Thanksgiving. I'm still a little sick. No fever, but I have what I call my mucous moments that last anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes....coughing, nose blowing, head draining disgusting moments. Then I'm just exhausted. But it's getting better.

My Thanksgiving was nice, but a little overdone. I made too many "heavy" items and it really took it's toll on the meal, but maybe that was just me. Everyone else seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

You know what was the really big hit of the meal? Not the turkey or gravy or mashed potatoes or cauliflower gratin or the stuffing or even the pumpkin latte cheesecake for dessert. It was one of the appetizers, Suzanne's Cranberry Salsa!

I have to admit, after I started putting the ingredients together, I didn't think I would like it all that much. I thought it would be too sweet for me, but boy was I wrong. This salsa is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

All my guests loved it and kept going back for more. Tom and I ate it for two days afterward and finally froze a small bag full for another time.

An added bonus was that, with all the other stuff to do for a holiday meal, this salsa was a cinch to prepare. Roughly chop the veggies, dump all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it's the salsa consistency you like. How easy is that?

I did change a couple of the ingredients. Instead of using stewed tomatoes, I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and I swapped out the fresh jalapeno for the candied jalapenos I posted HERE. Everything else was strictly according to Suzanne's recipe.



Cranberry Salsa
Adapted from You Made That?

1 28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes (I used 2 - 14-oz cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
1 small can of whole cranberry sauce or homemade
2 sticks celery chopped
8 baby carrots chopped
1 red onion chopped
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 jalapeño seeded (I used 1/4 cup of chopped candied jalepeños)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
3 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 T. spicy vinegar or red wine vinegar

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the consistency of salsa. Chill in refrigerator until cold and serve with tortilla chips.

Suzanne also notes that you could make this recipe without the cranberry sauce, but I used the cranberry sauce and I really liked it.

Candied Jalapenos and My Thanksgiving Menu

In my last post I said I would post the recipe for the candied jalapenos that I used in the Vietnamese Slaw and on the Pork Banh Mi Sandwich. We love these at our house. We use them for everything, from salsa to topping sandwiches. I took a jar to my son's house and they were a hit there as well. I've known folks who just chop up a few, mix them with cream cheese and serve it on crackers.

The recipe is the lazy person's method and has only three ingredients: a jar of pickled jalapenos, sugar and a touch of alum (which is optional). No picking jalapenos from the garden. No slicing. That's all done for you.

I buy the pickled jalapenos in the 64-oz. jar, so that's the amount I will use for the recipe. If you decided to use a smaller jar, just reduce the amount of sugar and alum by the same ratio.

You should keep the Candied Jalapenos in the refrigerator. Fair warning: they won't last long!

Candied Jalapenos

• 1 - 64-oz. jar pickled jalapenos
• 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon alum

Drain the liquid from the jar of peppers into a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar to the pan with the liquid and bring the mixture to a full boil. The sugar she be completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in alum. Allow the liquid to cool for 30 minutes.

Pour the cooled liquid back into the jar with the peppers. Do not allow to overflow. If there is any liquid remaining in the pan, discard it. Screw the lid back on the jar and refrigerate for a few days. Keep refrigerated.

That's it. I told you it was the lazy person's method.

Now, I'm already planning for Thanksgiving dinner. I think Tom's sister and brother-in-law will be coming, depending on their travel schedule, but whether we have company or not, we will have the traditional roast turkey, stuffing and gravy.

It's the rest of the meal I'd like to change up some.

Let's start with appetizers. First of all, I will make mini-sized Asian Turkey Meatballs. And a few days I saw a recipe for Baked Brie Bites @ Plain Chicken and I think I'd like to give those a whirl sometime before Thanksgiving, but they sound yummy without all of fuss of an En Croute.

The main course will, of course, be roast turkey, but I will put it in an apple cider brine the day before. The bird will be stuffed with a traditional bread stuffing, but Tom likes to add some fruit as well, like chopped apples and dates, along with the onions and celery. When we put the bird in the oven, I put the giblets and neck in a pot of water with some onion, carrot and celery and, when we are ready to serve, I make a gravy with the rich turkey broth.

I feel like switching up the side dishes this year. We usually make the traditional mashed potatoes, but I made Parisian Potatoes last month and I think I'll make them instead of mashed potatoes this year.


Not wanting to stray too far away from the traditional, green beans will still be on the menu, but not in the form of a casserole. A few years ago at a family reunion, my niece's husband made the tastiest green beans I've ever eaten. The dish consisted of simply fresh green beans, crisped bacon and butter, all of which were cooked together until the green beans were tender. Amazing.

