Tortilla Casserole, Bacon Vinaigrette over Greens, & Blueberry Coffee Cake

"You know you are good in the kitchen when you can cook seafood & collard greens." - Monique Coleman

Justin is helping again today since all his friends are busy and his girlfriend is working. HAHA Walker left today to go to NC for a week and my in-laws will be leaving on Monday so I will only have 3 people to feed! Our massive household is slowly dwindling. Which has its positives ... like I will be able to start making some of the shrimp recipes! :o) (In the picture: Justin (Assistant Chef enjoying the dessert!)Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Warm Bacon Vinaigrette ove collards & Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake

Okay, deep breath... I am about to embark on making greens. The Chicken Tortilla Casserole doesn't worry me too much because I already have a recipe that is very similar, so I know that it will turn out fine. The greens on the other hand, I'm not so sure.... Once I had the casserole in the oven I started the greens, they smelled so good that I figured I was doing something right! The recipe stated that you could pour this vinaigrette over the raw greens but when Justin and I did a taste test, we liked the cooked greens better so I simply folded them into the warm skillet and served them with the casserole. Present for dinner was James, Jim, Sharran, Justin and me! We enjoyed dinner and compared the chicken casserole to the other recipe I have. James like the new one better only because it does not have chunks of tomato in it! The two dishes complimented each other very well. When dinner was on the table, the oven temp was the same from the casserole to the blueberry dish so I popped that in to bake while we ate. After dinner we cleaned up dishes and finished up in time for the dessert to come out of the oven ... nice and oooey gooooey warm. Everyone had seconds of the dessert! It took regular 'ol butter biscuits and turned them into a comforting warm dessert that was the STAR of the night! Everyone now is in the living room relaxin, Justin headed to the tractor pulls and I plan on enjoying an iced tea right after I publish this blog! THANK YOU PAULA for givin me the motivation to cook and taste AND enjoy my first collard greens ever! ;o)

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette over Greens

1/4 lb bacon (6 slices)
1 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Mixed Greens

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble.

2. Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 1 minute, until softened.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Add the mixture to a skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the greens and serve.

Jamie's Mexican Chicken and Tortilla Casserole

1 16oz. jar salsa (2 cups)
1 cup chicken broth
1 6oz. bag tortilla chips
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 small yellow onion
3 cup jack/pepperjack cheese
I also added 1 can of mild green chilis and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the salsa and broth in a blender and process until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the tortilla chips with 2 1/2 cups of the salsa mixture. In a separate bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

2. In a greased 13x 9 baking dish, layer on third of the chips, followed by half of the chicken, half of sliced onion, & one third of the cheese. Cover with foil and back on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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.

Meatloaf, MacnCheese, & Creamed Spinach

It's about how to make the best meat loaf or macaroni and cheese. It's about brilliant simple cooking, really. - Tyler Florence

I can't remember a time when the family wanted meatloaf until I found a great recipe, now they can't get enough of it. I also found a mac and cheese recipe and tweaked to my families liking. I am about to forgo all that work and perfecting to try two new recipes from The Deen Family Cookbook. I also am making creamed spinach AND beer and onion biscuits from the cookbook. Here's to a big night of cooking and hopefully smiles on everyones faces!

The meatloaf went together fast with 10 ingredients and I could tell that it would be juicy (key to success in this house). The mac n cheese, I will admit made me VERY skeptical. It went together with 9 ingredients and looked very nice but I worried how it would turn out. Justin (one of my assistant chefs)was home and helped me. With both of us, we were ready to go to the oven in 20 minutes. That is a quick prep.

As the meatloaf and mac n cheese, were baking, I mixed the 10 ingredients for the beer and onion biscuits and scooped them by 1/4 cup onto a baking sheet and popped them in in time for all to be done at the same time.

With 15 minutes left for everything to bake, I browned onion and bacon and when done, I added two bags of baby spinach. Once they were wilted, I added heavy cream and brought it to a boil until the cream stuck to the spinach. La n Va came and brought roasted cauliflower with red pepper flakes. Everything was done at the same time and a whole crew descended upon the kitchen: James, Jim, Sharran, La, Va, Johnny, Justin, Walker, and me....I went first! LOL

The meatloaf was amazing and juicy and sweet. The mac n cheese was a winner, very flavorful and cheesy. The spinach, was THE STAR of the night. It went so fast I didn't even get a picture of it! The biscuits tasted just like Tastefully Simples Beer Bread.

