Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes

This recipe from Southern Living was on my mind from the moment I first read the recipe. I found them to be ok, but I never have to have them again. The Dish Washer, on the other hand, is crazy about them

Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes

1/2 c. butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. poppy seeds
3/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. lemon zest, divided
1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1-1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until creamy and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in milk, poppy seeds, almond extract, and 1-1/2 tsp. lemon zest.

Whisk together flour and next 2 ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Spoon batter into 1 greased and floured (12 cup) mini Bundt pan, filling all cups three-fourths full. Spoon remaining batter into a second pan, filling only 6 cups.

Bake lemon-poppy seed cakes at 350 for 24-26 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks, and let cakes cool 10 minutes.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and remaining lemon zest until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cakes. Let cakes stand 4 to 5 minutes or until glaze sets.

Hot Cranberry Punch

Where, oh, where to begin? You probably thought I was never coming back! The Bun is a little over 7 weeks from being "cooked" and to say that I have been pre-occupied preparing for him is the understatement of the year!!!

I guess we should back up to Thanksgiving! We spent Thanksgiving with The Dish Washer's family and certainly had plenty to eat! If you could have seen the pan of dressing that we were eating out of...YUM! Biggest pan I have ever seen. I took the Apple Dapple Cake that Tossie shared with us. I actually made it the Sunday before for our church wide Thanksgiving meal and made it in my pretty bundt pan. I decided the next time around, I would make it in a 9x13 so that the icing could really soak down in the cake. It was much better that way!!! Tos said that is how she always makes it too. Click on the recipe to see the picture of the bundt pan cake. I also made her Sweet Potato Casserole, which everyone loved!

Then came busy December...
Somewhere in between, I also made Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings so have now added a picture of that. My friend and her beau came over for a Christmas gathering and she brought her Taco Soup. It was very good! She's not known for her skills in the kitchen so I was very proud of her domestication! I made Symphony Brownies to go with dinner and had her some White Trash as a parting gift.

We've been to Atlanta to cheer on our favorite football team. ROLL TIDE! Then we went to Vegas to attend the National Finals Rodeo. One last trip before The Bun. WHEW!! I'm tired!

Mom and dad came up to see The Bun's room one of those weekends and she was wanting to try a frittata out of Southern Living. I hope to post that soon.

I guess that catches us up to Christmas! For my family's gathering Christmas eve, I made Goody Girl Championship Potatoes and Lady's Green Beans. Other things on our list of goodies besides the turkey and dressing was ham, Waldorf salad, macaroni and cheese, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole (the same mentioned above), pea salad, devilled eggs, cake, cookies, and more cake! Man there was a lot...I'm sure I am leaving something out!

Christmas day we hosted The Dish Washer's family at our home. With all the eating, we decided just to do heavy snack foods. We had dips and chips galore, mini pulled pork bbq sandwiches, twice baked new potatoes, and desserts coming out the wazoo including chocolate chip pound cake and Granny's Cut-Out Cookies. I also made a cheese bite that I plan to share soon and a lemon poppy seed cake that I have had on my mind since reading about it.

I also made this punch to serve and it was first time to make and try. Man this was soooo good and I am not typically a fan of hot apple cider. This has the warmth but a much different taste. It was in my handwritten cookbook that I have mentioned on here several times.

Hot Cranberry Punch

2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. cranberry juice
1 c. water
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1-1//2 sticks cinnamon
pinch of salt

Put brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon and salt into percolator basket. Pour juices and water into percolator. Allow to hat for about 10 minutes or until perked. Remove basket. Can be refrigerated when cooled and reheated.

**I didn't have any cloves, so I just use two whole sticks of cinnamon instead.

Be looking for those other posts with the new recipes spread out over the next few days.

Taco Meatloaf

It's no secret around here that we love meat! All kinds from pork to chicken to beef. Tonight The Dish Washer requested a meatloaf, but I really didn't feel like making one that I have already made. 1. We didn't have all the ingredients for some of those. 2. I wanted to make something quick and easy! After doing some research, I found a similar recipe in my sister-in-law's church cookbook. I made my own changes and we now have another meatloaf winner! Of course, The Dish Washer then has to quote the movie Wedding Crashers.




It is funny when he says it. He asked tonight what I would do if our boy grows up to demand the meatloaf! :) This is going to seem like a lot for 2 people, but I love to freeze already made meatloaf for those days I am feeling lazy in the kitchen.

Taco Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 can whole kernel white corn, drained

1 packet taco seasoning

1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 eggs

1 c. salsa

french-fried onions

Preheat oven to 375. In a saucepan, saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil. When close to being done, add can of corn to get the flavor. In a large bowl, mix beef, veggie mixture, taco seasoning, cheese and eggs all together. Form into 2 loaves and place in greased pans. Top with half of the salsa on each loaf. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain off grease. Add french-fried onions. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Catalina Cranberry Chops

Here's the unique recipe I promised. Caught my attention since cranberry sauce is front and center in most grocery stores right now! The original recipe calls for chicken, but I decided to try it first on pork chops.

Catalina Cranberry Chops

4 lbs. bone-in thin sliced pork chops

1 (16 oz.) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 (8 oz.) bottle Catalina dressing

1 envelope onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 350. Place chops in 9x13 baking dish. (May need 2 if you have large pork chops that you are using!) Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops. Bake 50 minutes or until chops are done.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Last night we hosted our supper club and had so much fun! I have been making soups for the past month for The Dish Washer and I to narrow down our favorites to two that we would make. Of course he chose Pork Green Chili. After doing a little more research on how to season that one up better, I came across the Tim Love REAL DEAL recipe. It wasn't available when I originally went hunting for it, so I was thrilled to see it. I didn't have everything that he calls for so I mixed his version and the version I have already posted to season mine up a little better. It turned out a little "kickier" than I would have liked, but it made him happy so I guess it is a fair trade.

