PW Green Bean Casserole *my version*

She tops her with Panko Bread Crumbs, but my family insists on French's Fried Onions as the only acceptable topping. I also add add a few corn flakes for extra crunch. This recipe can also be made a day ahead - just put the topping on right before baking.

2 Bags Frozen Long Green Beans
4 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons Light Butter
4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Skim Milk
½ cups FF Half & Half
1-½ teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
⅛ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Grated Reduced Fat Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
Extra Milk For Thinning If Necessary
1 Can French's Fried Onions
1/2 Cup Corn Flakes, crumbled or Panko

Cook Green Beans in the Microwave until no longer frozen, we like our beans to have a little crunch. Cook until desired consistency.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add bacon/onion mixture to the sauce, stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with fried onions and corn flakes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and fried onions and corn flakes are brown.

Side note- On Thanksgiving I made this with Panko on half and Fried Onions on the other half. I loved the Panko and Jeremy liked the fried onion side.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Make this a few days before you are ready to serve it with your meal.

2 (8-ounce) pkg cranberries, fresh
1 orange, zested and juiced
3/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick


Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional sugar
5 dozen kisses, unwrapped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Make balls out of level tablespoons of dough - add flour if needed. Roll in sugar.

Bake 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and add 1 kiss to the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes

Grandma's Oyster Christmas Crackers

Monday I am doing my Christmas food gift cooking. I am going to make Tiger Butter, Pretzel Bites and these crackers. My Grandma Hill use to make these at Christmastime - they are so good and very addictive.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (12 ounce) package oyster crackers


Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, ranch-style dressing mix, dill weed, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Pour this spice mixture over the crackers in a medium bowl, and stir until the crackers are coated. Arrange the crackers on a large baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pretzel Peanut Bark

3 cup skinny pretzel sticks, broken into small pieces - but not crushed
18 (1-ounce each) squares white chocolate
2 cup dry salted peanuts

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth, or melt in the microwave in a 2 quart glass dish. Microwave on high (100 %) for 1 minute, stir, and microwave on high for 1 minute more. If necessary, microwave on high for 10 seconds more, and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the pretzel pieces and peanuts. Stir well with a flexible spatula.

Spoon onto the prepared cookie sheet, spreading the mixture out so that ingredients are relatively evenly distributed.

Allow for the chocolate to cool for several hours or refrigerate for about 45 minutes, until firm. Break the bark into irregular pieces, like peanut brittle. Store in cookie tins, or package in Chinese food take-out cartoons lined with waxed paper.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Aunt Donna's Potato Dish

1/4 cup grated onion
1 package frozen hashbrown
1 8 oz container light sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (healty request)
2 cups red. fat cheddar cheese
1 cup Cornflakes
1 stick light butter melted (divided 1/2 stick in cass & 1/2 in corn flakes)


Combine 1st 5 ingredients with 1/2 stick melted butter and put in a greased 9 x13 baking dish. Top with cornflakes and other 1/2 stick melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Marshmallow & Cereal Christmas Wreaths

Another things made for Dr. Seuss Night from the Cookbook.

3 Tsps Butter

16 ounce Bag of Marshmallows

5 1/2 Cups Cornflakes

1/2 cup dried cranberries

With first three ingredients make just like you are making rice crispy treats. Spoon mixture on wax paper to cool about 10 minutes. Butter hands and get mixture some of the mixture- then shape like a wreath -place on another sheet of wax paper. Continue making until you have made all the wreaths (about 12). Once made, place cranberries on the wreath. Easy and good but my boys would not eat them with the cranberries so I had to take them off! :o)

New Year's Day Black-eyed Pea Dip

In Texas (& the South) you must eat at least a spoonful of Black Eye Peas on New Year's Day. Here is a dip that I adapted from a recipe at All Recipes.

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel, drained
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
8 fluid ounces Italian dressing (used Wishbone)

In the food processor, blend the black-eyed peas (reserve 1/2 cup of peas), Rotel, sweet onion, Italian dressing to a dip consistency. Fold in the reserved peas and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with Fritos.

Caramel Popcorn

I adapted my version from a recipe I found at All Recipes, go here to see the original. This popcorn treat was very simple to make and really good.

3 1/2 bags of popped microwave popcrn {I used Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop - Butter}

1 cup dry roasted peanuts (optional)

1 cup cashews (optional)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow baking pans sort through popcorn to remove all the unpopped kernels. Add the peanuts and cashews to the popped corn if using. I usually make one pan with nuts and one without. When doing it this way I only use 1/2 cup of peanuts and 1/2 cup of cashews. Set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and with two wooden spoons stir to finish coating popcorn. Once cool , separate the pieces and store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Blue Cheese Spread

This is a super easy recipe that a friend brought to a meeting several years ago. Everyone wanted the recipe. If you like blue cheese you will love this.

½ to 1 pound Roquefort Blue Cheese
Fig preserves/jam in a jar*
Toasted chopped Walnuts

Slice block of cheese in half. Place both haves in dish. Pour over whole jar of spread. Top with toasted walnuts .

Serve are French petite slices of bread (sold at Whole Foods). Or take Italian bread, slice into 1 inch pieces - then toast on both sides.

*This can be hard to find but I always find it at Kroger and Whole Foods.

Sausage Balls

1 pound Mild Breakfast Sausage

2 cups Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix

In large bowl combine all ingredients. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on baking pan; bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes, until sausage is completely done.

Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole

I use to never eat sweet potatoes, but that all changed seven years ago at a church small group Thanksgiving celebration. Our dear friend Mary brought this recipe and I could not get enough of them. Now, I will only eat sweet potatoes baked (topped with butter of course) or Mary's version.

4 lbs fresh or 3 large cans (drained) Sweet Potatoes
3 Eggs
1 small can Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1 tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. All Spice

Topping-
½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
2/3 stick butter

If using canned sweet potatoes, warm them with the butter in the microwave. If using fresh, boil as you would regular potatoes for mashing. Mash potatoes, add ingredients to potatoes. Whip all together with electric mixer until very smooth.

Once whipped smooth pour potatoes into a greased casserole (I use a 2 qt. casserole dish). If you would like to prepare a day before stop at this point, add topping right before cooking.

Preheated oven at 375 degrees

Melt butter and mix with above topping ingredients. Mix until crumb mixture is achieved.

Pour topping to cover the sweet potatoes completely. If the casserole was prepared a day ahead, take out of refrigerator 15 minutes prior to putting on topping and baking. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated completely through.

Corn Casserole

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
4 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices (finely chopped)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8.5 ounce) package dry corn muffin mix
1 1/2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

In a small skillet melt butter on medium low heat, once it starts to melt add onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream style corn, sour cream and melted butter w/ onions. Stir in whole kernel corn, cheese, jalapenos. Stir in the corn muffin mix until just moistened.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 75 minutes; or until an inserted knife comes out clean and the top is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes w/ Almond Whipped Cream

I have made this several times and always get requests for the recipe. You can make it early in the day and leave it out at room temperature until ready to cut and serve. Cut small pieces because it is really rich.

Cake:

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar ***(See note below)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

***My adaptation - I only use 1/2 box of powder sugar b/c the whole box makes it too sweet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Image and Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and Food Network

Almond Whipped Cream

My grandma made whipped cream she would use Almond extract instead of vanilla.

1 pt. Heavy cream

3 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Pure Almond Extract

In a cold bowl add heavy cream and sugar with mixer. Be careful not to over beat or else will get too thick like butter. When it begins to thicken, and Almond extract; mix to combine. Refrigerate.