Janet's Appalachian Kitchen

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THIS IS THE OFFICIAL PAGE FOR JANET'S APPALACHIAN KITCHEN which is operated by Janet Crow. I started this page to share my love of cooking.

Cooking has been a part of my life since I was old enough to stand on a stool and stir a pot of something helping out my Grandmothers. There may have been times in my childhood where the only thing on the table might be cornbread and milk, other times a big fat pot roast with all the trimmings. Regardless of what my parents or Grandparents put before us, it was prepared with love and we were always grateful. As a cancer survivor, I appreciate the simple things in life more than ever before and that pretty much sums up my style of cooking as well. While going through treatments, cooking kept me from sinking into depression and gave me focus. Every recipe I post has been prepared in my own kitchen (or a families if I am out of town) and all the photos I post are taken by me as well. I just want to share my stories, recipes and love for life. If one day the Good Lord decides it is time for me to go home...I can only hope that this page has carried on some of the traditions and recipes that meant so much to me growing up.

10/16/2026

Crock Pot Chuck Roast

After a long day traveling yesterday making supper using the crock pot comes in handy when you don't really want to be cooking. This is a delicious pot roast recipe, don't try to rush it by cooking it on high, low and slow will give you the most tender meat. You could put potatoes, carrots and onions in with this if you like, I chose not to and served mashed potatoes on the side.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments from my post yesterday evening. It was such a relief to hear my Oncologist finally tell me I'm in remission after my 2nd round of cancer 5 1/2 years ago. I was praying for that news as my day to get down to Charlottesville didn't get off on the right foot. I went to leave on Wednesday, got 4 miles down the road and my dash warns me of low tire pressure so I turn around and go home so Don could fix that. While he was airing up the tires I look down and see that the last 3 digits on my odometer were 666, I had to get moving to change that number. Well, I'm about an hour away from my hotel and my dash starts flashing that "I need to take a break and shows a lit-up cup of coffee". What on earth is that warning? I've never had a car tell me I need a cup of coffee. Anyway, that evening I get into bed and finally fell asleep only to be woken up at 2:46am to my smoke detector going off in my room. That finally stopped and since I didn't see smoke or smell anything burning, I rolled over and said a little prayer that I wouldn't die in that room and went back to sleep. All was normal by morning, so I shook off all the mishaps of Wednesday and felt positive for a good Thursday appointment. It was a good one indeed, hearing those words made my day!

Crock Pot Chuck Roast

2 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast
1 1/2 C. beef broth
1 T. tomato paste
1 pkt. onion soup mix
1 tsp. italian seasoning
3 large cloves garlic, roughly minced

Place the roast in your crock pot. Whisk together the broth, tomato paste, soup mix and seasoning. Pour over the roast then sprinkle the garlic around. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

10/15/2026

Hey y'all, sorry I've not been posting for a couple days but it was traveling time for my Oncology appointment at UVA today. I'm finally in remission!!! I'll tell y'all more in tomorrow's post, thanks for understanding my time away.

10/13/2026

"Tuesday's Tips"
2 Ways to Preserve Potatoes

Potatoes have been on sale the past few weeks in my area and with Thanksgiving coming up they usually have good sales on them the closer it gets. A local farmer had 50-pound bags of Kennebec potatoes this past week for $25 a bag. We split this with another family member, so I had a lot of potatoes to put up for future use. I've got a lot already canned in my pantry from our garden and leftover from previous years so rather than add to those I decided to preserve some for the freezer by making mashed potatoes and french fries.

If you don't do home canning this is a great way to preserve potatoes when they are on sale. The process for both methods is very simple too. Have you read the ingredient list on a bag of frozen fries from the grocery store? There are a lot more ingredients than potatoes so doing them yourself, you can control the ingredients.

Here's how I preserve mine:

Mashed potatoes, I've shared this before but it's worth repeating.

