Cornbread Dressing

Otherwise known as Grandmother’s dressing in our home, this dish is served every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually make it in a 9×13 pan but this past Thanksgiving I used a bundt pan with the same recipe and it was interesting to cut slices. I guess you could even make muffin size little dressings. This recipe is like chicken flavored moist cornbread.

Ingredients:

1 c celery chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 can celery soup
1 stick margarine
3 cups of chicken broth (low salt)
3 eggs
1 tsp poultry seasoning or to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
Prepared cornbread crumbled

Saute celery and onions in margarine. Add all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. If not moist enough add more chicken broth. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

Hashbrown Casserole

This is a great breakfast lunch or dinner casserole and so versatile. Vegetables can be added as well as meats of your choice as long as the meats are cooked. Add spinach, tomatoes, onions, peas, ham, beef, chicken, mushrooms, chillies, bacon or sausage. The possibilities are endless. If you add it to a sandwich or an omelet, then you can throw it in this casserole.

Ingredients:

2 lb bag shredded frozen hash browns
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter melted

Mix first four ingredients together in a large bowl. Place in 9×13 greased pan. Mix bread crumbs and butter, and place on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Quick Tuna Noodle Casserole

I have always loved tuna noodle casserole. This is the version I grew up loving and it is a very simple cheap dish to make. Virtually anyone who likes tuna will love this casserole. It can be modified by adding vegetables or toppings like herbs and spices. Make it your own!

Ingredients:

6 oz medium cooked noodles (3 c cooked or 1 1/2 c uncooked) drain well
14 oz canned tuna drain well
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
10 oz can cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom
1/2 c milk
4 oz cheddar cheese shredded (1 cup)

Cook noodles as directed on package. In a greased 2 quart casserole dish, combine tuna mayonnaise, salt, soup, milk and cheese. Blend well. Mix in the noodles. Bake uncovered in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

There are many flavored tuna packets in the stores these days but I have never tried any of them in this recipe. Just a thought!

Beef Stroganoff Pasta

The beef stroganoff I had growing up was a different recipe than most knew stroganoff to be. I always thought everyone else ate the same version until I became and adult and realized it was a different meal than I was accustomed to. Again, since my brother and father were picky eaters my mother omitted the usual sliced beef and mushrooms. She made some substitutions that I think will work for a lot of families with picky eaters as well as lower cost to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef 
onion powder to taste
1 can mushrooms (optional)
10 oz condensed beef broth
2 tbsp catsup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp flour
1 c sour cream
3-4 c hot cooked wide egg noodles

Brown meat with onion powder then drain.  Add broth (reserve 1/3 cup), catsup, garlic, and salt. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Blend reserved broth and flour; stir into meat mixture. Add optional mushrooms. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream; heat. Serve over noodles.

This is a great meal served with broccoli or salad and garlic bread.

Hot Crab Dip

When I moved to the coast of North Carolina I discovered hot crab dip. My husband took me to a seafood restaurant and ordered this dish for our appetizer and I fell in love. Now my husband begs me to make this for parties we attend. Personally I like to thinly slice a baguette for dipping but sometimes I get lazy and just take tostitos chips. Either words fine.

Ingredients:

7 oz crab meat (canned is ok but drain first)

8 oz whipped cream cheese

8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese (reserve some for topping)

dash of garlic powder

dash of paprika

dash of white wine

MIx cream cheese, cheddar, wine and crab meat. Spread in a pie plate and top with reserved cheddar, garlic powder and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until bubbly.

If you prefer dip to be creamier, you can add mayonaise to dish a little at a time before baking.

Eye of Round Roast Made Easy

A roast is a challenging meat for some people to cook. Yes, you can throw it in a crock pot with some vegetables and it will cook and be okay, but there are some ways to make a very good roast every time. One thing to keep in mind is the cut of meat. Eye of Round can be a little more expensive but it has the least amount of waste and very little fat. This recipe calls for simple ingredients to which you can add vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions etc. This recipe can be made a day ahead and reheated in juices as this gives it time to absorb the flavor of the liquid.

Ingredients:

3 lb Eye of Round roast
1 envelope of onion soup
1 c water

Put roast and water in a covered pan on top of stove. Bring to a boil then turn heat to low and cook until tender. Soup mixture may be added at any time during cooking. Strain the liquid from the pan and save to pour over roast after it is sliced.

You may also sear the roast in a pan on all sides and place in crock pot with soup mix and water if desired. If using this method cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Gravy:

Before serving make gravy by thickening leftover juice with water and corn starch in sauce pan stirring constantly over low heat. I have a friend that adds a packet of brown gravy mix to the crock pot after removing the vegetables and meat mixing it with the juices. She slices the meat and returns it back to the crock pot with instant gravy

If you have any questions I will do my best to trouble shoot for you. Please comment below if you have any tips you use.