The second winner in the soup contest for us was this recipe from Paula's most recent magazine. It came just in the nick of time!! It is extremely easy to make. The Dish Washer reminds me of my grandmother, so we now have plenty of soup to put away in the freezer because he just can't stand the thought of not having enough food for everyone! I forgot about a picture, so I'll have to take that next time we eat it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

10 slices bacon, but into 1/2 inch pieces
2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 (32 oz.) box low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (10.75 oz.) can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 c. dill pickle relish
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Garnish: french-fried onions

In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove from pan, and drain on paper towels. Add ground chuck, onion, and garlic; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until beef is browned and crumbly. Drain well. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, soup, relish, bacon and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soup is heated through. Garnish with french-fried onions.

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Stay tuned because I am planning to make some pork chops tonight using a very unique recipe that caught my eye. I'm hoping it will be so good!! I've also stocked up recently at a great Winn Dixie sale on my Chex cereal in preparation for the holidays and good ole White Trash.

Chicken Corn Soup

Well, Buttercream is simmering away on the stove and I couldn't be happier. If I could share the way the house smells, I would! It isn't the coldest of nights, but this soup has been calling my name ever since I read it's recipe on Monday.

A high school friend recently started a new blog about their move from all things Southern to the cold North! She makes some yummy looking things and BAKES the most incredible breads, pies and cookies, all the while staying connected to home with her recipes.

Here's her blog...check it out!

Belle of the Kitchen

I knew I had to try this soup when I read the recipe. It seemed so quick and easy and has all the tastes that The Dish Washer and I love. I'm just sorry he isn't here to try it. I've helped myself to a sample bowl tonight and MAN it is good! I'm having company tomorrow night for dinner and wanted to have it ready so that all I have to do is come home and warm it up! I even bought some crusty bread at her suggestion.

Chicken Corn Soup

Click on the link for her recipe and pictures!! Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

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In other news, we have been busy! I recently started off the soup season with Pork Green Chili. Last weekend we tailgated and had grilled chicken thighs using the Cha Cha Cha marinade, I doubled us a recipe of Spinach Dip because we were putting it away quick and I made cake balls that (hopefully) looked like pumpkins.

I used carrot cake, cream cheese frosting and colored the vanilla almond bark orange and green. I even took some to My Buddy when I met the whole gang for a train ride to the pumpkin patch.

Luncheon Chicken Salad

(The bread isn't burned, it just looks that way because I am a bad picture taker!)

Whew!! We've been busy since my last post and I can't believe it is already October!! Lots and lots has happened and lots and lots of cooking has been going on!

Let's first start with the most important news of all...Skittle has arrived!! My Buddy is the most excited big brother you have ever seen in your life and Skittle is such a sweet baby. I am dying to see him again! While I was home, I made Sister and her bunch their first dinner as a family of four. It included: Roast, mashed potatoes, corn salad and fried squash. My Buddy helped me make some box brownies (The Chicken Farmer's favorite) and we served that with ice cream.

Then the next weekend, we had some more spend the night company at our house. We love having them come because we love having company. Being the ones who live "away," we don't get many visitors too often so when we do it is so exciting. In honor of The Dish Washer's birthday, we had meatballs (that I made from scratch instead of using frozen for this recipe this time), Lady's green beans, squash casserole and Not Yo' Mama's banana pudding. He loves some banana pudding and it is exactly what I made last year, but I think what he loved most about his birthday this year was finding out that The Bun in the Oven is a mini Dish Washer! We get to eat BLUE birthday cake icing for the rest of our lives and are so excited!

Oh, and we have tiles falling out of our shower. The Dish Washer's dad is helping to fix that, so I am in the process of making them lunch for tomorrow since I will be at work. It will be a trio of salads...creamy dill slaw, sweet potato salad and this new recipe for chicken salad. I've never been good at making chicken salad, but The Dish Washer requested specifically chicken salad with grapes so I am giving it a try.

UPDATED**** If you like grapes in your chicken salad, this is SOOO YUMMY!! I didn't add the honey because I thought the grapes would be plenty of sweetness for us. This is definitely a keeper for me!

Luncheon Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked chicken, diced and cooled
1/3 - 1/2 c. mayo
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 c. green seedless grapes, sliced
3 green onions, chopped (including green tops)
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey, or to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add more mayo as needed. Allow to chill at least 8 hours before serving.

Spinach Dip (Cold)

Today I was supposed to finally meet The Former Roomy's precious baby girl, but woke up feeling like I might be getting a cold. This is the second time I should have been around this baby but started feeling like something might be coming. Better safe than sorry this sick season, so I decided to postpone the meeting yet again. Bummer!

Yesterday was our first tailgate of the season and it was so much fun! The weather forecast threatened rain, but it held off and was a nice, cloudy, breezy Saturday gameday. We certainly ate well too. Here's what we had:

Garlic Dijon Marinated Pork Chops
Pioneer Baked Beans
Corn Salad
Spinach Dip

You'll remember that I shared a recipe for Spinach Dip that was warm and so good! Well, this is my absolute favorite recipe for a cold Spinach Dip. I just use the Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix recipe without the water chestnuts. I leave those out because I just personally don't care for them. Of course, it is long gone to be able to take a picture but you can click on the Knorr link and see their picture. Mine was in a bowl of plastic instead of bread, although we had to smell fresh baked bread all night and that would have been good to have! :)

Country Style Chicken Cutlets

First, take a minute to look at the best gift My Buddy made for me. It stays in the kitchen all the time and I think of him every time I look at it. He helped me marinate some corn one time a LONG time ago, but I found the picture of him helping so I will post that recipe soon.

These chicken breasts are very easy to make and very good.

