Hootenanny and Buttermilk Syrup

Hootenanny is kind of like a french toasty pancake you bake in your oven. It's super easy and really yummy, especially with homemade buttermilk syrup! You could also add cinnamon.

Hootenanny:
1 cup white flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix and pour into a greased 9x12 pan. Then pour 1/2 cube melted butter on top. Do not stir. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Sides will puff up and rise out of pan (my favorite part to eat!).

Buttermilk Syrup:
1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 TBS. corn syrup
In a deep pan bring above ingredients to a boil. Then add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Keep stirring and watch heat so it doesn't boil over. Cook for 7 minutes. Then add 1 TBS. vanilla. Enjoy!

Grilled Orange Thyme Pork Kabobs

Ready in: 30-60 minutes
Serves/Makes: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
orange wedges for garnish
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

PREPARATION:

Whisk together orange juice and zest, garlic, thyme, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until emulsified. Add pork; toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let pork marinate 20 minutes at room temperature

Heat a grill or grill pan until medium-hot. Thread 5 or 6 cubes of pork onto each skewer; season with salt and pepper. Discard marinade. Grill pork, turning occasionally, until cooked through and slightly charred, about 12 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with orange wedges.

Sausage & Rice Casserole

4 c. water
2 grated carrots
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. sausage, browned (we really like Jimmy Deans Sage sausage, we use it in everything!)
1 c. minute rice
1 pkg. Lipton noodle soup

Brown sausage with onion. Boil water and add rice, carrots, celery, and soup mix. Pour mixture & sausage in 9x12 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min.

Apple Pie Crescents

I don't know what these are really called so I made the name up. Call them what you want, but go make some now! I usually don't like baked apple things, but I absolutely love these (must be the cube of butter :). And they're easy!

1 apple, peeled and sliced into 8 pieces (I used Fuji)
1 can refrigerated Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 cube butter
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 can Sprite

Roll 1 apple slice into one triangle crescent roll. Pinch sides together and place in a greased baking pan. In saucepan melt 1 cube butter, then add sugar and cinnamon. When it comes to a boil, remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over rolls, then pour Sprite on rolls. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream!

Cream Cheese Chicken Over Rice

Place 1/2 cube butter and 3-4 chicken breasts in a crock pot and cook on low for about 3 hours. Then add 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 8 oz. cream cheese, and 3/4 cup milk. Let cook for another 2 hours. Then shred chicken to bite size pieces and add 1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix (like the dry Ranch packets, but Italian) and cook for another hour. Serve over white rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
So easy and yummy!

Home Made Reese Peanute Butter cups

Step 1: Grab your peanut butter, chocolate chips, and a muffin cup. Make sure your peanut butter is "all natural" so you can console yourself that you're really eating a "healthy" snack here.

Step 2: Fill that muffin cup full of chocolate chips.

Step 3: Microwave for 30 second intervals stirring after each interval. (Picture below is after two 30 second intervals.) A full muffin cup will take about 1-1 1/2 mins. Be sure to stir every 30 seconds. Chocolate burns easily.

Step 4: Place a blob of peanut butter into the center of your melted chips.

Step 5: Smooth chocolate from sides over the blob of p.b.

Step 6: Place in freezer for 5 minutes. (10 if you're feeling really patient.)

Step 7: Remove from freezer and peel off the cupcake liner.

Step 8: Nom nom nom!

Cafe Rio Pork Burrito - Enchilada style

Sweet Pork:
2 pounds pork (I used boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet), buying the 2 ltr. is cheaper
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand mild spiciness, but any will work)
1+ cup brown sugar
1/4 onion, diced

Cilantro-Lime Rice:
1 c. uncooked white rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime

Black Beans:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Sweet Pork
Marinate the pork with about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on low for 6- 8 hours.

Tip: I love to use slow cooker liners to make clean up easy.

Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
**If you like yours "enchilada style," reserve some sauce (I took about 1/2 cup of the blended sauce and added it to the 1/4 can left of enchilada sauce)

Put shredded pork, onions, and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Cilantro-Lime Rice:
In a microwaveable bowl combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Microwave for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice

Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

Black Beans:
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Tortillas:
I doubled my recipe here. I wanted big, round tortillas this time so I did things a little differently. I let the dough rest for an hour, rolled it out, and used a bowl to cut out large circles (it was like using a giant cookie cutter). It worked very well, and I was able to make 12 large, round tortillas.

Assembly:
Layer rice, beans, and pork in tortillas. Lay burritos seam side down in pan. I like mine "enchilada style," so I poured some of the reserved sauce over them and sprinkled some cheese on top. Broil for 2 minutes.

From Sisters in the Kitchen blog.

