Kitchen Christmas Tree

 One of my favorite memories of Christmas was the year my mom made an edible tree. Everything on it was homemade and something you could eat!. I remember her going all out with a gingerbread house and everything. It's amazing that it's things like that I remember about Christmas. I think that tree ranks up there with my all time favorites. This year I decided to do something similar at our house for the kids. I was lucky enough to have my mom come down for the weekend to help me put it all together. Everyone at our house is enjoying the fact that Nanny and Papa come pretty often!

I found my tree, tree skirt, and topper at Hobby Lobby. They are currently running a 50% off deal on all Christmas items. While home for Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to come across silver flatware for $1.25 at a local antique store. I wrapped some some ribbon around them and instant ornaments. I also placed cookie cutters, dried fruit, cinnamon applesauce ornaments, and cranberry garland. My house smells amazing right now!

 We did an orange for everyone in our family with cloves making their initial. Jake even did a tangerine for Mollie!

 I cut my applesauce cinnamon ornaments out of cookie cutters from every state we've lived in since we've been married. It was neat for the kids to have something from their birth state on our little tree!

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

1 Cup cinnamon (I bought a big container at the dollar store)

2 individual cups of applesauce

2 tablespoons of craft glue

Mix ingredients together. If the mixture looks and feels loose, add more cinnamon. Shape dough into a ball and sandwich between two sheets of wax paper. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. The thinner they are the less time it will take them to dry. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours, turning after the first hour to keep edges from curling. Depending on thickness, ornaments make take more or less than 2 hours. Just keep checking them.

Smelling these make my day every time I walk into my kitchen. Merry Christmas!



Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

If found this recipe on Pinterest and it originally came from Recipegirl.com. I changed it up a little by using my mastermix instead of the the pancake recipe they used. These are simple AMAZING! No syrup necessary! I will be making this for my mom when I go home next, because she is a cinnamon roll lover. The kids also thought these were pretty cool!

Cinnamon Roll Pancake

 Pancakes

2 cups Master Mix

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Cinnamon Filling

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Combine ingredients and place in a plastic bottle with nozzle. I like to use the Wilton ones you can get in the candy making section at craft stores. If you don't have one of those, use a plastic baggie with the tip cut off. It should be the consistency of toothpaste.

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 tablespoons butter

2 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter and cream cheese in microwave. Add sugar and vanilla. Set aside.

Pour pancake mixture onto a buttered griddle. When edges begin to bubble, swirl in cinnamon mixture and flip. Continue until pancake mixture is gone. Serve warm with the cream cheese glaze instead of syrup!

These really are worth the time, I promise. I hope to have some time this week to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes!

Halloween and Old Friends

Last week the family and I had the opportunity to catch up with some old friends from our very first duty station, Ft. Stewart. They are actually the couple who gave us our baby shower for my Doodle! It was great getting to see them again and catch up on all the things that have happened since then. I have to say one of the best things about being military is the ability to always take those handful of people from each place and know that no matter how long it is between when you see or talk to each other, you can always pick up where you left off. We are hoping they make it down to us in the future!

Since it was a kid friendly party, I decided to make a Halloween party mix. I've heard this called all kinds of things, but I've always called it white trash. I knew another wife who we were stationed with in VA who had always called it puppy chow. No matter what you call it, it's just plain good! This recipe comes from a Special Halloween/Thanksgiving Betty Crocker cooking magazine.

Halloween Buddies

4 1/2 cups Corn Chex mix

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup candy corn

1 cup salted cocktail peanuts

Into a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered on High 20 seconds; stir. Microwave about 15 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 1-gallon resealable food-storage bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Add candy corn and peanuts; shake to mix. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Hoping to get my favorite cobbler recipe and beer bread muffins out later this week!

Pork Chop and Potato Casserole and Blueberry Lemon Bread

Growing up this was one of my favorite meals! If I haven't mentioned it before, my mom is an amazing cook. This is her recipe, and I find as a busy mom I make pretty often at our house. It has a meat, potatoes, and a gravy, all the things we love at our house!

