Southern Living's Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This was the first time that I have ever made a pound cake & was super nervous about how it was going to turn out. As you can see from the picture, it came out perfectly. It tasted even better! I made it for Thanksgiving & have already had requests to make it again. And honestly, I can't wait to make it again either. :)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

 Preheat oven to 300°F. 
Use an electric mixer to mix both butter and cream cheese until creamy.
Gradually add sugar and beat for 5 minutes, then add eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding more.
Stir in vanilla.
 Sift flour and salt and add gradually to the mixer, beating until well blended.
 Pour batter into a well greased and floured bundt pan or tube cake pan.
 Place 2 cups water in an ovenproof container on the rack in the oven next to the cake.
 Bake cake at 300 for an hour and 45 minutes, or until a toothpick can be removed cleanly.
 Place pan on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and complete cooling on the wire rack.

Corn Bread Salad

1 box of jiffy corn bread mix cook as directed.

Cool, crumble and put in bottom of a serving dish 

Spread on top 1 can of pinto beans (room temp, don't heat) 

Top with chopped onions, bell peppers, tomatoes. 

Sprinkle a layer of shredded sharp cheese  

Cover with ranch dressing 

Sprinkle with bacon bits 

Chill (overnight is best!) 

Eat cold. 

Black Eye Pea Stew

2 cans of Black Eye'd peas (don't drain)
2 cans of tomatoes (any flavor of tomatoes, don't drain)
1 can of corn (drain)
Smokies sausages cut in half (could also use hot dogs if you don't have smokies)
Pict Sweet mix (Onion, Celery, Bell Peppers)
Garlic
Any other seasoning you like!


Pour it all in the crock pot and simmer on low for several hours
Serve over rice.

Excellent and easy!

Gumbo (Chicken & Sausage)

Make a day ahead of time for best results! This will allow all the flavors to mix together.

Ingredients:
Vegetable Oil
4 Chicken Thighs
1 pound of sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices ( I like the conecuh brand)
Zatarains Gumbo Mix (without rice)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup of onion
1/2 cup of green peppers
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 package of frozen okra (this is a must!)
6 Cups of water and 6 Chicken bullion cubes (or you can get 48 ounces of chicken broth)
2 cans of diced tomato
1 can of corn



Directions:
Heat oil in Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add chicken and sausage. Cook and stir 8-10 minutes or until brown. Remove chicken and cut off the bone into chunks. Place back into the pot and add chopped vegetables and garlic and stir three minutes until vegetables soften. Add 6 cups of water and bullion cubes or/chicken broth, and gumbo base and tomato cans and corn. Bring to a slow boil, then add okra.  Now simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat.
Once cooled, store in fridge. The following day, reheat the gumbo and sprinkle in green onions before serving.

Serve over rice!
(Pictsweet also makes a wonderful vegetable medley that works great for this type of recipe. You can just put in three cups of the frozen veggies and it's the perfect mix, they also make a gumbo helper that has okra, corn, tomatoes and onions!)

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of Panko Italian Bread crumbs

3 Tbsp. Parmesan Grated Cheese

1 Tbsp. Parsley Flakes

1/4 cup of sweet cream butter, melted

1 teaspoon of Garlic salt or Garlic powder

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Angel hair pasta cooked as directed. 

5 Boneless, skinless, chicken breast washed & patted dry

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

If using regular pan, spray with cooking spray. ( I cooked mine on my pampered chef stoneware, so I didn't need any oil)

Mix panko crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder/salt and parsley. Set aside.

Place melted butter in a dish by itself.

Dip both sides of the chicken in the butter, then in the crumb mixture. 

Lay chicken on baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and make sure chicken has reached 165 internal temperature. If this has been achieved, then simply place one heaping spoonful of sauce on your chicken and then add your shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Now place back in the oven for about 3 to 5 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt. Remove from oven carefully.

Serve over angel hair pasta and a green veggie or salad! ENJOY!

Options: you can use fresh garlic cloves, and add them to the butter mixture instead of using the garlic salt or powder. 

Also- you can substitute the shredded Parmesan cheese for mozzarella cheese.  You can also make your own bread crumbs if you had the stale bread! I didn't want to buy fresh bread just to make bread crumbs, so I opted for buying them already done! 

Brownie Refrigerator Cake

Got this recipe from one of those "shares" on facebook.

.1 box brownie mix
1 extra large egg
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers whipped topping
1 (3 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 Hershey candy bar or chocolate syrup

Directions: Mix brownie mixes according to directions. Add egg. Bake in brownie pan. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 container whipped topping. Put this mix on top of the cooled brownies. Blend puddings and milk together and put on top of the cream cheese mixture. Top with another layer of whipped topping. Put chocolate shavings or chocolate syrup on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

How many of you had leftover turkey or ham? What are some ways you re created it for the last few days? Between my mother in law, my husband and myself we had:

Grits with Ham
Spring Rolls with turkey
Turkey Wraps
Gumbo
Ham salad

Chocolate Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

I got this recipe from the back of a Duncan Hines Brownie mix box. And it is divine!

