The perfect compliment to Santa Fe Soup (or any soup/stew)

I posted this recipe a couple of days ago. If you like soups/stews, you will LOVE it! Today I have a recipe that would go perfect with the Santa Fe Soup, or any other type of soup or stew, for that matter. Actually, it would be great just by itself! Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Sausage Cornbread Bake

1 lb. pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk self-rising cornmeal mix
1 can cream style corn
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet. In a medium skillet, brown the sausage and onion, drain well. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cornmeal mix, creamstyle corn, sour cream, oil, and milk. Pour half of cornmeal mixture into 10-inch skillet. Sprinkle with sausage mixture and shredded cheddar cheese. Pour remaining batter over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 8 servings. Enjoy!!

Mashed Potatoes = Blah...

I LOVE potatoes! I love them any way you can cook them. One of my favorite potato dishes is a cheesy potato casserole. It is super easy to make and soooo good. However, tonight was the first time I have made it for my family.....weird, huh? Especially since potatoes are one of the only veggies my husband will eat. I have been trying some new ways to make potatoes other than the traditional "mashed". I am just so tired of having "mashed" potatoes for dinner all of the time. Even my little man won't hardly eat them anymore!!

For the cheesy potato casserole, you can shred up fresh potatoes or you can buy the frozen shredded hash-brown type. I took the easy way out and bought the frozen kind. Hey, easy and convenient are my two favorite words when it comes to cooking! I hope you enjoy this casserole as much as we did. :)

Cheesy Potato Casserole

1 bag frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
3/4 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T. onion flakes (or you could use 2 T. finely chopped onions)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I actually used colby-jack because it was what I had on-hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 11x7 baking dish (or 9x13) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove an sprinkle with corn flake topping. Return to oven and bake for 30 more minutes.

Topping

2 cups crushed Corn Flakes cereal
3 T. butter, melted

Mix together and sprinkle on top of potato mixture.

**I paired this with honey mustard grilled chicken and green beans. YUMMY!! Would also go great with any pork dish.

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away! Many of us will be traveling over this holiday weekend to be with friends and family, some will be cooking at home, and others will be dining out. Whatever you may be doing, I pray that your Thanksgiving Day will be blessed with an abundance of food, love, and family/friends!

Now, if you are wondering what you can make to take to your "potluck" Thanksgiving, or just need an extra dish for your table, here are a few recipes that are quick, easy, and delicious! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.


HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!! :)

*Sweet Potato Casserole

*Green Bean Casserole

*Cornbread Dressing

*Pecan Pie

*Pumpkin Cake

*Pumpkin Bread

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" --Psalm 118:1

Tater Salad

I love potato salad. It is just one of those things that must be present at any cookout, in my opinion. I do like cole slaw and pasta salad too, but there is just something about "tater salad" that strikes my fancy. :)

As much as I love this stuff, can you believe that I have never made it? Until this past Saturday, that is. We provided lunch for our new members after church this past Sunday (hot dogs, pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, tater salad, chips, baked beans, Poke Cake) and instead of purchasing a big tub of the stuff I decided to try my hand at it. Of course I called my mom to see how she makes hers and she told me everything I needed to know to make it. (Thanks, Mom!)

There are so many kinds of potato salad out there, and I love just about every one of them. I believe my favorite, though, is the mustard potato salad. It's tangy and sweet and just reminds me of what potato salad should be. Here is my "recipe" (I use this term lightly because I pretty much just added stuff!):

Mustard "Tater" Salad

5 or 6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 Tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon onion flakes (or you can cut up a small onion)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish (or you can chop up a medium size sweet pickle)
1 Tablespoon of sweet pickle juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until fork-tender, but not too soft (unless you want a "mashed potato" consistency), drain. Allow to cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You can eat it right away, but it actually tastes better after it has chilled in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours. Enjoy!

By the way, if anyone has any good "tater salad" recipes, I would love to try them!

Pot Roast with/without Potatoes and Carrots

I know I am not "branching out" much with these first two slow cooker recipes, but some new and exotic recipes are coming, I promise! We are just starting with the basics for now.

Pot Roast with/without Potatoes and Carrots

1 chuck roast (about 3 or 4 lbs. is good)
4 or 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
4 medium sized carrots (sliced) or 1 small bag baby carrots
1 small onion, sliced or chopped or 1 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
Worcestershire sauce
Seasoned salt
Enough water to cover the roast

Turn slow cooker on Low. Brown chuck roast in a skillet until there is a good brown color on all sides. Place in slow cooker. Top with a few shakes of worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and onions (or onion flakes). Cover with water and cook on Low for about 8-10 hours or until tender (falling apart).

Now, if you want to add the potatoes and carrots (I usually just make the roast by itself), you can add them at the beginning when you add the roast, or about halfway through. I don't usually put the veggies in just because they either turn out too mushy or not done enough.

I like to pair the roast with mashed potatoes, green beans, and "Almost Spoon Bread". Here is the recipe for the bread:

"Almost Spoon Bread"

1 box Jiffy cornmeal mix
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x9 baking dish or spray with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until bread is lightly golden on top (and cooked through in the center).

Hope you have enjoyed these recipes! A few more posts of "the basics" and then we will get into some amazing, and a little shocking, slow cooker recipes!

Dessert or Side Dish?

This has got to be one of my favorite things to have on my plate at Thanksgiving (or anytime for that matter!). It is so easy to make, and the fresh sweet potatoes make it taste so much better than if you use the canned ones. But would you classify this as a side dish or a dessert? It is very sweet, yet it is a potato. Hmmm...let me know your thoughts on this one!