Wash and peel your potatoes, cook them as you would to make mashed potatoes for supper by seasoning as you normally would with butter, S&P, milk or whatever you use. Once the potatoes have completely cooled, this is important, you can put them in freezer bags or use a Food Saver as I do to freeze them in portions. I use Food Saver bags that are safe for boiling so I simply put the frozen bag of potatoes in boiling water and cook till they are thawed and warmed through then snip off a corner of the bag and serve on our plates. If you don't have those bags or prefer not to do that method, simply remove the potatoes that are in freezer bags, let thaw in the fridge then remove from the bag to a bowl and reheat in the microwave like you would if they were leftovers.

French Fries

Wash your potatoes good then peel or leave the peeling on as I do. Cut them into fries, whatever size you like and place them in a bowl of water. Soak the fries in water, covered with plastic wrap, for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight is best and is what I do. This removes the starch from the potatoes.

Drain the potatoes and rinse under cool water then place on a large clean towel and dry them really well. Prep a baking sheet or two with parchment paper and spread the potatoes out in an even layer. Drizzle with a little avocado oil or oil of choice and toss to coat, make sure they are in a single layer. Bake them in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let them cool completely, they should be limp which is what you want. Once cooled place in a freezer bag and pop in the freezer.

When you want to cook some, pull out what you want to cook and then air fry, bake or fry as you would any store bought fries.

10/12/2026

Air Fryer Fried Potato Peels

Why has it taken all of my adult life to realize there was no reason to throw out those potato peels leftover from peeling potatoes? Now, the last few years I've composted them, but still...they could have been eaten. I put up 10 lbs. of potatoes over the weekend freezing french fries, freezing mashed potatoes and then baked potatoes for supper one night. I had a lot of peels, and a lightbulb went off in my head to use the air fryer and fry them like chips. Let's just say, I'll never waste those potato peels again. These are crispy and you can season them any way you like. I'll put what I used in the recipe. They are such a good snack, and they didn't last long.

With the price of food, we can't afford to waste anything! Nannie Polly was a prime example for me when it came to not wasting food, although she did throw away her peelings from potatoes. Funny thing, she kept the peelings from apples and made c***r from them, she never threw those apple peelings away. They had to learn to pinch pennies early as they married so young, she was 13 and Papa was 15 when they married. They lived with his Mama and Daddy for a little while, that's where she learned to cook but they began building their own home, cutting the lumber and everything to build it. It was a small 3 room home with an outhouse. Papa got a barn built and then got some cattle and other animals for their homeplace. By the time Daddy came along (he had 2 older brothers) they outgrew that house and Papa began adding a bedroom and an indoor bathroom. I loved their home, other additions came along the way and Papa built them all. Growing up and not only hearing about the hard times and struggles but actually seeing them many times helped me to realize being frugal is a way of life.

Air Fryer Fried Potato Peels

potato peelings (use a vegetable peeler for this, thicker peelings from using a knife do not get as crispy)
avocado or olive oil
seasonings of choice (I used cajun seasoning and garlic powder)

Make sure to wash your potatoes good before peeling. Place the peelings in water so they don't discolor. Pat the peelings dry and then place in a clean bowl. Add a little oil (I used 1 T. of oil for 4 large potatoes). Toss to coat then add in seasonings of choice to taste and toss to coat.

Place in your air fryer basket, do this in batches so the peelings don't overlap too much. Air fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container once cooled.

10/10/2026

Sorry Y'all, the day got away from me, and I forgot to post a recipe. Life happens!

10/08/2026

"Throwback Thursday"
Sweet Potato Pie

Thinking about desserts for the holidays? This sweet potato pie should be one of them. I shared this in 2020, it was Papa Rackley's favorite pie and every year I make one in memory of him. This recipe is so easy and so delicious, everyone will enjoy it.

Don and I are so thankful for all your prayers for him, we went this morning to see his doctor, and he does not have prostate cancer as they had thought. It is enlarged so that's something we are going to work on, but otherwise we are just so happy with the results. Bless his heart, seems that he's had nothing but health issues since he retired but with the good Lords help, we are overcoming all the obstacles that seem to be thrown our way. So again, thank y'all so much for praying for him.

