Chicken Stuffing Casserole

This is one of my favorite dishes, not just for holidays and potlucks but for any day.

Ingredients:
3 c. cooked cubed chicken
1 pkg Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1 stick margarine
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
1 can chicken broth (or stock)

Melt margarine and saute onion. Stir in all but 1/2 c. of the stuffing mix. Mix soups and milk together. Layer chicken, stuffing and soups in casserole dish. Pour chicken broth over casserole. Top with reserved stuffing mix. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until brown.

If you save the juice from cooking the chicken, you can substitute that for the canned broth. This is good served with rice or mashed potatoes.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

The first time I had this dish was at an office potluck, back in the 80s. The lady who made it gave me the recipe. She said to use fresh sweet potatoes, but I use canned ones, just drained well.

Ingredients:

3 c. mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 c. margarine + 1/2 c. margarine (separated)

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1 c. chopped pecans

Mix together the sweet potatoes, 1/2 c. margarine, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour into casserole dish. Mix together brown sugar, flour, 1/2 c. margarine and pecans. Add this to the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes. 

I have made this dish for Thanksgiving dinner every year for the past ten years or so. It's easy enough for every day though, so I might make it tonight! 

Cranberry Turkey

The recipe I found called for chicken breasts but I used turkey cutlets instead. It was so good that my family promised not to call me Queen of Burnt Dinner anymore!

Ingredients:
4 turkey cutlets (or chicken)
1 T. cooking oil
1 c. sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 c. apple juice
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. Dijon mustard

Combine cranberries, apple juice, and broth in a small bowl. Set aside. In large Ziplock, mix flour, salt and pepper. Toss meat into bag and shake well until covered. Heat oil in skillet; add meat and cook for five minutes on each side. Remove meat to a plate and keep warm. Pour cranberry mixture into the hot pan and mix in with bits already in pan. Reduce heat to low and stir in mustard. Add meat back to pan. Cook another 10 minutes until sauce is thickened.

I can see this being a post-holiday favorite - a way to get rid of leftover turkey meat. Just leave out the step where the meat needs to be cooked and voilà!
.

Creamy Chicken and Rotini Primavera

Another word I like to see on a recipe card: CREAMY. Yes. Not just for dessert either!  The balance of the word Primavera balances this recipe out though, since that means vegetables in Italian. (I think. I will have to ask google later.)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. dry rotini

2 T. vegetable oil

1 1lb. boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1 lb. frozen vegetable mix, thawed (I used broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. Italian dressing

1/2 c. milk

Cook rotini per package directions and drain. In heavy skillet, cook chicken cubes in hot oil. In bowl, combine cream cheese, dressing and milk; whisk until smooth. Add thawed vegetables to chicken along with sauce mixture. Stir well and heat through, about 5 minutes. 

This recipe is also good with cubed turkey cutlets. Also a good way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. 

Bev's Green Bean Casserole

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law many years ago. Another Thanksgiving tradition, this very simple dish is one of my daughter's favorites. I make it occasionally throughout the year "just because."

Ingredients:
Large can green beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
dash of pepper
1 can fried onions

Pour green beans into a casserole dish. In separate bowl, mix together soup, milk, pepper, and 1/2 can of fried onions. Pour over green beans. Top with the other half can of onions. Bake at 350° until done, about half hour.

At my house, I make this dish, add a turkey breast from the Honey Baked store, open a can of cranberry sauce and Thanksgiving dinner is almost done.

Pistachio Salad

Back when I was a kid, this dish was called "Watergate" (it was the 70s), and no Thanksgiving or Homecoming meal was complete without it. Even though it's really a dessert, Watergate was put on the main table as a side dish next to the candied yams.

Ingredients:
1 pkg pistachio pudding mix
8 oz Cool Whip
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
2 c. miniature marshmallows

Mix all together. Chill.

I don't see this dish at potlucks and family dinners very often anymore. Maybe these days folks don't like the color green. Who knows.

Grandma's Meatloaf

Another word that I like to see in the title of a recipe is "Grandma." J


Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 large eggs
2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/4 c. diced onion (or more if you like onion)
1/4 c. buttermilk
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Put all ingredients except beef into large bowl and mix well. Then add meat and mix together. Shape into loaf and put on flat baking pan. Cook for about an hour.

