Peanut Butter Blossoms

My friend Paula wanted me to share these...even though we live to far apart, I can at least share how I made them! :o) Merry Christmas Paula!! I miss you- so hear are some Christmas kisses with PEANUT BUTTER for you and our family! :o)

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 (10 oz. pkg.) Hershey Kisses
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. milk
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda

Mix all ingredients above except Kisses. Shape in medium size balls. Roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Place 1 kiss on each blossom, let cool for a few minutes and transfer to cooling rack.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

Some days,a girl just needs a little chocolate. Today was one of those days...thank goodness to my friend Linda who sent me this yummy recipe!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake
at any time of the day or night!

Meatloaf & Baked Mashed Potatos

Made this on Sunday and put in the fridge for tonight. Turned out very well! The potatoes were really good and creamy!

30 minute mini meatloaves

1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 egg

Total Time: 35 min

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1/4 cup for topping. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and remaining ketchup mixture until well mixed.
2. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place meat mixture in pan; pat into 12x4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1/4 cup ketchup mixture.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160°F.

Do Ahead Garlic Mashed Potatos

3 pounds potatoes (about 9 medium), peeled and cut into pieces
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

1. In 3-quart saucepan, mix potatoes and garlic; add enough water (salted if desired) to cover. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain. Shake pan with potatoes over low heat to dry. Mash potatoes and garlic in pan with potato masher or electric mixer until no lumps remain.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, heat milk, whipping cream, butter, salt and pepper over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted; reserve and refrigerate 1/4 cup mixture. Add remaining milk mixture in small amounts to potatoes, mashing after each addition, until potatoes are light and fluffy. (Amount of milk needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on kind of potatoes used.)
3. Grease 2-quart casserole. Spoon potatoes into casserole; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
4. Heat oven to 350ºF. Pour reserved milk mixture over potatoes. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until hot. Stir potatoes before serving.

Special Touch
If you're not serving gravy with the mashed potatoes, try any of these ideas for perking up your potatoes: • Sprinkle 1 cup crushed herb-seasoned croutons over potatoes. • Sprinkle 1 can (2.8 ounces) French-fried onions over potatoes. • Place purchased pesto in a resealable plastic bag; snip off a tiny corner and drizzle pesto over potatoes. • Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese over potatoes.

Saussage Balls

This is also a PD recipe but she uses hers as an appetizer, we like ours for a meal! I serve them with green beans covered in Kraft Catalina dressing and white rice, Yum, Yum!

SAUSAGE CHEESE BALLS

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. (16 oz. each) Regular Flavor Pork Sausage
16 oz. (4 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix (note: go easy on this ...too much drys up the recipe - when mixture is sticky, you are good to go!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well. 2. Form into 1” balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks.

Note:
May be prepared ahead and frozen uncooked. To bake from frozen: thaw on baking sheet 15 minutes; bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Variation: for firmer texture, add 3 cups baking mix and 2 cups shredded cheese to the ingredients listed above.

Cheeseburger Soup and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been making this soup for over 5 years now and the gang still considers it a favorite! It is ok to freeze it and warm up later if you make a larger batch!

Cheeseburger Soup
TasteofHome recipe

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta or shredded cheddar is ok too)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions
1. In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same
saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1
tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add
broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and
simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook
and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.
3. Add to soup; bring to a
boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
4. Add cheese,milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from
the heat; blend in sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/4 quarts).
Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 330 calories, 18 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 1,027 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 15 g protein.
© Taste of Home 2009

Wanted to try the recipe to see if they realy were crispy and chewy .... SUCCESS!
Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

These cookies have a lower chip-to-dough ratio than our earlier favorites and a thicker, softer thing going on than the consummate cookies, to help you differentiate them. But when I’m looking for a classic cookie, kind of like the old school Toll House recipe but better, even, this is what I go for.

As always with cookies, you can scoop, flash freeze and then freeze the cookies until you’re ready to bake them, or to bake a few off at a time. You can bake them straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to your baking time, of course, or let them thaw out on a tray for a while.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time (for giant cookies) or a tablespoon at a time (for smaller cookies) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

5. Bake larger cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Turkey Day

Ah Turkey... the coveted sleep inducing meat rarely thought about unless it is November. I used to fear the day that I would have to do the work that encompassed Thanksgiving, but I have to say that it really isn't hard to put together. The secret is in the planning. I prepare the menu, log how long things need to cook/bake and at what temperature, then I note the pots, pans, and casserole dishes that each dish will be prepared in.

The Menu:
Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, filling, noodles, candied yams, green bean casserole, baked corn, baked apples, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, pies, and cake.

Of course the biggie is the turkey. Most turkeys have directions right on the package. My 20lb bird needed to bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours. I start the turkey so that it is done about 1 1/2 hours before everything else. I like to carve and pull the turkey and plate it ahead of time so that the bones and mess are all cleaned up before company arrives. Today we were eating at 5:30 so the turkey started roasting at 12. I put the bird in the roaster will a cup of water, quartered onions, three peeled and chunked carrots. When the turkey is done, I carve all the meat off and put on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

James peeled potatoes and cut them into chunks for boiling then mashing. When I mash them I add 1/2 stick of butter and 1 cup of sour cream, salt and pepper. Justin made the green bean casserole. Two packages of green beans, two can of cream of mushroom, one can of cream of chicken, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of french fried onions, mixed it all together, poured it into a glass casserole dish and topped with french fried onions, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. I made the candied yams by combining the juice from the canned yams,a stick of butter and a cup and a half of brown sugar in a sauce pan untill warm. I poured that over the yams in a glass casserole dish, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. For the stuffing I had 2 bags of regular bread cubes and 2 bags of potato bread cubes and I seasoned them with poultry seasoning. I sautéed two onions and four stalks of celery in a stick of butter, when soft I added 2 cans of chicken broth and a cup of water, poured that over the bread and mixed until cubes were well coated, baked at 350 for 45 minutes. The noodles were boiled in chicken bouillon for 10 minutes, drained and then I add two scoops of gravy. Mom made the deserts and the baked corn. Tara brought rolls and baked apples. It was all so great and we loved eating and saying what we were all thankful for. I was thankful that I was not on Prozac .... yet! Happy Turkey Day Everyone ... now it is nap time ZZzzzzzzzzzzz.