A couple of years ago, I visited Marie @ Proud Italian Cook and copied her recipe for Parmesan Roasted Onions. They are rich, savory, creamy and delicious. And even if I'm the only one who eats them, they will be served Thanksgiving Day.

It's hard to decide what to do with a sweet potato. I'm not fond of the overly sweet candied sweet potato, nor do I care for the grated sweet potato casserole I've made the last 3 or 4 years. I'm thinking of roasting sweet potato rounds or wedges this year.

Of course, I will have my version of Cranberry Fool, a cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, a little sugar, dried cherries, raisins with a touch of vanilla.

For dessert, I am making a Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake posted at The Pastry Affair

I don't think anyone will leave hungry.

What are you serving for Thanksgiving dinner?



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So, You Think You Love Bacon??

I am usually of the opinion that if you add a little bacon to a dish, it probably will make it better.

A dish Tom makes on occasion is Spaghetti Carbonara, basically just spaghetti, eggs, parmesan, cream and bacon. Now, what's not to like? But, to put it mildly, it's obviously not the most healthy dish I've ever eaten, which is why we don't have it very often.

My oldest son, Mike, sent me an email the other day with a link to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Artisan Bacon Goes The Local Route, which spotlights local farms that produce Artisan bacons from their locally sourced pork.

To showcase it's many uses, the article includes a couple of recipes using bacon. It was the recipe for Bacon Fat Mayonnaise that prompted Mike to send me the article link.

I scanned down through the article and stopped at

"Bacon Fat Mayonnaise"
"Makes about 2 cups"
Before I actually read it, I was thinking that the recipe would simply be a modified traditional mayo with some cooked chopped bacon blended in to give it the bacon flavor, which of course would probably be pretty tasty. Au contraire!

The ingredients should be chilled and are as follows:

• 5 egg yolks (standard for homemade mayonnaise)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (also standard)
• 7 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (standard again)
• Salt & pepper (nothing new here)
• 1-1/2 cups rendered bacon fat

Yes, 1-1/2 CUPS of CONGEALED BACON FAT!

The deadly cholesterol concentration notwithstanding, the mere thought of a concoction of that texture touching my tongue....Oh Lord! I think I just threw up a little in my mouth!

Use the link for the entire recipe and make it if you dare!

Dude, It's Almost Thanksgiving !!

I'm ready. I think.

I have my menu...



Maybe it's not as ambitious as some menus, but it's enough to send me whimpering off into the night when the meal is finally over... just kidding.

What is actually missing from the menu is the Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls that I added after I printed and sent the menu to my guests.

I've broken down the menu into several parts and I will prepare quite a few dishes ahead of time. Today I will make (or attempt to make) these beautiful Sweet Potato Buttermilk dinner rolls, this creamy Cranberry Horseradish Relish, and my own recipe for Cheesy Corn Casserole which has basically the same ingredients as the traditional Broccoli Casserole, swapping out the broccoli for corn.

What are you having?

"Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea, Yeah Pepto Bismol!"

Sorry if I ruined your appetite, but this wonderful Cranberry Horseradish Relish is really an ugly, unappetizing color... the color of Pepto Bismol. It really doesn't look like it belongs on plate. But I swear to you it is delicious!

As I posted back in November and December, we did not have Thanksgiving dinner at our house last year. Tom's sister cooked dinner at their house. As much as I love it when someone else does the cooking and serving, when all is said and done, I miss the leftovers. So Tom and I always have our own small turkey dinner.

We always make turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, but I wanted something just a little different this year and when I came across this recipe, I thought I'd try it. It really didn't sound very tasty, but the people on a forum that I visit just raved about it. So I thought, what the heck! I might as well try it.

Look, I know it looks awful. I completely agree with you, but, not only is it delicious on turkey, we had it with these Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops that I initially posted back in September 2007. The recipe makes a lot for the two of us, so I had frozen the rest to use later.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish
Adapted from NPR, Susan Stamburg, Nov 23, 2006

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (not horseradish sauce)

Put cranberries and onion in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Do not puree.

Add the sour cream, sugar and horseradish and mix well.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.I divided it into two containers.

About an hour and a half or so before you are ready to serve, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw just until a few ice slivers remain. It should be thick and creamy and, of course, that bright pink color.

Makes about 1-1/2 pints.