Pork Chops with Scalloped Potatoes

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
6 rib or loin pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 med. onion, sliced
 paprika (optional)
additional salt and pepper (optional)

In a sauce pan combine butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth; cook and stir constantly until mixture boils. Cook for 1 minute; remove from the heat and set aside. In a skillet, brown pork chops in oil; season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired. In a greased 9x13x2 inch baking dish, layer potatoes and onions. Pour the broth mixture over potatoes and onions. Place pork chops on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour; uncover and bake 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. If desired, sprinkle with paprika.

I love making this in the morning and then just throwing it in the oven in the afternoon. Super easy make ahead dinner!


Somehow I forgot to take a pic of this even though I've made it twice in the last week! Once for Jake's unit bake sale and then again yesterday as a thank you to some neighbors. They were kind enough to bring some paper goods and dish soap over on the the day Jake and I moved in. One of the great things about living in a military community is that everyone takes care of each other! This comes from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen".

Lemon Blueberry Bread

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

glaze
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4x8x2-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries in 2 tablespoons flour and set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and eggs. sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Add the flour and milt alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Fold in the lemon zest, pecans, and blueberries. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes; a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Make the glaze by stirring together 2 tablespoons lemon juice with the confectioners' sugar until completely smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf while it is still warm, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. serve the loaf warm or at room temperature.

 Back to the blogging and cooking world for me! Over the last month we have been making the transition from Alaska to Alabama. In between we've had lots of time to see family and friends and take the kids on some pretty awesome day trips. One of the great things about being a military family is that a new adventure is always on the horizon! One of the great places we got to visit while home in Cleveland, GA was Goats on the Roof. This is a really cute country store type of place where goats really live on the roof! The kids thought it was great and I found a great culinary find. Okra chips! These are whole pieces of okra fried like potato chips. These were so good I had to share them with another okra loving Army wife who also found them delicious!

 Jake and I also found time to see a Braves game (even though they choked at the end of the season!). Since we've been married, no matter where we are living we always try to fit in a game. This is also a food heaven. If you go to a baseball game it's all about a hot dog, roasted peanut, and a coke. When I say coke I mean a Coke, Coca Cola! It is Atlanta after all!

 When Jake and I got married we were stationed at Fort Stewart GA. If you've even been stationed there, you know it's all about Rocky! This mascot was actually designed by Walt Disney and sold to the US Army for next to nothing. Other than the blue and white striped patch, Rocky is is one of the most associated items with the 3rd Infantry Division. It was great to take the kids back to where we lived before them. I have to say that it's really changed in the last 5 years, but it still felt like home after all this time!

 While in South GA we also took some time to visit my favorite city, Savannah! I can't say enough how much I love coming here. It's something about the people, culture, and food that make it simply amazing. We had all my favorite places including: Vinnie Van Go Go's, Clary's, and Uncle Bubba's!

 We also got a chance to take the kids to the Atlanta Zoo. The zoo in Anchorage was great, but kind of limited in what animals they could have. Scarlet loved the reptile house as she is going through a phase with snakes, and Wyatt loved seeing the real life Pumba! And I don't care how old you are, riding the train is still awesome!

 Burt's Pumpkin Farm is the essence of Fall! My very first field trip was in Kindergarten, and it was to Burt's! The kids loved the hayride and getting to see all the different kinds of pumpkins. Afterwards we headed over to Amicalola Falls for dinner. The lodge there actually does a buffet that's pretty good, and you can't beat the view of the gorgeous mountains!

After a month of being home in GA, we finally made it to Fort Rucker AL! This is our new house, which we are all loving! I have a very spacious kitchen , that I've already been putting to good use. Jake's new unit has already had a bake sale that I prepared about 3 dozen biscuits for. We are loving all the warm weather and outside time, but we are missing our friends back in AK. I can't lie, it's sad knowing that we won't be able to see the first snow fall!

Come on back tomorrow when I'll be sharing one of all time busy-make ahead meals. It's something my mom has been making forever and it's a favorite in our house now! Happy to back in the blogging world and back to cooking in my own kitchen!!!

Fried Chicken Fingers and Chicken Dipped Biscuits

 Fried chicken is a given in the South. I don't care who you are or where you are from, you know someone who makes great fried chicken. I've had lots of great fried chicken in my life, and I've developed my own recipe that I love. I like it crispy and little spicy!