Spanish Rice

This is one of my quick and easy meals that I learned about from my friend Virginia. I love it because it is similar to a semi-homemade hamburger helper!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1/2 green pepper
1 small can of mild green chilies
1 32oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of cheese
1 package of Spanish Rice (with seasoning already in the package)

Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef, add onions, green pepper, green chilies. Let cook until the onions are cooked.
2. Add the package of Spanish rice, pour the tomatoes over top, then the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the cheese over top, cover and simmer until melted. Mix thoroughly. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread.

Enjoy!

Roaster Phobia

Ok, so it is like the 'ol Perdue commercial ... there had to be an intervention. I had Roaster Phobia. The suggested therapy was to roast every weekend for a month. I took the last three weekends to try a little "creative" experiment. Each weekend I roasted using all the same spices but I switched up the meat. The first week, I roasted chicken, the next weekend I roasted beef and the last I roasted pork, this weekend I am back to chicken.

I don't know what took me so long to do this because it is SO easy and takes very little work.Simply trow it together and watch football or a movie while the oven does the work.

The Seasonings:
salt
pepper
garlic powder
season all
olive oil spray


Veggies:
Onion
Carrots
Celery

Here is what I did. I sprayed the roaster and added two cups of water to the pan. I placed the meat of the week in the roaster and threw in quartered onions, carrots and celery. Then I took the seasonings and sprinkled them generously over the meat. I covered and roasted at 350 degrees for several hours (chicken 3 hours, beef 6 hours, pork 4 hours).

When done, the meat fell off of any bones and the fat melted away. I discarded the veggies, reserved the stock from the chicken and beef and froze it to cook with later (great for soups).

With the chicken, we shredded it, and we took fancy bread and made gourmet paninis with our choice of onions, tomatoes, cheese and spicy mustard/mayo.

With the beef, we shredded it and spread it on half of a 12 inch tortilla, covered with shredded cheddar cheese, sprinkled with paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and season all then folded it in half (to form a half circle) Then we grilled it in our panini maker, cut it with a pizza cutter into strips or triangles and served with salsa and sour cream or cream cheese with a package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mixed in. YUM!

The pork was pulled and shredded as well and served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, green beans with tomatoes and Paula Deens Harvest Crunch Apple Pie.

This weekend, I am back to the chicken, roasting it the same as above but this time it was shredded and added to gravy (made from the chicken stock in the roaster) and served over waffles. I also made fried apples. Easy enough to do with butter, cinnamon, sugar and a touch of nutmeg in a cast iron skillet. Top those apples with a dollop of cool whip or a scoop of ice cream.


What always held me back from roasting is that I always felt like roasting HAD to be accompanied by mashed potatoes or roasted veggies and although that is good, it gets real old, real quick. These ideas is a creative approach to use roasted meat in a variety of ways and take the mundane out of the mix. All these ideas are sure to make your families mouths water and comming back for more as well as cure Roaster Phobia!!

Stalled out.

I am sad to say that I am having a great deal of difficulty continuing with my cooking blog. I have made 114 recipes from the The Deen Family Cookbook! That is not a small feat I assure you.

The reason is it is hard to continue is that a lot of the remaining recipes require fresh seafood and being in central PA, fresh seafood is hard to find. When I get some scallops and shrimp, rest assured I will make the recipes because they look so good.

Until then, I want to keep going as I still enjoy cooking. So I will post the recipes of things I typically make at home. Things like hamburger goulash, chicken tortilla casserole, hamburger baked-beans and more.

There are still some deserts I can make and I will post them when I get them done as well.

Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I wanted to try this recipe for months, but I wanted to save it for a autumn day! Today is just the kind of day that would be great to have some grilled chops! This also works ifs you bake them at 375 for 20 minutes then glaze them and then bake for another 20 minutes.

Grilled Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Pg. 160 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 cup orange juice
1/4 Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
2 1 1/4 lb pork tenderloins
1/3 cup honey
vegetable oil for brushing the grill

1.In a blender, combine the oj, olive oil and garlic until smooth. Place the tenderloin in a baggie or container for marinating and coat the pork with the marinade. Seal and marinate overnight or 8 hours.

2. Fire up the grill, remove pork from marinade, pat dry and reserve marinade in a small saucepan. Add the honey to the marinade and bring to a boil until the sauce is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, brush your grill and grill the meat for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush with the glaze the rest of the time, about 20 more minutes. Let rest before slicing.

Caramel-Apple Cheesecake

A two day recipe that is worth the time! YUM! A great cheesecake for fall!

Cousin Jonnie's Caramel-Apple Cheesecake
Pg. 227 The Deen Family Cookbook

Crust
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
9 tbsp butter, melted
1/2cup sugar

Filling
2 lbs (4 8oz packages) Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
one 16 oz container sour cream
1/2 orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 eggs

Topping
8 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs (about 3 large) apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10 inch spring form pan tightly with foil to prevent moisture from the water bath from seeping in=to the cheesecake.

2. Make the crust, in a food processor, mix the cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press the mixture in to the bottom of the pan and half way up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely.

3. While the crust cools, make the filling. In a food processor or with an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Add the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Beat the eggs in one at a time until combined.

4. Pour the filling in to the crust. Place a roasting pan in the center of the oven filled half full with water and transfer the spring form pan to it. The water should come halfway up the pan. Check through the baking pan to see if water needs to be added. Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Carefully remove cake from roasting pan and refrigerate overnight.

5. To make the topping, melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add pecans and apples and cook until the apples are cover in the butter, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and the liquid come to a boil, about 3 minutes.