Sweet Potato Pie

2 good size medium sweet potatoes
1/4 C. butter, room temp.
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 T. orange juice
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1, 9" unbaked deep dish pie shell

Wash and prick your sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave them for 5 minutes, turn them over and go for 2-3 more till they are soft when you pinch the sides of them. Allow them to cool enough to handle then slice in half and remove the flesh to a bowl. Mash slightly then add the butter and using an electric mixer, beat the potatoes and butter until the mixture is smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, orange juice and spices, beating again until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt, once again beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and place it on a baking tray, easier to get in and out of the oven. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until center is set. Let cool completely then garnish with whip topping if desired.

10/07/2026

Family Favorite Garlic Butter Linguini

When it comes down to it, pasta is one of the easiest side dishes you can make. It's not just for Italian food, it pairs well with seafood, steaks, pork chops and even chicken. These garlic butter noodles are our favorite. I always use linguini when I make this, but angel hair pasta or spaghetti works too.

Zaylee is a big pasta eater and is always asking for buttered noodles. That's it, no main dish just a big bowl of noodles with lots of parmesan cheese on top. I have no problem fixing them as they are pretty cheap to make and sticks to your ribs, being the picky eater she started out being I was tickled when she finished that big bowl of noodles. She's not that picky of an eater these days, which I am happy about, but a comforting bowl of buttered noodles is her backup plan if she doesn't care for some new concoction I came up with. When my daughter was little, we visited her grandparents in Connecticut for a month. Both being Hungarian, they came to America in 1956 and believe me, her grandmother could cook! She cooked mostly Hungarian dishes, and my favorite was her noodles and cabbage. I could eat it daily and she was happy to fix it. I learned many of her recipes that month, some I've even shared with y'all over the past years. Pasta is not a comfort food I grew up with, but a big bowl of these garlic butter noodles sure feels like comfort to me.

Garlic Butter Linguini

8 oz. linguini
4 T. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
good pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of salt and pepper
2-3 T. parmesan cheese
dried parsley for serving

Cook the linguini in boiling water till tender. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over med. heat. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often for 3-4 minutes, till garlic is very fragrant. Remove from the heat.

When pasta is done, drain well then add to the skillet of melted butter, tossing well to coat. Toss in the parmesan cheese. Serve with a little parsley on top and extra parmesan if desired.

10/06/2026

"Tuesday's Tips"
It's time to think about Winter Preparedness

Days are getting shorter and morning temps. now mean the heat comes on, just for a little while, to get the chill out. We had a very heavy frost this morning and another is expected for tomorrow; this is our sign to make sure we are prepared for the Winter months ahead.

I've been working on my checklist for several weeks now making sure I have enough to get us through the cold and snowy months ahead. Y'all know me, I don't dare get out when there is snow on the ground, so I have to be prepared. It's not just food, candles, extra batteries, etc., its toilet paper, shampoo, soap, prescriptions and more.

Sometimes we just don't know what will be thrown at us, life tends to throw a lot more curve balls when we least expect them. This Thursday Don will get his results from the surgery he had done to find out if he has prostate cancer. Then he goes in 2 weeks to see a liver specialist at UVA in Virginia as recent test on his liver have not given good results, so we have no idea what is to come there. I go back to my Oncologist next week and pray that I am still in remission. So, with everything going on its more important for me to make sure our home is prepared.

This checklist is a good start, so hopefully it will give you ideas on how to help you prepare for the Winter months ahead.

10/05/2026

Brown Bag Fried Chicken

Oh, my goodness y'all, I've been waiting for what seems like forever, but really only since Saturday to share this recipe for some of the best fried chicken I have ever made in my life. I'm not kidding, never have I made fried chicken that was as crispy, flavorful and juicy as this turned out. I found the recipe in my new edition of Southern Living magazine; I changed the seasonings a little but otherwise I pretty much followed everything else. It is perfect fried chicken, and cleanup wasn't bad either since I fried it in a dutch oven, no greasy splatter. I fried up 9 chicken legs, and they were all eaten in one sitting and left us wanting more. This will be the only way I fry chicken from here on out and I will be making it a whole lot more often.