Fried Chicken Fingers

1 package chicken fingers or 3 chicken breat cut into strips

2 cups well shaken buttermilk

2 tablespoons seasoning salt, divided

1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 cups all purpose

2 cups vegetable oil

Place chicken, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon seasoning salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and hot sauce in a zip top bag or container with a tight fitting lid. Shake chicken and other ingredients until well mixed and refridgerate for 4-24 hours. When ready to fry, heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Mix flour and remaining seasoning salt and pepper together in a large bowl. When oil is hot ( you'll know by dropping a pinch of the flour mixture into the oil and making sure it sizzles and bubbles), coat the buttermilk drenched chicken in the flour mixture and place in oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side and turn. You'll want a nice brown color on the chicken. Drain on paper towels.

When I was little Saturdays meant two things: yard sales and a chicken dipped biscuit from Fraiser's. It's been so long since I've been home, I don't know if Fraiser's is still there or not, but I know I haven't forgotten the taste of those biscuits! It's a piece of fried chicken dipped in milk gravy and stuffed in a buttermilk biscuit!

Chicken Dipped Biscuit

5-6 fried chicken fingers

1 batch buttermilk biscuits

1 pan milk gravy

Milk Gravy

3-4 tablespoon shortening or bacon grease

3-4 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper to taste

2-2 1/2 cups milk

Melt shortening/bacon grease in a skillet over medium high heat. When grease has melted add flour. You may have to add more flour to reach a paste consistance. Once paste consistance is reached, add salt and pepper and allow flour mixture to cook for about a minute to allow the flour taste to cook out. Be sure not to let your paste burn! Using a wire whisk or the back of a wooden spoon, gently pour milk into flour mixture starting with 1 cup. Continue to stir and add milk until desired consistance is reached. I believe that gravy is unique to each person. I like mine on the thick side, but my momma always made her's a little thinner. Once consistance is reach remove from heat as mixture will continue to thicken.

Dip chicken pieces in warm gravy and place in warm biscuits! I made these for the first time this week for Jake, and he told me it's one the best things I've ever made.

My post are about to get few and far between as we will be leaving Alaska in less than a week. I still plan to post about an amazing cockpot pulled pork and lemon bars though! While home in GA I'm going to try and continue to post about not only what I'm cooking, but also some of the places we are eating!

Parmesan Tilapia and Potato Pancakes

 Lately I have been seeing a commercial where they take mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese and spread it over chicken and then bake it. I thought this was a wonderful idea, since cheese and mayo are an essential part of my diet! I thought I'd change it up a little, and do a nice piece of tilapia instead of the chicken. This was a huge hit at our house. My kids both love fish and adding cheese to it only made it that more appealing!

 Parmesan Tilapia

4 Tilapia fillets

1/4 cup of mayonnaise, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Place fillets on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a non-stick spray. Spread 1-2 tablespoons mayo on each fillet and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese evenly over fillets. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until fish begins to flake with a fork. Turn on broiler and broil fish for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. I promise this is the easiest fish you will ever make, and to top it off the tastiest as well!

Growing up I remember my momma always making potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes. It was rare that we had real mashed potatoes (because my brother preferred instant ones), so it was a special treat when she would make these the next day.

Potato Pancakes

1 1/2 - 2 cup leftover mashed potatoes

1 large egg

2-3 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons oil

Place oil in a non- stick or cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. While oil is heating, mix  potatoes, egg, onions, and salt and pepper. When oil is heated, drop 3-4 tablespoons of potato mixture into pan to form a patty. Usually you can fit about 3 in a pan at a time depending on the size of your skillet. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until a nice crispy brown layer is achieved. Flip and repeat on other side. Fry potatoes in batches and drain on paper towels. I love these served with a dollop of sour cream on top!



Alaska State Fair

 This past weekend we attended the Alaska State Fair, for what will probably be the very last time. The Fair is one of the greatest things about living in Alaska, and it definitely lives up when it comes to "fair food"! As you can tell from above, one of our favorite things to get is a hand-dipped corn dog. These things are addictive!

 This is Scarlet's friend Emalie's Dad Marc. That was one huge burger! I didn't get a pic, but Jake also enjoyed a bison burger. I had a bite and it was actually pretty good. Very lean,but seasoned well.

 This place was so good! Jake and I shared a crab bisque and crab cakes as appetizers while we searched for other stuff to eat! LOL! This bisque really hit the spot since the weather was on the cool side.