1 pkg of Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownie Mix (I'm sure you can use any brownie mix)
1 (3 ounce) pkg cream cheese (I used an 8 ounce pkg. I don't read directions well. Haha!)
3 tbsp of butter or margarine
3 tbsp granulated sugar (I also added some extra sugar)
1 large egg
1 tbsp all purpose
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 8x8 pan.

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, egg, flour & vanilla. Beat until smooth; set aside.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Spread half of brownie batter in prepared pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over batter. Spoon dollops of remaining brownie batter over top. Swirl brownie & cream cheese batter together with a knife or spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 36-39 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Chill 2 hours.

Chicken-N-Dumplings

Maw Maw's Chicken N Dumplings (North Carolina Style)

1 Whole Chicken
3 Cups of self rising flour
2 Cups of warm broth
1 Egg
Salt & Pepper
Wax Paper, and extra flour for dusting
Rolling Pin
Pizza Cutter
Large stock pot/dutch oven
Chicken Broth (reserved from cooking the chicken)

Cook chicken in a large pot until done and tender (I like to do mine in the crock pot all day this saves time for later. I sometimes cook the chicken one day and do the dumplings another day.)

Remove chicken from bone, cut into bite size pieces. Reserve broth.

Bring Broth to a slow boil while you are rolling out the dumplings. You will need a good boil by the time you cut the dumplings and are ready to drop them.

In a separate bowl, add 3 cups of flour. Create a hole down in the middle of the bowl, so that the flour is now like a "ring" with a dry spot down in the middle. You will then crack the egg and place the yoke down in that hole. Then add 1 cup of warm broth to the egg and mix slightly with a fork. Once you have that mixed then you begin to pull the flour down into the egg/broth mixture. This will create a dough.  Place your wax paper out on a table and sprinkle it with flour. Put flour on your hands and then work the dough into one large ball. Pinch off three sections of dough, they are about 1 good handful each. Place the dough on the wax paper and add flour to the rolling pin (just rub it on lightly) roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to flip to dough over to keep a more circular dough. Then repeat with the other two sections of dough. Once you have them rolled out, take a pizza cutter and cut strips about 2 to 3 inches in length.

Now you are ready to drop the dumplings! Make sure your broth is boiling good and begin to break your long strips into bite size pieces. I like thicker dumplings so I don't roll all mine out so thin- I like variety. Once they are all in the pot, add a little salt and turn your heat down to low. Add in your chicken pieces.  You will then cover the pot with a lid and let them cook down for about 10 minutes.

By the time you set the table and call everyone to wash up, the dumplings are ready to serve!
They are so delicious. Next time I cook them I will take photos each step of the way and or video the process. It's easier than it sounds!

Corn Casserole

I found this recipe on Pinterest....Isn't that were all recipes come from nowadays? :) It's from the website "Pennies on a Platter." I made it tonight & we really enjoyed it. I think it's a great dish to take to family gatherings. And it's super easy!

(photo courtesy of Pennies on a Platter)

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn

1 (8 oz) package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or large casserole dish.

Mix together the corn, Jiffy, sour cream and butter in a large bowl.  Stir in the cheese.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown and set.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Ham Delights

Ham Delights

1 lb ham shaved thin (from your local deli)
1/2 lb Swiss cheese shredded
1 stick melted butter
3 TBSP prepared mustard
3 TBSP poppy seeds
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 small white onion chopped
2 packages Kings Hawaiian rolls

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the rolls in half while they are all still attached together- you’ll slice length-wise to create a top and bottom half, like mini hamburger buns that are still attached on the sides. You’ll have 4 “halves” of the rolls; this recipe makes two batches of sandwiches. For those who are counting: you’ll have two bottoms and two tops.

Mix butter, mustard, poppy seeds, Worcestershire and chopped onion into a thick paste.
(I sauteed the onions in the butter, added a dash of worcestershire)

Spread mixture evenly on the tops and bottoms of rolls.

Place shredded ham evenly on bottom of rolls and sprinkle ham with Swiss cheese.

Place tops of rolls onto the sandwiches & wrap the whole “slab” of rolls in tinfoil.

Place in the oven (on a cookie sheet if you like) and bake at 325 for 10-20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Slice the rolls apart into individual sandwiches.

Serve warm!!

Lasagna Rolls

1 lb of Jimmy Dean Sausage
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
3/4 package of Lasagna noodles (cooked)
1 package of cream cheese
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup of shredded cheese of choice

Preheat oven to 350
Cook noodles, do not over cook though- or they will fall apart!
Brown sausage and drain off fat
Add meat to pan, place softened cream cheese and bell pepper into pan. Allow it to heat up, but not letting the cream cheese melt totally. You want a thick filling.
Cut noodles in half, place 1 spoonful of mixture into the noodle and roll it up. Place it seam side down into a baking dish. Cover with sauce and top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is at it's desired look.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving!

