A special 20th birthday meal

My father-in-law, Jerry McClanahan, is getting ready to have a 20th birthday. Yes, that's right, he's had 19 actual birthdays, but on Saturday, February 29 he'll celebrate on his leap day birthday for the 20th time.

Over the years we have had fun with his leap day birthday and have tried to make them special for him. Our children really enjoyed having the same number of birthdays as their grandpa. Our son, Ross, was 18 with his grandpa and our daughter, Lexie, was 19 with her grandpa. Each of those occasions were special parties, and everyone enjoyed celebrating together.

One time our son was in a Spanish class in school and he was to do a genealogy project about his grandparents. The teacher marked his paper wrong when he put how many birthdays his grandpa had had to that point, as she was sure it was a wrong answer.

Today I thought about some foods that I know Jerry loves to eat and enjoy with friends and family. A few of these are not the actual recipes my mother-in-law might have made, but I think he would love them all the same.

Happy 20th birthday, Pops! We love you and wish you many more fun birthdays.

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

• 1 pound dried red beans
• 7 cups water
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, sliced
• 3 tablespoons Creole seasoning
• Hot cooked rice
• Garnish: sliced green onions

Place first eight ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook, covered, on high setting 7 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with hot cooked rice. Garnish, if desired.

Old fashioned Pecan Tassies

Dough:

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Make Dough: Place 1/2 cup pecans in a food processor and blitz until finely ground. Set aside. In a bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fully incorporated. Add flour and ground pecans and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to press the dough into a solid mass. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough into each muffin cup. Use your fingers to evenly press dough into the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tin to freezer while making the filling.

Make filling: Whisk together egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is homogenous. Remove muffin tray from freezer. Place 1 teaspoon of chopped pecans in each of the muffin cups. Pour the filling over the pecans until it almost completely fills the pastry cups. Bake until the filling has puffed and the pastry has lightly browned, 20 to 24 minutes. Allow to cool before removing pecan tassies from muffin pan with an offset spatula.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 (12 ounce) package herb seasoned bread stuffing mix (Pepperidge Farm recommended)
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage or Bell's brand seasoning
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
• 2-1/2 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can original condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Butter a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking pan; set aside. Place stuffing mix in a large bowl and toss with sage or Bell's and poultry seasoning.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet until lightly browned; add onion and celery and saute until tender, add to stuffing and toss. Heat chicken broth and butter together, pour over stuffing mix and toss. Let rest for 5 minutes. Add mayo, toss to coat and add chicken. Transfer mixture to buttered casserole dish. Whisk together the milk and eggs and pour evenly on top; do not stir. Dollop cream soup on top and gently spread over the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Let casserole come to room temperature about 30 minutes, then preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, top with shredded cheese and return to oven for another 5 minutes. To cut into squares, let rest about 10 minutes.

Notes: May be made into two smaller casseroles. Freezes well. If you don't allow the casserole dish to come to room temperature before baking, it will take much longer to come up to temperature and often results in an overcooked and dry casserole. Cornbread stuffing mix may be substituted.

Classic Fried Catfish

• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 6 (4- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets
• 1/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)*
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Peanut oil

Whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce.

Place catfish in a single layer in a 13x9-inch baking dish; pour buttermilk mixture over fish. Cover and chill 8 hours, turning once.

Combine cornmeal and next 6 ingredients in a shallow dish.

Let fish stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.

Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a large, deep cast-iron or heavy-duty skillet; heat to 360 degrees.

Fry fish, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack on a paper towel-lined jelly-roll pan. Keep warm in a 225 degree oven until ready to serve.

Note: All-purpose flour or plain yellow cornmeal may be substituted.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 4 medium onions, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Hot cooked spaghetti

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, sausage, onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, oil and seasonings.

Cook, covered, on low 8 to 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Serve with spaghetti.

Freeze option: Cool before placing in a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Place in a large saucepan; heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve with spaghetti.

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons cold water
• Hot cooked rice, optional

Place chicken in a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper; pour over chicken. Cook, covered, on low 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a small saucepan; skim fat. Bring cooking juices to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken and, if desired, rice.

Pecan Sandies Cookies

Jerry eats Pecan Sandies cookies every morning for breakfast and has for many, many years. When you love a good cookie, why give it up?

• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter, slightly softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (walnuts are a good substitute)
• 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with baking parchment.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar until smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix to combine. Chill dough covered for at least 30 minutes.

By hand, firmly form dough into 1-inch balls. Dough will be crumbly so take time to press it together well to hold shape. Place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using a flat bottom glass, gently flatten balls to about 1/2-inch thick.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Easy Make at Home Barbecue Ribs

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 racks baby back ribs
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the oregano, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl and rub the mixture on both sides of the ribs. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a roasting pan, combine the broth and vinegar. Add the ribs to the pan. Cover with foil and tightly seal. Bake 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the pan and place them on a platter. Pour the liquid from the pan into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add the barbecue sauce.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high. Put the ribs on the grill and cook about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and slightly charred. Cut the ribs between the bones and toss them in a large bowl with the sauce. Serve hot.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.