6. Using a slotted spoon, remove the apples and pecan to a bowl and continue cooking the liquid over medium heat. Stirring often until the liquid becomes an amber brown color. Remove from the heat and carefully add the heavy cream, as it may splatter. Return to the heat until it boils, remove from the heat and add the apples and pecans. Allow to cool until they are luke-warm. Top the cheesecake and refrigerate until ready to serve.Use a knife dipped in hot water to cut through the caramel topping.

PB & J Muffins

“Peanut butter is the pâté of childhood.”- Florence Fabricant

Got home on time tonight for a change! It was nice to be able to make dinner and whip up a desert while dinner was in the oven. PD suggested that these muffins could be used as a breakfast and I could see why! A nice weighty muffin in hand that melts in your mouth and has just the right amount of sweetness! Walker loves them!

PB & J Muffins
Pg. 190 The Deen Family Cookbook

2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp creamy peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup thick jam, such as seedless raspberry or grape (don't use jelly)
1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse in the peanut butter until it looks like course crumbs. Add the milk, egg, butter and pulse until combined.

2. Distribute half the batter into the cups. Drop a tsp full of jam in the middle of each muffin and cover with the remaining batter. Top with the peanuts. Bake until the muffins are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They will keep up to 2 to 3 days.

Croque-Madame Caserole

Beautiful fall weather and geocaching have seriously cut into my cooking time! However, I remain committed to do at least once recipe a week. When winter rolls in and the wind starts whipping around, I am sure I will be cooking away to help heat this drafty 'ol farm house!

I will tell you this, yesterday we had an awesome day geocaching with the whole family, Beeler, and La and Va. We saw some beautiful sites and learned some interesting facts. In the evening we BBQ'd and made smores over a fire pit. I highly recommend skipping the chocolate bar and throwing on a reeses cup. You can also peel and slice a banana, fill it with chocolate chips and marshmallows, wrap it in foil and roast. That is some lip smacking good fire pit desert! Hint: Never lick the metal utensil that you roasted your marshmallow on, it will leave a mark! LOL!

This dish was not one of my fav's....I did not really care for the bites that did not have every ingredient in it, but the bites that had the ham, egg, a LITTLE bread were good. There seemed to be to much sauce as well. I don't think I will make this one again.

Croque-Madame Casserole
Pg 110 The Deen Family Cookbook

8 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
2 tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
10 to 12 slices of bread
8 oz deli ham
1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese
6 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish. Make a white sauce by melting butter in a large skillet and cook until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thick and bubbly. Whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

2. Pour a thin layer of sauce into the pan, cover with 5 or 6 slices of bread, 4 slices of ham, and a thin layer of the cheese (3/4 cup). Repeat layers once more ending with a layer of sauce over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, cut into six equal pieces.

3. Fry the eggs, season with salt and pepper and top each portion with a fried egg.

Walker said he would eat this once a year. James said once a lifetime! I agreed with James! But just because we didn't care for it does not mean you won't so get cooking and give it a try!

Green Chile Taco Soup & Banana Spice Cake w/ Peanut Butter Frosting

“Peanut butter is the pâté of childhood.” - Florence Fabricant

Another busy night at the Bannister household with Walker at soccer practice, James is mowing, Justin is at the Volleyball game, and I am cooking. Soups are always a hit around here as long as they eat like a stew. Fall is such a great time to make soups, it just seems like the right time of year. Also, if you have soup for supper ... there is always room for desert! So tonight I made the quickest soup ever, Kelley's Green Chile Taco Soup and Paula's Banana Spice Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. I browned some burger, chopped some onion, and James read off the rest of ingredients to me as I threw everything in the pot. In 7 minutes, we were done and the soup was simmering! Same with the cake, it really is so simple to make a cake from scratch. I would have NEVER have thought so before doing this blog!

Well, the soup is a keeper! Very hearty and flavorful and versatile. We figured we could add a dollop of sour cream (which I did), crunch up tortilla chips like crackers and put them in the soup (which James did) and it was ever better! On another note, I must say that I am a bit surprised that there isn't more butter in some of these recipes in this book. Actually, there are many that have no butter and there are some that have a couple tablespoons, but nothing like what I was expecting ....until this one....the Banana Cake with PB icing has a combined total of 3 and 3/4 sticks of butter. WOW! But is was the STAR of the night and a great tasting cake!

Kelley's Green Chile Taco Soup
Pg. 53 The Deen Family Cookbook

3 tbsp veg oil
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped yellow onion
One 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
One 14 oz can corn, undrained
One can black beans, undrained
2 cups beef broth
One 4 oz can green chile, (i used mild)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 bunch cilantro (i used 1 tbsp dried)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
toppings:
grated cheese
guacamole
tortilla chips
sour cream

1. Heat oil in the skillet, brown hamburger and onion until brown, drain if needed.

2. Scrape beef mixture into a large pot and add remaining ingredients (except the toppings) Heat till steaming and turn to simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with your choice of toppings.

Banana Spice Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
pg. 203 The Deen Family Cookbook

Frosting
3 cup 10x sugar
2 1/4 creamy peanut butter
12 tbsp (1 and a half sticks) soft butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp honey
3/4 tsp vanilla

Cake
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 pinch of ground cloves
1 3/4 granular sugar
2 1/4 sticks of butter (soft)
4 large ripe bananas
1/4 sour cream
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups chopped honey roasted peanuts for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans. To make frosting,cream the 10 x sugar, peanut butter and butter. Add the cream, honey and vanilla and continue to cream until smooth. Cover and chill until needed.

2. To make the cake, sift together the dry ingredients, flour, soda, powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. In another bowl, beat sugar and butter. Add the bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well combined.

3. Fold the dry mixture in to the wet mixture. Pour evenly into the cake pans. bake for 30 - 40 minutes, test with a tooth pick. Let cool on a wire rack.

4. Split each layer horizontally and fill each layer with frosting sprinkling the crushed peanuts between each layer. Top the cake with frosting and remaining peanuts.