We didn't eat this, a) because I wasn't brave enough, and b) because I like my arteries! But I thought it was really neat and they had a line, so it must be good!

The Alaska State Fair is a typical state fair, in that it still holds a competition for baked goods. They had everything from cakes and pies, to cookies and breads. They even had a section for canned goods and homemade wine.

The  fair was great, but when we left I told Jake that if they had fried pickles and boiled peanuts, it would have felt almost like home!

Happy Birthday Cara

Last Friday we were lucky enough to celebrate the birthday of of Scarlet and Wyatt's best friends. She is the sweetest little girl, and I know one day she will be a Prima ballerina! Since her family will be going out of town before we move, we wanted to have a chance to celebrate with her before she left. I decided to make an all kid friendly menu. We had veggies with dip, sloppy joes, cheese fries, and frozen lemonades. We then had some amazing cupcakes for dessert. We finished the evenning by picking raspberries in the backyard. Food is always great, but it's the people you sit down to share a meal with that make it special!

This recipe comes from Southern Livings,"1001 Ways to Cook Southern". They were easy and delicous! I would even dare to say better than Manwich!

Mini Sweet and Sour Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1 (8oz) can basil, garlic, and oregano tomato sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (13.9 oz) package dinner rolls, toasted ( I used Hawaiian rolls and they really made these delicious)

1. Cook ground beef in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove meat from skillet, and drain well.

2. Saute onion and bell pepper in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Return meat to skillet; stir in tomato sauce and next 5 ingredients. Bring mixture to a boi; cover, reduce heat, and simmer stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Spoon mixture evenly into toasted dinner rolls, and serve immediately.

These would even be great with deer (vinison), instead of ground beef.

Come on back this week, as I'll be sharing some photos of the food at the Alaska State Fair!

The Budenski's & Midwest Livinig

 There are many great advantages to being a military family. The greatest of these advantages is that you often meet people who will be friends for life. When our family thinks back to our time in Alaska, we will always think about the Budenski family. Wyatt and Scarlet both took to Jill immediately, and the same goes for Jared (Jarron) when he and Jake returned from deployment. And after their son was born, we became attached to him. Jill actually introduced my to a great sister publication of Southern Living, called Midwest Living. Same concept as Southern Living, but focuses on Midwest travel and foods. This recipe actually comes a recent copy that Jill sent me with a couple of other goodies! I also blame the Budenski's for my children's eating habits. Because of them I'm raising major corn lovers, so needless to say this dish will be making a return trip to our dinner table!

Chicken and Corn Hash Brown Bake

1 (10.75 oz). can reduced fat and reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons dried dillweed or dried basil, crushed

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (28 oz) package frozen diced has brown potatoes with onions and peppers, thawed

2 cups chopped smoked or roasted chicken or turkey

2 cups fresh corn kernels; one (10oz) package frown whole kernel corn, thawed; or one (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, cubed

1 (8oz) package shredded Colby, cheddar or Swiss cheese (2 cups)

1 cup seasoned croutons, coarsely crushed (optional)

1. In a very large bowl, stir together the soup, sour cream, milk, dillweed and pepper. Stir in potatoes, chicken, corn, cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of the Colby cheese. Spoon the chicken-corn mixture into a greased 13x9x2- inch baking dish (3 qt. rectangular)

2. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and stir mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups Colby cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes more or until top of casserole is golden and potatoes are tender, if you like, sprinkle with the croutons the last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

It's always great to have a dish that makes you think of certain people and this dish will always remind me of the Budenski family!

Baked Chicken and Buttermilk Pie

Buttermilk pie is one of my all time favorite pies! The sugar caramelizes on top to make the perfect crunchy top, and the inside is the most velvety custard you've ever tasted. This is an oldie, but it's still good!

This recipe comes from,"The Blue Willow Inn", cookbook. I've mentioned it before and I'll probably mention it many more times!

Buttermilk Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 unbaked (9 inch) pastry pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the eggs, flour, and butter in a bowl, and mix well. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the pie is set and golden brown.  I served this one was raspberries from the bushes in our backyard!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of the baked chicken. We were so hungry when it came out, that I couldn't get it carved fast enough. I promise you it's not only easy, but beautiful as well. It's a go to for entertaining guest for me! This recipe is based on one from an old Food Network show called, "How to Boil Water".