So, these are our new favorites so far (Beth, I know, I will send these too. haha). For dessert, we cheated with a mix and made apple cinnamon cupcakes. I really love making a meal where everything is great tasting and fills up my family and friends!

Aunt Peggy's Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

1 lb ground beef
One 6oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup vidalia onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 quick-cooking oats
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, tomato paste, onion, green pepper, oats, egg, salt, pepper. Shape into a loaf in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Slather the glaze over top the meat and bake for 1 hour or until meatloaf is cooked all the way through.

Corrie's Bacon Creamed Spinach

3 slices of bacon
1/2 cup fine chopped yellow onion
2 6oz. bags baby spinach
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat from the skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened (3 to 5 minutes). Add the spinach and toss until well blended.

2. Add the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture bubble over medium heat until the cream is thickened and clinging to the spinach, about10 minutes. Crumble the bacon over the spinach, stir and serve.

Anthony's Ultimate Doubly Cheesy Mac n Cheese

4 tbsp butter
1/2 lb uncooked elbow or bowtie noodles
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 mustard powder
4 cups grated cheddar cheese

Bubba's Beer and Onion Biscuits

3 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick of butter
1 cup beer
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2/3 crushed fried onions
pinch of cayenne

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl or food processor, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder,salt, and baking soda.Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the beer, cheese, onions, and cayenne, stirring or pulsing until dough forms.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently, just enough to form a ball. Pat the dough into a 1/2 inch thick round. Using a 2 1/2 in round cutter, stamp out circles of dough. Gently knead the leftover scraps together and stamp out more...(I just dropped them by spoon)

3. Transfer the biscuits to prepared baking sheet, brush tops with butter. Bake until golden brown about 25 to 30.

Peaches & Cream Shortcake

“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it” - Thomas Walker

MMMMmmmmMMMM, peaches. I must say this is definitely a family favorite in this house. Since we have had a considerable number of leftovers this week, the family and I have decided to have a hodgepodge supper and call it "Clean Out the Fridge Night". Leftovers aren't so bad around here and especially if I make an awesome dessert to wrap it all up! I know I can't go wrong with peaches.

This is another easy recipe, containing only 9 ingredients and taking approximately 45 minutes from start to finish, including peeling the peaches. The BEST part of this process is sweetening the peaches and sneaking a slice or two for yourself as you prepare! I made it to peeling peach number 3 before sneaking a bite! ;o) The process is simple, peel and slice peaches, sweeten. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, combine the two...bake. Put it all together by cutting the shortcakes in half and filling with peaches and replacing the top and throw on a scoop of cool whip. Ooohhh baby, what a sweet and yummy way to wrap up the night.

James, Jim, Sharran, Justin, Justin's girlfriend - Andi, Walker, myself and my five year old nephew "Benny-ha-ha" all dug in with sweet anticipation of the delectable peach flavor and this shortcake did NOT disappoint! I have had other shortcakes that are very dry and overpower the fruit flavor, this one seemed to melt in our mouths, very creamy .... this recipe is just peachy! Oh, and Benny-ha-ha wants the recipe.. I love it! :o)

"An apple is an excellent thing -- until you have tried a peach." - George du Maurier

Peaches and Cream Shortcake

12 Peaches
3 tbsp brown sugar

2 3/4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (of course)
2 tbsp butter melted to brush the tops before baking
2 eggs
one 8 oz container sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
Cool Whip

1. Preheat oven 450 grease baking sheet. combine sliced peaches with brown sugar and let sit (or chill) for at least 20 minutes.
2. Combine dry ingredients, then cut in the butter to make large "crumbs".
3. Whisk eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Fold into the dry ingredients until just combined. Drop dough by the quarter cup onto baking sheet. Brush tops with butter,bake for about 12 min or until golden. Allow to cool.
4. Split shortcakes, put about 1/2 of peaches on the bottom half and cover with the top. Add a dollop of cool whip and ENJOY!

Sausage Bites & Smoky Tomato-Bacon Pasta

"Never eat more than you can lift. " -- Miss Piggy

That's right! Sausage and bacon dishes today! Sorry Miss Piggy, but when you get invited to dinner here, it isn't for a seat AT the table, it's for a place ON the table!

HOLY COW ...I MEAN PIG! These recipes are AWESOME! If you want them, make sure you email me or leave a comment on the tiny "comment" word below because THEY ARE WORTH IT!