4 Cheese and Pesto Italian Baked Spaghetti

A WONDERFUL day for geochaching with just the four of us! Spent 5 hours outside tramping around mountain tops, finding trinkets and enjoying the fresh air! When we got home, we all pitched in getting dinner ready. Baked Italian chicken and Paula's pesto spaghetti! The whole prep only took about 20 minutes and we were in the recliners watching football while it baked! This dish has awesome flavor and went great with the chicken! Everyone loved it ad want it again. I loved that that it was flavorful yet not overpowering!

4 Cheese and Pesto Italian Baked Spaghetti
Pg 108 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 lb uncooked spaghetti
1 lb ricotta cheese
2 six or seven oz containers of prepared pesto
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup crumbled feta

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a flameproof 13 x 9 baking dish. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than box directions. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients EXCEPT 1 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Transfer to a baking dish.

2. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and bake until melted (about 20 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 1 minute until golden. Serve hot.

Crab Potpies & Cream Cheese & Shrimp Dip

"I'm on a seafood diet. When I see food, I eat it." - Misc.

I have been wanting to get these recipes on the blog for weeks! I just had to keep looking for puff pastry at Wally-World! LOL. Well, last weekend, I found it. I have watched numerous chefs on TV working with puff pastry but I have never had the experience until now! Again, this is one of the little things that I would probably never have tried if I didn't embark on this awesome cooking journey. Walker has his first home soccer game tonight, so we will be devouring these dishes after his game. Justin is working right after school and James will be home a little later than normal as he is helping out by running errand like going to the bread store. :oP Regardless, after working with the puff pastry,I am sure I won't be as intimidated by it as I was before.

Well, the game was a loss and so was the crab potpie. I'm sure I may have done something wrong but this didn't have much flavor,wasn't thick enough and just wasn't worth digesting. I have been through numerous recipes and this one just isn't worthy. James said that he thought we would have come across one we didn't like long before this so *shrug* it's ok. :o) We did however, enjoy the shrimp dip! We just bought some bagette bread and it was fabulous!

Note: On the upside I only have 94 recipes to go before I have cooked the whole book!

Michael's Buttery Crab Potpies
pg. 58 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 stick of butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup clam juice
1/4 sherry
1/2 lb crabmeat
2 4oz can sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
2 sheets of frozen puffed pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Sprinkle in four and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the milk, clam juice, and sherry. Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened (about 2 minutes). Add the crabmeat, mushrooms, and peas; remove from heat and transfer to the fridge to cool.

2. Meanwhile, unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Place four oven proof bowls or large ramekins rim down on the pastry and cute four circles a bit larger that the bowls. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position.

3. When crab is cooled, divide it among the four bowls. Brush the rims with egg mixture, lay pastry circle over each and seal the edges. Cut steam vents in the pastry and brush with the egg mixture. Place bowls on baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until the pastry is puffed and golden, 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.


Jodi's Cream Cheese and Shrimp Dip
pg. 32 The Deen Family Cookbook

14 oz cooked and chopped shrimp
one 3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fine chopped green onions, (white and green parts)
2 tsp sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp hot sauce
crackers or crusty bread and raw veggies for dipping

Autumn Harvest Crunch-Top Pie

“But I, when I am done each night upon my knees will ask the Lord to bless me, with apple pie and cheese!” - Eugene Field

I wanted to make a nice meal tonight since I have open house at my school tomorrow. So, I made meatloaf, mac n cheese and Paula's Autumn Harvest Crunch-Top Pie! I just know the boys will love it! They are always begging me to make desserts, well tonight they got one! PLEASE believe me when I say this was SIMPLE. I hate making pies and this went quick! It had surprising ingredients, I used a Wal-mart store bought crust (which is cheaper and easier than homemade) and I didn't even peel the apples! (With Golden Delicious the skins are so thin and waxy they melt away when baked.) Holy Smokes! This pie was SOOOO delicious, warm and gooey...it made us all feel cozy on a crisp autumn night! I'm pretty sure this is my favorite recipe so far! (note: I am NOT an apple pie fan either!):o)

Autumn Harvest Crunch-Top Pie
pg. 223 The Deen Family Cookbook

Crumb Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4tsp salt
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pie
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup apple cider or dark rum
1cup sour cream
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 lbs mixed apples
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

1. Prepare the topping in a medium bowl by whisking together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter to form large crumbs. Stir in walnuts. Chill, covered, until needed.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, raisins, and rum or cider, bring to boil over medium-high heat, then remove and let cool.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and brown sugar. Stir in the dried fruit mixture and apples. Arrange the crust in the pie plate. Fill the crust with the mixture heaping it in the middle. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake fore 45 minutes.

4. Remove the pie from the oven and increase the temp to 425 degrees. Scatter the topping over the pie. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes more until the topping is golden and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm!

Cheesy Corn Bread, Spinach and Turkey Casserole

This casserole is FULL of flavor! We love it! (Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tommorrow)! These ingredients went together quick even with me having to make the cheese sauce! Justin is away at a volleyball game tonight, Walker is studying for two tests and stressing over why his girl broke up with him today, which kills him because he doesn't know why. LOL! Ah Middle School love! Hopefully this casserole will help ease the pain. :o)

Cheesy Corn Bread, Spinach and Turkey Casserole
pg. 106 The Deen Family Cookbook

2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
one 10oz pkg frozen spinach (I used one can instead)
one 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup ( I made cheese sauce since Wally world had no chz soup)
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
one 8 1/2oz pkg corn muffin mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 egg
1 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat 400 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish and set it aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the turkey and brown. Then add onion and garlic and when cooked add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl , add the spinach, soup, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Pat the mixture evenly in to the baking dish.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the corn muffin mix, buttermilk, corn, egg, and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes then add the remaining cup of cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

Ham and Bean Soup

I am loving this recipe, it is so easy! I just love it when the directions say "combine all ingredients and cook!" It literally took about 10 minutes to throw together. My gang really likes soups in the fall and winter but I gotta make the soup hearty or it doesn't go over well. So I added additional onion, celery, and carrots as well as three ham hocks. I also used a 7 bean combination instead of just navy beans. Mom, Dad and us all had this soup for supper and everyone really liked it. It is a bit salty so I wouldn't add the salt in the recipe again. This is a great fall soup and really reminds me of being at Grams on the farm!