Baked Chicken

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, giblets, heart, and liver removed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees. Pour the melted butter over the chicken, making sure to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle  salt and pepper over chicken and inside the cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and fold the wing tips under the back. Set the bird breast side up in a 9x9 roasting pan or casserole. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 425 degrees, cooking until an instant-read thermometer stuck into the chicken thigh registers 160 to 170 degrees.

This chicken is amazing and come back to see what I did with the leftovers! It's got all the goodness of Summer!

Texas Baby Shower (part 2)

 These are a great take a jalapeno popper. They're baked instead of fried, which if you  overlook all the cheese, that makes them pretty healthy! LOL! These are from, "Home Cooking with Trish Yearwood".

Jalapeno Bites

1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

8 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

4 tablespoons seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers

1 large egg, beaten

3 cups dry bread crumbs ( I only used about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, jalapenos, and egg to form a paste. Shape into balls using about 1/2 teaspoon of paste for each. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs. Place on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.  Makes 36 bites.

I even put this in the fridge overnight before making into balls and they were easy to form!

Guacamole is to be eaten by the bowl. At least that is my opinion! I always feel like it's messy and hard to make, until I found this recipe ( you make it in a zip tip bag!) This recipe is from a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication, "Recipe.com: Serving up Savings".

 Too-Easy Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, halved, seeded, peeled

2 tablespoons dairy sour cream

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

sliced green onions

chopped tomatoes

Place avocado halves, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a sturdy resealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Knead bag with your hands to combine ingredients. Place in fridge until ready to use (up to 8 hours).

Snip a large corner of the bag and pipe into bowl. Garnish with tomatoes and onions! Makes about 1 1/2 cups.  Great for kids to make!

This dip was probably my husband Jake's favorite thing. I swear I saw him standing by this at least 5 or 6 times! I love that it uses black beans instead of refried beans. It's just a different take a traditional party favorite! This recipe comes from,"1001 Ways to Cook Southern".

 Layered Spicy Black Bean Dip

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (16 oz) jar spicy black bean dip

1/2 (8 oz) package shredded Mexican cheese blend

Toppings: sliced green onions, chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives

Layer cream cheese, dip, and cheese in a 1 qt. serving dish. Add toppings, serve with chips.

*** I found it hard to find the spicy black bean dip, but I did find a black bean and nacho sauce (Salpica) in the ethnic aisle at Walmart. You put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, then pour over cream cheese. It's heaven served warm!***

I have been making this dip for about as long as Jake and I've been married. This dip was actually served at a baby shower for me, that was hosted by my friend Kerri Campbell. It's a take on one that Paula Deen makes. I've changed it up a bit to make it a little less time consuming to make!

 Fruit Dip

1 (8oz) cream cheese softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons orange juice

1 (8 oz) tub whopped topping

Cream the cheese and powdered sugar together, adding OJ to thin. Fold in whipped topping. Serve with fruit of your choice. My favorites are apples, pineapple, and strawberries, but anything in season is great!!

This punch has been finding it's way to almost every shower and wedding in our family for about as long as I can remember. I requested that my Aunt Donnie make it for my baby shower with Scarlet. I'm now making it a tradition among all my fellow military spouses. This punch makes me think of a dear friend of mine, Jill Budenski. I made it for a Fall Festival at Jake's unit, adding gummy worms to make it a witch's brew. She loved it so much we had it at her baby shower and added gummy bears!

Green Punch (Witch's Brew)

1 large can limeade

1 2 liter Ginger Ale

1 container lime sherbet

Mix limeade and ginger ale together. Add lime sherbet using an ice cream scoop. If you are feeling festive, add gummy candy for your choice!

Keep coming back this week, as I'll be sharing my no fail baked chicken. It's better and easier than picking one up at the grocery store!!

A Taste of Texas Baby Shower (Part 1)

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to host a baby shower for the Gonzales family. They are expecting will be adding a little boy to their already adorable family! Since both Mom and Dad have families located in Texas, I decided to do a little Tex-Mex flavor to remind them of home. This post is the 3 salsas that were featured. The following post will be drinks and dips.

