This is Outback’s Golden Coast Coconut Shrimp.

Ingredients:

8 ounces of beer, let the beer sit out for a little while until it becomes flat.

1 cup of self-rising flour

7 ounces of sweetened shredded coconut, divided

2 tablespoons of sugar

A dash of salt

12 jumbo shrimp, deveined, peeled, and tail left on the shrimp

A sprinkle of paprika

Oil for frying

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup of orange marmalade

2 teaspoons of ground mustard, you can use Creole mustard if you like

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish

Directions:

Step 1:

In a bowl, place your 1/2 cup of orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons of ground mustard, salt, and prepared horseradish. Whisk all the ingredients together, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl of sauce in the fridge for 1 hour.

Step 2:

Prepare the shrimp batter by combining your flat beer, flour, 1/2 cup of coconut flakes, salt, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Stir all the ingredients together, then let the batter sit for 1 hour.

Step 3:

Heat your oil in a deep fryer until it reaches 350 degrees. Place the remaining coconut flakes on a plate. Pat the shrimp dry and sprinkle them with paprika.

Step 4:

Dip the shrimp into the beer batter and toss to coat. Transfer the shrimp to the coconut flakes in the plate and coat well. Fry the shrimp for 3 minutes or until they are golden brown in color and fully cooked. Be sure to turn them while they cook. Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

This is a holiday classic recipe to make with the family, with only 5 ingredients!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of plain mashed potatoes

1/2 cup of salted butter, softened

7 cups of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Peanut butter for filling

Directions:

Step 1:

Add in your plain mashed potatoes, softened salted butter, and one cup of the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to stir each of the ingredients together until the mixture is well combined.

Step 2:

Add in your remaining 6 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and stir all of the mixture together. Be sure to stir after each cup of the powdered sugar that is added. Once you have added all of the cups of powdered sugar into the mashed potato mixture, check to make sure that the consistency of the mixture is moldable. If it is not able to mold, add more powdered sugar to the mixture. You want the mixture to be firm and be able to roll into a ball.

Step 3:

Stir in your vanilla extract, and once it is mixed in evenly. Place the mixture into the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Any longer than an hour will cause the mixture to become too firm, which is definitely not what you want.

Step 4:

Once the dough is chilled, divide it into 2 pieces and place one of the pieces on a clean surface dusted with powdered sugar. Roll the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Spread peanut butter evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a tiny space without peanut butter around the perimeter. Gently roll your dough into a log. Cut the dough into slices. Repeat with the other potato dough. Serve and enjoy!

This is the super simple recipe to make P. F. Chang’s homemade Hot and Sour Soup.

Ingredients:

5 dried wood ear mushrooms

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

8 dried tiger lily buds

4 cups of chicken stock

1/3 cup of bamboo shoots, diced

1/3 cup of lean ground pork

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

A dash of white sugar

A dash of ground white pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

3 tablespoons of water

8 ounces of firm tofu, cubed

1 egg, beaten lightly

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

2 tablespoons of green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Step 1:

Soak the dried mushrooms and tiger lily buds in warm water for 20 minutes. After trimming off any of the tough stems, slice the mushrooms. With your fingers, shred the tiger lily stems. Place the mushrooms, tiger lily buds, stock, bamboo shoots, and the pork in a pan and mix all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 2:

Stir in your soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper, and vinegar. In a bowl, add in your cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and whisk together. Add a little bit of soup into the bowl and then return the mixture to the pan. Stir the mixture while bringing the soup to a boil. Once boiling, add in your bean curd and cook for 2 more minutes.

Step 3:

Turn off the heat and stir in your egg slowly. Mix in your sesame oil and sprinkle the top of the soup with chopped green onions. Enjoy!

I cannot remember many occasions when my Southern Mamaw did not make this delicate dish. This is her go-to holiday, special shower, birthday, and anniversary side dish. The best part about this recipe is that you only need 3 ingredients to make it!

Ingredients:

2 18-ounce bags of frozen, fully cooked, bite-sized Italian meatballs

1 12-ounce bottle of chili sauce, any brand

1 12-ounce jar of Concord grape jelly, any brand. You need 1 cup

Directions:

Step 1:

Place the 2 18-ounce bags of frozen meatballs in a large slow cooker. Add in your 12-ounce bottle of chili sauce and 12-ounce jar of grape jelly to the slow cooker over top of the frozen meatballs. Stir all the ingredients together well and coat the meatballs evenly with the grape jelly sauce.

Step 2:

Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook the meatballs and the sauce on high for around 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Cook the meatballs until they are completely heated through, and the sauce has thickened in texture. After you cook the meatballs for 2 or 2 1/2 hours, place your slow cooker heat up to low heat and cook the meatballs for another 3 to 4 hours.

Step 3:

Turn the warm setting on your slow cooker and allow the meatballs to be served from the slow cooker. Or if you are feeling festive, carefully ladle the meatballs and their sauce out of the slow cooker and garnish the meatballs with finely chopped parsley for garnish.

This is the Cheesecake Factory’s Cheeseburger Spring Rolls recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef

1 onion, diced

4 slices of yellow American cheese, diced

2 tablespoons of ketchup

A dash of salt

A dash of pepper

8 spring roll wrappers

2 tablespoons of water, to seal the wrappers

1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with the water to seal the wrappers

Oil for frying

Dipping Ingredients:

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon of ketchup

1 tablespoon of minced onion

A dash of paprika

Directions:

Step 1:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onions into the skillet and cook the ground beef and onions until the beef is browned and the onions are soft.

