Southern Praline Pecan Cake

I made this cake for my mom's birthday this week.  She says it is definitely a hit.  It was SUPER easy to make.

Southern Praline Pecan Cake

1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 (16 oz.) container coconut pecan frosting
4 eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. water
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix first 5 ingredients until well combined.  Stir in 1/2 of pecans.  Sprinkle remaining pecans into bottom of bundt pan.  Pour in cake batter.  Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Bobby Deen's Cheeseburger Casserole

We haven't had cable TV in our house for over a year.  I truly haven't missed it at all, and most of the shows that I liked on cable I can watch online or on the Roku anyway.  My Saturday mornings are different, though, because I used to watch the Food Network all morning.  Lucky for me, if I need a cooking show fix, I can just watch The Chew!  I knew this recipe would be good when Bobby was on with the show.  

Bobby Deen's Cheeseburger Casserole

2 c. rotini pasta (I used wheat)
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef (95% lean)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
28 ounces low-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 c. low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain well.  In a large skillet, heat oil and cook onion until tender.  Add in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and dijon mustard.  Stir until combined and cook until thickened, about 2 more minutes..  Add in pasta.  Pour into prepared baking dish and top with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle pickles on top and serve.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

We had some friends over for dinner on Sunday night.  I've had my eye on this jalapeño popper dip, so I decided to let them be my Guinea pigs.  I like things pretty mild, so was curious to know how hot it would be.  It had a kick, but wasn't so hot that I needed to have a drink of water.  We thought it was very good.  I only made half of the recipe since we were a small crowd and I really didn't need to eat much of it.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. mayo
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can slice jalapeños, well drained and chopped if desired
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Mix together cream cheese, mayo, green chiles, jalapeños and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Spread into oven safe dish (sprayed with cooking spray).  Mix remaining parmesan cheese with the panko bread crumbs.  Sprinkle on top of dip.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until topping is browned and dip is bubbling.

I served with Stacy's bagel chip.  You could use corn chips, pita chips, crostini, etc.

Not A Pecan Pie

For Christmas day, I decided to use leftover pretzels from Strawberry Pretzel Salad to try this recipe that I have had marked in my reader for a really long time.  It always sounded so interesting to me.  It is from Southern Plate and she came up with the recipe as a workaround for the high price of pecans.  But we have a friend with a pecan allergy so it would be great for him too...since everyone should get to experience the filling of a pecan pie in their lifetime!  I didn't get a picture.  Next time I will crush the pretzel pieces better because I found it hard to fork some of the pieces like a traditional pecan pie.

Not A Pecan Pie

4 eggs
1-1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
deep dish pie shell, unbaked
1-1/2 c. crushed pretzels
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  For filling, place first five ingredient in a large mixing bowl and mix with wire whisk until well combined.  Pour into pie shell.  Combine all topping ingredients in medium bowl and stir well to coat pretzels.  Sprinkle topping evenly over pie.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour, covering with foil after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.  Allow to cool completely before serving.

Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts

Earlier this month, we hosted our supper club for a Christmas dinner.  For an appetizer, I tried these Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts from Plain Chicken.  They were delicious and were gone in a big hurry.  I must have stuffed mine more than she did, because I only made 4 pans instead of the 5 the recipe called for.  I made them earlier in the week and froze them.  Such an easy appetizer.

Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts

1 lb. pork sausage
2 c. shredded cheese
8 oz. Spicy Ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)
5 (2.1 oz.) pkg. frozen mini phyllo shells (freezer section near pie crust and puff pastry)

Preheat oven to 350 (unless freezing for later).  Cook sausage in skillet, stirring until crumbles and is no longer pink.  Drain.  Combine the sausage, cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl.  Fill each phyllo shell with a heaping teaspoon of the sausage mixture.  (Freeze at this point, if desired.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts. (Add 2-3 minutes to baking time if baking frozen tarts.)

Sausage Roll Casserole

My children aren't old enough to make a specific request that they want to eat for Christmas morning breakfast (unless you count Eggo waffles that the oldest would eat for EVERY meal), so I decided to choose myself.  This recipe was in Southern Living several years ago and I have been a little nervous to try it, because Sister Schubert rolls are so good just as they are.  I was worried that I would ruin a perfectly good pan of them.  But curiosity got the best of me.  This casserole was good.  I didn't taste flavors that made it taste different...just made it taste like a breakfast casserole with those yummy yeasty rolls!

My only problem was I baked in a 9x13 instead of 11x7.  The top of the casserole was a little toasted and I am sure that isn't the case in a smaller pan.

Sausage Roll Casserole

5 eggs

1 c. milk

1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp. salt

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 frozen package Sister Schubert sausage rolls

1-1/2 c. shredded cheese

Whisk together first 5 ingredients until blended.  Break apart sausage rolls; cut each roll crosswise into thirds, cutting across sausage.  Layer half of rolls in a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish; sprinkle with half of cheese.  Repeat layers once.  Pour egg mixture over rolls and cheese.  Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325.  Bake casserole 50-55 minutes or until center is set.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  

Cauliflower Au Gratin

Well, hello there!  Something new that I made recently that was SO GOOD and such a good substitute for something like macaroni and cheese for The Dish Washer's low carb diet.  

Cauliflower Au Gratin

• 2-1/2 pounds cauliflower florets
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/4 c. milk
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spread out the florets on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat Place them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, stir the florets with a wooden spoon. Return to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes longer till the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower roasts, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to form a thick paste.  Slowly whisk in the milk, ¼ cup at a time. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking frequently, till it thickens and begins to bubble around the edges. Do not let the sauce boil. Whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and stir till melted. Reduce heat to lowest setting, stirring frequently, until ready to assemble the gratin.

Place cauliflower in a baking dish.  (I used and 8x8)  Pour the cheese sauce evenly across the top of the cauliflower florets. Place the assembled gratin into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes till edges begin to brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.