The first salsa is a traditional salsa that comes from, "1001 Way to Cook Southern". I love that it uses ingredients that are in season right now. It had the perfect amount of heat!

Traditional Salsa

3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. minced onion

1 to 2 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Makes 1 1/2 cups

The is a corn salsa, which was probably my favorite. Everyone in my family adores anything with corn in it. Lucky for us the season for corn is upon us, and thanks for my friends the Budenski's I'll be featuring a a few corn recipes over the next couple of weeks. This particular recipe comes from, "Home Cooking with Trish Yearwood".

Corn Salsa

1( 15 oz) yellow corn, drained

1( 15 oz) white corn, drained

1( 4 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

1 (2 1/2 oz) can sliced black olives, drained

4 green onions, minced

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Mix the corn, chiles, olives, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, vinegar, oil, and salt in a medium bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, add the cilantro. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Serves 20.

This salsa is great because it doesn't use tomatoes. It uses my favorite summer fruit: watermelon! It has a fresh and lightly sweet taste that is unbelievable. It would even recommend serving with fish because of the amount of citrus in it! This recipes is also from, "Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood".

Watermelon Salsa

1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest (from about 1 lime)

1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups seeded and finely chopped watermelon

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 small red onion, finely chopped

8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Stir together the lime zest, lime juice, sugar and pepper. Add the watermelon, cucumber, jalapeno, onion, and basil and toss gently. Chill the salsa until ready to serve and add the garlic salt just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips. Makes 3 cups.

Part 2 is all about dips and drinks, so come on back!

Sausage and Wild Rice Casserole

This is one of my new favorite finds! There is just something delicious about eating sausage at another meal, other than breakfast. This recipe mixes all things that are delicious to me: sage sausage, mushrooms, wild rice, and cheese! It's a pregnant woman's dream! This recipe comes from a cookbook that I've mentioned many times before, "My Southern Food a Celebration of the Flavors of the South". In the cookbook, she uses it more as a holiday side, but I find it filling enough for a main dish. Green beans or a salad, and some type of bread really make it a meal for me!
Sausage and Rice Casserole
1 (6 oz.) package instant wild rice
1 pound ground pork sausage with sage
1 onion, chopped
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, drained if canned or jarred
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the wild rice according to the package directions. In a separate skillet, brown the sausage like ground meat and saute the onion. In a large bowl, blend the rice, the sausage mixture, soup, Cajun seasoning, green onions, and mushrooms. Pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Top with the cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly!

Come back this weekend, because I will be sharing the recipes for a baby shower that I'm hosting. I'm doing a salsa bar!

BBQ Beans and Nanner Puddin'

This weekend we were lucky enough to be invited for a BBQ to celebrate the promotion of one of our Air Force friends. Not only are the Gonzales' one of the kindest families I have ever known, but they are also amazing hosts! All the food was amazing, and I'll be stealing the idea to put spinach dip in the Hawaiian bread! Just letting you know that! I asked Lisa what I could bring and she said she had been craving baked beans, so I found a great recipe for BBQ beans that I wanted to try. I have been having pregnancy cravings for banana pudding, so that was the dessert I decided to take!Banana pudding is one of those things that just completes a meal for me! Unless, it has meringue (YUCK)! I like mine with either cool whip, or homemade whipped cream. One of my favorite places to get this dessert is at Longstreet Cafe. They serve it warm! This particular recipe comes from a cookbook I feel like I mention every post, "My Southern Food A Celebration of the Flavors of the South". I love that it's easy and most everything is almost always in your house!

Good Ol' Nanner Puddin'

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

4 cups evaporated milk, divided

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

36 vanilla wafers

5 bananas, sliced

1 (16 oz) container frozen whipped topping (or homemade whipped cream if you prefer)

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and 1 cup of the milk. Bring the remaining 3 cups of milk to a boil in a large saucepan and add the sugar mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat as the custard thickens. Reduce the heat and add the butter and vanilla. When the pudding is thick, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. In a large dessert bowl or clear compote bowl, layer the vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding, repeating the layers in that order until all the pudding is used. Top with the whipped topping, cover, and chill the pudding before serving. I like to eat it warm, but that's just me!