 

Sour Cream Chicken Burritos

Comfort food at it’s finest. This recipe is such creamy, cheesy, chicken goodness. My family doesn’t like tomatoes or green chilies so I have to hide them in recipes. I generally puree them with my food processor and mix them in sauces or with the chicken inside the burritos, but these are also great garnishes on top of the burritos for presentation.

When I serve this dish at home I generally pair it with a mexican rice and sometimes refried beans. I like to mix a can of refried beans with taco sauce or salsa and warm through so it thins out.This also gives great taste.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, boiled and chopped or 4 chicken breasts cooked and chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chopped green chilies
8 oz carton sour cream
1 pkg flour tortillas
1 pkg grated mozzarella

Combine chicken, 1/3 can soup, 2 tbsp sour cream and green chilies in bowl. Mix well. Place 3 tbsp chicken mix in center of each tortilla and roll up. Place in lightly greased 13×9 pan. Mix remaining soup and sour cream together. Pour over tortillas. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 til bubbly.

I have used all sorts of cheese in this recipe. If you have it on hand and want to try it, then go for it. I have also used canned chicken in a pinch before but it was not as good. Leftover chicken works well as long as it doesn’t have any other strong flavors.

 

Chocolate Cake Supreme

Who doesn’t love chocolate? This chocolate cake is so chocolately delicious and best when it first comes out of the refrigerator. I love cold chocolate cake with milk. It has taken me a few tries to master this cake and decoration it completely up to you. My grandmother taught us how to make this dessert and she doesn’t use any toothpicks to hold it together which can be tricky. On the flip side, when my mom pull this cake out of the fridge she says over and over to everyone to watch out for the death trap toothpicks she stuck in it to keep the layers from sliding. Your choice but I don’t use toothpicks in mine. I figure if my 84-year-old grandmother can whip this out, then my 33-year-old self just needs to pay attention and work carefully. Good Luck!

Ingredients:

Pillsbury chocolate cake mix baked
Lg container Cool Whip

Chocolate Icing Ingredients:
1 lg pkg semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c margarine
2 whole eggs
1 c powdered sugar sifted
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Bake a package of Pillsbury chocolate cake mix according to directions on package in 3 layers. Refrigerate or even freeze briefly.
Melt all ingredients in a double boiler. Beat till creamy and ready to spread. Ice the bottom of each layer then top with cool whip. Ice the top and outside of the remaining cake with the rest of the icing. Keep cake refrigerated.

Cold cake layers help this cake to stay together and give you a better finished look. I try to add as little chocolate icing as possible in between the cake layers, this will help them not to slide off one another. Same for the cool whip. Keep in mind proportion. You are only spreading a thin layer of these ingredients in between the layers.Before you ice the final layered cake check that there isn’t cool whip squeezing out between the layers because this will swirl in with the final fudge icing. It has happened to me before and if it happens to you beyond repair it still looks fine, just go with it and make it look marbled. When I ice this cake I use a butter knife to ice the sides holding it at the bottom then drawing it up toward the top layer of the cake. If you ice the sides first then you can finish the top nicely.

Coconut Cake Recipe

I love everything coconut. I have yet to find anything coconut I do not like so this cake is one of my favorites. It is a cool creamy dessert. This cake is especially great for summertime but keep in mind it should stay refrigerated or in a cool area or it will be a disaster. When you need a dessert this summer for a party or barbecue then whip this one up but plan ahead because it is best after it sits in the refrigerator for 3 days allowing all of the flavors to infuse.

Ingredients:

1 (18.5 oz) box butter cake mix
1 c sugar
2 c sour cream
2 (9 oz) pkgs frozen coconut thawed
1 1/2 c whipped topping

Bake cake as directed using 2 layer pans. Split each layer in half. Combine sugar, sour cream and coconut. Chill, reserve 1 cup sour cream mixture for frosting. Spread remaining frosting between layers of cake. Combine reserved sour cream mixture with whipped topping. Blend until smooth, spread on top and sides of the cake, store in air tight container in refrigerator for 3 days before serving.

 

Cranberry Apple Casserole

My grandmother made this recipe for me growing up especially at christmas time. We never really had traditional cranberry sauce at our family dinners but she would buy the jellied cranberry in a can and slice it for serving. Once I tried this recipe though, I was hooked. I like cranberries anyway and its like a warm cranberry apple cobbler to me.

Ingredients:

3 c raw cranberries chopped in blender or food processor
3 c raw chopped unpeeled apples (Rome is best)
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c flour
1 stick of melted margarine

Mix first 4 ingredients well and place in baking dish. Mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle over cranberries. Bake 1 hour at 350.

This is also a good brunch recipe or used as a dessert.