I was surprised to find a recipe for meatloaf that didn't add ketchup or tomato sauce. If you insist on those, add it to your own plate. (Like I did.)

Snowy Mashed Potato Casserole

I have relied on the boxed instant mashed potatoes for years. Then I tried this... yum.

Ingredients:
4 lbs potatoes (about 12 medium)
1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. chives
1/2 t. paprika
1 T. margarine

Peel and slice potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; mash in large bowl. Add cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic. Beat at high speed until smooth and light. Stir in  chives. Spoon into lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika and dot with margarine. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

No gravy needed for this mashed potato dish. Probably no leftovers either. A guaranteed hit at potlucks.

Dirt Cake

This cookie crumb/pudding dessert tastes a lot better than it looks! For Halloween, I decorate with gummy worms and even found gummy skeletons. This dessert can also be made to look like the "dirt" from a flower pot, or the "dirt" in a child's Tonka dump truck. Use your imagination; the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:
8 oz Cool Whip
16 oz pkg Oreo cookies, completely crushed into crumbs
3 c. milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 stick butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and fold in Cool Whip. In a separate bowl, mix together the pudding mix, vanilla, and milk. Fold cream cheese mixture into pudding mixture.

In a trifle bowl, layer crushed cookies and pudding-cheese mixture alternatively until gone, finishing the top with cookie crumbs.

Refrigerate for at least two hours. Decorate with gummy worms or however you like.

Crispix Candy

This is a messy but awesome treat.

Ingredients:
1 box Crispix cereal
1 stick margarine
1 c. creamy peanut butter
12 oz. pkg butterscotch
1 box confectioners sugar

Melt margarine, peanut butter, and butterscotch in double boiler. Pour over cereal, stirring until completely coated. Put in large plastic bag. Pour in confectioners sugar and shake.

To make this a special holiday treat, shake in a bit of colored sugar into the confectioners sugar. Be sure to shake shake shake (your booty.) Couldn't resist!

Dragon's Eye Brew

Another tasty punch for a Halloween party. 

Recipe Ingredients

36 large seedless green grapes

18 large raisins or dried cranberries, halved lengthwise

4 (1-liter) bottles cold ginger ale

3 (1-qt) tubs lime sherbet

Recipe Preparation

To make dragon eyeballs: Make a lengthwise slit with a paring knife in grapes. Holding grape between thumb and index finger, gently squeeze to open slit and insert a raisin sliver. Freeze eyeball grapes until rock-hard.

To make brew: Stir 2 liters of ginger ale and 1 qt of sherbet in a punch bowl until blended. Float scoops of the remaining sherbet on top of brew mixture. Pour remaining ginger ale over sherbet scoops (it will create a foamy top). Decorate with frozen eyeballs.

Easy Halloween Cheese Ball

You can decorate this cheese ball to look like a spider by adding "legs" made of black pipe cleaners and black dots for eyes. It's cute instead of menacing. 

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

½ c. bacon bits

1 ½ c. chopped nuts or use freshly cracked black pepper for Halloween ball

In a medium size bowl, mash cream cheese. Mix dressing mix and Cheddar cheese into the cream cheese. Shape the mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the chopped nuts. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. For Halloween, serve with shaped crackers. Life of the party!

Country Beef and Vegetables

When searching for recipes, the word "simple" catches my eye; another word I like is "country."  Now if I could find something with both of those words, how great kitchen-life would be!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 soup can water
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
16 oz. bag frozen vegetables, thawed
6 c. hot cooked rice
shredded cheddar cheese to taste

Brown beef in large skillet and drain. Stir in soup, water and Worcestershire.  Add vegetables; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve over rice; garnish with cheese.

Taco Soup

An easy crock pot dish for a cold winter day. Or any other time.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans chopped Italian style tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Rotel
2 cans pinto beans
1 can corn
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Brown ground beef with taco seasoning. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and let cook for 4 hours.

This is good served as a soup or with tortilla chips. If you like hotter spices, add a dash of hot sauce.