Michael's Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup
Pg 57 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 lb dry navy beans, soaked over night or by quick soak method (on package)
6 cups veg or chicken broth
1 or 2 smoked ham hocks
1 large yellow onion (1 cup)
2 large chopped carrots (1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery(1/2 cup)
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp PD hot sauce or other hot sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook covered until the beans are tender, about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Uncover and cook for one hour more until thickened.

2. Transfer the ham hock to a cutting board and trim all the meat off and return to the slow cooker.

Artichoke and Gruyere Quiches & Italian Pasta Salad

It's been a log time since I posted a recipe! A nice long weekend trip to North Carolina to visit family got in the way! LOL! We all had a fabulous time and learned of a great new hobby called GeoCaching. If you like the outdoors and want to do something fun and free with your family, look it up at http://www.geocaching.com. It is similar to treasure hunting and scavenger hunting for cool trinkets!

Anyway, I had to use some ingredients up so I wanted to make the Mini Artichoke and Gruyere Quiches and Paula's Italian Pasta Salad. James, Justin, Walker and I all tried the recipes but I was alone in the kitchen as everyone was getting back into the grind after being away. I am sure this weekend, we will make some additional recipes to go along with our new GeoCaching hobby!

Mini Artichoke and Gruyere Quiches
Pg. 22 The Deen Family Cookbook

4 tbsp butter melted
2 tbsp butter softened
3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers
4 slices of bacon
1 tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup grated gruyere
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Lightly grease mini muffin tins with 2 tbsp of butter.
2. Crush the crackers crumbs and melted butter, divide the mixture among the muffin tins pressing the crumbs up the sides.
3.Over a medium heat cook bacon and transfer to paper towel. Slowly cook onion and artichokes in a pan until tender. Crumble bacon back into the mixture. Divide the mixture among the muffin tins. Sprinkle the cheese over the mixture.
4. Beat the milk, eggs, salt and pepper, spoon over the mixture in each tin filling no more than 3/4 way full.
5. Fill the muffin tins approximately half full with the mixture. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Serve warm.


Paula's Italian Pasta Salad
Pg. 42 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 package(s) (12-oz) bow-tie pasta
1 cup(s) store bought balsalmic vinaigrette salad dressing
1/4 cup mayo
2 cups cherry tomatoes
one 14oz can sliced mushrooms
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup medium green bell pepper, seeds and ribbing removed, chopped
1/3 cup(s) (chopped) onion
2 tbsp(finely chopped) fresh basil
2 cups feta cheese

Directions
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain well.
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta and remaining ingredients; toss gently. Cover and chill, tossing occasionally. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Blackberry Pork Chops, French Fries & Lemony Pea Salad

"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." - Julia Child

Wow,being back at work certainly cuts down on my chatty blogging doesn't it!? I am sure that after I get back into the swing of things that I will be back to flapping my yap like a pro. Until then....

I wanted to make a great meal tonight for my family but it had to be quick as we were mowing the lawn this evening. With lots to be done, I chose the Pork Chops, fries and peas because it was simple and quick. The pork chops took about 10 minutes as did the peas. The fries took longer to cut than to cook, but even that went quick since I didn't have to peel them! The blackberry on the chops were amazing! These recipes just prove that you do not need to spend a lot of time on dinner to make it special and tasty! James and Walker LOVED the blackberry sauce on the chops and of course the fries were popular. The peas on the other hand were just a little too much. They were good, but like James said, "I won't be requesting those again anytime soon."

Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Blackberries
pg. 88 The Deen Family Cookbook

8 6oz pork chops
3 tbsp house seasoning (garlic powder, salt, pepper)
4 tbsp butter
1/4 canola oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups of blackberries
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp thyme
lemon wedges

1. Sprinkle the chops generously with house seasoning. Heat large skillet over high heat. Add butter and oil and swirl until the butter is melted. Sear the chops, in batches if necessary, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Remove the skillet from the heat, add wine, return to the heat. Simmer, scraping up the brown bits, until the wine has mostly evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the blackberries and honey and cook until the berries are soft and a falling apart, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the thyme and adjust seasoning.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add the pork chops, overlapping them in the pan. Baste the chops well with the sauce, cover, and cool until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Crispy French Fries with Mayonnaise Dip
Pg. 130 The Deen Family Cookbook

Dip
2 tbsp mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard

Fries
6 cups of peanut or veg oil
2 lb russet potatoes, cleaned, cut into sticks
salt and pepper

1. Whisk mayo and dijon together to make the dip.

2. Heat oil to 350 and add the potato sticks in batches letting them cook until pale golden yellow. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

3. Raise the temp to 375 and fry them again until golden. Let stand for one minute, drain on a paper-towel and toss with salt and pepper. Serve with dip.

Light and Lemony English Pea Salad
pg. 149 The Deen Family Cookbook

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp chives
2 10oz frozen peas, thawed and drained.
salt

Mix all ingredients except peas. Once well mixed pour over the peas and season with salt.

Pumpkin-Nut Bread

It is not the strongest pumpkin grower that survives, not the most intelligent, but the grower most responsive to change.--- Charles Darwin, Theory of Pumpkin Evolution.

Well, this pumpkin did not survive but rather was eaten by my family, new homeroom students and the teachers of the 7th and 8th grades! The bread is a little dryer than the recipes I have had prior to this, however, with some cream cheese icing it hits the spot!

Jodi's Pumpkin-Nut Bread
Pg. 186 in The Deen Family Cookbook

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup veg oil
4 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. grease and flour 9 x 5 loaf pan. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and butter. Stir until combined, fold in the pecans.

2. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a sharp knife inserted in to the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and turn loaf out once it is cool.

Lemon Buttery Fish, Grilled Shrimp, & Brussel Sprouts

The guys came home from fixing the fence and were ready to eat. They all jumped in to help me cook so we could eat sooner, that is some motivation! James helped with the fish, Walker was master chef of the shrimp and I did the brussel sprouts. Everyone working together like that we had the shrimp as an appetizer in 15 minutes and were eating our meal in 30 minutes. I have never liked brussel sprouts, no mater how they were prepared. I am not going to lie, the larger brussel sprouts were not that great , the the little ones I could eat a whole serving and THAT is a first! Walker even liked them!

