hash brown casserole

You know when you need a simple breakfast meal for a potluck?  Well a friend of mine made this and it was so good I HAD to make it for my potluck.    Unfortunately it was early in the morning so I did not take pictures. :) 

Ingredients

• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. 1

2. Preheat oven to 350 or 375. 
In a very large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream and garlic powder. Add potatoes and cheddar cheese, mix well.

3. 2

   Pour into a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake, covered for 40 minutes, then top with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is melted.

Crack Dip

I found this recipe on a board a couple years ago - tried it once, thought it was good, and forgot about it... Until my BFF's baby shower ... So I made it.  It was literally one of the first things to go.  I got quite a few requests for the recipe.   It is really known as "Buffalo Chicken Dip" but many people refer to it as "Crack Dip". 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained OR 2-3 boneless breasts, cooked and shredded 
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup Ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
•  OPTIONAL: Bleu cheese.  Either itself or Bleu Cheese Dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all and bake in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes.  If you need to keep it warm - transfer to a slow cooker and leave it on "warm". 
2. Serve with celery sticks and crackers (Tostito scoops work great).

Traditional Thanksgiving

Just a few photos from Thanksgiving 2008... Enjoy! 

Menu

Appetizers 

~Salmon wraps

~Muffalettas 

~Chips and dip 

Dinner

~Turkey

~Cornbread stuffing

~Sausage stuffing

~Artichoke Casserole

~Mashed Potatoes

~Sweet Potatoes

~Rolls 

~Cranberry Sauce 

Dessert

~Sweet Potato Pie 

~Cookies 

~Pumpkin bars 

Individual Beef Wellingtons

For Christmas, we tried making a huge beef wellington - while it was good, it completely fell apart.  

So one day, I decided to try making individual beef wellingtons because my grandmother had given us some filet mignons.  Minus my overlooking the part to cut the steaks 1" thin and thus having it very very very rare, it was actually pretty good!!! 

I found the recipe from Rachael Ray. - However, I did make a few modifications for one reason or another.  

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1-2 onions, chopped 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tournedos of beef filet mignon, 1-inch thick
• 1 sheet frozen prepared puff pastry, 11 by 17, defrosted
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add oil, butter, shallot and chopped onions. Saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat

In a nonstick skillet over high heat, sear meat 2 minutes on each side in a drizzle of oil. Remove skillet from the heat and season meat with salt and pepper.

Spread the puff pastry sheet out on to a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Quarter the dough with a sharp knife. Roll each piece of dough into a 10 by 6-inch rectangle. On each rectangle of dough, place 1/4 of the cooked onions. Top with 1 tournedo of beef. Wrap dough up and over the meat. Seal the dough with egg wash and trim excess. Use leftover dough bits to make decorative garnishes for the tops of your Wellingtons. Turn the wrapped Wellingtons over and cover with egg wash using a pastry brush. Affix dough garnishes with egg wash. For a simple decoration, roll dough bits into a long, thin spaghetti like string and make swirls on each Wellington. Bake beef Wellingtons 10 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

Time to catch up!!!

How could the last 8 months have flown by?   Ahh that's a story for another time.  

I will be spending the next few hours trying to post everything I have pictures of/recipes I have tried recently... Enjoy! 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

There is nothing better than having your husband and his best friend cook you dinner...

Except for these garlic mashed potatoes made by the above-mentioned best friend! :)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roast a head of elephant garlic (cut off the top, put some E.V. Olive Oil on top, sprinkle it with a bit of seasoning, and bake at 350 for about 45 - 1 hour).

Cut up red potatoes (about 2.5 lbs should do it) and boil in water (just enough to cover potatoes) along with 3 beef bouillion cubes until fork tender.

Drain potatoes, being sure to reserve a cup of liquid from the potatoes, and mash up potatoes. Add roasted garlic (minus the skin, of course), a brick of cream cheese, a stick of butter, milk (about just under a cup - depending on the consistency you want), and add the reserved liquid (again, depending on consistency - it might be between 1/2 c to 3/4c worth?) ... Mix well together... Season to taste.

Enjoy. :)

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Bars

I found this in a blog (can't remember who right now.. sorry!!! let me know and I'll give you a shout out and a link :) ) ... and it is YUMMY!!!

No pictures- gone too fast to take a pic!

Recipe can be found at: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=226033

or below...

Ingredients
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine 1
(10 1/2-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
6 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
Cooking spray
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preparation
Combine the peanut butter and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows; microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal to peanut butter mixture; toss until well-combined. Pat cereal mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 30 seconds or until chips melt. Spoon melted chips in a small heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle melted chips over cereal mixture. Cool slightly; cut into 24 pieces.

Yield
2 dozen
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Nutritional Information
CALORIES 118(30% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.8g); IRON 0.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19g; SODIUM 93mg; PROTEIN 2.6g; FIBER 0.7g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2000