Witch's Brew

A spooky, fun Halloween punch!


1 quart grape juice (like Welch's Grape Juice)
1 quart orange juice
1 litre ginger ale
icy handdecorative items if desired (gummy worms, frozen grapes)

Mix grape juice and orange juice in punch bowl. Pour in the ginger ale. Add icy hand and/or Halloween decorations.  To make icy hand, fill 2 non-powered, non-latex disposable gloves with water and tie with a rubber band. Freeze. When ready, peel off glove and put in punch bowl. 

Country Fried Chicken

Years ago I used to listen to an AM radio station that had a morning talk show. My favorite part was when folks - usually elderly women - called in their favorite recipes. This is one of my favorites from that show.

Ingredients:
2 fried chickens (this can be leftover, pre-made from the deli, or frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

Put fried chicken pieces in a large pan. In separate bowl, mix together soups and add 3 cans water. Stir well. Pour over chicken. Bake 1 hour at 350°.

This is one of my mom's favorite dishes; she calls it "smothered chicken" which I think is a hoot.

Lemon Icebox Pie

Tart, tangy and oh so good. I used to not bother with the meringue, would just top with Cool Whip. The meringue is worth the extra effort though.

Ingredients:

4 oz. lemon juice (fresh squeezed works best, with pulp)

1 can Eagle Brand milk

3 eggs, separated

graham cracker crust

2 t. cream of tartar

1/4 c. sugar

Beat egg yolks until creamy. Add EB milk and juice from lemons. Pour into crust. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add cream of tartar and gradually add sugar. Pour over top of pie and bake at 375° until golden. 

To be honest, I can eat this pie all by myself in just two days. Sigh.

Baked Zesty Fries

This recipe is a healthy alternative to the traditional French fry - a "low guilt" version, if you will.

Ingredients:
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. pepper
2 large potatoes (1 lb), cut into sticks
1/4 c. chicken broth

Mix powders with pepper and set aside. In large shallow dish, toss potatoes with broth. Place on baking sheet and add seasoning mixture. Toss until evenly coated. Arrange potatoes in single layer and bake for 30 minutes at 450°.

These fries are good dipped in Ranch dressing. Or ketchup if you're old school.

Orange Sweet Rolls

Before getting too excited about having sweet rolls right away, please note that they have to be refrigerated overnight. They are worth the wait though.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1 c. cream cheese frosting

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

24 frozen dinner rolls, defrosted

zest from one large orange 

Lightly grease and flour a fluted tube pan (I used a Bundt pan) and set aside. Melt butter with frosting and set aside. Place pudding mix on a sheet of wax paper. Cut rolls in half. Coat each half in the pudding mix and place in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with orange zest. Continue until all rolls are used. Sprinkle remaining mix and zest on rolls. Slowly pour butter/frosting combo over the rolls. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Uncover the rolls and back 30 - 35 minutes until golden.

When I made these rolls, I thought orange zest was freshly squeezed orange juice. No really, I did. So that is what I used.  The rolls were good but not very orangey tasting. I googled "zest" so now I know what to do next time I make these!

Pot Roast

There are at least a trillion recipes out there for pot roast. I've tried about five and this one worked out the best. Crockpot cooking is great if you have time in the morning to get everything prepared. For me and most other working women that means weekends only.

Ingredients:
3-5 lb beef roast
1 can cream of celery soup
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 soup can water
Potatoes to taste, peeled and chopped
Carrots to taste, chopped

Put potatoes and carrots in crockpot then add roast. Pour soups and water on top. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours.

If there is broth left over after the meat and veggies are devoured, save it for future recipes that call for beef stock. See how smart I am?

Donut Holes

This recipe could be made for actual donuts also, but the holes are the best part. No calories, right? I know, we wish.

Ingredients:
Canned biscuit dough
Hot oil
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 T. margarine, melted
2 1/s T. milk

In small mixing bowl, beat sugar, vanilla, margarine and milk until smooth. Roll biscuit dough into balls and fry in hot oil until brown. Cool, then drag through glaze.