Country Style Chicken Cutlets

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
6 chicken breasts (obviously, you see I used more but the breading last the whole way)
1 egg
1 tsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, combine soup mix, bread crumbs and cheese. Dip chicken in egg beaten with water, then bread crumb mixture to evenly coat. Arrange chicken on sprayed baking sheet and drizzle with butter. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

This could be considered somewhat of a cold version of the Roasted New Potato Salad that I have made. In our office building, there is a deli that at least one person in our office relies on for breakfast or lunch. He has the best breakfast sandwich (that The Bun and I are certainly enjoying regularly), very good Chicken Pot Pie that I have to get every time, and he also has a cold potato salad with bacon and ranch flavor. I've had the same salad at a restaurant before, and I believe it can be purchased at Sam's. I finally saw a similar recipe in Paula's magazine and changed up a few things to make her version more like the deli's. This was what I made to go with the Sloppy Joes.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

1 bag new potatoes, unpeeled and sliced (so still in circles)
1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled
1-1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 (1 oz.) pkg. ranch dressing mix

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Place in mixing bowl and add bacon. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix in with potatoes. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Sloppy Joes

We have had such a baby boom in our church! In one week, I made three meals for three separate families. It was so much fun. One of the things I decided to make was this recipe for Sloppy Joes. It is the easiest recipe to be able to make something from "scratch." Manwich is pretty good, but I prefer this recipe. Very quick fix!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. mustard
3/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. flour


Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add other ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle with brown sugar and flour over top and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Other things I made for those new babies and their families were Sweet and Sour Chicken over Rice(instead of Pork), Squash Casserole, Oriental Slaw and a yummy new potato salad that you need to look for in the next post.

Sour Cream Pork Chops

This picture is terrible and doesn't do the chop justice. I love my plates (Vintage Port by Casafina) but I have decided their color isn't the best for taking pictures of foods that are of the same color! I had made these pork chops one time before but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember if I liked them or not. I thought they were okay, but the boys (The Dish Washer and The Best Friend Cousin) said they loved them. Maybe they had one that was seasoned a little more than mine. Since The Dish Washer liked them so much, I guess I should make them again. The one thing for sure about them, they were very tender. I wish the "sauce" was a little thicker too. It will give me something to play around with next time. I can't even remember where this recipe came from. I have it written on a card, but it doesn't say who it is from.

Sour Cream Pork Chops

4 Pork Chops
salt and pepper
flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sour cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. vinegar

Season pork chops with salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Brown in butter. Place pork chops in a baking dish. In same pan where pork chops were browned; add sugar, water, sour cream, bay leaf and vinegar. Bring to boil, pour over chops. Tightly cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Apple Crisp

No picture with this one because I haven't actually made it. In honor of The Bun in the Oven being about the size of an apple, here is another recipe Tossie sent.

Apple Crisp

8 cups firm tart apples, sliced
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 c. uncooked oats
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375. In a 9x12-inch glass baking dish, combine apples, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Toss with melted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Top apples with oat mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve warm topped with heavy cream, or cool to room temperature and serve with ice cream, if desired.

She says it is very easy and VERY YUMMY and makes her ready for the fall! I'm so ready for fall too!!

Green Bean and Corn Casserole

I think I have accomplished more in the first four hours of my day today than I have in the past 15 weeks! It finally feels good to get stuff done. I'm finally going to update a few more posts for later of food that we have been cooking, but I have been too lazy to post. The first is this yummy casserole that Tossie sent to me back in July. I finally made it last night for our supper. I didn't have some of the exact things that the recipe called for, so I improvised because Pregnant Girl had it on her mind and wanted nothing else!! I'm going to give the exact recipe, though, and hopefully you will have the right ingredients to try it. If not, do what I did and use what you have!

Green Bean and Corn Casserole

1 can (16 oz.) French style green beans
1 can (16 oz.) shoe peg corn
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
pinch of salt
1 stick butter
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 c. slivered almonds

Drain beans and corn. Mix together and put in large greased casserole dish. Mix soups, sour cream, cheese, onion and salt. Spread over beans and corn. Melt butter and mix with crackers and almonds. Spread on top. Bake 45 minutes at 350 uncovered!

So good! I served with pork chops that I will post soon!

Pimento Cheese

Are you ready for major updating on what's cooking? This will be a lot of posts in one day! Super Social Worker brought me some dip to try at the office that was very good and I figured I better get on here and acknowledge it if I ever want her to speak to me again! :) She got the recipe from Pioneer Woman and her recent pita chip recipe experiments. It was delicious and I didn't even have the pita chips to go with mine. Here's the link: Hot Olive and Artichoke Dip

--I was never a big fan of pimento cheese when I was growing up. It wasn't until The Dish Washer introduced me to the Hot Links with Pimento Cheese appetizer at Jim 'N Nick's that I really started to enjoy it. Since I liked it there, I decided to try the Toasted Pimento Cheese sandwich at Newk's and it is really very good. (Then I realized that sandwich has 900 calories in it and decided I better not be a regular partaker!) My favorite way is by far served with sausage, so I decided to attempt to make this at home. (As pictured above.) Mom had made some pimento cheese sandwiches for a party and recommended a very good recipe for pimento cheese, so I decided to try it and it was perfect. Here's the funny part of the story...I didn't actually have pimentos when I made it, so it is really just cheese but it accomplished what it was supposed to. This is what I used...

Bobby's Pimento Cheese

Our pictures look really different...don't know what's up with that! Mine seems more thick than creamy.

Homemade French Fries

I love homemade fries. Ever since I was little, this is how they were made. For Father's day, we were sent packing with some red potatoes from The Dish Washer's parent's garden. Even though he isn't thrilled about eating potatoes (and actually didn't eat one of these...the willpower he has is unbelievable!!) I made these to go with our hamburgers because I didn't want them to go bad waiting for The Dish Washer to eat them.

Homemade Fries

Potatoes (baking, red, etc.)

oil

seasoning

Slice potatoes into circles. I like to get them pretty thin so the fries get crunchy on the edges like chips. Fry in oil (I just put oil in a pot on the stove instead of deep-fryer) and cook until they are to your liking. Season with your favorite. Growing up we always just used salt, but now I love to put Tony Chachere's seasoning on them. So good! (So bad, but so good!!)

Grilled Chicken with White Sauce

This picture is awful but it is the only one I got. Last weekend we grilled chicken thighs and I made this sauce to go with it. It is like a white barbecue sauce, but not as "vinegary" as I would have liked. My favorite grilled chicken with white barbecue sauce is at Cypress Inn. YUMMY! This was close enough for the "home version." I got the recipe out of a cookbook all about our state.

White Sauce

1 c. mayo
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. vinegar (I did 6 total because I like that vinegar taste)
4 Tbsp. lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in an airtight container; shake vigorously.