You could also add other ingredients to the filling- according to your likes. I actually didn't have bell peppers so I used a can of rotel (drained) and it was great! It added a kick to it.

My friend Amber gave me the recipe. They were a big hit at both parties that I cooked them for! Next time I make them I will take a picture to add to this post!

Fried Pickles

Catherine, military wife stationed overseas sent in this recipe.

1 pint sliced dill pickles, undrained
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon all purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 to 2 tsp red ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
Vegetable oil


Drain pickles, reserving 2/3 cup of the juice. Press pickles between paper towels. Combine 2/3 cup of pickle juice, egg, 1 tablespoon of flour & hot sauce. Stir well & set aside.

Combine 1 1/2 cup of flour with ground red pepper, garlic powder, salt & paprika. Blend well. Dip pickles in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture. Fry coated pickles in 375 degree oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Dirty Rice

Catherine, military wife stationed overseas sent in this recipe.

1lb lean ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup).
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup uncooked rice
1 (14.5 ounce)  can beef broth
3/4 cup of water


Cook ground beef and next 5 ingredients in a large skillet over med/high heat, stirring until beef crumbles & is no longer pink. Drain meat.

Stir in salt & next three ingredients; stirring well. Add rice, broth & cup of water.; stirring well. Bring to a boil; cover & reduce heat. Simmer 25-30 minutes or until rice if tender.

Casserito aka (Casserole Burrito)

Here's a quick meal that I came up with while buying groceries the other day.

1lb ground beef

1 package Vigo yellow rice

Flour tortillas

1 package taco seasoning

1 can of Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup

Mexican blend shredded cheese

2 cans refried beans

Cook ground beef (I usually add some minced garlic, salt & pepper when cooking it). Drain it & add taco seasoning. I also added some onions to the meat.

Cook rice according to instructions on package.

Then in a casserole pan layer tortillas, refried beans, tortillas, ground beef, tortillas, yellow rice, tortillas, nacho cheese soup/refried beans, tortillas & then top with the shredded cheese.

Cook in the oven on 350 degrees, for about 25-30, or until the cheese begins to brown on top. 

Serve with sour cream & salsa. I like chopped tomatoes so that is what I used.

This is also a quick & easy casserole to put together before hand & just pop in the oven when you are ready to eat.

Garlic Green Beans

Frozen green beans
minced garlic
Extra virgin Olive Oil
S & P

My favorite is the baby green beans, since they are more tender.
There is no "real" recipe. But I put the frozen beans in a skillet with some olive oil. salt, pepper & minced garlic (I buy the large jar from the Walmart produce department). Then put the lid on it. Let the beans get limp. Then once the beans are cooked, take the lid off & let the moisture evaporate. Then you sorta sautee them. Kinda fry them. You may have to add some more olive oil or garlic. You want the green beans to wilt & begin to turn brown.

Summer Corn Salad

I saw this recipe on Southern Plate & new I had to make it. I bought some of the Tostitos Scoops to use for dipping.



2-15 ounce cans whole kernel corn, drained*
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 Cup Italian Dressing (I use regular but you can use Zesty Italian if you like)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate several hours.
Can be made up to two days ahead of time. This is delicious and the perfect side for a barbecue!
*If you’d like to use fresh or frozen corn just cook it in water until tender and drain well.

Crouton Chicken

I often look for new ways to do old foods. I had some chicken tenders in the fridge and did a little brainstorming and came up with this tasty (judging by the clean plates all round) alternative.

Here's what you need:

Chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
a bag of croutons
4 oz (+/-) sour cream (I used the chipolte flavored)

Preheat oven to 350.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Trim off any fat.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non cooking spray.
Crush entire bag of croutons.
Roll tenders in sour cream.
Roll tenders coated in sour cream in crouton crush.
Place on cookie sheet.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

**Sorry! No pic because they got devoured!**

Best Baked Beans

So I'm sure everyone has a baked beans recipe, but I thought I would share mine. I am NOT a huge baked beans fan, but I cannot stop eating these!

Here's what you need:

2 cans baked beans
1 roll of sausage
2 tbsp grape jelly
2 tbsp syrup

Preheat oven to 350.

Scramble the sausage meat.

Open beans and put them in a casserole dish.

Spoon in jelly and syrup. Mix well.

Pour in sausage meat.

Bake until bubble.

YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

Bar B Que Cups

Since the kids are home all day, I am constantly looking for foods to satisfy their constant "I'm hungry" declaration! Here is an easy recipe that a friend from church passed on to me and we have been enjoying.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef
1 bottle bar-b-que sauce
1 can biscuite
1 pkg sharp cheddar cheese
A muffin tin

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown the ground beef and pour in bar-b-que sauce. (Make sure you use plenty of sauce, cause the bread will soak up a lot of it)
Spray the muffin tin with nonstick spray.
Cut biscuits into half (or quarters depending on how much bread you want)
Mold the dough to the muffin tin.
Spoon bar-b-que meat mix into the molds.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the meat.
Bake until bread is done and cheese is starting to brown.