Yummy.  These can be decorated for special occasions - make spiders for Halloween or snowmen for Christmas. Just use your imagination!

Nutty Buddy Pie

When I was a kid, my favorite treat in the world was a nutty buddy. I would hide while I ate one so that I could enjoy it in peace. This recipe below takes the concept of the nutty buddy and kicks it up several levels of awesome!

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie crust (or you can make your own if you like)
1 c. confectioners sugar
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
8 oz. Cool Whip
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. milk
chocolate chips, melted (to taste)
chopped peanuts (to taste)

Blend sugar and peanut butter. Add cream cheese and milk, then fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crust and freeze for a couple of hours. Before serving drizzle with chocolate and peanuts.

The trick to this one is letting the darn thing FREEZE before trying to devour it. I cut one slice too early and it tasted like a melted nutty butty. The frozen concoction was divine. I need to learn to wait more.

Messy Potatoes

This potato casserole is a keeper and guaranteed to impress the ladies if taken to a potluck! They don't have to know how easy it is... I actually halved this recipe when I made it for dinner and it was still plenty for the three of us.

Ingredients:
2 lbs hash browns (I used the shredded potatoes in the bag, found over by the margarine or thereabouts)
16 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c. sharp cheese, shredded
1 stick margarine, melted
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 c. Ritz cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients except cracker crumbs and spread in lightly greased 9x13 dish. Sprinkle top with crumbs. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes until bubbly.

When warming up leftovers the next day, the casserole may be a bit dry.  I added a tiny bit of milk before heating.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

3 words: To Die For.

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened
3 eggs
1 c. water

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bundt pan and dust with coco powder. Beat cake mix, ice cream, eggs and water for four minutes. Pour into bundt pan and bake 45 minutes. Top with glaze, a dusting of powdered sugar, or the frosting of your choice.

Feel free to use other flavors of cake and ice cream. I am going to try strawberry next, or maybe make orange for Halloween, topped with dark chocolate frosting. The possibilities are endless.

Vegetable Rotini

My daughter and I both love pasta; any kind will do. This recipe gives a healthy kick to a comfort food.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. rotini

1 c. broccoli flowerets

1 c. cauliflower flowerets

1 c. chopped carrots

4 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 can condensed cheddar soup

3/4 c. milk

1/8 t. pepper

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare rotini per package directions. Add broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to last 5 minutes or so of cooking. Drain and set aside. In same pan, stir in cream cheese until smooth. Add soup, milk, pepper and Parmesan. Heat through over low. Add rotini mixture and stir well. 

When I made this, I cooked the pasta and vegetables separately then added them together. Not sure if that made a difference or not. Some cooked, diced chicken could be added to this for a complete one-dish meal.

Sunshine Cake

You know you're old when you make your own birthday cake!  Usually I just pick up one at Lowe's Foods - they have a marble cake with whipped cream icing that is to die for.  But I wanted to try this old recipe that I found in my box. And let me tell you... it was a hit!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 c. sugar
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
Milk (amount listed on pudding box)
1 large container Cool Whip
1 c. chopped nuts

Cook cake according to directions on box for a 9x13 inch cake pan. Let cool completely. Put pineapple and sugar in saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes; let cool. In mixing bowl, prepare pudding per package directions. When the cake and the pineapple mixture are both cool, spread the mixture on top of the cake. Then spread pudding over pineapple. Top with the Cool Whip and sprinkle nuts on top.

My daughter doesn't like nuts of any kind (except a couple of her friends) so I had to ensure she got a piece without them.  This cake doesn't keep in the refrigerator very long; it's better to try to eat it up quickly. (Not a problem at our house.)

Pineapple Cheese Ball

Because I've always been a "lazy" cook, I usually pick up a pre-made cheeseball at the deli whenever I need one. This recipe is easy and much cheaper than the store-bought kind.

Ingredients:

2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 T. minced onion

1 t. seasoned salt

2 c. pecan pieces, divided

Mix cream cheese, pineapple, onion, salt and 1 cup pecans together; roll into a ball. Roll the ball into the other one cup of pecans. Serve with assorted crackers.

For a festive cheese ball, add just a dash of food coloring to the cheese ball - orange for Halloween, red for Christmas.

