Monday, June 30, 2008

Redneck Potatoes

Heather at "Stuck on Lunatic" describes these as "nasty good". She even adds bacon to hers. YUM!

Redneck Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 lbs new potatoes, quartered (I use the bags of red potatoes when I can’t find new potatoes)
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Tony Cachere creole seasoning to taste
1 16-oz bottle Ranch dressing
1 bunch green onions, chopped
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese

Description:
Cook potatoes in water, drain. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mixing well. Bake in a 9 x 13 dish at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Fresh Homemade Salsa

Note: Sooooo delicious with all the fresh Mississippi tomatoes!! AND with the 4th of July weekend coming up.

FRESH HOMEMADE SALSA

Ingredients
8-10 ripe roma tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
½ medium onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 to 2 lg. garlic cloves cut into slivers
1 small can chipotles in adobo sauce
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Sugar or 1 pkg. Splenda
Salt to taste

Directions
Wash tomatoes and cut off stem ends. Quarter or slice tomatoes. Wash cilantro and chop only the green, throwing away the stems. Cut the onion into smaller pieces. Use 1 or 2 chipotles in your salsa, according to how hot you like it. Cut the chipotle into 3 or 4 pieces. Place all these veggies into a blender or food processor, adding the garlic, sugar/splenda and salt. Blend or process until crushed down, then add ½ the can of tomatoes. Continue processing or blending for your desired consistency. I usually take a sieve and drain some of the juices from the salsa and put the drained salsa into a 4 cup container for storage in the refrigerator. Date your container so you know when you made it. It should keep for up to 2 weeks. Mine gets gone before then so I don’t know how long it actually could last.

You can freeze the remaining tomatoes in a Ziploc bag and also the chipotles for later use.

Crock Pot Chicken

Crock-Pot Chicken

Directions
6-7 chicken breasts ( I cook from frozen)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 stick of butter

Directions
Cook all of the above all day in your crock-pot, low. Check after 4-5 hours.
Serve over brown or white rice with peas/vegetables/bread.
Note: I saw this one on MississippiMoms and it was so yummy!

Tortellini Shrimp Caesar Salad

Ingredients
8 cups Romaine lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, diced
16 ounces popcorn shrimp, frozen
9 ounces cheese tortellini (in the cheese section at the grocery store)
1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions
Prepare shrimp and tortellini according to package directions. Combine lettuce and tomato, then toss with the dressing. Drain the tortellini, and add it and the cooked shrimp to the salad. Sprinkle with cheese.

Crispy Truffle Cookies

Note: My Big Guy had to do a project for school on Australia. On part of his requirement was to make a recipe that you would find in that Country. His research found this recipe. Oh, it is a keeper!

Crispy Truffle Cookies

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup confectioners sugar

Directions:
In a small saucepan over very low heat, combine the butter and chocolate. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until they are melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the granulated sugar until evenly moistened. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the chocolate, sugar and egg mixture and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat an oven to 375°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Shape the dough into ¾-inch balls and roll in the confectioners’ sugar to coat completely. Place the balls about 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared pans. Bake the cookies until puffed and cracked on top, about 10 - 12 minutes. They may appear underdone in the center but will turn crisp as they cool. Allow to cool on the pans for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 42 cookies.

Grilled Peanut Butter & Banana Split Sandwich

Note: My son is on an Elvis kick so for Valentine's Day this year I found this recipe for grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches -- with a twist. Wouldn't Elvis be all shook up?

Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Split Sandwich
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 (1-ounce) slices firm white sandwich bread, divided
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon semisweet chocolate minichips
1 large strawberry, thinly sliced
1/2 small banana, cut lengthwise into 3 slices (about 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon pineapple jam

Preparation
Spread one side of each white bread slice with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Combine peanut butter and honey; spread over plain side of 1 bread slice. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; top evenly with strawberry slices and banana slices. Spread pineapple jam over plain side of remaining bread slice. Carefully assemble sandwich. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sandwich; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Yield
1 serving (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.