Sausage or Ham Quiche

I found this on The Dish Washer's camera where we made this and I forgot to post about it. This is a recipe from his hometown and he has perfected it! I usually just make sure he has everything he needs and tell him this is what we are having and he works his magic. We usually eat it for supper, but it would be great, OBVIOUSLY for breakfast or brunch. I'm going to post the original recipe with the pie shells included, but The Dish Washer leaves those out. Ours ends up being more casserole than quiche, but I sure would love to try it one day with the pie crust! The original recipe also just calls for sausage, but we were in a rock and a hard place this last time with NO SAUSAGE in our house, so we opted to cube the ham steak instead. Either way...YUM!

Sausage Quiche

1 pound sausage

2 (9-inch) pie shells

2 c. grated cheese

4 large eggs, beaten

2/3 c. milk

1 tsp. dry mustard

dash salt

1 (8 oz.) sour cream

green onions, chopped and sauteed

Cook and crumble sausage, drain. Line pie shells with sausage. Sprinkle cheese over sausage. Beat together eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, sour cream and onions. Pour over sausage. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

For freezing: Freeze before baking. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze. Do not thaw before baking.

While I am thinking of quiche, I will plan to post the recipe I use for Quiche Lorraine soon.

Creamy Squash Casserole

Well, 7 days late and 7 dollars short in getting this to you! I was looking for a different way to make squash casserole and found this online. It was very good. Still doesn't beat our all time favorite squash casserole but still very good!

4 pounds yellow squash, sliced
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 (6 oz.) can French fried onions - I had the big can, so I just used enough to cover the top


Preheat oven to 350. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add squash; cook until tender but still firm. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Add the butter, mayonnaise, eggs and sugar; mix together. Sprinkle 1/2 bread crumbs on bottom of greased casserole dish. Pour squash mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, top with onion rings and bake for additional 10 minutes.

Fried Cabbage

This weekend I got to be a part of The Former Roomy's baby shower! It was so much fun to head her way and get to spend time with her and her family. We had brunch with a most delicious spinach/bacon quiche, salad with strawberries and mandarin oranges, and cinnamon sugar bread ball type thing. All of these recipes I am going to have to get because I have tried to research online, but can't find ones that I think is exact to this.

On my way home I stopped at Burris Farms and picked up some onions, squash and eggplant. Would you believe I talked The Dish Washer into just being vegetarians yesterday? I couldn't believe it! He had been with his family while I was away and came home with the biggest head of cabbage I have ever seen. So yesterday, I put up some squash and then we had a meal of Rotel Squash Casserole (which I have decided is a close enough "lazy" version of Stuffed Squash), Broiled Eggplant and fried cabbage. Fried cabbage is a very simple thing to do.

Fried Cabbage

Cabbage, cut into pieces
bacon

In a large frying pan, begin cooking bacon until browned. Add cabbage pieces with a small amount of water. Add salt and pepper to taste and cover with lid. Cook down cabbage pieces and once that is done keep stirring ("frying") until the juices are cooked out.

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Papa Roni (my dad's new name thanks to a little girl that started calling him this) used to make corned beef and cabbage all the time. I loved the cabbage from that!

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Looking for a different way to "do" green bean casserole? Look no more! I found this to be very interesting and not bad at all. We had leftovers that we ate again last night and we both thought they may have even been better as leftovers. You'd have to be the judge of that if you give this a try.

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

2 cans French-style green beans, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. dried onion flakes

1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced, optional (I didn't use!)

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 (2-1/2 oz.) slivered almonds, optional (I didn't use!)

Add soup and cream cheese to a boiler. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in beans, onion flakes, water chestnuts, garlic salt, pepper and cheese. Spoon lightly into greased 1-3/4 quart casserole. Top with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 45 minutes.

Pecan Pie Bars

Here is the dessert we had last weekend. The Cheerwine Giver happens to love pecan pie and I had no clue so this was perfect! Sometimes when you don't know someone and what they like to eat you worry about cooking with nuts. (Or maybe that is just me.) In the background of the picture is the TV with our severe weather coverage! It's been nasty here lately!

Pecan Pie Bars

1 (18.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix, reserve 2/3 c. for later in the recipe
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 c. corn syrup

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 inch pan. Reserve 2/3 c. cake mix. Mix together remaining cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Pat in prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Beat together 3 eggs, vanilla, reserved cake mix, corn syrup, and brown sugar. Pour on top of cake crust. Sprinkle with pecans on top. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini

Sorry this picture is so dark. It may not look appetizing, but it is good! Today was a great day for planting since it was so overcast. The Dish Washer and I got our Knockout Roses planted, and now we wait patiently for the rain! We even had plenty of time to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. We say this every year, but we really would love to got to Churchill Downs at least once. I don't have long to blog because we are about to put a serious cleaning on this house! We have The Friend that Loves Jiffy Cornbread Muffins coming over tomorrow and she is bringing her someone special with her for our first meeting. I hear he is coming with Cheerwine, so I like him already. I've got a new recipe I am trying out tomorrow for dessert so I'll try to get that posted soon. I wanted to share with you our dinner really fast. Apparently, I am on a stuffing kick! I wasn't sure if I would post it, but The Dish Washer went on and on about it. I need a way to keep up with it.

Stuffed Zucchini

4 zucchini

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely diced

1 egg

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

seasoning (I used Chef Paul Prudhommes' Poultry Magic - use whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 375. Cut zucchini in half, lengthwise. Place on cookie sheet and spray with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Then "seed" the zucchini. (Scrap out the center.) In a bowl, combine ground beef, onion, egg, tomato sauce, liberal sprinkling of the seasoning, and chopped up centers of the zucchini. Form into mini loaves that will fit into the zucchini. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pie

We have been super busy around our house lately. We both are suffering from colds that are never ending, I had a bike wreck for the first time in at least 17 years (into a 100+ pound dog...the dog's ok...me, not so much! Maybe I should post a recipe for Asphalt Sandwich?) and tonight I finally got busy doing some planting in all of my planters.

