Cheesy Potatoes

Sometimes these are called Funeral Potatoes but that's just downright depressing....so to keep the mood a little lighter we're going with Cheesy Potatoes!

Ingredients:
1 (2 lb) package of frozen hash brown potatoes
3 green onions, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Topping:
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 cups of crushed cornflakes (which comes out to about 3 cups cornflakes before you crush them)

Mix all ingredients and place in a greased 9 X 13 casserole dish.  Sprinkle cornflake topping evenly over potato mixture.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  You can prepare this a day ahead and refrigerate, but it with need to cook longer.  

Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Trying to figure out what to do with that after Christmas Ham? Or that After Thanksgiving Ham? Or that after Easter Ham? Or that after My-Husband-Just-Loves-Ham Ham?  This is a great recipe for thinking outside of the ham sandwich box!

8-10 slices of ham
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 of one large onion, sliced
1 C. grated cheddar cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the sliced potatoes in 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1 cup of water.  Drain.  Put half of ham, potatoes, and onions in a crockpot (I like to spray the crockpot with cooking spray first).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cover this layer with one can of the cream soup (not diluted) then half the cheese.  Repeat with the remaining half of your ingredients.  You can also sprinkle this with paprika if you want.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours or until the potatoes are cooked through. 

Chicken Tortilla Bake

Ingredients

2 10 3/4 oz cans of cream of chicken

1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1/2 c. sour cream

12 - 15 6in corn tortillas

3 cups of cooked chicken*

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the 5 cans and sour cream and mix them up, then set aside

Chop up the tortillas into bite sized pieces. (I use a pizza cutter)

Put a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan.

Then add a layer of tortilla pieces

Place half of the chicken on top of the tortillas

Then spoon 1/2 the soup mixture on top of the chicken

Then sprinkle some cheese.

Repeat layers and top with cheese.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes

Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until the cheese melts

*Next time I think I will try substituting the chicken with cooked rice to make it vegetarian.  That would make it a cheaper alternative and sometimes I just get sick of eating meat at every meal.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

I tried this new cake recipe today and it turned out great! My kids were very excited to have warm chocolate cake for their after school snack, and they didn't even know it had zucchini in it. Also, can I just admit, I actually googled "zucchini" so I could get the correct spelling.  Zucchini and broccoli....why so hard for me to spell?  I was a spelling champ in middle school (even went to state) but those two words get me every time! Anyway, enough about me....let's talk cake!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. vegetable oil *
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk ** 
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 c. flour
2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Cream oil, butter, sugar, and eggs together. Then add remaining ingredients and mix all together.  Put in greased 9X13 cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Spread chocolate frosting on after cake has cooled.

*You can also substitute 1/4 c. oil and 3/4 cups smashed ripe bananas for a healthier option instead of the 1/2 c. oil.

**To make your own buttermilk put 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in half cup milk and let sit for 5 minutes.

Sorry, no pictures....but SPOILER ALERT....it looks like a chocolate cake! :-)

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter

This stuff is so, so, so good.....I could practically just lick it off the spoon.  Okay, so maybe I actually already did that!

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whip the room temperature butter with the whisk attachment for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat until completely combined and very smooth.  Scrape down sides of the bowl and turn up the speed and whip for a minute or two or until really light and fluffy.  Makes about 3/4 cup. 

Banana Cream Pie

I did have pictures for this post but now I can't find them.  Chances are pretty good that I uploaded them into the wrong folder.  If I run across them or when I make this again I will add pictures!  Maybe I should make it again just so I can take a few pictures?!!!

Step One:
1 Cup Dream Whip*
1 Cup Milk

Whip these two ingredients together for several minutes at high speed until it reaches a stiff enough consistency that it stays inside the beaters when lifted from the bowl.  This isn't possible using just a hand mixer.  You have to have a machine such as a Bosch or Kitchen Aid or equivalent and use the whisk beaters to achieve this consistency.  Believe me, I've tried the other way and then cried because there was no pie for me! Boo Hoo!

In a separate bowl mix together using a hand mixer:
2 small packages of Banana Cream pudding
1 1/2 Cups of milk

Add the contents of both bowls together and mix just long enough to completely combine the ingredients.  Then you spoon this mixture into a prepared pie crust and refrigerate until time for dessert.  I just used a graham cracker crust I had on hand because I didn't have time to make my own crust.  It tastes great with either a graham cracker crust or a pastry crust. You can slice up the bananas and put them on the bottom under the cream like my mom does, but I prefer to just slice some on top at serving time because I hate even slightly browned bananas.

*Dream Whip can be found in the baking aisle next to the pudding section.  You will need 2 boxes (4 envelopes) to equal 1 cup.

Crepes

Recipe found at  http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/04/crepes-crepes-crepes.html  I also borrowed her picture because I forgot to take one of my own!

I remember my grandma making Crepes when I was a kid but my mom never did.  I had forgotten all about them until they served these at my little sister's wedding reception. When I made them at home we did the Nutella, Strawberries, banana slices, and Whip Cream version and they were very delicious and simple!


*Makes about 10 crepes -- one person can easily eat 4 though so I tripled the batch for my family of 6.

INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:
In a blender or large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the eggs, milk, flour, oil (or butter) and salt. Blend or mix on high until the ingredients are well combined. Cover the batter and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. This helps the gluten to relax, making the crepes even more tender.

When ready to start cooking the crepes, heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Spray the bottom and sides of the skillet with nonstick cooking spray. The skillet should sizzle like crazy. You want it piping hot before you pour in the crepe batter. Quickly whisk the crepe batter to recombine, then measure out 1/4 cup of the batter. Tilt the skillet off the heat and pour the batter to one side of the skillet, immediately twirling the skillet to coat the bottom with the batter.
Set the skillet back on the heat and cook the crepe until the edges begin to brown, about 1 minute. Loosen the crepe around the edge with a heat-proof spatula and gently (but quickly!) pick up the edges of the hot crepe with your fingers and give it a fast flip. Cook the other side for 30 seconds or so until lightly golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the crepe to a wire rack. The key is to keep the skillet sizzling hot without burning the crepes – I moderated the heat of my stovetop between medium and slightly above that to keep the crepes cooking quickly without burning. You should hear an audible sizzle when you pour the crepe batter into the skillet but if you hear a sizzle with accompanying smoke – the skillet is probably too hot.

Repeat with remaining batter (spraying the skillet with cooking spray every 2-3 crepes), stacking the crepes as they finish cooking. The crepes can be placed on a baking sheet and lightly covered with foil and placed in a 200 degree oven to stay warm for 20-30 minutes while you finish cooking the remaining crepes. Serve the crepes with your favorite toppings. Some of ours include nutella and strawberries, butter and cinnamon and sugar, maple or other fruit syrup.