Farmer Boy Recipe - "A Mess"!

Here's something just about anybody can make - "A Mess"!  That's a mess of Greens! A mess of greens is a bunch or bunches, or I just don't know where that stops!  "A mess" is a very old term, going back in this country, usually attributed to people in the south.  And it can mean, enough for a couple or a troop!  And who decides that?  I don't know.  Anyway, here's the recipe:

Farmer Boy "A Mess of Greens"

Ingredients:

• A mess of greens (for this recipe it's a few bunches - maybe 4 - 6 cups, pressed down) I prefer a mix of Collard Greens and a few Mustard Greens.
• 2 Cups of chicken stock or broth
• Salt & Pepper to taste & a dash of hot sauce (don't add too much salt! - it can over-power!)
• 2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings

Directions: Wash the greens and place in a large enough pot.  Cover with the stock and bring to a boil.  Put a lid on it.  Simmer for about an hour.  (Don't let it absorb all the water & burn!)  Pull the greens out and drizzle hot bacon drippings over them & season. 

You should serve them warm.  You can serve them over cornbread, or rice or noodles, or just about anything your little heart desires!  I prefer the cornbread - and more specifically, this next bonus recipe:

Farmer Boy Sourdough Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of sourdough starter (see recipe on my blog)
• 1 1/2 Cups of Yellow Corn Meal
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1/4 Cup of butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 Cup of milk

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  *NOTE: take the starter out ahead of time to bring it up to room temperature and become active.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, baking soda and corn meal.  Add the eggs, starter, milk and melted butter.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour into a lightly oiled #7 iron skillet (10 inches).  Place in oven and bake 25 -30 minutes.  (Check with a probe, so it doesn't get over-baked and too dry.)

This is how granny made a hundred years ago!  Can't improve on it!

Of course, you could add some hot peppers or some other ingredients of your choosing.  Be creative!  Have fun, cooking should not be a heavy task! 

If you make both of these recipes, when someone asks what you were doing, you can them that you were, "just makin' a mess!"  ;)

"A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other thing."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

I hope you'll try these recipes and then leave a comment here.  Thanks.      The Old Man in the Bib Overalls