We had our supper club this past Friday, but The Dish Washer and I decided everyone would appreciate us staying away. I sent my pie anyway because I had already made it. It is really very easy and quite good. I forgot about a picture. Sorry!

Peanut Butter Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
8 oz. Cool Whip

In a mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer. Add peanut butter. Then mix in cool whip. Pour into graham cracker crust and refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Stuffed Squash

Back when I made the Cheeseburger Pie, I was looking for a different way to do some squash. After looking through a few books, here is what I came up with. So good!

Stuffed Squash

5 squash
1 small can diced green chiles, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained or fresh chopped if you have them
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
butter

Wash squash and simmer in water for 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Cut a thin slice from the top of each and remove seeds and discard, or chop and add with remaining ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients except butter. Mix well and spoon into squash. Dot each with pat of butter. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. (You may need to go a little longer than this.)

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

I made this a while back. I got the recipe off of the can of French's French Fried Onions. It was good flavor and easy to make, but I think I did something wrong. My onions wouldn't stick to the chicken that easy. Maybe I didn't have enough or maybe I didn't crunch them up right. Mine certainly DOES NOT look like the picture this time!

Here's the link if you want to try it...French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

Tri-Colored Pasta Salad

James Spann has taken over my TV for the night, so I thought I would give an Easter food blog since I haven't done that yet. We had a great Easter with The Dish Washer's family, and as usual, had way too much to eat. While the big girl were hunting Easter eggs, I got to love on Little Brother, who I am renaming The Burrower because he LOVES to burrow his little face into the elbow fold of your arm. Then he will pull a free arm over his head to block out the light. It is the funniest thing! We had ham, macaroni and cheese, peas, hashbrown casserole, grape salad, green beans, devilled eggs, dinner rolls and sweets-a-plenty! In addition to making the hashbrown casserole, I also made this pasta salad. It is really very good and is a recipe of my mother-in-law. She made it once when I went home with The Dish Washer...we were still dating. I've had the recipe ever since, but she also included it in the handwritten cookbook she gave me one Christmas.

Tri-Colored Pasta Salad

1 bag tri-colored pasta
1 pint Miracle whip
1 c. water
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. sugar
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4-5 eggs, boiled and chopped

Cook pasta according to directions, drain well. Mix miracle whip, sugar, onion and seasonings well. Add water and mix well or whisk to blend. Add vinegar. When dressing is well blended, add pasta and eggs. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight.

Homemade Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today I gave blood for the first time in 9 years! I am ashamed to admit that, but I had such a terrible first experience at my high school's blood drive...I just couldn't shake it. It isn't the fear of needles, it was the fear of getting sick again. But now, The Chicken Farmer (my brother-in-law) is in need of surgery to repair a heart valve. I would do absolutely anything for him, so today was the day to face those fears of getting sick again and donate blood to be used for his surgery. There is something very special to me about him finally becoming my "blood."


The best news is I didn't get sick at all. So now I have overcome that fear and can become a regular blood donor (which is what I've always wanted to be.) In honor of my experience, mom suggested a post to commemorate the day...she suggested something called Blood Pudding. It was very thoughtful of her, but boy did that recipe GROSS ME OUT! I will go with her MUCH milder suggestion of Red Velvet Cake. This recipe is my grandmother's. She used to always make it for my mom's birthday because it is her favorite. She also always put coconut icing on it because that is her favorite too, but I prefer Cream Cheese Frosting now that I have taken over the tradition. Made from scratch and soooo yummy! His surgery has been pushed back just today to the day after mom's birthday, so we will have to have this for her birthday this year and to celebrate becoming "blood." I'll take a picture next time I make this cake to post.


Red Velvet Cake


1 stick butter
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 (1 oz.) bottles of red food coloring
1 c. buttermilk
2-1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla


Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Beat well, then add food coloring. Sift flour, cocoa, salt and add alternating with buttermilk. Then add vanilla. Mix vinegar and soda in a cup and stir into batter. Bake in 9-inch prepared pans for 30 minutes at 350. Allow to cool completely before icing.


Cream Cheese Frosting


1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 small bag chopped pecans, optional


Mix all ingredients, beat until spreading consistency is good. May want to stir in pecans now to spread over cake or use pecans as a garnish.

Cheeseburger Pie

Isn't my begonia pretty? It was a birthday gift to me from my in laws. I have big plans for her on our porch soon, but I'm keeping her on the table until after Easter. Last night I was trying to find something to cook with hamburger meat. The Dish Washer wanted a meatloaf, but I wanted something quicker to prepare. I turned to my cookbook that highlights all things Alabama (Alabama Rich in Flavor by Katherine Helms) and found a recipe for Cheeseburger Pie. I decided to make it, but it is VERY different because I didn't include the "pie." I also didn't have dried oregano, which was one of the ingredients called for. That was certainly motivation to change things up. Here is a slice...

Here's what I did...

Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 palm full of McCormick's Steak Seasoning
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. milk

Brown the beef and onion together, drain. Add steak seasoning, tomato sauce, bread crumbs. Place in a greased pie plate. Combine the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and milk. Spread over the meat mixture. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

**If you wanted to cook in pie shell, use 9-inch deep dish unbaked pie shell. Same directions. This holds its shape very well without a pie shell.

Peeps Sunflower Cake

How cute is this cake? And let me tell y'all, it is SUPER EASY!! Here's the recipe. The picture above is the one I made. I think it is very close to the magazine's version that you can see at the link. The only difference is that my chocolate chips are all the same size. Last year I was gifted the magazine Taste of Home by Super Social Worker. A dear friend of her's that absolutely loved recipes and cooking passed away. I was honored to be the recipient of her remaining magazine subscription. This cake was in there and I have had it on my mind this whole time...anxiously waiting for Easter peep season.

Grits and Sausage Bake

This past weekend was our Supper Club. They decided to do breakfast for dinner, which we were thrilled about. Unfortunately, we got tied up and weren't able to make it on time. I had already prepared everything, so all I had to do was bake it off. Since we couldn't take it on Saturday night, we decided to have it for brunch after church yesterday. It is very good...it came from a small town Presbyterian cookbook. I've had my eye on it since January. Because it has sausage in it (which can be a pretty strong taste), the grits don't stand out as much as they do in the Grits Casserole. If you are looking for something different, give this a try.