Crunchy Chicken Cheese Bake

I usually only buy the Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix once a year - at Thanksgiving. This dish is very simple and adds a bit of "special occasion" to any ordinary dinner.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk
2 T margarine, melted
3/4 c. Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
Hot cooked rice

Arrange chicken in casserole dish. Top with cheese. In small bowl, combine soup and milk. Pour over cheese. In another bowl, combine margarine and stuffing. Sprinkle over soup. Bake half hour at 400°. Serve over rice.

I'm going to try this with different cheeses and soup combinations and let y'all know how it works out. Experimenting in the kitchen = scary fun!!

My Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I found several versions of a "homemade" chicken pot pie and tweaked until I found what I liked best.  My mom used to buy the frozen version when I was a kid, but she likes this better too.  I try to make this dish for her if there is a special occasion or she is the guest of honor. No, it's not fancy, but it's her favorite and what she always asks for.

Ingredients:
2 deep dish crusts
1 c. chopped, diced cooked chicken
1 small can peas and carrots, drained
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of water

Mix together chicken, soups, and water first, then add the peas and carrots. Pour into one crust and invert the 2nd crust over the top one. Poke a couple of vents with a fork.  Bake at 350° until brown, about 45 minutes.

If you want to, you can add more veggies to the mixture, such as onions or celery. I don't like those so I leave them out.

Calico Beans

One of the guys at work brought this to a holiday potluck last year and it was SO good! I was not the only one who asked for the recipe. This can be stored in a crock pot and taken to events to be shared, as God intended.

Ingredients:
1 can pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can northern beans
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion diced (I use real onion for this one)
3 T vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
3/4 c. brown sugar

Brown meat and onion. Drain well. Add vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar and mix well. Add all beans and stir gently. Bake at 350° for one hour.

The last time I made this dish, I added a canned of seasoned, diced tomatoes. I didn't like it as well but my family did, so it was two against one. (Hence me adding the footnote here.)

Granny's Peach Cobbler

When I was growing up, I lived next door to my grandmother, a.k.a Granny.  She tried her best to teach me to cook but I was too interested in other things - climbing trees, going fishing, trying out make-up, mooning over boys. I really should have listened to her more. Oh well... Here is one of my childhood favorites.

Ingredients:

6 peaches, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

3/4 c. sugar plus another 3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter (when I use margarine it's never as good)

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. milk

2 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

Put diced peaches in a bowl and stir in 3/4 cup sugar. Separately, combine flour, the other 3/4 c. sugar, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir well. Melt butter in 9 x 13 casserole dish while oven is preheating at 350°. Add fruit and distribute evenly. Pour batter over fruit but do not stir. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. 

You can serve this warm if you want but your ice cream or Cool Whip will melt. I put them in the same bowl but don't let them touch. I am so 3rd grade that way! 

Classic Lemonade

These days my lemonade usually comes from Chick-fil-a or Crystal Light, but I used to make this homemade version every summer. It is tart but also sweet enough to hurt your teeth; Equal measure could be used instead of sugar.

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. fresh lemon juice
5 c. water
rind of 2 lemons, scrubbed and cut in pieces

Mix sugar with one cup of water and lemon rinds. Heat to boil and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool and strain. Mix sugar syrup, remaining 4 cups of water and lemon juice. Pour over ice. Add cherry juice for pink lemonade. Makes 6 glasses.

You can make lemonade popsicles out of this recipe or just leave in the freezer long enough to make it slushy. (This is called Lemon Ice at the fair and costs a fortune per serving.)

Easy Chicken Stroganoff

You will be seeing a lot of recipes that have Easy in the title. That is the only way I can succeed in the kitchen. I have heard folks say that cooking ain't rocket science, but it might as well be to me. I thought this recipe was going to be too hard (in spite of the title) but it wasn't. So if even I can do it... get out your casserole dish and let's go!

Ingredients:
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 T. minced onion (or 1/2 diced real thing)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/c. c. plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. water
4 c. hot cooked medium egg noodles
Dash paprika

Heat 1 T. oil. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often. Set chicken aside. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil and cook onion until tender. Add soup, yogurt and water. Heat to a boil. Return chicken to pan and heat through. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with paprika to make it pretty.

