Homestyle Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 large can Italian style green beans (We love Allen’s brand)

• 1/4 sweet onion, chopped

• 2 slices of bacon, chopped

• Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté onion and bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bacon is browning and onion is translucent.  Stir frequently. 
2. Pour can of green beans into sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.  Pepper to taste.

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Teresa’s Pasta Salad

This is a simple pasta salad recipe that is a favorite at our scrapbook weekends.  Thank you to my good friend Teresa for sharing the recipe.

Teresa’s Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg Tri color pasta

1 can of olives, drained

1 bag of mini pepperonis

1 8 oz bag of co jack cheese cubes

Zesty Italian dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse pasta.  Add olives, pepperonis and cheese cubes.  Pour Italian dressing over the pasta salad to desired consistency/moistness.  Chill several hours before serving.

Click here to print this recipe.

White Wine Vinaigrette

Recipe by Allrecipes

White Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Close the lid, and shake vigorously to blend. Use right away, or store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Babe’s Salad Dressing

This is my take on the infamous simply sweet dressing served at Babe’s restaurants in DFW. 

Babe’s Salad Dressing

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup Heinz white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients above.  Toss with torn iceberg lettuce. 

Enjoy!

I love a good pasta salad during the dog days of summer.  This creamy pasta salad with bites of fresh basil will cool you off and feel you up.  I served this recently with BLT sandwiches.  Delish!

Summer Pasta Salad

recipe by Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups rotini pasta
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water, and drain.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and garlic until well blended. Mix in basil. Add pasta, tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives; fold gently until mixed. Chill several hours or overnight. Stir gently before serving.

Enjoy!

Cool Veggie Pizza

Recipe by Pampered Chef

Did you know that I used to be a pampered chef consultant?  It was right after I married Josh and before we had kids.  I really enjoyed all their products.  There are a few of their recipes that I still use to this day. This cool veggie pizza may not sound appealing at first but I encourage you to give it a try.  Most people love it.  If there is something that doesn’t appeal to you, substitute it or remove it. 

Cool Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. package refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 tsp. Dill Seasoning
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste
• 2 cups assorted fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, green or red bell pepper, tomato, green onions, mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, yellow summer squash)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll crescent dough on a cookie sheet.  Press seams to seal. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely.
To prepare vegetables, coarsely chop broccoli or cauliflower. Slice cucumber, bell pepper, tomato or green onions, then dice into smaller pieces. Slice mushrooms. Grate carrot. Crinkle cut zucchini or yellow squash.
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, pressed garlic and dill. Season with salt & pepper; mix well. Spread over cooled crust.
Sprinkle vegetables over cream cheese. Cut into squares and serve.
Enjoy!

The dressing recipe

This is my husband’s family recipe for dressing.  He learned how to make it from his mom and his mom learned it from her mother.  Its a holiday tradition.

 

Bake cornbread as directed on package. Bake biscuits as directed on can.

Spray a large roasting pan with Pam and crumble the bread and biscuits into small pieces into the pan. 

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and celery is tender.

 

Add box of chicken broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped eggs and remove from heat.

 

Add liquid mixture to bread mixture one cup at a time until desired consistency. Dressing should be wet, but not soupy.  If additional liquid is needed, add chicken broth from can a little at a time.

 

Season with salt, pepper, and sage to taste.

Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes and golden brown.

Granny Jo’s Dressing

2 corn-kits

1 can biscuits

1 onion, chopped

½ - ¾ cup celery chopped (incl. leaves)

1 stick butter

1 large box chicken broth & 1 can broth

2 hard boiled eggs chopped

Salt

Pepper

Sage

Bake cornbread as directed on package. Bake biscuits as directed on can. Spray a large roasting pan with Pam and crumble the bread and biscuits into small pieces into the pan.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and celery is tender. Add box of chicken broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped eggs and remove from heat.

Add liquid mixture to bread mixture one cup at a time until desired consistency. Dressing should be wet, but not soupy.  If additional liquid is needed, add chicken broth from can a little at a time. Season with salt, pepper, and sage to taste. Let rest is desired.

Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes and golden brown.

Aunt Christi’s Sweet Potatoes

Everyone loves Aunt Christi’s sweet potatoes.  She was kind enough to share her recipe.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

recipe by Aunt Christi

4 to 6 sweet potatoes peeled, boiled, drained and mashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix potatoes, sugar, salt, 1/2 stick butter, flour, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Put in buttered dish.

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 stick butter, melted

Melt butter and mix in brown sugar and nuts to make the topping. Spread on top of sweet potatoes and bake at 375 until brown approximately 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I use the French’s Fried Onion can recipe to make green bean casserole but with a few slight modifications.  It tends to be too soupy so I decrease the amount of milk.  I also like the French’s fried onions so I increase the quantity.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Green Bean Casserole

recipe by French’s

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL'S® Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed*

1 large can FRENCH'S® Original French Fried Onions

Directions:

MIX soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 can (not cup) French Fried Onions.

BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.

STIR. Top with remaining onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.

Enjoy!

Red Hot & Blue Potato Salad

I love RH&B’s potato salad.  I searched the internet and found the recipe in the comments of this blog.

16-17 lbs red bliss, size B potatoes (4)
13 eggs, cut into eights (3)
2 1/2 cups green onions, chop 1/8-inch size(1/2 -3/4)
5 cups mayonnaise, they buy from Ben E. Keith food distr (1 1/4 cup).
2 1/2 level tbsp. celery seed (1/2-3/4)
2 1/2 level tbsp. salt  (1/2-3/4)
steam spuds for 45-60 minutes
cut into small pcs and mix ingredients- do not refrigerate

I made it this weekend but adjusted it down to feed a few less people.  I am was very happy with how much it tasted like the original.  We served it with Grilled Chicken and Corn.  All I can say is delicious.

Red Hot & Blue Potato Salad

4 lbs red potatoes
3 eggs, diced
2/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise, the real stuff
2/3 level tbsp. celery seed
2/3 level tbsp. salt 

Steam potatoes for 45-60 minutes.  You could boil the potatoes as well until fork tender.  I found 1.5 lb Green Giant bags of red potatoes in a microwavable steam bag.  The steam bag cooks in 8 minutes.  Sweet!

In a large bowl, mix the chopped eggs, green onions, mayonnaise, celery seed and salt.  Cut potatoes into small pieces and combine with the dressing mixture.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Mac & Cheese

This is my adaptation of PW’s recipe.  I love how creamy and cheesy it is.  It is delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 cups large Macaroni
• 1/2 Stick or 4 Tablespoons Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups milk (I use 1%)
• 1/2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated (Medium or Sharp is best)
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt as needed.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.  Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Easter Favorites

I wanted to prepare a nontraditional dinner for Easter.  I made fajitas and all the fixins.  I didn’t get pictures of everything but it was all delicious trust me.  This is one of my favorite menus. 

Here was the menu…

Seven Layer Dip

Chili con Carne

Beef & Chicken Fajitas served with fresh pico, guacamole, homemade salsa, sour cream and cheese

Refried Beans and Mexican Rice

Strawberry Shortcake

Seven Layer Dip

recipe by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 can Refried Beans
• Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
• 1 can Diced Green Chilies
• Ground Cumin, to taste
• ¾ cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup Guacamole
• ¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 can Black Olives
• 1 cup Pico De Gallo

Preparation Instructions

Begin by throwing the refried beans into a small pan over medium-low heat. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce and a small can of (undrained) diced green chilies. Stir well. Next, sprinkle a little bit of ground Cumin.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a glass bowl or high-sided dish. Over this sprinkle the sharp cheddar. Next, plop your sour cream. And spread it into a single layer, being careful not to disturb the cheese underneath.

The next layer is the guacamole. Spread it over the sour cream. Follow this with a layer of Monterey Jack Cheese and a nice sprinkling of chopped black olives. Lastly, place a generous layer of Pico de Gallo. You can also, if you have the gumption for it, sprinkle some diced jalapenos over top.

Enjoy!