Grits and Sausage Bake

3 c. water
3/4 c. quick grits
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
⅔ c. (5 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce (optional)
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Bring water to a boil in large saucepan; slowly stir in grits. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1-1/2 c. cheese, milk, garlic powder, pepper and hot sauce to grit. Stir until cheese melts. Add sausage and eggs; stir well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 1 hour. Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Batter can be made the day before, cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Makes 6 servings.

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I am getting ready to make a VERY CUTE cake using Easter peeps this weekend for a family get together. Here's what you'll need:

yellow box cake
2 cans of chocolate icing
bag of chocolate chips
19 yellow chick peeps

Oven Pork Chops

I've made a return to the kitchen! I came across this recipe from the Junior League cookbook of my college town. The ingredients sound very unusual together, but I knew they would have to be good. (Because who wants to put something gross in a cookbook with their name attached to it? I DON'T!) Anyway, this was very easy and I had everything in my pantry/fridge that I needed. Yes, I am staying on my budget of $30/week for groceries. I'm even coming a little under. WOO HOO! This is the original recipe. I used 5 VERY THIN (because they are cheap!) pork chops.

Oven Pork Chops

6 pork chops

1 Tbsp. oil (I just sprayed some olive oil)

salt and pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (I sauteed because The Dish Washer doesn't like crunch)

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown chops in oil. Place drained chops in casserole dish. Combine chicken soup, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and onion, then pour over pork chops. Cover and place in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Carolyn's Pineapple Casserole

Poor Tossie is making her return to work today after having Baby Sister. I know she is sad about not being with Baby Sister during the day, but I also know she LOVES the folks she works with! (The ones I know, we LOVE too!!) See reasons here. Welcome back to work, Tos! I thought I would share some co-worker recipes today and tomorrow in honor of your return.

Carolyn's Pineapple Casserole

1 - 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
2 - 20 ounce cans chunked pineapple
8 large slices of bread without crust

Pour cans of pineapple over bread and let drain thoroughly.

Mix:
2 sticks softened oleo
8 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla and add to bread mixture mixing well.

Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes until slightly brown in 11x13 baking dish.

Spinach Dip (Warm)

Speaking of Tossie and her church, I had the honor of going to her baby shower given by ladies from their Sunday school class. This was a phenomenal spinach dip. Now that I know what goes in it...NO WONDER!! Usually I prefer to make a cold spinach dip, which reminds me that I need to share that one. The only time I have ever had a warm spinach dip, it usually contains artichokes. I dont mind artichokes but this was a nice change for a warm spinach dip. It was so good that I could have easily eaten the whole bowl right then and there. I didn't want to embarass Tossie in front of her friend! HA! Maybe all of this enthusiasm for food is also why I now have a sign on my fridge saying "You are fat! Your clothes don't fit!" and one on my pantry "And you aren't buying new clothes, so suck it up!" I can still dream...

Spinach Dip from my Shower (Michelle Burns' recipe)

The recipe is doubled..
2 frozen chopped spinach
1 softened 8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup of mayo
2 cup of shredded mozzerella
1 cup grated parmesean
2 tbsp. of garlic salt

Stir together. Cook at 400 for 20 min. Voila!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

**ANOTHER GUEST POST FROM TOSSIE**

This is a recipe from the Apples of Gold Bible Study I did in '07. If you ever have one at your church, do it. You could teach the cooking part (the majority of my group knew how to cook but it was good to get new recipes and have someone cook for you). The lady that cooked for us looks like Paula Deen and cooks like her too!!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (Billboard Man loved these)

8 oz. pkg of cream cheese
1 small can of chopped Green Chilies
3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped (I used 3)
1 pkg. Large Flour Tortillas
Salsa
1 pkg. Mexican Cheese
1 small (1/2 pint) container Whipping Cream

Combine in skillet cream cheese, green chilies, and chicken; cook until creamy. Soften tortillas according to package directions. Roll up tortillas with chicken mixture, 1 tsp. salsa and Mexican cheese. Place filled tortillas in greased 9x13 or two 9x9 pans, seam side down. Pour whipping cream and remaining Mexican cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

**I put the salsa in the chicken mixture - I used about 2 tablespoons.

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Back to Diana: This one sounds easier than the Chicken Enchiladas in Tomatilla Sauce I made earlier.

Lazy Girl's Green Bean Bundles

I lied! I did make something tonight that hasn't been on the blog yet! I love Green Bean Bundles, but they can be "fussy" just for the two of us to eat at home. I like to take my favorite bundle recipe and just throw it in a dish and bake. Less trouble = same great taste! I'm going to give the true bundle recipe, and then I will tell you what I did.

Green Bean Bundles

2 cans whole green beans
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard
Bacon to wrap

Drain beans. Mix sugar and mustard. Pour over beans and mix well. Divide into bundles and wrap 1/2 slice bacon around each bundle and secure with a toothpick. Bake 30 minutes at 350.

**Since this is the lazy version, the beans don't have to be whole. This time I happened to use cut beans. (That I got on sale for $.36/can!) I drain and put in baking dish. Then I sprinkle the brown sugar and mustard and mix right in that dish togehter. Then I lay some bacon on top and bake following above directions or until bacon is crispy.

Enjoy!

Layered Salad

Saturday night was our supper club and I took this salad. (It went with a yummy Chicken Spaghetti, bread and chocolate!!) Sunday morning we woke up to our backyard looking like this:

Such a fun treat! There are still a few snow patches in the shaded spots, but for the most part all gone! That's southern snow for you! Now onto this recipe: Sister used to make this all the time for our family cook-out. I think it is supposed to be 7-layers, but she probably didn't like whatever that 7th layer (probably peas or something like that) was and decided to leave it out. That's why I just decided to call it Layered Salad.

Layered Salad

1 bg. lettuce

1 bg. spinach (end stems pinched off)
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

8 eggs, hard boiled and chopped (original recipe called for 10)

Layer in order given. Mix the following and spread on top:

1 c. mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

1 pkt. ranch dressing mix

Toss with cheese before serving. (I went ahead and added my cheese to the layers and it turned out fine.)