The photo for these beans didn't turn out so well, but they sure were tasty! I think I even saw one guy at the BBQ go back twice just for them! LOL! I like that they are an interesting mix of beans and that they are beautiful color. They would be great at any event. This recipe comes from, "Southern Living 1001 way to Cook Southern".

Barbecue Beans

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 lb. ground beef (optional)

10 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled ( I only used 5 and it turned out great!)

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can butter beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can pork and beans, undrained

2 Tbsp. molasses ( I used maple syrup and it was just as good)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard ( I prefer spicy brown mustard)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1. Cook the onion and , if desired, ground beef in a Dutch oven, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink;drain. Stir in bacon and remaining ingredients, and spoon into a lightly greased 2 1/2 qt. baking dish. Chill 8 hours, if desired.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bean mixture for 1 hour, stirring once.

Come back tomorrow, when I plan to share a sausage and wild rice casserole that is so delicious it'll make you slap your mama!

Chocolate Pie

One of my favorite recent reads has been, The Help. It's not only a great story, but it also has lots of great food in it. A chocolate pie takes center stage in one of the plot points. If you've read the book, or saw the movie this weekend, you know it's one of the funniest parts! Jake and I were lucky enough to have some great friends take the kids for a while so we could go and see it and go out to dinner. So, in honor of the opening of the movie, I want to share this recipe with you!

This recipe comes from the same cookbook as the banana bread from my previous post, Southern Livings 1001 Ways to Cook Southern. What I love about this recipe is that it's made from scratch, but isn't overly time consuming. It's one of those things you can make the day before, and then bring our the next day to wow guest! This would make anyone a Two Slice Hilly!

Chocolate Pie

2/3 cup milk

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

1/4 cup cold water

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. butter

1 (6 oz) ready-made chocolate crumb pie crust

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 (1.55 oz) milk chocolate candy bar, chopped ( I shaved it instead)

1. Heat milk until it just begins to bubble around the edges in a 3 qt saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). remove from the heat, and whisk in chocolate morsels until melted. cool slightly.

2. Stir together cold water and cornstarch until dissolved.

3. Whisk cornstarch mixture, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla into chocolate mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute or until mixture thickens and is smooth. (do not overcook)

4. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

5. Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over pie filling, and sprinkle with pecans and candy bar pieces.

This one is going into my regular dessert rotation for sure!

I have some great BBQ recipes, and a sausage and rice dish that is to die for coming up this week. So y'all come on back for some good home cookin!

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew has been a staple at almost every Southern BBQ joint for as long as I can remember. I've seen it mostly in NC and GA ( I never saw it on the menu of my favorite BBQ place in VA), but I'm sure it's served in other places as well. The orgins of Brunswick stew has been contested for centuries, but the one thing that holds true is that it originally was served with either rabbit or squirrel meat or a mixture of the two! LOL! Rabbit doesn't sound so bad, but I don't know if I could do squirrel.

I especially love it in the Fall when the air turns crisp. It's the perfect way to end the day, or to celebrate a big game (GO UGA)! What I love most about this recipe is that it goes in the crock pot, so you can put it on the in the morning and it's ready for you when you get home at the end of the day. This recipe is based on from a back issue of "Cooking with Paula Deen". Her recipe is little more complicated and time consuming, but does serve more people.



Brunswick Stew

2 cups roasted meat ( I use leftovers from a roasted chicken, pot roast, or a barbecued Boston Butt, or a mixture of the three)
3 medium potatoes, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14.75 oz) creamed corn
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and set to low. Cook for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are fork tender. Crock pot maybe turned to warm until ready to serve. I love this with a warm pan of cornbread or the garlic cheddar biscuits from my previous post!

I've already begun work on tomorrows special post about the movie The Help. So, come back and see the surprise!

P.S.
I've even seen my Aunt Donnie can Brunswick stew in the Summer, when all the ingredients are fresh from her garden, and have a great easy to heat weeknight meal come Winter!