Chili Con Carne

recipe by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 32 ounces, weight Velveeta Cheese Loaf
• 10 ounces, weight Rotel
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Premium Pork Sausage
• 7 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies
• 1 whole Yellow Onion
• 1 whole Jalapeno, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

Dice the onion. Using a nonstick sprayed skillet, cook sausage and onions until brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned, drain some of the fat from the skillet.

Cube Velveeta loaf. Add cubes to browned sausage and onion mixture. Add can of Rotel (juice and all), can of green chilies (juice and all), and stir over low heat.

Cut the top and bottom off the jalapeño, slice into matchsticks, then rotate and slice to create a fine dice. (For a spicy version, leave seeds and white membranes. For a milder option, remove them.) Add to queso and stir.

Serving tip: Use a fondue pot or crock pot to serve piping hot!

Chicken Fajitas

recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash hot sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds meat (boneless, skinless chicken breast, skirt steak or peeled and deveined shrimp)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 lime, juiced, for topping
Sour cream, for topping
Salsa, for topping
Guacamole, for topping
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

Directions

In a heavy duty resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper and your choice of meat. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator. *Cook’s Note: 15 minutes for shrimp, 20 minutes for chicken and 1 hour for skirt steak.

Preheat your cast iron servers in a preheated 400 degree F oven for at least 20 minutes, to get a good sizzle when you plate the fajitas.

Heat the outside grill or a large indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and place it on the hot grill, discard the marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, skirt steak about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare and about 2 minutes for shrimp. Slice the chicken and steak into strips if you are using.

In a large skillet heat up the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and fry the onions and bell peppers until crisp-tender with some salt and pepper.

Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven with the servers for 15 minutes.

When you are ready to serve, remove the cast iron servers from the oven and quickly arrange the meat and peppers and onions on it. It will immediately start to sizzle from their fat and moisture. Serve sizzling immediately with the warm tortillas and other accompaniments.

Pico de Gallo & Guacamole

recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman 

Ingredients

• FOR THE PICO DE GALLO:
• 5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
• ½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
• 3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
• Cilantro
• Lime Juice
• Salt To Taste
• FOR THE GUACAMOLE:
• 3 whole Avacados
• Pico De Gallo
• Couple shakes of cumin
• Lime Juice
• Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Pico de Gallo
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

Guacamole
Start with buttery-soft avocados. Halve them lengthwise and remove the pits. Next, with a spoon scrape the “meat” out onto a large plate. Next, with the bottom of a clean cup (or with a fork) mash the avocados, making sure to leave it relatively chunky. Add just a couple of shakes of salt to taste. Next, add a generous helping of Pico de Gallo.  Add cumin.  Fold together. Lastly squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top. Give it one last stir.

 

Mexican Rice

recipe by Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 cup long grain white rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 cube chicken bouillon

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, halved

Directions

In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomato.

Season with bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

Pound cake

2 quarts of strawberries

3 T sugar

1 pint heavy cream

4 T powered sugar

1 t vanilla

Directions

Prepare cake and let cool to the touch.

Wash and slice the strawberries.  Place strawberries in bowl.  Add sugar and toss to coat.  Cover and place strawberries in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place heavy cream, powered sugar and vanilla in your mixing bowl.  Mix on low speed until combined, then mix on medium high until soft peaks form.  When you remove the beater, the cream should stick to the beater.  Be careful not to overmix.  Place in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve, place a slice of cake on a plate.  Top with a large dollop of whipped cream.  Add strawberries. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Black Beans

This a quick and easy side dish for all your Mexican favorites.  The adobe sauce adds so much flavor and a little spice. 

Spicy Black Beans

recipe from Cooking Light

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small can chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro,chopped

Combine 1 teaspoon of adobe sauce, black beans, and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a small saucepan.  Reserve remaining peppers and adobe sauce in the refrigerator for later use.  Bring to boil then remove from heat.  Mash beans then sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Corn Casserole (Paula Deen)

1 can cream of corn

1 can corn, drained

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.   Pour into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes.  It will be de done when its golden brown and firm in middle.