Corrie's Lemony, Buttery Baked Fish
Pg. 65 The Deen Family Cookbook

4 6oz fillets of flaky white fish (tilapia)
1 tsp House Seasoning (garlic powder, salt & pepper)
3 tbsp butter, soft
2 tbsp thin sliced green onions
grated zest of lemon

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange fish on the sheet and sprinkle with house seasoning

2. In a small bowl, combine the butter, green onions, and lemon zest. Slather mixture on top of the fillets. Bake until fish is opaque, 10-12 minutes.

Kelley's Easy Grilled Shrimp
Pg. 69 The Deen Family Cookbook

2 cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp salt
juice of one lemon
lemon wedges for serving.

1. Combine garlic, paprika, cayenne, Old Bay and the 2 tbsp olive oil. Pour over the shrimp and marinate in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.

2. Lightly oil the grill and preheat. Toss shrimp with the salt and lemon juice, marinate another 5 minutes. Grill or broil the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side until they are pink with some charring around the edges. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lots O'Butter
pg. 132 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss brussel sprouts with the butter, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes until tender and golden. Serve hot!

Italian Zucchini Bake & Apple Cake

"If you want to make an apple cake from scratch, you must first create the universe." ~Carl Sagan

At the present time I am unable to create a universe, however...I can bake an apple cake from scratch and pray it comes out all right! LOL! This bad boy takes an hour and half to bake so I wanted to get it started early. It was easy and I added extra apples 'cause I know the boys will appreciate that! I also made Aunt Peggy's Italian Zucchini Bake along side my baked Italian Parmesan chicken. Justin was helping at Volleyball, Walker had soccer, and James was feeling under the weather from allergy shots. That means the house is empty so I got a lot done...fast!

The zucchini bake was an Italian treat and complimented the chicken nicely! The apple cake, well lets just say it wasn't fit to eat so don't make it....HA! That will just save all those ingredients for me! Seriously, this cake is moist, flavorful and melts in your mouth. Talk about some comfort food!

Aunt Peggy's Zucchini Bake
pg. 141 The Deen Family Cookbook

4 tbsp butter
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
one 4 oz can mushrooms
one 1 oz pkg Italian seasoning
1/4tsp salt
one 6 oz can tomato paste
2 1/2 lbs zucchini
1 cup mozzarella
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in skillet and saute onion and green pepper for 5 minutes, add mushrooms, seasoning, and salt.

2. Remove from heat and add tomato paste and 3/4 cup water until paste is dissolved. Stir in the zucchini and transfer mixture to an 11x7 baking dish. Top with Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until zucchini is tender when peirced with a knife.

Uncle Bobs Fresh Apple Cake
pg. 205 The Deen Family Cookbook

3 cups diced Granny Smith apples
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups veg oil
3 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a bundt pan or tube pan.

2. In a bowl, mix together the apples, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat until completely combined. Fold in the apple mixture.

4. Scrape the batter into the greased bundt pan and bake for one and a half hours or until a tester comes out clean.

5. Allow to fully cool in the pan, about an hour then turn onto a plate. Wrap tightly and store in the refridgerator or at room temperature.

Peach Stuffed Pork Chops and Corries Carrot Cupcakes w/Cream Cheese Frosting

“If vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake.” - Jim Davis

A busy day at work does not mean you can't whip up an awesome tasty meal to enjoy after a hard and stressful day! Tonight, I tried Michelle's Peach Stuffed Pork Chops. I did have to adapt this recipe as my pork chops were not cut think enough to stuff so I simply topped the chops with the peach mixture. I also wanted to do something special for some of the people I work with and make them a delicious little treat that said "welcome back to school and good luck with the new academic year"! LOL! That is quite a mouth full so I KNEW that whatever I chose HAD to be good! I chose Corrie's Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. This desert is going to be sweet and rich, just like my wish for my colleagues new school year!

Michelle's Peach Stuffed Pork Chops
pg. 93 The Deen Family Cookbook

6 tbsp olive oil
Lg pinch of red pepper flakes
2/3 cup sliced peaches
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
6 1/2 thick center-cut-bone in pork chops
salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, stir in peaches, 2 tsp of sugar if desired, slightly cooking.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Sear the chops on one side until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chops and add the peach mixture. Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking about 8 - 10 minutes.

Corrie's Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
pg. 196 The Deen Family Cookbook


Cupcakes
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups veg oil
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup walnuts
1 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups baby food carrots (3 4oz jars)

Frosting
One 8 oz cream cheese (soft)
4 tbsp butter
1 cup 10x sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Garnish (optional)
3/4 choppedwalnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 32 cupcake tins with liners. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). In a different bowl, whisk oil, eggs, & vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then fold in the walnuts, coconut and carrot puree.

2. Fill the cups 1/2 full. Bake 30 minutes until golden or until a toothpick comes out clean.

3. Make frosting by mixing all ingredients together and after cupcakes are cool, generously frost!

4. To garnish roll edges in crushed walnuts.

Cream Cheese & Strawberry - Stuffed French Toast

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry), but doubtless God never did." - William Allen Butler

Since our family likes a late breakfast early lunch on weekend days, I thought this recipe would hit the spot. Mom and Dad's TV is out of order so they came over and watched me make this recipe and we made them sample it as well! The batter is typical french toast batter and the stuffing is simple too. It took longer to slice the berries than anything else! I spread cream cheese on each slice and then covered the cheese with strawberries. I also used a little granular sugar in the berries since they were out of season and not real ripe. James and Walker LOVED this saying it tasted like strawberry cheesecake. Dad did not like the cream cheese, and I liked it a lot better with maple syrup!