Cheryl's whole wheat bread

My sister Cheryl said not even I can mess this recipe up. Her bread is amazing and beautiful. The above picture is not of her bread - her's looks better than that. I'll post a picture when I make mine (if it turns out).
3 Cups of HOT water (microwave)
1/4 Cups of Honey
1 T salt
1 T yeast (instant)
1 Cup Apple Sauce (from fridge so it's cold)
4 Cups whole wheat flour
4-5 additional cups of whole wheat flour

Mix all ingredients together in mixer and let sit for 5 minutes - after five minutes add an additional 1 cup of flour at a time until it pulls from the side of bowl - about 4-5 cups more wheat. . .just enough to clean bowl. Let mix for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes. While sitting, spray counter with Pam - dump dough and make circle cut into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a loaf and put in pans. Put in a lightly warm oven with a dish towel over the top. Let raise to double it's original size. Take dish towel off. Cook at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or until it's pretty brown on top. Take immediately out of the pans to cool.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

4 ounces linguine pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
2 t Cajun seasoning
2T butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, minced
11/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t lemon pepper
1/4 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t black pepper
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add linguine pasta, cook 10/8 minutes. Drain.
Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, to coat.
In a large skillet over med heat saute chicken in butter till no longer pink (about 5-7 min) Add green/red bell peppers sliced mushrooms and green onions. Cook 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce w/basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, ground pepper, Heat through.
In a large bowl toss linguine, w sauce sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Baked Ziti

One of my sweet friends brought me this dinner the other day and I told her I had to get the recipe, it was so good!

1 jar your favorite spaghetti sauce

8 oz tub sour cream

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1.5-2 lbs browned ground beef

1/2 of a 1 lb box ziti noodles

1-2 cup mozzarella grated

8 slices provolone cheese

1/2 6 oz pkg of parmesan grated

In a large bowl mix spaghetti sauce, tub of sour cream, spices, and stir until mixed well. Next stir in the drained cooked noodles and drained browned ground beef and mix again. Next put a layer of noodle mixture in bottom of pan. Next put a layer of provolone cheese. Add the rest of the noodles. Finally top with mozzarella & parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and cook on 350 degrees for ~45 minutes until heated throughout.

Fruit

I think this is such a cute idea for St Patricks day. I found it on THIS blog.

Corn Chowder in the Crock Pot

Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

* 2 (14.75 oz) cans creamed corn
* 1 (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 2 1/2 cups skim milk
* 1 cup diced ham
* 2 cups frozen southern style hash browns (the cubed typed)
* 2 Tbsp butter
* salt and pepper to taste

1. Place creamed corn, cream of mushroom soup, and milk in a crock pot. Whisk until soup is well blended into the mixture.
2. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot and stir well.
3. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. You can add more milk if needed when finished cooking to reach desired thickness.

Make your own Taco Seasoning

Have you ever wanted to make taco's but ran out of seasoning. Here's so it can be made at home.

Make your own Taco Seasoning.

Combine:

* 1 Tbsp Chili powder
* 1/4 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and oregano
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1 1/2 tsp cumin
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp pepper
* 2 Tbsp of flour

Here is a great salad dressing to make at home if you need to.

Combine approximately equal amounts of your favorite sweet chili sauce and some good balsamic vinegar. Add a splash of white vinegar. Taste and adjust quantities until it has your preferred balance of zingy, sweet and delicious.

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas

4 medium-sized flour tortilla shells
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1/2 cup scallions, diced
8 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 avocado, diced
mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp butter

Arrange bacon on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set it on top of sheet pan. If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just put the bacon straight on the sheet pan. Or in a 9×13 baking dish. Either way will work. Place bacon in a cold oven, turn heat to 400, and cook 15 mins per side.

Add 1/2 tbsp bacon drippings to a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and saute about 2-3 mins until softened. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 mins or until chicken is golden and cooked through, flipping just once during cooking. Remove the chicken and scallions to a plate and rinse out the skillet.


Add about 1/2 tbsp butter to the skillet over medium heat. When foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery. Layer one side of the tortilla with chicken, bacon, avocado, and a little cheese. Use tongs to flip the other half of the tortilla over and press down. Cook the tortilla for about 1-2 mins on each side or until golden brown and crispy.

Repeat with the rest of the tortillas, adding a little more butter for each tortilla as needed. Eat & enjoy!

Makes 4 quesadillas.

Recipe by Kevin and Amanda - Here is the link to this and lots more. . . click HERE.

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

I found this on the blog called Make It Do.

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
2/3 cup granulated sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
For the glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, zest the orange and add sugar. Using your hands, rub the orange zest and sugar together until well blended and fragrant. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds. Mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl whisk together sour cream, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, and melted butter until well blended. Pour liquid mixture over the dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix, a few lumps are fine.

Spoon into muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 – 18 minutes, or until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.

While the muffins are baking, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons orange juice until smooth.

Remove muffins from pan, place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet beneath to catch the overspill. Allow to cool for a few minutes before drizzling the glaze over muffins.

Apple Salad

I needed to take this to a party the other day and couldn't find the recipe. I decided I better post it here. This is an awesome easy salad that will compliment any get together.

This can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.

8 oz sour cream
2 T Milk
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Cup coconut - shredded
1 t Almond Extract
5-6 Apples. Quartered and cut up into bit size pieces. Do not peel.

Throw all of these ingredients together and you've got an easy hit.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

6 Cups Water
3 Chicken Breasts
1 T chicken Bouillon or base
2 C chopped Carrots
2 C chopped celery
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup onion
1/4 t pepper
3 C egg noodles
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cold water
Bring Water to a boil in a large pot. Add chicken bouillon or base until dissolved. Cover and cook for 20 -30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken and cut into small pieces. Return to broth and add vegetables: Carrots celery and onions. Cover and cook until tender. Add noodles and cook for ten minutes or until noodles are tender. Mix cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, and spices together and then stir them into broth mixture. Whisk flour and cold water together until smooth.Stir flour mixture into soup and cook until thickened.