Best Ever Banana Bread

I have tried many banana bread recipes over the years and this is my hands down favorite! One of the very first things I ever remember baking was banana bread. One year for Christmas, my momma gave me my very first cookbook. It was an A-Z Gold Medal cookbook. I probably made everything in that book at least 3 times. One of the great things, is that you can actually order a newer edition of that very same cookbook if you look on the back of a bag of Gold Medal flour. My momma finally let my have this cookbook for Scarlet's collection that we have started! This recipe is a little more complicated than the first one I made, but it's worth every step. With two little monkey's of my own who LOVE bananas running around, this is a go to-easy-make ahead, breakfast item!
This recipe comes from a cookbook that to many would probably be referred to as the Bible of Southern cooking. It's Southern Living's, "1001 Ways to Cook Southern". This cookbook enabled me to finally throw away a lot of my back issues of Southern Living, since almost every recipe that has ever been printed, is actually in this cookbook! I love that it adds cream cheese (who doesn't love cream cheese!!), because it adds a moistness to the bread that other recipes just can't get from other recipes!























Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) cream cheese softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 lb. unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

2. Combine flour, and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured ( or sprayed with Baker's Joy) 8x4 inch loaf pans.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until a long wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent browning if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

VARIATIONS

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Muffins

To bake muffins, spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.


Toasted Coconut Topped Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Prepare and bake bread or muffins in desired pans. While bread is baking, stir together 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, and 1/4 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to boil, stirring constantly. remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut; 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans; and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. remove baked bread or muffins from oven, and immediately spread tops with coconut mixture. Preheat broiler. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes or just until topping starts to lightly brown. Cool in pans on wire racks 20 minutes. Remove from pans, and coll 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Cinnamon Crisp Topped Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Prepare bread batter as directed, and spoon into desired pans. Stir together 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans; 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour; 1 Tbsp. melted butter; and 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Bake and cool as directed.

The cinnamon ones are so delicious, I'm making mini pans of them to give out as favors for a baby shower I'm hosting at the end of the month ( more to come on that)! Come back tomorrow for a super easy Brunswick stew. And later in the week, I'll be doing a special dessert in honor of the new movie The Help. If you have read the book you probably already have an idea what dessert that might be!!!

Master Mix ( biscuits and chocolate gravy!!!)

One of my earliest memories, was sitting in my Aunt Donnie's kitchen waiting on a fresh pan of biscuits to come out of the oven so we could drizzle them with chocolate gravy. Her biscuits are still the best I've ever eaten! I even thought I was going to doing some major impressing a few months ago by hosting a brunch for some fellow wives and serving biscuits and chocolate gravy. Well, one of the wives who is from Oklahoma came in and was like," Chocolate gravy, I love that"! She said her family had been making it forever as well, just doing it in the microwave instead of on the stove! LOL! I'm sharing a recipe for a master mix that I use for biscuits. This mix is the equivalent of homemade Bisquick and can be used for all kinds of things including, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, and even those garlic cheese biscuits from Red Lobster that are so delicious!

This master mix recipe comes from a cookbook I've mentioned before called, "My Southern Food A Celebration of the Flavors of the South". I love this because I can make it up, but it in some Tupperware in the freezer and pull it out and make biscuits in no time!

Master Mix

9 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons cream of tarter

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups butter-flavored shortening (regular shortening works, of course, but this is a taste preference)

In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tarter, and sugar together at least 3 times. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until the texture is grainy. Use for any recipes in which you would normally use Bisquick: biscuits, pancakes, waffles, dumplings, and so on.

Biscuits

1 cup master mix

1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Roll out on a floured surface and cut the desired size. bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 6 biscuits!

Cathead Cheese Biscuits

Biscuits:

2 cups mater mix

1/2 cup cold milk

3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Glaze

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl combine the master mix, milk, and cheese. Drop by the large spoonfuls somewhat uniform in size on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes on a rack in the center of the oven. Remove from the oven and switch the temperature to broil.

To make the glaze, combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the glaze. return the biscuits to the oven and allow the tops to get crispy under the broiler. this will only take about 2 minutes. Do NOT leave the biscuits unattended, as they can easily burn. Serve hot with butter. Makes 10 to 12 biscuits.

Chocolate gravy is not just delicious on biscuits,but pretty much anything! I love it served warm on homemade vanilla ice cream. It's basically homemade chocolate syrup, so you can even use it for chocolate milk and hot cocoa!

Chocolate Gravy

2 cups sugar

2/3 cups milk

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients (except butter) in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and add butter. Once butter has melted, you may cover what ever you like in some chocolate heaven!

Tomorrow I'll be posting the best banana bread recipe ever!!!