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I am attempting to cut our grocery bill in half or better! So far pretty successful and now I am completely addicted to couponing! (Even though I just really started this weekend!) My favorite blog to read about couponing and saving is Southern Savers because everything is completely mapped out for me. I learn by doing, so this is teaching me how to look for and get the best deals! I was so sad to think about it because I like to cook such fun things on the spur of the moment and was thinking that was going to come to a screeching halt...UNTIL I saw this! She is teaming up with Southern Plate and will be coming up with recipes using all of our sale items! I'm so excited!! Check 'em out! The Dish Washer says I am the new CFO of our household and he is the CEO! I was cracking up thinking about this on the way to work this morning!

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake

Two friends from high school had their first child, a very cute little girl, a month ago. I wanted to make dinner for this new family and have waited my turn while their church family has fed them over the last month. I haven't seen them since they were in the hospital, so I was dying to get my hands on that baby! She was very alert when I got there and then went right to sleep while I was holding her! Isn't that the best? I made this because it came highly recommended from Tossie. Someone from their church made this for them after Little Sister arrived this month. The Billboard Man highly recommended it, and he is one picky eater, so I knew it had to be good. It was very easy to make.

I stopped in the recipe before baking it off since I was taking it to them after work so would have no way to keep it warm. I included the ingredients and instructions on how to top it and bake it. The picture above is without the topping. This is the exact recipe I was given...I made a few (very minor) changes of my own.


Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake

1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (16 oz.) jar white Alfredo pasta sauce
20 oz. pkg. refrigerated cheese-filled or spinach tortellini
1½ c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. milk
1¼  c. water
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Topping:
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ c. panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For pasta mixture, chop onion. Heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion. Cook until onion is tender.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.  Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas and black pepper. Heat until mixture just comes to a boil; remove from heat.

Meanwhile, for crumb topping, place butter in microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well.

Spoon pasta mixture into 9x13 casserole dish; sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

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I also made a yummy Sheath Cake.

Sheath Cake

Let me first say, I have no clue why this is called Sheath Cake. Anyone?

Mom needed some redemption after I said she never made homemade biscuits. Well, it is true, she never did, but we also loved canned biscuits in our family. I'm sure if I had asked, she would have made them from scratch. Is that better? She made this cake a lot when we were kids. It is so very good. However, it was a bit of a disaster when I was making it this time. First, my cheap aluminum "to go" pan had a hole in it, so batter started leaking. Luckily, I had two small cake pans, so I decided to just make two small cakes with plans to take one to my friends and one to work. I started the icing too early and ended up letting it go a little too long on the heat, so then it was not the right consistency. I managed to save the one pictured above to give to my friends (although not exactly how I would have like it), but the other was a complete mess. I didn't bother taking it to work. (I did have a few bites of my own though!) My favorite thing about this cake is the icing! When I have a real craving for chocolate, I've been known to just make a small serving of icing and eat off it. Terrible for me? YES! So good? YES!! I have an incredible sweet tooth.

Here's the recipe:

Sheath Cake

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 stick butter
1/2 c. Crisco
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 c. water
1-1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1 stick butter
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. canned milk
1 (1 lb.) box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift the sugar and flour together in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, bring butter, Crisco, cocoa powder and water to a boil. Pour over flour and sugar mixture and mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well; pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.  Bake 20 minutes at 400.

For icing, mix together butter, cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a rapid bowl and remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and spread on hot cake directly from the oven.*

*If done right, it should be "melty" looking on the cake but will cool nicely.

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NOTE:  I made this again later using a SHEET pan to bake in instead of 9x13 pan.  MUCH BETTER!!

Pioneer Baked Beans

I'm blogging from the kitchen this morning. I've got to get two breakfast boys (The Dish Washer and his cousin) on the road for their Annual Road Trip to Duke Basketball. Let's hope they win so they come home happy...not looking too good though! I have tons of new breakfast recipes to try, but I have managed to wake up this morning without any cheese in my house! All the recipes call for cheese. So this morning, we are just having breakfast sausage and frozen biscuits. But these are delicious "taste like mama's" biscuits...well not my Mama's because she never made homemade biscuits (that I remember anyway), so tastes like MeeMaw's for me!

Anyway, I got to thinking that I forgot to post the baked bean recipe that I promised. These are from Super Social Worker and she wanted to call them "Pioneer Baked Beans" because she is loving to read the Pioneer Woman's website. Apparently it is motivating her to cook in the kitchen. Speaking of PW, check this out...she and my favorite magazine are about to collide. I can't wait until that issue comes out!! The Dish Washer and I would LOVE to live on her ranch! Back to the beans - she didn't give me any exact measurements, but here is what she did.

"Pioneer" Baked Beans

2 cans Bush's baked beans
1 lb. breakfast sausage
green bell pepper
onion
ketchup
mustard
brown sugar
barbecue sauce

In a skillet, she browned sausage with an onion and bell pepper. Then she drained it and added it to the cans of beans. Then she added the other ingredients until she got the taste like she liked it. That's all I know. I don't even know if she baked hers...I did mine. Hey SuperSW, how about telling us what you did after putting it all together?

I did the sausage, bell pepper and onions. I used my recipe as a guide for baking, using pork n beans instead of baked beans. I also used the barbecue sauce. It was very good and The Dish Washer absolutely loved it!

Granny's Cut Out Cookies

We have had quite the eventful weekend, so we are just now celebrating Valentine's Day tonight. I asked The Dish Washer what he wanted to eat and he said Cajun Meatloaf. He is all about beef and pork, so along with the meatloaf I made a different type of baked beans that included sausage (I'll post that tomorrow) and then I made him his favorite cookies...better known as "steak cookies" for tonight.



Isn't that the cutest thing? The Dish Washer brought me this precious cookie cutter last month from a Cattleman's Convention in the state to our north.

