Quick Red Beans and Rice

Yummy for a cold night!

Ingredients:
14 oz smoked sausage, thinly sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Kidney beans
1 can chicken broth
2 tsp Creole seasoning
3 cups uncooked long grain rice

Directions
In Dutch oven, combine sausage, celery, pepper, and onion. Cook over medium high heat until sausage is brown (10 minutes). Add Garlic and cook another minute. Add beans, chicken broth, and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer at least 20 minutes.
Cook Rice per package directions. Serve 1 cup bean mixture over 1 cup of rice. Enjoy!

Dinner Mac N Cheese

This was in the November issue of Southern Living and was YUMMY! It is definitely a keeper at my house! The web address to find the recipe on line is included at the bottom!

Ingredients

1 (16-oz.) package uncooked cellentani (corkscrew) pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (10-oz.) block sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped cooked ham
2 cups coarsely chopped assorted roasted vegetables
1 1/4 cups crushed round buttery crackers
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare cellentani pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk in 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese and next 3 ingredients until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in ham, vegetables, and hot cooked pasta.
3. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Stir together crushed cracker crumbs and 2 Tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle over pasta mixture.
4. Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/dinner-mac-cheese-50400000117073/

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This is a fun find from the Penzey Spice catalog...Yummy!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
2 eggs
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking spice
1 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 9x5 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine the banana, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, and melted butter. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add the sugars and beat well. Add the flax seed (if using), baking soda, cinnamon, and baking spice and mix well. Add flour and beat until blended. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 65-75 minutes. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

*I did not use the flax seed. I also didn't have baking spice, so I increased the cinnamon to 1 1/2 tsp and everything turned out great!

Reindeer Munch

This is one I clipped out of a magazine - I don't remember which one. Everyone at our house seems to like it!

Ingredients:
2 Cups Chex Rice Cereal
2 Cups Thin Pretzel Sticks
1 Cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Cup M&Ms
1 Package Vanilla Flavored Candy coating

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except the candy coating in a large bowl/container. Melt the candy coating according to package directions and pour over cereal mixture. Stir to get everything well coated then pour mixture on foil to harden. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

*This is really very flexible - I usually add more cranberries and m&ms than called for because that's what my gang likes!

Lucious Lumps

This is a cookie recipe from Dave's Mom, Carol. Dave loves these and I love how easy and Yummy they are!

Ingredients:
1 Cup butter
1/2 cup powdered (Confectioner's) Sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup sifted flour
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions:
Cream soft butter well. Add sugar, corn starch, and vanilla then blend well. Add flour until thoroughly blended. Add Chips, nuts, and mix. Drop on an ungreased cookie sheet by the teaspoon. Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

*These need to be small or they crumble when they come off the cookie sheet - it also helps to let them cool a little while on the cookie sheet.

Grandmommy's Meatloaf

This is a recipe from my Grandmother... YUMMY!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (Turkey works too)
1 small chopped onion
2 3ggs
2/3 cup quick oats
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregeno
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt

Direction:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray bottom of loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, place in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes.
One thing I like to do is buy the 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of the baby can. I put half into the meatloaf and then pour the rest on top before baking. This one is a great leftover....

Simple Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

I made these for Thanksgiving and they taste almost like fudge! I can't wait to try the other versions of the recipe!

Brownies!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 (4-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking bar, chopped
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate Frosting

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in sugar and eggs until well blended. Stir in flour. Spread batter into a greased 13- x 9-inch pan.
3. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
4. Prepare Chocolate Frosting. Pour over warm brownies; spread to edges. Sprinkle with pecans. Let cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Chocolate Frosting!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter $
1/3 cup milk $
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Cook first 3 ingredients over medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes or until butter melts. Remove from heat, and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Here is the original link: http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/bar-cookie-and-brownie-recipes-00417000072474/page5.html

Quick-Fix Burrito Skillet

This is a Kraft Recipe - Easy and YUMMY!

What you need

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (15.5 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 large green onion,

Make it

BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
ADD next 4 ingredients; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min.
STIR in tortillas; top with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

Here is the original link: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/quick-fix-beef-burrito-skillet-105217.aspx

Santa Fe Bake

We are big fans of Market Day products - they allow us to have yummy food and we support our local schools. This is a recipe I received from then and it was good too!

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef
3 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (14 1/2 oz.)drained diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions with tops
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag (12 oz.)egg noodles

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cook noodles as directed on package; drain. Meanwhile, combine ground beef in large skillet; cook over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes until beef is no longer pink; breaking into crumbles. Combine taco seasoning, noodles, mushroom soup, sour cream, tomatoes & green onions with beef mixture. Pour into 9 x 13-inch casserole, top with cheese. Bake 5-6 minutes to melt cheese. Serves 8.

Optional Tip: For more zip, add additional seasoning mix.

