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.