The Cookbook Junkie: Mint Juleps and Summer Breezes

By Gini Rainey

I’m pretty sure most of my readers are aware that I grew up in Moorhead, MN. But, for those of you who didn’t, well, there ya go!  When I was about to enter high school, my mother remarried and we lived for two weeks in the wonderful town of Muleshoe, Texas, until my stepfather found out he had been transferred to Tyler, Texas. Please know when I say “wonderful” as a descriptive word for Muleshoe, well, I’m totally not being honest at all. As unhappy as I was to move away from all my friends and relatives, when I found out we were moving away from Muleshoe, nothing could have made me happier!

So, as it luck would have it, in the small world category, when my great aunt found out where we were moving, she wrote my mother to let her know that one of my mom’s childhood friends from Fargo, whom she hadn’t seen in probably 30 years, lived in Tyler, too! The day my mom received that letter was stellar! She picked up the phone, called Margaret and of course said “Guess who this is?” Poor Margaret! No clue! After the revelation, it became and even smaller world when Margaret told her they only lived a couple of blocks from where we moved to. She now had three children whose ages and my stepsister’s and mine dove-tailed, so they planned a social gathering for all of us.  Needless to say, we spent the whole evening visiting with the kids and some of their friends (a real bona fide Coke party – never heard of such!) who delighted in spelling out words and asking me how I said them! You know, like oil, mirror, window, etc., after which they laughed their butts off at my Minnesota accent. Memorable.

So, all that is to say, I purchased a cookbook born and bred in New Orleans written by Reese Witherspoon. Whiskey In A Teacup, published in 2018 by Touchstone, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc, is filled with the most interesting stories about her life growing up close to the Garden District, her relationship with her grandmother, decorating ideas, and of course, recipes and menu ideas. The photography is stunning and you will almost feel like you are sitting down to a glass of her grandmother’s sweet tea while sitting on her beautiful white wrap-around porch as you take in the wonderful details about life in the South.

Whether it was Reese baking a pan of Mama’s Biscuits, dining on Brother John’s Ribs smothered in John’s BBQ Sauce, or sipping on a Mint Julep, you will find yourself engrossed in Reese’s shared recipes and tales.  Not just a cookbook, this will also be an engrossing read!

Filled with so many delicious-sounding recipes, it really was difficult for me to choose just one, so you may find more from this book in future blogs! I finally settled on Easter Rolls, but don’t think you have to wait until Easter to try this easy-peasy recipe! Start out by combine ¼ cup of dark brown sugar, ¼ cup light corn syrup, 4 tablespoons of butter and a dash of salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over low heat, cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ cup coarsely chopped and toasted pecans. Divide the mixture evenly among the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Place a frozen Parker House roll on top of the mixture in each cup. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 2 ½  or 3 hours until doubled in size. Bake* for 12-15 minutes in a pre-heated 400 oven. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Turn out upside down onto a serving platter, spooning the pecan mixture over the tops. Let cool slightly before serving with butter.  This is so easy AND yummy! Enjoy!

*Do as I say and not as I didn’t! Put a tray or a piece of foil under the muffin tin pan do catch the bubbly pecan sauce or you’ll get to clean a very sticky oven!

Questions or comments? Please write me at thecookbookjunkie@aol.com