Pecan-Topped Cornbread

I've had this recipe for a while, but just got around to trying it. Very Yummy! I would definitely recommend this one!

Easy Banana Bread

Last week, I had a couple of bananas that were too ripe to eat, so I went on a recipe search and found this recipe. It was super yummy and definitely a keeper!

This banana bread recipe is easy, using one egg and one bowl.
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

3 large bananas , well mashed
1 egg
1 stick of butter, melted
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup nuts, optional
Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl; put into a well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for about 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Wheel's Up Pasta Salad

This is one I found in Parent's Magazine October 2011 issue. It was a huge hit with the kids and we thought it was yummy too.

Ingredients:
2 Cups cooked mini wagon wheel pasta
1 small apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine pasta, apple, cucumber, pecans, raisins, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Squeeze on lemon juice. Cover and let chill until serving time.

Note... I wasn't able to find the mini wagon wheel pasta and really should have increased the other ingredients to compensate :)

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake from Southern Living

This cake is Yum Yum YUMMY..... I made it for my September DAR meeting and it received rave reviews from the ladies there, our neighbors, and my husband. Don't be daunted by the 4 hour total time... a lot of that is baking and cooling time. The most time consuming parts are peeling/chopping the apples and chopping the nuts if you haven't bought pre chopped. I definitely recommend this one!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/apple-cream-cheese-bundt-cake-50400000115369/

Oatmeal Muffins

We had these over the weekend - from the Penzey Spice Catalog and we loved them, so I had to share before filing it away in the cook book!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp Nutmeg
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins or chopped, dried apricots
3/4 chopped nuts
1 egg beaten
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Oil
3/4 Cup Milk

Directions:
In large bowl, combine Oats, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon and Mix well. Add Raisins and nuts and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and mix. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Tops should just be browned.

We aren't big nutmeg fans, so I reduced that to 1/4 teaspoon and used the full 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. We used pecans and raisins in our version and I will definitely be making these again!

Another Southern Living Winner

I tried a recipe for Graham Nut Clusters found in Southern Living for our Labor day get together and it was a HUGE hit. I used generic honey roasted peanuts and it tasted good, but I think it might have been better had I used Planters. I am also toying with the idea of trying mini pretzels instead of the pretzel sticks.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/graham-nut-clusters-50400000115366/

Southern Living Recipe Reviews

I've recently tried two recipes that I found in Southern Living that we really liked. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them too!

Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-semifreddo-shortcake-50400000114543/

This is an awesome dessert! Because the fresh strawberries are pureed, it's a great dessert to make if the strawberries aren't picture perfect. The only thing... a plate (or something) needs to be placed under the springform pan before serving or your counters will be a mess!

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-chili-hash-brown-bake-50400000109928/

This one was a big hit with Dave! It claims to serve 8, but that must only be with very robust side dishes. We had this with a salad and it really took a serving and a half for everyone to feel full. We also tried this as a quick reheat for lunch a few days later and it was just as yummy.

Party Freeze Salad

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it's always a hit at summer gatherings - we sometimes call it Strawberry Freeze Salad.

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup honey
10 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberries, partially thawed (I usually use 1 oz unsweetened)
2 Ripe Bananas - sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 oz tub of cool whip

Directions:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add Honey and mix well. Add fruit and marshmallows, toss to coat. Fold in cool whip. Pour into a 13x9 dish and freeze overnight. Allow to thaw at room temp 30 minutes prior to serving.

Notes:
I use my stand mixer when I make this. When beating the cream cheese, I scrape the bowl twice to removed large clumps. I scrape the bowl again after mixing in the honey. After adding the strawberries, I allow he mixer to run on low while slicing in he bananas and adding marshmallows. I fold in the cool whip using a rubber spatula. This works great as a sweeter side dish or as a light dessert.

Edmund's Up North Roasted Potatoes

This was in the Penzeys catalog and you need Penzey's Northwoods seasoning for it. If you can't get to a store, visit www.Panzeys.com.

Ingredients:

4 Cups chunked red potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
2 Tablespoons Northwoods Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop onion and place in a large bowl. Leaving the skins on, cut potatoes into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Toss potatoes and onions with the Northwoods seasoning until well coated. Toss with the olive oil. Pour into a 13x9 glass baking dish and place in hot oven. Stir potatoes every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then bake for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are nice and brown.

Fresh Fruit Medley

I made this for Memorial Day and it got rave reviews...

Ingredients:
1 Cup orange Juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
2 apples, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:
Combine Orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix well. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Chill, covered, until cool. Combine orange sections, apples, and bananas in a bowl. Pour cooled dressing over fruit and toss gently to mix.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Another wonderful recipe from Penzy's....

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, cream together sugar, peanut butter, eggs, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread into ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Bake 35 minutes.