Chex Party Mix

Well I’m a bit late on this post since football party season is now over.  Congrats to all of my friends who are New Orleans Saints fans.  I never would have thought it, but since you have NEVER experienced the thrill of a Super Bowl victory I am happy for you.

Chex Party Mix is a great party food or just a wonderful snack to keep on hand.  I never make the recipe from the Chex cereal box because this recipe that was passed down from my mom (via my grandmother) is absolutely the best recipe I have ever eaten.  It does take time to achieve perfection but it is well worth it.  I hope you enjoy it too.

CHEX PARTY MIX

1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1½ tablespoons worchestershire sauce
2-3 dashes tobasco sauce
3½  stick margerine
¾ cup bacon drippings (YES!! you must use real bacon drippings to get the best flavor)

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and heat until butter is melted.

In large roasting pan combine desired cereals*, pretzels, nuts, etc.  Pour sauce over cereal mixture and mix well until coated.

Bake at 250º for 3 hours, stirring every half hour.

Cool before serving.

*I use wheat, rice and corn Chex, Cheerios, rice puffs, pretzel sticks, bread sticks, almonds and pecans.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

My daughter, Blake, created this awesome treat one evening out of a dilemma of whether to have peanut butter crackers or chocolate covered pretzels.  I’m sure someone has probably made these at some point before but I’m still giving her credit for the creation.  And Oh My Gosh!! They are so good.  That perfect combination of sweet & salty.  Be sure to make plenty because you won’t stop at just one.

Ingredients:

24-30 Ritz Crackers
Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
4 squares of Chocolate Almond Bark

Spread the peanut butter on half of the crackers and top with the other crackers to make sandwich crackers.

Melt the almond bark in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.

Using small tongs, dip the sandwich crackers in the chocolate until completely coated.  Start with the edges to be sure the sides get coated well, then drop in the bowl to coat the top and bottom.

Remove to parchment paper. Use a spoon tosmooth out any tong or finger marks. Let stand until the chocolate is completely dry and cleanly pulls away from the paper.
This should yield about 12-15 cookies.  You may want to consider doubling the recipe.
Enjoy!!!

Oh and Blake added that the best part is licking the chocolate off the spoon when you are done.  That makes them officially complete so be sure not to omit that step!

I normally use Almond Bark for dipping because it is so much easier to work with and stays smooth for a long time after melting.  Please feel free to use a higher quality chocolate if desired.

Blake and I also decided you could qualify this as a really healthy snack by using whole wheat crackers, organic peanut butter and dark chocolate.  Yeah?? – I’m not so sure but it would be a good excuse when I eat too many of them.

Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers

Happy New Year!! I pray that 2010 is a blessed and prosperous year for all of us. I’m setting my expectations high and looking for good things all year long.

It seems that I have neglected my blog and Twitter friends during the holiday. December was an incredibly busy month for me but with the New Year I’m getting back on track. I hope I didn’t lose too many of my followers due to my lack of posts.

I’ve never been one to follow the New Year’s food traditions of black eyed peas, greens, pork etc. for good luck. I don’t even like the work luck but that is a whole different topic. I usually just make whatever I’m hungry for. New Year’s Day is usually football food. These bell peppers probably wouldn’t be considered football food but they do make a really yummy meal. And they are easy too.

This recipe comes from my pastor’s wife (I modified it a bit as noted). She is an amazing woman and hails from the Louisana bayou so this recipe has Cajun roots.  Thanks so much Stacy for sharing it with me. Stacy is touching Northwest Arkansas and the world with the love of Jesus. You can visit her blog at www.stacyhenagan.com.

Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers

-Onions (I used 1/2 of medium onion chopped fine)
-Garlic (I used 4 cloves – cause I loooove garlic)
-Celery (I omitted the celery because I don’t like the flavor it adds)
-1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
-2 to 3 small cans of tomato sauce
-1 teaspoon of tomato paste (optional. I omitted this and so does Stacy’s mom because we like ours sweet)
-Sugar (your preference how much. I put around 2 to 3 tsp.)
-Asiago or Parmesan cheese (Stacy says this is optional but I would say NOT – the cheese adds incredible flavor)
-1 to 2 cups cooked rice
-4 – 6 bell peppers
Cajun seasoning
Other seasoning
Addtional cheese (Optional)

1. Cut just tops off bell peppers and clean out inside. Boil in salty water until they turn lighter green. (don’t boil too long or they will be mushy and fall apart and you won’t be able to stuff them) Set aside and cool.
2. Saute your seasoning vegetables down. Add your tomato sauce and optional paste, and sugar and seasoning. Cook down for a while (until it turns sort of orange and the bitterness is gone. Good enough to where you would use it for a spaghetti sauce. where it actually taste good enough to eat!)
3. Brown ground beef or turkey in another pan and add to sauce after the sauce has cooked to your preference. (I cook the beef and vegetables together and so does Stacy’s mom.)
If you were adding shrimp, boil or saute them and throw in the sauce too. (This would be the true Cajun version)
4. Grate cheese in mixture and stir all together. However much you want. I like the flavor it adds.
5. Add rice cup at a time. You don’t want it to be dry!!
6. Taste and make sure it’s good. If not add salt and additional Cajun seasonings to your taste.
8. Stuff fully into pepper, grate additional cheese over top (if desired) and cover with foil.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min. then reduce to 350 degrees for an hour.

You may have meat mixture left over but no problem. Makes a great lunch the next day in a burrito or even over tortilla chips.

Simple Thanksgiving Dinner

This one is a very simple for me, I let someone else cook it.  Can’t get any simpler than that.  So I won’t be sharing my recipes in this post but am sharing turkey carving tips and directing you to some really simple recipes I have discovered from fellow bloggers.

Actually, I have lived away from my family for the last 20 years, so we always travel on the holidays.  It’s very nice to go and visit and let someone else do the meal.  I’m not totally worthless though, I do help with the preparation and getting it ready for the table.  One of my primary duties for the last few years is carving the turkey.  If you have always been intimidated by this task don’t be.  It’s really not that hard.  Here is a video to help you out.  And to see the carving products that are used, visit my website for the details

Now for Thanksgiving 2009.  We decided to stay home this year so I was having a bit of anxiety about actually cooking this meal.  That lasted about a week or so when some great friends invited us to their house for the day.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  And I am VERY THANKFUL!  And all I have to do is bring beverages and help cleanup.  I can handle that!

I have been cruising the web in search of simple recipes for all of you though and you might find these helpful for your Simple Thanksgiving Dinner.

Praying all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful to all of you, my readers.

• Lazy-ish Apple Pie from i’d Rather be Baking – Sometimes it’s nice to start with dessert and I don’t do pumpkin pie.
• Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest from Two Peas and Their Pod – The jelled stuff in the can may be easier but if you want good go for the real thing.
• Gratitude Rolls from Beauty and Bedlam – Start a new tradition of thankfulness.
• Broccoli and Cheese Casserole from Deep South Dish – one of my favorite sides. I’ll miss this at my MIL’s house this year.
• The Foodie’s Green Bean Casserole from Nook & Pantry – an improvement on the original.
• Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin & Red Peppers from Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet
• Stuffing (Dressing) from The Pioneer Woman – This one sounds like my mom’s recipe only more chunky.
• Traditional Roast Turkey with Gravy from Southern Grace Gourmet – Since I’ve never actually prepared the Thanksgiving turkey I’m not sure of the best method.  This one sound delicious though and I have been told that brining will make the juciest turkey.  Your thoughts?

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is one of my favorite fall desserts.  I know you can get apples year round but it is such a comfort food when the air chills.  I’m not one that will just pick up an apple and eat it. But add some butter, cinnamon, sugar, etc. and you have some of my favorite desserts.  Fried apples, apple twists, apple crisp – and of course apple pie (I’ll work on that one for another post) – YUM.  And of course I cooked this in my stoneware baker, because nothing cooks like stoneware.