T.J.'s Cream Cheese and Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast
pg. 173 The Deen Family Cookbook

2eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp sugar
4 oz.cream cheese
12slices of white bread
1cup sliced fresh strawberries
butter, for cooking
maple syrup and confectioners sugar, for serving

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk,and sugar. (I also added a bit of cinnamon). Spread the cream cheese on 6 slices of the bread. Divided the berries among the 6 slices and place on bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread and press to seal.

2. Melt butter on the griddle over med-low heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side. Cook sandwiches until golden brown, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, and top with maple syrup

Sausage, Herb, Cream Cheese Crescent rolls. Tomato, Jack N Crab Dip, & Stewed Garlicy Sausage & Peppers.

"What can I eat with cream cheese? I feel fat just sticking my finger in the container and licking it off." - C926-Team Pink.

Well, we have had a busy day in the kitchen but since it was raining ... it gave us something to do. We tried three different recipes from the cookbook today, two had sausage, two had cream cheese, & one had crab!

First we started off with Bobby's Hot Tomato, Jack, and Crab Dip. I have made several versions of this over the years, especially around Christmas time. This is the first one that ever had tomatoes in it. My guest Sous Chef of the day, my 13 year old son Walker, was kind enough to join me in the kitchen and promptly helped chop and seed the tomatoes for this dish. He also, diced the green onions and added seasonings. The crescent rolls were super easy and Walker helped me spread the cream cheese on the triangles and fill them with sausage. He even gave a shot at rolling them up and ... yes... he was better at it than me. When I told him that the looked pretty he said, "I'm not going for pretty, I'm going for good tasting food." *sigh* Just like his mom. When we were done he said, "Ya know, I think we are BETTER than the butter queen!" Gotta love that kid! Finally, we put together the Stewed Garlicky Sausage and Peppers. This recipe was soooo easy, and I love the fact that it is a crockpot meal so it can be made on a weeknight. Walker like the fact that it smelled like sausage pizza!

All very yummy ... out of the three dishes, the sausage herb crescent rolls were great! The crab dip was really good, and the stewed sausage recipe was good, but the sausage I used was not so good. :o( (Next time - better sausage!)

Bobby's Hot Tomato, Jack, and Crab Dip
pg. 30 The Deen Family Cookbook

8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp Paula Deen hotsauce
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells
1 cup seeded diced tomatoes
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 avocados

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. mix together all the ingredients up to the crab meat till creamy, then fold in remaining ingredients. Gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or toast points.

Corrie's Sausage, Herb, and Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
pg. 25 The Deen Family Cookbook

1 pound good quality sausage
2 cans crescent rolls
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tsp chopped sage
1/4 tsp PD hot sauce

Directions: Preheat oven 375 degrees.

1. Crumble and brown the sausage in a non stick skillet over medium high heat.
When well browned, stir in hot sauce, let cool, drain well.
2. Open the crescent rolls and separate them. You may lay them on the baking sheet you will bake them on or use waxed paper for this step.
Spread cream cheese over each triangle. Place a tablespoon of the meat, roll up and seal.
3. Place onto ungreased baking sheet.Bake till golden (about 15 minutes).

Stewed Garlicky Sausage and Peppers
pg. 97 The Deen Family Cookbook

2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, chunked
1 large red pepper, chunked
4cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1 3/4 lb sweet or Italian sausage, chunked
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
One 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 tsp salt
chopped fresh basil

1. Cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces. In a medium soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage pieces, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Add oregano and red pepper flakes, cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cook another minute. Add diced tomatoes with juice, the wine, and salt. Simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Arrange half the onion/pepper mix in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour half the sausage mix over them. Add the rest of the onion/pepper mix, top with remaining sausage mixture. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Garnish with Basil or Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Creamy Corn & Shrimp Chowder and Twice-Baked Potatoes wth Shrimp

“I do not believe that you have to spend a lot of money to eat well: it is hard to beat a plain old baked potato.” - Laurie Colwin

Yummers! I loved a baked potato, but i love a loaded baked potato even more! Tonight I wanted to make two recipes that included similar ingredients. So I chose Corrie's Creamy Corn and Shrimp Chowder and Michael's Deluxe Twice-Baked Potatoes with Shrimp. I got home a little late from a doctors appointment so I wondered if I would have time to make everything on time. Well, I gave it a shot and it worked out just fine. Everyone had a bite to eat before running off to other things! The soup was a hit but I wandered if I could make it thicker...the potatoes are NOT a week night thing because it is time consuming - however, I could see us making it on a Sunday afternoon!

Corrie's Creamy Corn and Shrimp Chowder
pg. 51 The Deen Family Cookbook

6 ears of corn, kernels cut off (or one can)
2 tbsp of butter
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
1 lb large shrimp
3 green onions (white and green parts, trimmed and chopped

1. Put the corn cobs into a large pot with just enough water to cover. Boil gently for 20 minutes. Discard the cobs and reserve the corn-infused water.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels, chicken broth,cream, and 3 cups of the corn water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer until just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Ladle the chowder into bowl and garnish with green onions.

Michael's Deluxe Twice-Baked Potatoes with Shrimp
pg. 72 The Deen Family Cookbook

4 russet potatoes (6 to 8 oz each)
vegetable oil, to coat potatoes
4 slices of bacon
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed.
1 1/2tsp Cajun seasoning
salt
1/3 cup thin sliced green onions (white and green parts)
4 tbsp butter (soft)
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp mayo
3/4 tsp pepper
(I added 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese as well)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and bake veggie oil coated potatoes for one hour.

2. While potatoes are baking, fry bacon for 7 minutes, put on to paper towel lined plate reserving 3 tbsp grease.

3. Cut shrimp into thirds (I left mine whole) add to bacon grease with Cajun seasoning, salt, and cook until pink.

4. When potatoes are done, slice off the top 1/3 and scoop out the flesh of the tops and the 2/3 portion leaving 1/4 inch border of the potato inside the skin. Mash the flesh of the potato with the salt, green onions, butter, sour cream, mayo, and pepper. Stuff the skins with the filling mounding it as high as you can. Top the potatoes with shrimp and bacon.