I've mentioned these cookies before. They are his absolute favorite and were made every year by his Granny Miller. She had a talent for rolling cookie dough and could get her's paper thin so that they were very crunchy little things. I, on the other hand, am terrible at rolling cookie dough, but The Dish Washer said that was ok since I was "learning." Isn't he the best Valentine? I had made the dough a while back and put it in the freezer. It freezes very well! Then I just let it sit out on the counter a little while and it was ready to roll.

Granny's Cut Out Cookies

3-1/2 c. plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Sift flour with baking powder and salt.

1 c. oleo (Crisco)
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream oleo; add sugar gradually and continue to beat. Add well beaten eggs and blend thoroughly. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and creamed mixture; mix well and chill. Work with about 1/2 mixture at a time. Roll thin and cut. Bake at 400 for 6-10 minutes.

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For any of you readers who stayed at the hotel for our wedding, this is the recipe used for the cookies in your goody baskets. My mother in law made them for you...she's also good at getting the dough thin!

Stuffed Pasta Shells

What is the best thing about having a food blog, you ask? Well, the fact that my co-worker, Ms. Noodles, has shown up TWICE now with lunch for me to try "in case you want to put that recipe on your blog"!! Can't beat that! And you better believe that both times the food was delicious!! (And also that I didn't have to type out the recipes...cut and pasted from an email.) She also gave me the recipe for Cornbread Taco Bake.

"STUFFED PASTA SHELLS"

15 large pasta shells (cooked and drained)
1 lb ground beef
1 jar (12oz) mild picante sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
1 can chopped green chilies, drained (4oz)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (4oz)
1 (3 oz.) bag or can french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook shells according to package directions.  Brown beef, drain.

In a small bowl, combine picante, water and tomato sauce. Stir ½ cup of the sauce into browned beef along with green chilies, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 can onions.  Mix well.

Pour 1/2 remaining sauce on bottom of a 8X12 baking dish. Stuff cooked shells with beef mixture. Arrange in dish, pour remaining sauce over top. Bake covered 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Top with remaining cheese and onions, bake uncovered 5 more minutes.

Cornbread Taco Bake

"CORN BREAD TACO BAKE"

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can whole corn (12oz)
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
1 pks corn muffin mix (8 1/2oz)
1 (3 oz.) bag or can of french fried onions
1/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Brown meat, drain. Stir in next 5 ingrediants. Pour into 8/12" baking dish. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions and add 1/2 can French Fried Onions. Spoon over meat around outer edge of casserole. Bake uncovered @ 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Top corn bread with cheese and remaining onions, bake 2-3 minutes.

Dean's Cake House Caramel Cake

Today is my birthday, so I get the day off from cooking. (Although with the lack of blogging lately, you'd think I took the whole week off.) The Dish Washer is clanging around in the kitchen making Broccoli Casserole and grilling steak. I have been enjoying my most favorite caramel cake from Dean's Cake House in Andalusia. Soooo good! I can't find their website anymore (it says it has expired), but, if you live in Birmingham, you can pick one up at The Pig in Homewood! You can also call (334) 222-0459 to see where they may sell them close to you.

Salmon and Eggs

If this doesn't gross you out, then welcome to The Dish Washer's family. Every Thanksgiving, the men's breakfast includes salmon and eggs. He loves it! Because he loves it, I had 2 cans of salmon sitting in the pantry for him. This weekend, he busted them out. The funny thing is, when we were in D.C., our hotel had continental breakfast for us...not the blueberry muffin, dry cereal, bagel regular, but a little more variety with fresh ingredients. One of the things they offered was smoked salmon, so I decided to get The Dish Washer some scrambled eggs and smoked salmon thinking it would be the best Salmon and Eggs he has ever had. NO!! It wasn't the same as canned salmon.

To quote Shelby from my most favorite movie, Steel Magnolias: "Remember what Daddy always says - an ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure!" I love that The Dish Washer will take me nice places, but still loves that canned salmon! That is who we are...I even ate canned chicken that same day!

Salmon and Eggs

Canned salmon, be sure to pick bones and skin
eggs
pepper

Mix together and scramble!

Liz's Black Bean Chowder

Happy Groundhog's Day! I don't have anything "Groundhoggy" to post today. But since we can expect to be cold for six more weeks, here's something to keep us warm...

I had printed this recipe off of The Pioneer Woman's blog a while back. She had a cooking challenge and asked folks to post recipes that she would make and then pick a winner. This chowder was one of the winners and sounded so good. It made a huge pot so I thought it would be great for the Super Bowl, but then with our unexpected addition to the family we packed up the chowder and headed south. Now I can't find it on her site to be able to link, so I will type the whole thing out. The full recipe (which I will give you) includes a yogurt-cilantro relish that I had to make to at least try, but didn't like at all.

Liz's Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

1 (32 oz.) pkg. dried black beans

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

olive oil

1 small ham hock

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

6 c. chicken stock

6 c. milk

2 Tbsp. butter

3 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. liquid smoke

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. mild curry powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Relish:

1 c. plain yogurt

2 c. chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 c. chopped cilantro (which is why I didn't care for this!)

1/2 tsp. salt

Place beans in a colander and rinse beans well. Place in an 8-quart Dutch oven (Buttercream was close to overflowing by the end of the recipe...she's not 8 quarts) and cover with water (about an inch over the top of the beans) and soak overnight. The next morning, prepare the relish by mixing all the ingredients together, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then drain the beans and rinse well.

Gently saute the onion and garlic in the stock pot with 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, then add diced green chiles. Place beans back in the Dutch oven and add chicken stock, ham hock, liquid smoke, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After one hour is up, add the milk and 2 Tbsp. butter and simmer another 30 minutes. While the chowder is simmering, place the shredded cheese in a large bowl and add the flour, toss to coat the cheese with the flour. Bring the chowder to a boil and stir in the cheese. Boil while stirring constantly until the chowder thickens to your desired consistency. Ladle the chowder into bowls and top with one or two Tbsp. of yogurt-cilantro relish*. Serve with warm tortillas.

*After realizing I didn't care for the relish, I decided to serve with sour cream and fritos!

The Dish Washer has demanded that next time I make this to figure out how to add some meat to it...suggestions? He says pulled pork!