Baked Beans

from Corliss Whitehead

1 lb ground beef, finely browned and all grease dabbed off
1 lb bacon, fried well and cut up small
2 medium-sized onion,s finely diced
1 large can Bush's baked beans
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed well
1 can kidney beans
1 can small red beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (or your favorite bbq sauce)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp mustard
2 tsp vinegar
Dash of salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Mix all together and put in crockpot on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 4-5 hours. Beans should be soft and onions translucent. Serve with your favorite main dish! We like to serve it with babyback ribs or bbq chicken. Great for a group!

Note: If you prefer your beans not to have hamburger, go ahead and leave it out, but don't skimp on the bacon! It adds GREAT flavor! I didn't use hamburger this time (see picture) and it still tasted great. I have never been a baked bean fan until I had these baked beans at a community get together. I am always on the hunt for a tried & true recipe so I asked for it. Thankfully the recipe is easy and delicious! This recipe makes plenty for my family of 6 with leftovers. However, I asked my friend about doubling the recipe and she said when she doubles it, she ONLY doubles the beans and leaves the rest the same with great flavor. :) 

Sunshine Jello Salad

I originally found this recipe about 2 years ago and have loved it. It is perfect to take to family gatherings and there's almost never anything leftover. It's a great salad to take for funerals, too. My kids love it. I only changed 1 thing -leaving out the pineapple- from the original recipe, but left everything else. It is easy and always a crowd pleaser.

1 (6 oz.) orange Jell-o2 cups boiling water
1 cup mandarin orange and pineapple juice, reserved from the canned fruit
1 (6 oz) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (3.4 oz) lemon pudding mix
1 (8 oz) carton of whipped topping
1 (20 oz)can pineapple tidbits, drained reserving juice (I don't use the pineapple, just the juice)
1 small can mandarin orange (I think these are like 8 or 10 oz), drained reserving juice

Mix boiling water and jello together for 2 minutes. Mix in frozen orange juice concentrate until dissolved. Mix in reserved 1 cup mandarin orange and pineapple juice. Add fruit. (If you don't include the pineapple like I do, you can use 2 cans of mandarin oranges so there are more oranges. I prefer to just use the pineapple in something else & take the juice and only use 1 can of oranges. I've never had any complaints.)

Put in a 9 x 13 dish and refrigerate until set. So that the oranges are well distributed throughout the salad, I carefully take a spoon and arrange the oranges in the pan. I usually do this while it is sitting in the fridge. Otherwise, when you move it from the counter to the fridge, all your "hard work" is out the window. ;)

Make pudding according to package directions. Pour over set jello and refrigerate for 5 min.

Drop whipped topping in several mounds on top of pudding layer and carefully spread. Look at those beautiful layers!

Note: I usually make this a day ahead. However, I do the jello part the night before and let it set up overnight. I also make the pudding and put it in a bowl. The morning of, I just take a paper towel and dab any water droplets from the jello if there is any. Then, just before I take it, I put all the layers together. It has seemed to be the most smooth process for transport and freshness.

Roasted Red Potatoes

I realize this probably isn't anything new to anyone out there. And it isn't new to us either, but I've had people ask how we do this and I figured it was time to post it on the blog. This is about the easiest thing to do with red potatoes. A little olive oil, some seasoning, and the oven. I originally posted a recipe for cottage potatoes that is similar to this, and we do those potatoes with olive oil now as well. Much healthier and the flavor is awesome! (Just a note, you can do the same with zucchini and it is great! It takes a little less time to cook is all.)

Red potatoes

Olive Oil

Seasoning (There are a ton of different seasonings out there. Ours is a herbed parmesan mix)

Cut up red potatoes. I usually do them in quarters. In a bowl toss, potatoes, olive oil, and seasoning. I drizzle the olive oil 2 or 3 times in a circle, toss it and check to see if it is coated. You don't want to overcoat but you don't want to undercoat it or they won't cook well. Sprinkle seasoning over top and stir until covered and you have the desired amount covering all the potatoes. A little goes a long ways. It is more of a live & learn thing for how much seasoning is just right. But I'd say about a tablespoon is close for us. Maybe a little more or less depending on how many potatoes you have. We usually have a lot of potatoes.

Spread potatoes over cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You can do it without, and it makes one side a little crunchier, but the parchment makes it so much easier to take the potatoes off without scraping. Plus, you're pan is cleaner, too. :)

Bake at 450 for 35 minutes.

We like it with bbq chicken, but it is great with any entree!

Corn Bread

I've been looking for a good corn bread recipe for a long time now. I found this last year and we've been making it ever since. However, I didn't realize it wasn't on the blog until somebody asked me for the recipe. This is where I found the recipe. I love this recipe blog and have made several recipes from her site.

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny – don’t be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.) I prefer to make an 8" pan for just my family, but if I am taking it somewhere, I either make 2 - 8" pans or I put it in a 9x13. Personally, I think 2 - 8" pans cook better.

Honey Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened). This honey butter is so good! Mmmm......

Baked Parmesan Cottage Potatoes

4 large potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp melted butter (for healthier option, do olive oil instead. Flavor is great, too!)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the powdered stuff
1/2 tsp (or more if you'd like) garlic salt

Cut up potatoes and toss with melted butter in a large bowl. Sprinkle with garlic salt and stir to coat. Sprinkle parmesan all over and stir quickly to coat then pour onto a cookie sheet.
Spread them out so they're mostly on the cookie sheet and not completely piled on top of one another.See that yummy parmesan goodness!?Bake at 450 for 30-35 minutes, checking with a fork to test for tenderness.
Serve with desired main dish. We've had them with beef, chicken, ham... you name it. And they're a hit everytime!!!