I have posted another apple crisp, but this one it the traditional type with the oatmeal topping.  I also love to add chopped pecans to my topping even though this recipe doesn’t call for them.  And I didn’t use them this time because I was out of them.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 stick cold butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Place apples in a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the apples then toss to coat.  I also drizzle a bit of water over the apples because I like mine to be a bit jucier.  If you want to have just the natural juice that the apples product you can skip the water.

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Add chopped nuts if desired. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats

Okay, this one might be a no brainer for most of you, but hey, I’m here to help those who don’t know how to turn the stove on (turn that knob on the top to “medium” and check the diagram to make sure you are using the right burner).  Ha! Ha! Just kidding but we are keeping it simple here and I have discovered a few tricks to make the process even easier.

Or maybe some of you really don’t know how to turn the stove on.  I was making these the other night and my son came in and said “They’re done already?  I thought you had to bake them.”  The sad thing is he is 18 years old and I wonder how many hundreds of times I’ve made these for him.  Yep I think it’s time for him to learn to cook something more that PB & J or microwave popcorn.

So here are my tips!  Five tips for making Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats easier!!

First, I have discovered that I love mixing “Rice Krispies” with “Cocoa Krispies” to make them even more yummy.

Second, I use my Executive Non-Stick Stir Fry Pan to prepare them because it holds a lot and cleanup is SUPER EASY! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to find out how to purchase this awesome cookware.

Third, and this is a really important tool you will need is a plastic sandwich bag.  Use it like a glove, dip it in the margarine/butter tub and spread it over the bottom and sides of a 9″ x 13″ pan.  Don’t throw it away though because you will need it again.

Now to prepare:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 ounces) marshmallows

3 cups regular Rice Krispies cereal

3 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal

Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Combine cereals in a large mixing bowl and stir together. Melt butter in large non-stick pan. Add marshmallows and stir constantly over medium-low heat until marshmallows are completely melted. I usually remove from the heat before totally melted and continue stirring until totally melted.  Stir cereal into marshmallow until completely coated with marshmallow.  Pour mixture into greased pan and press to compact.

Fourth, and this will totally eliminate the mess. Take that plastic sandwich bag and make sure the palm side is greased. You may still have enough butter left on it from greasing the pan or you may need to add a bit more to make sure it is well covered.  Again, use it like a glove to press the mixture into the pan.  You will be amazed how easy it is and the marshmallow doesn’t stick to it.

My family likes eating them right away while still warm and melty.

Fifth, and I would like your input on this one, what is the best type of marshmallow to use in this recipe?  I have always used the mini marshmallows but the last time I made it I only had the large marshmallows.  It took them a little longer to melt but I really think it was much creamier than with the mini one.  Maybe more marshmallow and less powder coating?  Not really sure.  Take my poll below and let me know what kind you use.

And if you have any more tips to this classic favorite recipe please share them in the comment box below.

Taco Ring

There are periods in my life when I tend to hit the drive-thru way too much.  Life gets busy or I just don’t know what I’m hungry for.  This Taco Ring is a great alternative and the kids love it too.  The great thing about these rings is that you can stuff them with almost anything.  If you want some other varieties, subscribe to my newsletter, put “Ring recipes” in the comment and I will send you a variety of fillings.

They look complicated but are actually very easy to put together. The added bonus is that clean-up is a breeze too.  Mainly because I cooked the beef in my awesome Pampered Chef Cookware and then it is baked on our Stoneware.  Subscribe to my newsletter to find out how you can get these great products for your own kitchen.

Enjoy!!

Taco Ring

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped onion and tomato, sliced olives and sour cream.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Cook ground beef in Large Skillet over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, 1 ½ cups of the cheese and water.

Separate crescents into 16 triangles and arrange in a circle, slightly overlapping on Large Round Stone with wide ends 4 inches from edge of stone.  Points will extend off the edge of the stone.

Scoop filling evenly over wide ends of dough.  Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under.

Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with toppings.

