Crazy Potatoes

Made this recipe from the Red Hat Cookbook. It is hard to pick which recipe from the 500+ pages in this book to prepare. But this one is a keeper


10 potatoes, washed and cubed
8 bacon strips
1 (.4 oz) packagee ranch dressing mix
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup milk
3/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain and place in a greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until crisp; drain on paper towels, cool and crumble. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise, and milk. Add the grated cheese and mix. Pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle the bacon over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

This is a cake that James' mother makes for the family - it is everyone's all-time favorite.

1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan.

Combine cake ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 min.
Pour into pan, bake for 45 to 55 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan 25 min. Invert onto serving plate, cool competely. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 T milk

Pork Chops

Last night I fixed the baked pork chops that is so easy and everyone seems to like. I haven't found anyone that has tried this recipe that didn't say they loved the pork chops this way.
There are only four ingredients.

Place pork chops (center cut or butterflied) in a baking dish, salt and pepper. Last night I sprinkled on a little seasoned salt, too.

Place a slice of onion on each chop.

Drop a spoonful of mayonnaise on top of each chop and spread to cover the pork chop.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of the mayo. A little or a lot, it is up to you.

Bake at 400 degrees for one hour.

Easy, easy but very good.

Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

This is what I'm cooking for dinner tonight. It is recipe from Paula Deen at Foodnetwork.com

1 (5 pound) standing rib roast (beef)

Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub roast with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Place on a rack in a roasting pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Leave roast in oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees and reheat the roast. Important that you do not remove the roast or open the oven door from time roast is put in until ready to serve.

I buy my rib roast from the Kroger Grocery Store. The butcher has to cut the size roast I need. It was scary to cook such an expensive cut of meat this way, but this is the third time I have followed this recipe and the meat has been very good. The first roast only weighed 3 pounds and got a little too done, but was still very tender and tasty.

Cream Cheese Cookies

These are James' favorite cookies. They have a strong cream cheese taste, so you need to like cream cheese to like these cookies. We first got this recipe over 20 years ago from a comedy show that Carl Reiner was hosting. He announced this was the best cookie recipe ever and between comedy acts he gave out one ingredient. I wrote it down and baked the cookies for some time before the recipe was lost. James never forgot about them and a long time later I thought to search for the recipe on line and found it posted as Carl Reiner's Cream Cheese cookies. I have made sure to keep the recipe safe this time around!


3 ounces Cream cheese; softened
¼ pound butter
9 tablespoon sugar
9 Pecan halves; finely chopped
1 cup Flour

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together cheese and butter. Add sugar gradually, creaming after each addition. Add peacans. Fold in flour and blend until smooth. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough with wet fingers until wafer thin. Bake 10 minutes.

Pineapple Delight

This is one of James' favorites.

20 oz pineapple tidbits (drained)
4 cups bread cubes
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 small can sliced pineapple
cherries, pecans

Mix pineapple and bread cubes. Melt the butter, combine with sugar and eggs. Mix well. Pour sugar mixture over pineapple in a baking dish. Place 4 slices of pineapple on tip, sprinkle with pecans and cherry halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cheesy Tortilla Soup

This is another recipe from sister, Carolyn, that I make quite a bit during cold weather. Very easy and delicious.

4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp white pepper (I use black pepper)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese - (I use a bag of shredded mixed Mexican cheese for both)
1 cup Cheddar cheese
1 pint Half and Half
1 cup cooked diced chicken
1/2 cup flour
1 small can diced green chilies
10 oz can Rotel (Mexican if available)

Bring broth and pepper to boil. In saucepan melt 1/2 cup butter, stir in flour. Cook over low heat until smooth. Add flour mixture to broth. Stir well. Add cheeses, half and half, and rest of ingredients.

Serve with warm tortilla chips or strips.

Mexican Meat Dish or Dip

This is a good recipe I've made for years. I believe it came from my sister, Carolyn. When the girls were in school, I would send a double recipe in a crock pot to school parties and they would lick the pot clean. The kids liked to eat it as a dip with Mexican chips. At home, we spoon it over the chips and top with lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes and taco sauce.

2 lb ground beef
1 t salt
1 lb stick or boxed chili (found in the fresh meat dept. Petite Jean makes a chili
in stick form)
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 (8 oz) sour cream
1 can Ro-tel
1 small jar taco sauce
2 cans hot beans (I use only 1)

Brown ground beef, add salt. Put in stick chili and Velveeta, cook until melted. Keep stirred. Add beans, Ro-tel (may be blended for smoothness) and taco sauce. Cook to combine. Just before serving, add sour cream and stir well. Serve as stated above.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I found this recipe in a Southern Living magazine. I have made a few changes due to what we like in a dish.

1 (6.2 oz) pkg fast-cooking long grain and wild rice mix
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped green and/or red peppers and onions mixed
2 1/2 cups (about 3 small-medium) cooked, chopped chicken
2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t salt (may not be needed)

optional - 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs and 8 oz sliced, drained water chestnuts

Prepare rice accorkding to package directions, set aside. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add onions and peppers (chestnuts if used). Saute 10 min or until tender.
Stir in rice, chicken, 1 1/2 cups cheese and rest of ingredients. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 2 qt casserole. Top with bread crumbs if desired.

Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes or until throughly hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Snowballs

This is a great holiday dessert. Isn't hard to make, but is time-consuming.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, well-drained
1 cup nuts, chopped
2 egg whites - stiffly beaten
2 boxes vanilla wafer
2 cans flaked coconut
1 pint whipping cream - sweetened

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks, pineapple and nuts. Fold in egg whites. Mixture needs to cool. Layer mixture between three vanilla wafers. Cover in whipping cream, then coconut.

Let set overnight before serving.

1 box of wafers make around 27 snowballs

Remarkable Fudge

Very quick and easy fudge recipe from sister, Carolyn.

4 cups sugar
1 large can evaporated milk (14.5 oz)
1 cup butter (can be made with 1/2 this amount and still be good)

Cook over medium heat to 236 degrees, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat.
Add:
12-oz pkg semisweet chocolate pieces
1 pint marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts

Beat until chocolate is melted. Pour into buttered 13 X 9 inch pan.

LadyBird's Chili

With the cooler temps this month, we have been enjoying this chili recipe. It came from Sharon Smith, a friend from church and Community Bible Study.

1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1/2 can V8 juice (big can)
1/2 can water
8 oz can Rotel
16 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 cans chili hot beans
1 t. garlic powder
2 t. cumin
3T. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all and let stew

I wasn't sure what size V8 juice to use, but I got the "can" of V8 which is 46 oz. and I only use one can of chili hot beans. This makes a thin type of chili that is good over rice. Next time I will not add the 1/2 can of water until last and make it a bit thicker.

First Post

I love looking at cooking magazines and watching cooking shows on tv. My favorite is Paula Deen. I have recipes books that I never use, I just can't resist buying one that looks interesting.
I am going to post only those recipes I really use and like.