Sunday, March 30, 2008

Sweet Potato Casserole

My sister-in-law found this on Allrecipes and made it for Thanksgiving dinner. It was the best sweet potato casserole that I'd ever had. I highly recommend it.
4 c. sweet potato, cubed
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is course. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned.

Chicken Wing Dip

I found this recipe on Allrecipes some time ago, but have modified it a little big. It is always a big hit.
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
3/4 (or more if you prefer) hot pepper sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)
1 c. blue cheese dressing (ranch if you prefer)
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and hot pepper sauce until well blended. Mix in the dressing, chicken, and cheese. Spread into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. If oil collects on top, dab off with a paper towel. Serve with tortilla chips and veggies (I like celery).

**I've also put all ingredients in a crock pot and it's worked out great that way also**

Bacon Pull Apart Bread

I found this online when I was looking for a savory monkey bread. I made this for the Superbowl and it was a huge hit.
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 cans buttermilk biscuits, each biscuit cut into quarters
1/2 c. butter, melted
pepper to taste
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 10 inch bundt pan. Combine bacon, Parmesan cheese, onion and fresh pepper. Set aside. Dip each biscuit piece into butter. Place 1/3 of the pieces on the bottom of the bundt. Sprinkle half of the bacon mixture over biscuits. Sprinkle half of the cheddar over the top. Repeat layering of biscuits and remaining bacon mixture, and chedar. Finish with last 1/3 of the biscuits. Brush the tops with butter. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack and then invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Raspberry Lemonade Cake


I made this for Easter and it was a hit. This recipe is from Betty Crocker, though I made a couple of changes.

1 c. very hot water
1 box (4 serving size) raspberry flavored gelatin
1 box white cake mix
1/2 c. frozen (thawed) lemonade concentrate
1/4 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 egg whites
1 container whipped vanilla frosting
1 c. frozen whiped topping (thawed)
1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries, if desired
lemon peel strips, if desired

**substitute 1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce for the vegetable oil to reduce fat**

Heat oven to 350 and spray bottom of 9x13 pan with baking spray with flour. In small bowl, mix hot water and gelatin until completely dissolved; cool slightly.
In large bowl, beat cake mix, 1/4 cup of the gelatin mixture, 1/4 cup of the lemonade concentrate, the water, oil (applesauce), and egg whites with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds and on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan and reserve remaining gelatin mixture and lemonade concentrate.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Poke warm cake every inch with a form. Remove 1 tablespoon of reserved gelatin mixture to a microwavable container. Mix remaining gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup lemonade concentrate and pour slowly over the cake. Cool completely about 1 hour or overnight.
In medium bowl, mix frosting and whipped topping. Frost cake. Microwave the reserved gelatin for 10 seconds to liquify. Using a small spoon, place small drops of the gelatin mixture over frosting. With a spoon or toothpick, swirl gelatin into frosting.
Garnish with raspberries and lemon peels if desired.

**I added about 1 tsp. of lemon extract and some of the lemonade concentrate to the frosting/whipped topping mixture which added great flavor**

This could also be made with other combinations of gelatin like lime or strawberry.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Chicken Parmesan

This is a very tasty dish first made for me by an ex-boyfriend, but I'd like to think I've improved it since then. =)

4-6 chicken breasts pounded out
box of shake n bake italian style
2 c. whipping cream
16 oz. pasta, egg noodles or any kind of your choice
olive oil
onions
pasta sauce, jarred or home made
cheese-mozzarella or whatever you have on hand

Coat the chicken in the Shake n Bake mixture and brown in skillet with olive oil. While cooking, make pasta according to package directions. Put pasta in the bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Pour whipping cream over the top of the noodles and put dabs of butter over the top. I like to top this with chopped up onions or dehydrated onions. Place chicken on the top of this, covering the pan as much as possible. Top with jar of pasta sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is brown and bubbly. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Corn Chowder

This is another great winter meal. I adapted this variation from several recipes I found on Allrecipes.com, and mostly from Paula Dean's "Chef Jack's Corn Chowder". It freezes well and tastes great with a good sandwich or some crusty bread.

