Pasta Salad

This is an easy summer pasta salad.  Everywhere I take it, I always get rave revues.  It is just simple and tasty.  It does taste better when you make it the night before.  Hope you enjoy!

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:  1 box of Bow Tie Pasta, cooked and drained

1 bunch Broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

1 bag of cubed Cheddar Cheese, cut into smaller pieces

2 Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 large bottle Italian Dressing

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and refrigerate overnight.  I always save a little of the dressing to put on the pasta salad right before serving.  Can't get any easier, right?

Cornbread and Sausage Bake

This is another recipe from e-mealz.  Did I mention how much I love them?  Anyway, the family tore this up.  I used it as a main dish with some green veggies.  It would also be good as a side dish.  Hope you enjoy!

Cornbread and Sausage Bake

Ingredients:   1 lb ground Sausage

                    1 cup Onion, chopped

                    2 Eggs, beaten

                    1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Cornmeal

                    15oz can Cream Style Corn

                    3/4 cup Milk

                    1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

                    1 1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 425 and grease a 2 qt baking dish.

Cook sausage and onions until cooked through and then drain well. 

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cornmeal, corn, milk, oil and 1/4 cup cheese.  Mix well. 

Pour half of cornbread mixture into dish,, top with sausage & onions, and rest of cheese.

Pour the remainder of cornbread mixture on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked through.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

White Beans

I had someone at work ask me for a recipe for white beans.  I told her that I really don't have a "recipe."  I have just always "made" them.  She went online in search of a recipe.  I guess white beans have just always been one of those down home meals that people just kind of make from what your mother or grandmother has passed down to you. So I figured I would let y'all know how I "do" it.  Hope you enjoy!

White Beans

Ingredients:  1 package Navy Beans, dried

                   2-3 Ham Hocks

                   Water

                   Salt and Pepper

Sort beans and remove any stones or bad beans.  Soak overnight in a large bowl of water.  Water should cover the beans by several inches.

The next morning, drain and rinse beans.  Place in a crock pot with ham hocks and cover with clean water, allowing about an inch of water over the beans.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Remove ham hocks from beans and remove the meat from the bones.  Place meat back in crock pot with beans.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with cornbread and enjoy!

Aunt Barbara's Egg Rolls

This recipe comes from my Aunt Barbara.  I've been wanting a recipe for egg rolls, and I've been bugging her for hers.  She gave it to me this past week and I could not wait to eat them.  They turned out wonderful!  Hope you enjoy!  Here is my aunt's recipe straight from her.

Egg rolls
2 pkgs egg roll wrappers
1 head of cabbage shredded (cut out core & thick stems) or 2 pkgs of coleslaw mix
shredded carrots (leave out if using coleslaw mix)
finely chopped onion
1 can bean sprouts drained & rinsed
1 lb of ground beef

Brown ground beef in large dutch oven - drain & rinse
Put back in dutch oven, add cabbage, carrots, onions & bean sprouts. Stir well to get ground beef off bottom of pot and everything mixed well. ADD NO LIQUID!! VEGS WILL GIVE OFF ENOUGH LIQUID TO STEAM THEM. Cover and cook on low stirring often until cabbage and vegs are cooked and very tender.
Drain off all liquid when vegs are done.

I usually dump in teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce because soy sauce is too thin. You can add a little soy sauce at this point but not too much. You don't want vegs too wet because you're egg rolls will steam when they fry and get soggy.

Roll in egg roll wrappers and deep fry in peanut oil or vegetable oil until golden brown. Bring out the soy sauce and sweet & sour sauce and eat!! Sometimes I use only half of the filling and we put the rest over rice.

Squash Cassorole

I have tried many a version of squash casserole.  This is mine and my families favorite version.  Easy, simple comfort food.  Hope you enjoy!

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:  5-7 Yellow Squash, sliced

                   1/4 cup Onion, diced

                   3 Tbsp Butter

                   1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed

                   1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

                   2 Eggs, beaten

                   1/4 to 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese

In a hot pan, melt butter.  Add squash and onion and cook until tender, season with salt & pepper. 

Combine soup & eggs together, mix well.  Add crushed crackers and squash mixture, mix well. 

Top mixture with cheese and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Beer Biscuits

These biscuits are really great!  I use a light beer, so you can't taste the beer in them.  If you would like more of a beer taste, just use a regular pale beer.  The beer just adds a little more fluffiness to the biscuits.  These are super simple to make.  Hope you enjoy!

Beer Biscuits

Ingredients:  4 cups Bisquick

                   1 stick melted Butter

                   1 12oz can Beer

Mix all ingredients together.  Spoon batter into a muffin tin, filling tins 3/4.  Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve warm and enjoy.



Simple Salsa

This is super simple salsa recipe.  I got the idea from my brother and added a few things for my taste.  Hope you enjoy it.  By the way, is anyone really reading this blog.  I just don't hear back from you out there in Internet world.  Would LOVE to hear some feedback. 

Simple Salsa

Ingredients:  1 can (14.5oz) Diced Tomatoes

                   1 can Rotel

                   Onion powder to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp)

                   Garlic powder to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp)

                   pickled Jalapenos to taste (I use about 3 slices)

                   salt to taste

Combine ingredients in blender or food processor.  Process until salsa reaches desired consistency.  Enjoy!

Corn-Mushroom Risotto

     All I can say about this is yum, yum, yum!  This is sooooo good.  Sometimes, on the weekends, I like to stop and cook something comforting and something that may take a little longer than the short time I have  during the week.  Hope you enjoy. 

Corn-Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:  4 slices of Bacon, diced
                   3 ears of Corn, husked
                   2.5 ounces Shiitake Mushrooms
                   2 Portabello Caps
                   3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
                   2 medium Shallots, chopped
                   1 1/4 cups Arborio Rice
                   1 cup Chicken Stock
                   1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
      
1.  Cook bacon in large saucepan until crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
2.  While bacon is cooking, cut corn off of cobs.  Snap cobs in half and put in a pot with 7 cups of water; bring to low simmer.
3.  Stem and slice mushrooms.
4.  Cook the mushrooms in pan with the bacon drippings for about 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper and transfer to a plate.
5.  Add butter and shallots to the pan, season with salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. 
6.  Add rice to shallots and cook, stirring, 1 minutes. 
7.  Stir in chicken stock until absorbed, then add 1 tsp salt and the corn kernels.
8.  Ladle in 1/2cup of the hot corn broth, stirring until absorbed.  Continue adding broth in 1/2cup incrementd, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is just tender, about 20 minutes.
9.  Stir in cheese, mushrooms, & bacon.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and enjoy the creamy comfort!