5. Return potatoes to oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved green onions and serve!

Baked Chicken With Dijon and Lime & Collards

"As for those grapefruit and buttermilk diets, I'll take roast chicken and dumplings." - Hattie McDaniel

One of the great things about committing to this blog is that it forces me to cook and bake things that I would have never normally tried. With the anxiety that surfaces when cooking wandering what will work what will not, will it taste good, will people like it, doing it this way allows you to step out of the box and try without worrying that you have ruined a meal...this way you can look at it as if it is simply an experiment. Tonight I am making a dijon and lime baked chicken and coupling it with one of James favorites, collard greens and dumplings! I prepared the chicken ahead of time and set it in the fridge till I was ready to bake. An extremely simple recipe with some really flavorful condiments. Dijon, mayo, garlic, lime zest, and salt n pepper. The collards were also simple to make and turned out to be my favorite collard recipe yet! Chicken broth, hot-sauce, garlic, salt and pepper...oh yeah and butter! These recipes were quick, easy and got everyone fed before running off to all the other commitments our busy family has. The boys were not very thrilled with the chicken (because of the dijon and lime) but my adult pallet was loving every minute of it. This chicken had the taste of a restaurant quality meal.

Bobby's Baked Chicken With Dijon and Lime
pg. 78 The Deen Family Cookbook

One 3 1/2 chicken cut into 8 peices
3 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp Miracle Whip
1 clove of garlic, minced
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
3/4 tsp pepper
salt
fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Place in greased casserole dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayo, garlic, lime zest, and juice, and pepper. Season the chicken generously with salt. Pour the dijon/mayo mixture over the chicken and coat well.

2. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Drizzle with pan juices over the top and garnish with parsley.

Michelle's Collards
pg.124 The Deen Family Cookbook

I tweaked this recipe for time allotment. It called for cornmeal dumplings, I just made cornbread with green chilies instead.

Collards
2 quarts chicken broth or water.
1 tsp Paula Deen Hot Sauce
1 tsp Lady and Son House Seasoning (salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
one lb bunch collards, center ribs removed, leaves cut
4 tbsp butter

1. In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the collards and simmer for 15 minutes. Add collards and cook for 20 minutes. Strain and salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Corn and Crab Puffs & Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake

“The crab that walks too far falls into the pot” - Haitian Proverb

La n Va are bringing the main course tonight so I thought a nice little appetizer would be great along with a super sweet dessert! I decided to try Bubba's Spicy Corn and Crab Puffs and a second time recipe favorite Easy Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake. I will still list the coffee cake recipe even though I made it before, we all know that is makes regular buttermilk biscuits taste like a bakery shop delight! I will note that all the hell I went through frying the puffs was worth the awesome taste, but I HIGHLY recommend having an actual fryer on hand for this job as using the skillet caused me to have three pea-sized blisters on my left upper-arm. I was doin' some serious extreme cooking today! I know I sound like a broken record but the recipe was easy and went together so fast. I heated the oil and began frying away. These puffs were easy to tell when they needed flipped and really took no time at all to cook. The spattering hot oil kept me on my toes however, so I was able to get my workout in while frying! Within a total of about 12 minutes all the puffs were done and Walker and I were quick to sample...yummy! Justin and James both thought they were good just the way they were. Being fans of sea food, we both thought we could have used a bit more crab. If you are still worried about what it may taste like, I would say it is like a pimped out hush-puppie! lol!

Bubba's Spicy Corn and Crab Puffs
pg. 18 The Deen Family Cookbook

1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
one 8 1/2oz box corn muffin mix
1 lb of lump or backfin crabmeat, well drained
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
5 green onions white and green parts, chopped
21/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
peanut or veg oil for frying

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Stir in the corn muffin mix. Fold in the crab, corn, onions, and hot sauce. Add salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in skillet to 330 degrees.

3. Using two spoons, carefully drop heaping spoonfuls and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, season with salt, pepper, and additional hot sauce as desired. Serve immediately.


Easy Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 12 oz tube buttermilk biscuits
1 cup blueberries

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the streusel, combine the almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a food processor anad pulse till large crumb form.

2. In a 9 inch cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Arrange the biscuits in a single layer in the pan, scatter the blueberries over the biscuits and the streusel topping over the berries. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a tester inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.

Shrimp Scampi w/Artichokes and Basil & Southwest Blackbean Salad

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There`s, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole ...." - Bubba

As the family was returning from their various areas of "vaca"...I wanted to make a nice welcome home dinner. I decided on Paula's Shrimp Scampi with steak and Jamies Southwestern Black bean Salad. The guys were relaxing in the pool after driving 9 hours to get home from Michigan so Va and I did a tag team on supper. She grilled the steak on the grill while I whipped up the scampi. The salad was premade a couple hours earlier. This is my second attempt on the salad recipe and it was even yummier after using all the correct ingredients. ;o) Again, super easy and very yummy. Everyone really liked all the dishes. The marinated artichokes were a pleasant addition to the scampi and we served it over linguine. We talked about the guys fishing trip in Michigan and Va's Atlantic City trip, my Wash. D.C. trip and Walkers NC trip and Jackie and Frankie's beach trip! Everyone had really nice stories and enjoyed congregating around the diner table to reconnect after all our travels.

Paula Deen's Shrimp Scampi w/Artichokes and Basil
pg. 67 of The Deen Family Cookbook

8 TBSP (1 stick) of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 TSP salt, plus more to taste
1/8 TSP red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
Pepper
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and diveined
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Juice of one lemon
Cooked pasta or rice for serving

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, salt, pepper flakes and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer. Let the liquid reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the shrimp and artichokes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just pink, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the basil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve over pasta or rice.

Jamie's Southwestern Avocado and Blackbean Salad
2nd attempt with all the correct ingredients. (Even Yummier)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
2 or 3 dashes of Paula Deens hot sauce or other hot sauce
4 cps of chopped romaine lettuce
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, & diced
2 cps of fresh or frozen corn
2 15oz cans of blackbeans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
salt n pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk cilantro, oil, lime juice, and hot sauce.
2. In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients, add the dressing and salt and pepper to taste!