This dish was a huge hit with my hubby! It warms up nicely too; was not dry.

Swissy French Green Beans

My daughter loves the traditional green bean casserole, which I will post later in her honor. This one is different but just as good, I think.

Ingredients:
1 can French-style green beans, drained
1/2 c. chopped onion (I used a 1/2 t. of minced from a jar)
1 T. margarine
2 oz. Swiss cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. bread crumbs

Saute onions in margarine. Melt in swiss cheese. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Add in green beans, gently. Place in casserole and top with bread crumbs. Baks 30 minutes at 450°.

Okay, maybe not AS good as the other green bean casserole, but close.

My Party Mix

Back in the day, this snack was called "trash party mix."  I would make a ton of it and store in containers shaped like garbage cans. This recipe is one that I fiddled with over the years.

Ingredients:
1 box Nabisco Mixers traditional (I used to use Doo Dads but they don't make them anymore)
1/2 box Chex rice cereal
1/2 box Crispix cereal
1 can mixed nuts
the "squeeze" kind of margarine (or just melt some)

Mix all together. On cookie sheet spread mix and squeeze margarine over it. Broil for just a few seconds, until brown.

I haven't made this in awhile because Chex came along with a pre-made version so I just buy that now instead. But ah, nostalgia.

Islander Sub

Back in the 80s, I worked at an office that was across the street from a small restaurant.  A couple of times a week, I would tag along with some other ladies and have lunch there. My favorite thing on the menu was the Islander Sub sandwich.  I still make this at home sometimes; it's a lot less expensive too!

Ingredients:
thinly sliced deli ham
pineapple slice
provolone cheese
sub roll
mayo
lettuce

Assemble the ham, cheese and pineapple on the split roll and broil in hot oven until cheese is melted. Top with mayo, lettuce, etc. I don't like tomatoes - or maters as we call them down here - so I don't even list them on the card.  But if you like the slimy, disgusting things, please feel free to add. (LOL)

Quick Nanner Puddin'

My dad's favorite thing in the world is banana pudding. When I was younger I made it for him for every holiday and birthday.  Although I know that there are other family members who made it much better (i.e. from scratch),  he always told me mine was good. (Because he's my dad!)  Here is an easy, short-cut way to get that "homemade" flavor -

Ingredients:
1 box vanilla wafers (I use the generic brand and they are just fine)
3 bananas
2 large boxes Cook & Serve vanilla pudding
Milk (amount that is stated on pudding box)
large container Cool Whip

Prepare pudding per package directions. Layer wafers, bananas and pudding in casserole dish. When cooled, top with Cool Whip. For garnish, I sometimes crumble a couple of wafers into bits and spread over the Cool Whip.

The trick is to keep it away from my dad and nephew long enough for it to cool. They say they like it warm anyway.

Starting with the Oldies

Five years ago we moved to this house and I stored my recipe books on a shelf somewhere. I don't think I've opened one since we've been here. Thankfully the old handy recipe box was right where I could find it... 

I decided to post some of my favorite dishes that I've collected over the years. And later, I'll have an index and everything!  I'm excited about this blog. I mean, I have four others but this one is real different!

An Early Birthday Gift to Myself

I have no idea what has gotten into me.  For years, my motto has been "if it takes longer to cook it than to eat it - what is the point?"  Cooking has been on my list of Things I Enjoy Least.  I'd rather clean up the aftermath than actually prepare the meal.

There is even a magnet on my refrigerator that says "WHERE THERE'S SMOKE THERE'S DINNER."  It was a gift from my dad, who knows me well!

However, here it is, a couple of days before my birthday and I just sat down with my old recipe box.  I got this recipe box as a wedding anniversary gift (26 years ago) and have collected recipes from all over the place. Family members, magazines, cookbooks, the internet.

After going through the note cards, I decided to make a list of the ingredients I'd need to make a few of these dishes. So... I am saying good-bye to "open can, microwave, serve" and hello to "chop, dice, saute, etc."

We'll see how it goes...