1 lb. bacon
1 stick butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. corn kernals, fresh or frozen
3 c. chicken stock
1 bag cubed hashbrown style potatoes
2 c. half and half
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

**shredded chicken may be added if you'd like**

Fry bacon in skillet. Take out and drain on paper towel. Melt half stick butter in with bacon grease over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned, set aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, combine the corn, potatoes and chicken stock in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the roux in slowly with the bowling stock whisking as you go so it doesn't clump. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become thick.

Stir the half and half, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste into the chowder.

Creamy Tomato Soup

It gets very cold here in Minnesota during the winter. There is nothing better than a big bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. While I don't mind the canned tomato soup, I like to make it a little more special with this version I found in Taste of Home.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 - 1 tsp. paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the butter until onions are tender. Stir in tomatoes, soup, milk, sugar, basil, and paprika. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Hashbrowns

I got the original recipe for this from my grandma, but I've tweaked it to my tastes over the years. It is pretty simple and actually can be modified to what you like or what you have in the house.

1 1/2 pkg. frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
8 tbsp. butter, melted
2 cans cream of mushroom, celery or chicken (whatever you have works fine, I generally mix a couple of them for variety)
1 onion, chopped
3 c. cheese (whatever you have works)
16 oz. sour cream (sometimes I use the flavored chive/onion variety)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish.

corn flakes, crushed
melted butter

Mix the above ingredients together and place on top of hashbrown mixture.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Banana Pudding

This is a recipe that I'm often requested to bring to holiday gatherings with family. I think if everyone knew how easy it was, they'd make it themselves. I found this on Allrecipes.com.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
3 c. cold milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas (or more if you'd prefer) sliced
vanilla wafers.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping. Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with the vanilla wafers. Arrange banana slices evenly over the top of the wafers. Spread 1/2 the pudding mix over the top of that. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining whipped topping and chill.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Taco Bake

This recipe is courtesy of Kraft Foods. It is a great and easy recipe using ingredients you will probably have on hand already.

1 pkg. macaroni and cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. salsa
tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare dinner as directed on the box. While that is cooking, brown the ground beef. Drain and add taco seasoning and water. Simmer for five minutes. Stir sour cream into the prepared macaroni and cheese dinner. Spoon half of the dinner mixture into a 8 inch square or 9 inch round baking dish. Top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, and some crushed chips. Add the rest of the dinner mixture and cover. Bake 15 minutes. Top with salsa, crushed chips, and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes of until the cheese is melted.

Shipwreck Dinner

This recipe is courtesy of Kraft Foods. It is a great family friendly meal.

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. macaroni and cheese dinner
1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 c. frozen green peas
1 c. milk
1 c. mozarella cheese

Brown meat in skillet and drain. Stir in macaroni, cheese sauce mix, tomatoes, peas, and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meatballs

This is my husband's favorite. They sound weird but are really the best meatballs that I've ever had.

1 lb. hamburger
1 c. rice krispies
1 egg
salt
pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. vinegar

Mix hamburge, rice krispies,egg, salt, and pepper. Shape into balls and bake on a jelly roll pan at 350 for 1/2 hour. While baking, mix the rest of the ingredients and boil together. After balls are baked, put into baking dish. Pour the sauce over the top and bake for another 1/2 hour.

Tex Mex Chicken Taco Soup

This is from Emeril's show on the Food Network. Very good soup and freezes well. It tastes great over rice or with chips.

1/2 c. diced onions
1/2 c. diced green bell pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 (8 oz.) jar salsa
14 oz. frozen corn
1 (14 oz.) can hominy
1 (16 oz.) can ranch style beans
2 (4 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

Saute onions, pepers, and garlic in small amount of vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Adjust liquid to your taste. Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Place cream cheese in a separate bowl. Use a measuring cup or spoon to pour some of the hot liquid from the soup over the cream cheese to melt. Add back to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and cheese. Also great over rice.