I sent Daddy a picture of my chicken and he ask me how I made it. When he heard that I used a paper sack to shake it up in, he told me that's just how Nannie Polly fixed hers. I guess I never really paid attention, but she did fry up some of the best fried chicken back then, it was my favorite. I didn't have any paper bags, and I knew I was making this recipe over the weekend so when I did my grocery shopping last week, I ask for paper bags instead of plastic and they kindly gave me a few extras to take home too. I normally use a ziploc bag for shaking things up in, but I have never achieved the level of crispness as I did with this chicken using them so there is some kind of magic that happens in the paper sack.

Brown Bag Fried Chicken

3 lbs. skin on, bone in chicken pieces (I used all legs)
2 T. cajun seasoning (like Slap Your Mama)
1/2 T. salt
1/2 T. black pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 C. buttermilk
2 C. all purpose flour
cooking oil of choice for frying

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 T. of the seasoning mix to the buttermilk and combine then pour over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate on the counter for 1 1/2 hours (the recipe called for 2 hours) or place in the fridge to marinate longer, but bring to room temp. before frying. Being room temp helps the chicken to cook evenly.

To a brown bag (paper sack) add the flour and remaining seasonings, shaking to combine. Pour 3" of oil in a dutch oven and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and shake off any excess then place all the chicken in the brown bag. Fold the top of the bag several times to seal than hold the bottom of the bag and shake to coat all the chicken with the flour.

Once the oil reaches 350 degrees add 3 pieces of chicken to the dutch oven (don't add more, the key to crispy chicken is not to over crowd it). Cook the chicken until it is golden in color and reaches 165 degrees internally. Try to only turn the chicken once during the frying process. My chicken legs took 11 minutes as they were not really large ones. Remove the chicken to a wire rack over a baking sheet. Continue to fry in batches of 3 till all chicken is cooked. Make sure to keep an eye on the oil temperature, it should remain between 325 and 350 degrees.

***The chicken can be placed in a 200-degree oven to stay warm while frying the remaining batches***

Frying Guide for Bone-In Chicken Pieces:

Legs 12 minutes
Thighs 13 minutes
Breast 14 minutes

10/02/2026

Cream Cheese Danish

With the holidays quickly approaching I thought I would share a delicious, sweet treat for breakfast or for snacking that is perfect when company is around or even just for yourself. I fixed these up the other morning as a quick breakfast for us before we had to run errands. I added a dollop of my homemade strawberry rhubarb jam to the center of each danish, it's optional but I recommend it, any jam that your family likes work. I do add an icing to the danish, it gives them that little extra bit of love in each bite.

When I was a little girl Mama would make up little danish peanut butter and jelly pastries for me and my brother. She would bake up the puff pastry then add a mixture of peanut butter and apple jelly that she swirled together. It was heavenly. I love using puff pastry and lucked out at the grocery store a few weeks ago as they marked all their store brand frozen pkgs. of it to $1.00 each, I bought all they had left and put them in the freezer as it's a perfect vessel for sweet and savory treats. I really need to learn how to make it from scratch, but I just haven't gotten around to it but come Winter, I think I just might.

I hope y'all all have a beautiful and Blessed weekend!

Cream Cheese Danish

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese at room temp.
1 egg yolk (save the white)
1/4 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
any fruit jam (optional)

Pastry:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
reserved egg white
1 T. water

Icing:

1/4 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. milk
splash of vanilla

Beat the filling ingredients until smooth. Roll out the puff pastry till it's nice and smooth, cut it into 9 squares and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together the egg white and water and brush over each square.

Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each square then dollop with jam, if using. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Combine the icing ingredients then use a spoon to drizzle the icing over each danish. Store in an airtight container.

Address

Po Box 152
Quinwood, WV
25981

Website

https://jcrow216.wixsite.com/janetsaplcnkitchen

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