Good Food from Trisha Yearwood (2024)

Garth's breakfast bowl

"Garth is such a gentleman. He doesn't even drink coffee, but he makes my coffee every morning. And if I've gotten in late because I was on the road and slept in a little later, the first thing I can smell when I wake up in the morning is the coffee and the bacon. And I'll walk into the kitchen and he's got it all going on. He puts together these fantastic breakfast bowls, and you really don't need to eat again all day after you've had one. It's pretty fantastic."

2 Tbsp butter

8 large eggs

1 16-oz bag frozen hash browns or Tater Tots, thawed

1 lb pork sausage

1 lb bacon

1 9-oz package cheese and roasted garlic tortellini

10 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2½ cups)

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter and scramble the eggs.

2. In a separate large skillet, cook the hash browns according to package directions. In a third large skillet, break up the sausage with a wooden spoon and cook until browned. Drain off the excess fat. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Cook the bacon in the same skillet. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Layer a large bowl with hash browns, sausage, bacon, tortellini, eggs, and cheese. Serves 4.

Uncle Wilson's stuffed bell peppers

"Uncle Wilson is my mom's brother. He's a really great cook; he was in our first cookbook, too. He's one of those guys that when you see him, you just smile because he's always got a big smile on his face. In the last few years, Garth and I have started a Fourth of July tradition where everyone comes over to our house and we have a big feast. Uncle Wilson decided to drive out from Georgia and join us a couple of years ago. He made these stuffed peppers. I had never had them before, and they were awesome!"

6 large red or green bell peppers

2½ cups long-grain white rice (or rice of your choice)

2 lbs lean ground beef

½ medium-size sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 10-oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles

16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Cut the bell peppers in half, top to bottom. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to package directions. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain the meat. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, pepper, and salt and mix until blended.

3. In a 9×13×2-inch pan, place the bell peppers skin side down. Evenly divide the beef mixture among the pepper halves. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.

Note from Gwen: Before using, wilt the pepper halves in boiling water for about 5 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 15. Serves 6.

Crunchy slaw

"This is my sister's recipe, but it always makes me think of my dad, too. My dad was The Guy in my little hometown, the one cooking for everyone whenever there was a barbecue or an event. Now with him gone, there are such vivid memories of those meals — the ones where the whole town would go up and get their barbecued chicken and slaw and their piece of white bread. And the other thing about Daddy was that he didn't know how to cook for four people. It was always for the whole town."

SALAD

1 head green cabbage, finely chopped

8 green onions, finely chopped

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup sesame seeds

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

2 3-oz packages ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded

DRESSING

2 Tbsp sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1. Mix the cabbage and green onions in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the almonds and sesame seeds in the butter.

2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds, almonds, and crushed raw ramen noodles to the cabbage and green onions. Pour the dressing, a little at a time, over the salad mix, then toss. Serves 10 to 12.

Crock-Pot chocolate candy

"My cousin Donna Paulk is a great cook. She kindly gave us several great recipes for this collection, including chicken soup, macaroni and cheese, beignets, and this candy. I love this kind of recipe: The candies look so pretty and appear really hard to make. People will think you're a genius cook — which is almost embarrassing, considering how easy they are to make. Just layer everything in the cooker and wait!"

2 lbs (36 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts

4 oz (4 squares) German's sweet chocolate