Overnight Lasagna

This is a great lasagna for kids or those who don't like cottage cheese or too much going on in their lasagna. This is also a great make ahead supper for those busy nights when you are short on time.

1 pkg. lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine the following and cook into a sauce:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
1 pkg. spaghetti sauce mix
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 c. chopped onion

Put a layer of the uncooked noodles in a 9x13 pan. Cover with sauce. Cover the sauce with cheese. Repeat layers. Place noodles and cheese on the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before baking, pour a little tomato sauce around the edges of the pan. Bake at 350 for one hour. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

Seven Layer Salad

This recipe is from recipezaar. It is a great dish to make for family occasions or for a potluck. So easy, and so yummy.

Salad:
1 bag lettuce
6-8 hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrot
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas, thawed
3/4 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (1 oz.) pkg. shredded cheese, cheddar or monterey jack

Dressing:
2 c. mayonnaise
2 c. sour cream
2 pkg. ranch dressing mix (like Hidden Valley)

Make dressing the night before and refrigerate so the flavors can meld. Layer salad ingredients in a 13x9 dish or salad bowl except the last two. Spread the dressing over the top of the salad making sure to cover the dish completely all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the bacon and shredded cheese over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. Serve chilled.

Cranberry Jello Salad

This is a great jello salad that I bring often to potlucks.

1 can whole cranberries
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 sm. pkg. raspberry jello
1 sm. ctn. cool whip

Drain juice from the fruits into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1 1/4 cup. Bring to a boil; dissolve the jello in the boiled mixture. Let cool and slightly thicken. Add fruit and cool whip. Mix. Serve chilled.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Southwestern Brunch Casserole

4 (4 oz.) cans chopped mild green chilies, drained
9 6" corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
12 oz sausage, cooked crumbled and drained
4 oz. hot sausage, cooked crumbled and drained
1 pkg. dry taco seasoning
2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 c. milk
8 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
paprika
cilantro
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
sour cream, optional
salsa, optional

This must be assembled the night/day before serving.

Add 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning to the cooked sausage. In the buttered 13x9x2 in. baking dish, layer 1/2 of chilies, 1/2 tortillas, 1/2 sausage and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers with the second half of the ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, salt, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt and cumin. Beat together until well mixed and pour over layered ingredients. Arrange tomato slices over the casserole and garnish with the paprika and cilantro.
Chill, covered overnight.
Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until firm in the center and lightly browned on the edges. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

This recipe is from Paula Dean. It is so good, and one of the most requested desserts of mine. I promise you won't be disappointed. This has actually taken the place of our pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

Cake
1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
1 egg
8 Tbsp. butter, melted

Filling
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Combine all of the cake ingredients and mix well. Pat into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan and use hands to make into an even layer. Set aside. Prepare the filling by beating the cream chese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the prepared crust and bake for 40-50 minutes. Do not over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with whipped cream or cinnamon ice cream.

Crockpot Oniony Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce

This recipe is courtesy of recipezaar. It is wonderful and I highly recommend it. The sauce makes a lot, and I usually serve the sauce over mashed potatoes. So yummy.

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4-6 one-inch thick pork chops
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 c. white wine
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 c. whipping cream

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet and brown pork chops on both sides. Place browned chops in the bottom of the slow cooker. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and saute onions until softened. Add the garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook for one minute. Add flour and cook, stirring for one minute. Add vinegar and wine and cook until thickened. Pour this mixture over pork chops and cook on low for 4-5 hours on low and 2-2.5 hours on high until the pork is tender. Remove pork chops from slow cooker and place on a warmed platter. Stir dijon mustard and whipping cream into the juices in slow cooker. When well combined, turn slow cooker off and pour the sauce over chops on platter and serve immediately.