Make it healthy by adding the lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

November Angel Food Menu – Pork Chops with Carmelized Onions and Beef Broccoli Casserole

I have decided to make my Angel Food Ministry Menu a regular post on this site.  Such a great organization that helps make good food affordable for everyone.  I won’t go into as much depth as I did last month since the food items will tend to repeat some months.  But I will highlight some of the major items in the package.

I have chosen two recipes using items from the November package.  I hope you enjoy preparing them for yourself.

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions

4 pork chops, 1 1/4 -to 1 1/2-inch
4 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4 cups sweet onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle pork chops evenly with Cajun seasoning and pepper.

Grill over medium high heat (350°F to 400°F) 8 minutes on each side. Serve with Caramelized Onions.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Cook onion in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with sugar and cook 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes.

Beef Broccoli Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked rice (prepare according to package directions substituting beef broth for the water)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown beef and onion in large nonstick skillet.  Drain.
2. Stir in rice, broccoli, 1/2 cup cheese, salt, seasoning, pepper, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Turn into greased 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F. 20 to 25 minutes.

Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

Crabcakes

Do you have those foods that you love at your favorite restaurants but never prepare at home?  I do.  Mainly because I am such a “simple” cook that there are some things that I would never even think to try at home.  Crabcakes is one of those things.  Don’t really know why but just never thought it was something I could easily make.

I was craving them not too long ago and not really wanting to go out to eat decided to give them a try myself.  To my surprise, they were relatively easy, even if they did have lots of ingredients .  I have often made a salmon patty with canned salmon that my family loves and the crab cakes were even better.

I did go on the cheap side and used canned crab.  I definitely believe that lump crabmeat would have been much better, but for a first attempt, I was pretty proud of myself.

Hope you enjoy and if you would like my salmon patty recipe just shoot me a comment and I will send it to you.

Click Here to Add some Pink Products to your kitchen and support Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!

Crab Cakes with Remoulade sauce

Crab Cakes:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 green onions, chopped
3/8 cup olive oil
1 (6 ounce) can canned crabmeat, drained
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup dry bread crumbs

1.Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute green onions briefly until tender; cool slightly.
2.Combine crabmeat, sauteed green onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with bread crumbs.
3.Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

Remoulade Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 medium scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce, mustard, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in scallions, parsley and garlic. Season with chili powder, and salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate.

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“Angel Food” Menu – Day 7 & 8

We’ve come to the end of the October “Angel Food” Menu.  Today we are doing Day 7 & 8 and you should have used most of the food in the box.

Day 7 – Chicken Stir-fry Skillet Meal with Apple Crisp Dessert

Chicken Stir-fry Skillet Meal
I wasn’t really sure how to alter the stir-fry meal not knowing exactly what was included in it, so we are just going to prepare it according to the package directions.

And we will polish off the rest of the apples with a delicious Apple Crisp for dessert.  Or if you prefer, you can prepare the Fried Apples again from the last post.

Apple Crisp
6 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. lemon zest, grated*
2 tbsp. water
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter

*Zest is the colored part of citrus peel with none of the white membrane, which is bitter.

In mixing bowl, mix apples, juice, zest and water. Pour into baking dish. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch and sprinkle over apples. In mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter into mixture until it is of cornmeal-like consistency. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees until done, about 45 minutes.

Day 8

This one stumped me too, so we will just bake the fish stick according to the package directions. I would recommend using stoneware as it prevent sogginess when baking.

For the side dish we will have Spaghetti Carbonara.  Again I am assuming that spaghetti is the included pasta. If not you can modify for the different pastas.

Add a side salad and you have a meal.

Spaghetti Carbonara

8 ounces spaghetti
8 bacon strips, diced
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Add butter to drippings; heat until melted.
Drain spaghetti; toss with eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add to skillet; cook and stir constantly over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until eggs are set. Sprinkle with bacon.

I hope you have enjoyed the Angel Food menu posts and discovered that you can prepare really delicious meals on a budget.

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