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil sweet potatoes, drain and mash. Mix next 7 ingredients together with potatoes. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Mix brown sugar, flour, butter, and pecans together and crumble over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The first recipe in the Easy Thanksgiving Series

Cornbread Dressing

1 large skillet of cornbread
3 or 4 biscuits
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
Sage - Lots!!
Chicken broth (or turkey broth from the turkey)

Crumble the cornbread into fine crumbs. Pinch apart the biscuits (or put in a food processor) into small pieces. Add celery and onions and toss together. Sprinkle sage all over, a little at a time. Pour turkey/chicken broth over mixture a little at a time and mix well, folding all the ingredients together. Keep adding sage to your taste and enough broth to make a moist (but not to liquidy) mixture. You can eat it just like this or you can bake it for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.

Makes about 10-12 servings or one 9x13 casserole dish.

Menu #2 (although not from the Amish Cookbook today)

Okay, I said I was on this Amish cookbook kick, but I am veering slightly off-track today (and maybe tomorrow, depending). I have a few recipes up my sleeve that you are sure to enjoy, and they are sooooo simple! Let me know what you think.

Menu #2: Chicken Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Fruit Cobbler

Chicken Casserole

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth (or more, if desired)
2 boxes chicken flavored stuffing (prepare according to directions)
1 sleeve crackers (TownHouse or Ritz type, not saltines)
2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare chicken stuffing according to directions, set aside. Mix together soup, chicken, and broth. Fold in stuffing mix. (You can add more broth at this point if it appears too dry). Spread in a 9x13 greased baking/casserole dish. Crush crackers until only crumbs, mix with melted butter. Sprinkle mixture on top of casserole. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Mashed Potatoes

5 or 6 medium size potatoes (russets are the best)
2 T. cold unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup *milk or evaporated milk (the evaporated milk makes them creamier)
1 tsp. mayonnaise or sour cream
Salt

Wash, peel, and slice potatoes into half-inch slices (this makes the potatoes cook faster). Put them in a pot and cover with water (I usually put a teaspoon of salt in the water so it will cook into the potatoes). Bring potatoes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer potatoes for about 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove from heat, drain well. Add mayonnaise or sour cream (or both!), 1 tablespoon butter, and half of the milk. Start mashing (or do what I do and use a hand mixer!). Add more milk until you have the consistency you want. Taste the potatoes and salt them to your taste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to finish them off. (If you have leftover mashed potatoes, check out my recipe for Potato Cakes below!)

*You can use chicken broth instead of the milk for more flavor and less fat.

Green Beans

1 *can green beans of your choice (I like Stokely's)
2 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped (or 1 T. RealBacon bits)
1 T. butter, cold
1 drizzle EVOO
Salt & Pepper to taste

Open can and pour contents into saucepan. Drizzle with EVOO. Crumble bacon pieces over green beans and top with butter. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or however long you want). Salt and pepper to taste.

*You can use fresh green beans, but this is supposed to be easy!!

Fruit Cobbler

1 large can *fruit in own juice, 1 lg. bag frozen fruit, OR 1 can pie filling
1 cup self-rising flour (must be self-rising)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 T. cold unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9x13 glass or metal baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour fruit into dish and set aside. In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar and milk. Blend well so as not to have too many lumps (a few are okay, and not worth the trouble). Pour mixture over fruit in baking dish. Cut up butter and sprinkle little pats all over mixture. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (or in the south, we like to serve it with more butter!)

Here are the fruits I like to use when making this cobbler:
*Cherry pie filling (can)
*Mixed berries (frozen)
*Peaches (can or frozen)

I also found a great Weight Watchers recipe for cobbler. Check it out!! (The only thing I do different is use Fresca instead of the others because it has more flavor, and I mix half of it with the cake mix to form a dough to crumble over the fruit. Then I pour the remaining soda on top.)

I hope you will enjoy this easy menu. Let me know your thoughts! :)

When life gives you leftover mashed potatoes....

...make potato cakes!! That's right "potato" cakes. If you don't know what these are, or have never had them, boy are you missing out! A potato cake is typically made from leftover mashed potatoes, flour or biscuit mix (such as Bisquick or Jiffy), milk and eggs. You can add in extras like cheese, chives, onions, bacon, or any other "potato topping" you choose, but they are best plain in my opinion.

I got this recipe from a wonderful Amish cookbook called "Our Yoder Heirloom Recipe Collection" that my mom bought me for Christmas in 2003. I love the recipes in this cookbook! They are very simple, down-home recipes that are also unique (i.e. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Snowman Soup, Poor Man's Steak, etc.). If you are interested in purchasing this cookbook, this site is the only place I have found it, but it is rather inexpensive. If you do purchase it, please leave me a comment and let me know how you like the recipes!

Now, without further ado, here is the recipe for the potato cakes from this wonderful cookbook:

Potato Cakes

3 c. leftover mashed potatoes
2 eggs, well-beaten
1 1/2 T. Bisquick or pancake mix
salt to taste
milk

Mix all ingredients together. Add milk to desired consistency. Drop with large tablespoon onto hot, well-greased skillet. Flatten cakes slightly with spatula. Brown well on both sides. *Serve with gravy or pancake syrup. Enjoy!

*This is what the cookbook says, but just plain ole' ketchup works best for me!! :)