Step 2:

Drain the excess grease out of the skillet and then return the mixture to the heat. Add the diced American yellow cheese, ketchup, a dash of salt, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper to the skillet. Stir the ingredients all together until the cheese has melted and the mixture is combined. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool a little bit.

Step 3:

Begin the process of assembling the wrappers by laying each of the spring wrappers out on a clean surface and placing 2 tablespoons of filling across the center of the wrappers. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up over the filling, and fold in the sides, then roll tight towards the very top corner. Seal the edges with the water and cornstarch mixture.

Step 4:

Bring the heat of your oil to 350 degrees. Fry the spring rolls in batches and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown.

This is the recipe for Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Ingredients:

6 cups of all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 1/2 cups of cold butter, cut into cubes

3 1/2 cups of milk

3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

6 teaspoons of garlic powder, divided

2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped

Directions:

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While your oven is preheating, in a large bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, salt, and cold butter. Use an electric mixer and beat the mixture in the bowl, starting at low speed and increasing to medium speed. Continue mixing until a dough forms, leaving pea-sized lumps remaining. Slowly pour in your milk into the mixture and beat the mixture on low speed until the milk and the mixture are combined. Fold in your shredded cheddar cheese and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.

Step 2:

Using a spoon, carefully spoon out the mixture and place 2-inch-sized blobs onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place the biscuits into the oven and bake them until they are golden brown in color. This is normally after 20 minutes of cooking time.

Step 3:

While the biscuits are cooking in the oven, in a bowl, add 1/2 cup of butter. Melt the butter in the microwave for around 1 minute. Be sure to check the butter every 20 seconds. Stir in your parsley and garlic powder. Mix the ingredients well. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush the melted butter and seasoning over the top of each of the biscuits.

Looking for a super quick holiday side dish? Look no further because I might have you covered with this green bean casserole recipe.

Ingredients:

4 cups of frozen green beans, already cut

1 10.5oz can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup of milk

A dash of soy sauce

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of seasoned salt

1 1/2 cups of crispy fried onions

Directions:

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating to the desired temperature, fill a medium pot with water and add salt to the water. Not too much salt, though, because you don’t want the water to be too salty. Bring the salt water to a boil.

Step 2:

Add your cut frozen green beans and boil them until they are tender and have a crispy texture.

Step 3:

In another large bowl, combine your green beans with the cream of mushroom soup, whole milk, soy sauce, 1 cup of crispy fried onions, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix all of the ingredients well together, then add all of the ingredients to a 2-quart baking dish. Place the casserole into the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the casserole becomes bubbly.

Step 4:

Remove the casserole from the oven and stir the casserole. Top the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup of crispy fried onions and place the casserole into the oven one more time for 10 minutes or until the casserole is golden in color. Serve the casserole and enjoy!

This is Outback Steakhouse’s homemade baked potato soup recipe.

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water to boil the potatoes

8 potatoes, rinsed, peeled, and diced

4 cans of chicken broth

1 onion, diced

A dash of salt

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

2 cups of cold water

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup of bacon bits

1/4 cup of green onions

Directions:

Step 1:

Rinse off your potatoes and peel them. Dice the potatoes into cubes and place them potatoes into a kettle and fill the kettle up with 2 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil and boil the potatoes until they are done. Remove the cooked potatoes from the heat and set the kettle to the side.

Step 2:

In another pot, add in your chicken broth, diced onions, salt, ground black pepper, and 2 more cups of water. Stir all of the ingredients together in the pot and bring it to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 3:

In a small pot, melt 2 sticks of butter and 3/4 cup of flour together and stir well. Slowly add the mixture to the chicken broth liquid mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream slowly to thicken the soup mixture. Stir and bring the mixture to a simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the water out of the potatoes and place the potatoes into the soup and serve. Garnish the soups with shredded cheese, bacon bits, and diced green onions.

These are the famous Blue Ridge Mountains that I call home but how did they get so blue? Let’s find out!

During summer days the mountains can be seen as if they are blueish and grayish. Other days they can be seen as sky blue, turquoise or a blueish black or even purple!

Several debates have been discussed over how they are so blue. One 1964 New York Times article discussed Dr. F. W. Went’s theory on why they are so blue which was then tested by Dr. Reinhold A. Rasmussen and other unknown people, and it was stated that “In 1960, Dr. Went advanced the idea that the blue hazes originated in vapors thrown off by trees-‘ molecularly dispersed organic substances derived from plants,’ as he expressed it. He also went on to theorize that ‘under the influence of light, this material condenses and produces a blue haze.’”

It is also said that the Blue Ridge Mountains produce their color in the distance from the millions of trees which are located in the valley. When these trees and their isoprene, which is an organic compound known to be produced by plants, animals and even humans, are released into the air it creates the blue haze smoke look to the mountains.

Then there is this theory. That the trees are producing fine mists of volatile organic compounds (also known as VOCs) which spreads out the blue light waves.

With all this being said, there is several speculations on how the Blue Ridge Mountains are blue, but one thing is for certain we all know that they are a true masterpiece from the one above.