These recipes are not only delicious, but also EASY. The Tiny Sausage-Tomato bites had only FOUR ingredients and as I was rolling them into meatballs, my guest chef was starting to whip up the Smoky Tomato-Bacon Pasta containing only FIVE ingredients! My son Justin joined in on the fun in my kitchen circus. I couldn't hardly say no because when I talked about this adventure of blogging and bought the book, Justin pushed the grocery cart reading Paula's cookbook and specifically chose this recipe to make. As many of my family and friends know, my hubby and sons are no strangers to the kitchen and have been known to stir a mean pot and bake a batch every so often. So we danced around the kitchen occasionally bumping into one another and got'er done! His pasta was done just seconds before my sausage bites and we rang the bell for dinner. Folks started running in, Jim, Sharran, James, Justin, Walker, and Benny (my soon to be nephew). It was love at first bite for all! The best was that Jim hates cheese, the pasta had cream cheese in it and because the flavors were so incorporated, he couldn't taste it....which was great! We oohed and awhed all through dinner eating off of fancy plates and enjoying simple recipes withincredible flavor. What a great night! At this point, I am not sure what we will get into Wednesday, but trust this....it will be yummy!:o)

TINY SAUSAGE-TOMATO BITES

1lb loose sausage crumbled(can be hot, sweet, or breakfast - your choice)
1.5 cups Bisquick
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Hand mix first three ingredients together until well blended.
2. Roll into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet and flatten them with palm of your hand (enough to look like a patty- good job for the kids).
3. Make a dent with your thumb to nestle half a cherry tomato, cut side up in the indentation.

Bake @ 375 15 - 25 minutes or until done. I did the whole 25 minutes because I made them a little bigger for my guys, I also always make a double batch because they are awesome warmed up!

SMOKY TOMATO-BACON PASTA

10 strips of bacon
1 large yellow onion
1 28oz can of dices tomatoes
salt and pepper
4 ounces of cream cheese cut into chunks
1 lb cooked rigatoni

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and brown (TIP: I used kitchen scissors and cut them into 1 inch sections before putting them into the skillet because you are going to crumble them later anyway.) Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep 1/4 cup of the bacon grease in the skillet .
2. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring until onions are softened about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper, simmer, stirring occasionally (about 10 min) Stir in the cream cheese until melted.
3. Meanwhile, boil and cook your pasta. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the sauce and serve immediately.

Soutwest Blackbean Salad & Key Lime Pie

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for 4; unless there are 3 other people. - Orson Welles

So, tonight our great friends Larry and Virgina (commonly known as La n Va)are coming over to eat and swim. A normal event for a hot summer day. They volunteered to bring the grub and graciously let us know that the cuisine would be chili and cornbread. PERFECT! I have 2 recipes out of Paula's family cookbook that will go perfectly with this. Southwestern Avocado and Blackbean Salad and Key Lime Pie. Since Va and JB do not like avocados, I'll leave some out in their portion of the salad. Please understand that I am not allowed to publish the recipes due to copyright laws, however if you want the recipe just email me and I will be happy to share. A majority of these recipes are very simple and do not require lavish ingredients.

Key Lime (& Orange)Pie. Okay, so I start this thing off and I have no rules. Go figure. I took Paula's brothers (Bubba) recipe for tiny chocolate key lime pies and tweaked it a bit. Instead of chocolate crust I used regular graham crackers. I also took a hint from Sunny Anderson (Cooking For Real - Food Network) and hand squeezed the juice of 3 limes and 2 oranges instead of buying the juice as Paula's brother suggested in their recipe. Advice: buy the juice... unless you have an extra dish towel and fifteen minutes on your hands. Feeling the OJ in the scrape on my hand was not fun either, however, the end result just may be a nice payoff. I taste tested prior to putting in the oven and I must say ....we may have a winner! On to the Salad!

Southwestern, Avocado & Blackbean Salad. At the start of this recipe, I was thinking it was not going to go very well. With mine, I had to make some changes, like I used iceberg lettuce instead of romaine and Jamie (Paula's son) had fresh cilantro and I used store bought. As I threw more ingredients in the better it got and by the time I was done...I had a salad that was worthy of a beer! The beans, corn and avocado really make it eat like a meal. Now we will just have to wait and see what everyone thinks tonight!

Well, heck the whole gang was here, James, Justin, Walker, Sharran and Jim (James parents), La and Va, and Johnny (Va's brother)all made it to dinner. The chili was great, Va made two kinds of awesome sweet cornbread (one with and one without jalapenos). The southwestern salad was a hit,especially with those who enjoyed avocados and I thought Justin would lick the Lime-Orange pie pan clean! So all in all it was a great first run for two of the recipes from The Deen Family Cookbook! The supper was followed up by a fun dip in the swimming pool AND JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THAT I COULD RELAX, mom called....

