RECIPES: Ozark Classics

Old Fashioned Ozarks Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb pork sausage

3 eggs

1/2 cup ketchup

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, sausage, eggs, 1/2 cup of ketchup and bread crumbs until well blended. Pat into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Drain off some of the fat once in a while to keep spattering to a minimum.

-- Karen Mitchell

Catfish Cakes

1 lb catfish fillets

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp prepared yellow mustard

1 tbs Miracle Whip salad dressing

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

2 1/2 cups coarsely crushed buttery round crackers

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Place catfish in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Drain off water, and mash up the fish. Stir in the onion, mustard, salad dressing, Old Bay, cracker crumbs and egg. Mix until evenly blended.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Form the fish mixture into patties, and fry in the hot oil. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

-- Bobbie Kaye

Arkansas Green Beans

5 (15 oz) cans green beans, drained

7 slices bacon

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

7 tsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Place the drained green beans in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Cook bacon in a microwave on microwave-safe plate for 2 minutes until slightly cooked. Lay the bacon on top of the green beans.

Combine the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pour the butter mixture over the green beans and bacon. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

-- Kami Shay

Maple Glazed Ribs

3 lbs baby back pork ribs

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbs packed brown sugar

2 tbs ketchup

1 tbs cider vinegar

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mustard powder

Place ribs in a large pot, and cover with water. Cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Drain, and transfer ribs to a shallow dish.

In a small saucepan, stir together the maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and mustard powder. Bring to a low boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool slightly, then pour over ribs, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Prepare grill for cooking with indirect heat. Remove ribs from marinade. Transfer marinade to a small saucepan, and boil for several minutes.

Lightly oil grate. Cook for about 20 minutes, basting with the cooked marinade frequently, until nicely glazed.

-- Karen Toellner

Southern Fried Chicken

1 (3 lbs) whole chicken, cut into pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp paprika

1 qt vegetable oil for frying

Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and paprika. Roll in flour.

Add 1/2 to 3/4 inch oil to a large, heavy skillet. Heat to approximately 365 degrees. Place chicken pieces in hot oil. Cover, and fry until golden, turning once, 15-20 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

-- Cindy Garrick

Granny's Banana Bread

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tbs vanilla extract

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and white sugar. Stir in eggs, applesauce, bananas and vanilla extract. Fold in raisins and nuts if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

-- Terri Fevre

Ozarks Potato Salad

5 lbs red potatoes

1 large onion, chopped

2 1/2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing

1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

6 hard-cooked eggs, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Remove the peels and cut into cubes. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix together the onion, salad dressing and mustard. Stir in the hard-cooked eggs and cooled potatoes. Try not to mash the potatoes very much. Season with salt and pepper.

-- Linda Frost

Black-eyed Peas and Ham Hocks

3 cups water

1 lb dry black-eyed peas

2 smoked ham hocks

salt to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

Rinse dried peas thoroughly, sorting any tiny pebbles or other debris.

In a large stockpot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil with black-eyed peas, ham hocks, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours, or until peas and ham hocks are tender. If ham hocks require further cooking, simmer in water in a separate pot until meat is easily pulled from the bone.

Cool ham hocks and remove all meat from the bone. Stir ham into the peas, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, and serve.

-- Emily Doucet

Priceless Hillbilly Pie

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp butter, softened

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cream cheese, white sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a bowl and blend until creamy. Spread the mixture into the bottom of the pie crust. Whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, flour, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a separate bowl until combined; stir in the rolled oats. Pour the mixture over the cream cheese layer in the pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven until center is set, about 60 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

-- Jenny Herell

Arkansas Queso Dip

1 (8 oz.) package processed cheese product (such as Velveeta®), cubed

1 cup sour cream

1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles, undrained

1 (1.12 oz.) package McCormick® Cheesy Taco Seasoning Mix

Mix all ingredients in large microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 minute longer or until heated through. Stir until smooth.

Serve hot with tortilla chips.

-- McCormick Spice