.....of course she was making her homemade peach jelly with cherries. O...M....G...it is so freaking good that we could not help but to pitch in. Mom stirred the thickener, Justin stirred the jelly, James poured it into jars, Dad put the lids on and timed Justin, as he was to only stir for 3 minutes and I washed the sticky but yummy pans and spoons! Luckily we had a half jar left over so we got to bring that home for morning toast! AND I drove mom crazy as I talked in a funny voice and cracked jokes...what else am I good for! HA!

I can't wait to see what we get into Tuesday!

Jamie's Southwestern Avocado and Blackbean Salad

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!

Bubba's Tiny Chocolate-Key Lime Pie

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, melted plus more for greasing pans
1 3/4 cup of chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
3/4 cup of sugar

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lime or Keylime juice
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
grated lime or keylime zest
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
whipped cream for serving
chocolate curls for serving (chocolate bar shavings)

1. Preheat oven to 325. lightly brush 30 cups or two mini muffins pans with melted butter. Fill any unused cups half way up with water. In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press about `1 tablespoon of the cookie mixture into each minimuffin cup, making sure there are no cracks. Bake pie crusts for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, keylime juice, egg yolks, lime zest, vanilla, and salt. Spoon 1 even tbsp of filling into each warm pie crust. Bake the pies until the filling is set. 20 - 2 minutes.

3.Transfer the pans to a cooling rack and let stand 20 minutes at room temp. Use a small spatula to loosen and remove the pies. When they are cool, top each with a dollop of whipped cream.

My Beginning .... cooking

I can remember at five years old standing next to Gramma Baker in her kitchen while she rolled pie dough and of course with the left over raw crust, we would make cinnamon milk pies for me to munch on. She taught me how to make milk toast for breakfast and as I grew older, I helped make lunch for the farmhands with her. Her signature dish was country ham and browned potatoes. I was 26 before I was brave enough to try that but I did it!

When I stayed with Gramma Piper we would make homemade rolled dough cookies. Her gingerbread and raisin filled cookies were to die for! Although she has given me the recipes, they just never taste the same.

I remember being 8 years old and standing in my moms kitchen while she was in the next room (her beauty shop) shouting out directions of how to make supper. It may not have been the most conventional way to learn how to cook, but it worked! It was a sign of the times, and relationships between mothers and daughters were evolving. As moms took to the work force, many of my peers had no one to show or tell them anything about cooking. I was at least lucky enough to get direction from mom while she was doing hair! She taught me how to make my first casserole called hamburger goulash, and it was good! I also would bake on Saturdays after cleaning the house. Typically making my choice of cookies and the occasional Texas sheet cake.

So, thanks to these three women and their combined talents I had a fantastic background for cooking and baking. But it was not until my mid thirties that I branched out from boxed meals and processed food and actually started to cook. I guess as my sons got older and their tastes were developing and expanding it gave me the motivation I needed to get cookin'! We also have two great friends that share the love of cooking and great tasting food. With these folks, we sure do have a great time.

This leads to where I am today. A wife, mom, and teacher that enjoys cooking at the end of the day to help unwind and get a sense of accomplishment that she has prepared a nice meal for her family. So with that, lets get this party started!

The Beginning of the Butter Broadcast.

Well, I have made a decision to imitate a popular movie and cook my way thru someones cookbook while I journal the events that take place around the recipes I will be cooking. I want to do this to prepare a documented account of all the fun that resides around me and my family cooking and living. Someday, maybe my great grandkids will read this and do something similar for their family!

The first thing I did was research different cookbooks and the recipes within. Knowing that this would be a lengthy and major undertaking, I didn't want to subject my friends and family to recipes that they may not prefer! Although there were several great contenders, my personal favorite, Paula Deen "The Butter Queen" was the winner of my little secret contest! Her recipes mostly match the way I already cook but allows me to branch out and try new things and put different twists on the familiar.

Paula says, it isn't always about just the cooking. I agree. My friends and family have made literal "events" out of our love of food and cooking and have now started a tradition of having family gourmet nights where we set a fancy table and prepare at least a four course meal. We have so much fun and each person contributes to the evening with their own recipe of the night. I want to document this and the best way I know how is to cook my way through the cookbook and write it all down all while using todays technology...blogs!

All recipes by Paula or her family will be noted in the blog and credited as well as the Cookbook publisher Simon and Schuster