Note: These will be "crusted" on the bottoms. They're NOT burnt. It's wonderful parmesan goodness!

Cream Biscuits

I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and couldn't wait to try it. Plus I liked the fact that you can flash freeze these and cook them later. These biscuits are so super easy and the taste was just wonderful.

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Slowly pour in 1 1/4 cups cream. Stir but don't over mix it. Add remaining 1/4 cup cream, a little at a time.

On a flour mat or other floured surface, use your hands to make the dough into a ball.Gently press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. (I didn't get mine quite thick enough.. and it does make a difference.)Cut into rounds. Use the rest of the scraps and continue to make rounds. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until golden. (Mine didn't look as pretty as hers because I hadn't cut them thick enough, but they still tasted great!)

Serve with desired meal.

A note about flash freezing from My Kitchen Cafe:
*To flash freeze, place the biscuits on a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, the biscuits can carefully be placed in a ziploc bag and removed for baking as needed. Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.

Egg Rolls

I got this recipe here and made a few modifications to my liking.
I have been using square wonton wrappers lately to make mini egg rolls, but the instructions are the same for full size egg rolls.

Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
Chinese egg-roll wrappers (or if you want to do mini egg rolls get the square shaped wonton wraps)
1 very large chicken breast cooked and finely chopped (you could also use Ground pork or shrimp)
1/2 c. carrots shredded
1/2 head of Cabbage shredded (or Nappa Cabbage-Chinese cabbage)
1/3 c chopped green onions
1 egg
Chinese bun noodles (or bean thread; they are in the oriental section)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp each salt/pepper
Pure Canola Oil

Soak the bun noodles in warm water in a seperate bowl for about 15 minutes or until they are soft. (I only used a tiny section of the package and I actually cut the little sectioned one in half and use the other half the next time.)

Shred the cabbage and grate the carrots; set aside. In a tablespoon of oil, fry the chicken and onion in a large saucepan for a few minutes and add in the carrots and cabbage, mixing well. Heat on medium for about 8-10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked down. Remove from heat and set aside in a large bowl to cool.

Remove bun noodles from water and drain. Using your hands, mix the noodles into the cooled cabbage mixture, making sure to mix all ingredients well. Add one beaten egg, 1 T. sugar, 1 t. salt, and 1 t. pepper and 2 t. minced garlic, 1 T. Soy sauce. Mix well with hands.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat (about 1/2 inch deep with oil) **I use the same pan for the oil as I did to cook the chicken and cabbage mixture**

Have a small cup of water for dipping your fingers in to seal the wraps.
Take an egg roll wrap and put a small amount of cabbage mixture in the middle. Fold in side corners and fold up bottom corner. Wet the seams a little and the top corner.

Squeeze it a little as you roll it towards the top and fold over the last flap. Wet the seam again to make sure that it is sealed and carefully place it in the heated oil.Use tongs to pick up the egg roll and flip it over. When the egg rolls are done take them out and place on a plate or cookie sheet covered with paper towels to soak up remaining grease.
They taste WONDERFUL with Sweet 'n Sour sauce! Find the recipe here!!

NOTE: You can prepare all of them then put them in the oil, but I do it as I go. I use a gas stove so often I turn the heat off if the oil is getting too hot and over cooking the outer shell, and turn it back on when it stops cooking it enough... Annoying I know but oil is tempermental! Make sure you get all sides cooked!

You can cook them in a deep fryer, but I find it is harder to get all sides cooked evenly and I also think that they are more greasy that way.

Mini egg rolls: about 22-25 egg rolls

Full size egg rolls: about 11-14 egg rolls.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from the twiced baked potatoes recipe. This is a great recipe to take to a potluck or if you want the same great taste as twiced baked potatoes, but don't have the time to scoop out the potato from all the potato shells.

4-5 large potatoes, cooked and mashed

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp dried minced onions

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Cook potatoes like you would for mashed potatoes. Pour all the water off of potatoes and pour potatoes into a large bowl. Add sour cream, milk, minced onions, salt, and pepper. Mix until fluffy with beaters but being careful not to overmix. By hand, stir in cheese and bacon -just before serving.

Mom's Breadsticks

from mom
This was my mom's go-to breadstick recipe growing up. I haven't seen a recipe that uses malted milk powder, but it adds a great taste. All I know is these breadsticks were always a welcome sight in our home growing up.

1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp malted milk powder
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Gradually add 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

Add first 5 ingredients, then flour. Knead lightly. Divide into sticks 1/2 inch wide. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with seasoned salt or coarse salt, Parmesan cheese, or sesame seeds. Let rise 15-30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Twisty Breadsticks

from Tami
These breadsticks are so divine. They go perfectly with soups, pasta, etc. My neighbor makes these and I have been dying to get her recipe for awhile now. As wonderful as they taste, I thought they would be hard to make but they're surprisingly simple. I wish I had thought to take a better picture to really showcase these. You're just going to have to take my word, every neighbor in my neighborhood's word, as well as my family's word that they're wonderful. :)

1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp SAF yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
Additional 1 1/2 cups flour

Lawry's Garlic Salt (course ground with parsley)

In a mixer (bosch or bread machine), add water then yeast. Pour sugar over top. Then add salt and 2 cups flour. Mix until smooth. Then add an additional 1 1/2 cups flour. Mix and knead.

Roll out on lightly floured/greased surface depending on the stickiness of your dough. Cut dough into long strips. Melt 1 cube of butter and pour onto cookie sheet. Dip strip in butter. Fold in half (long-wise) and twist into a twisty breadstick. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with remaining strips. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and garlic salt over breadsticks.

Let rise until double in size. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Serve warm with desired meal.

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

I got this recipe from Coleen's Recipes who got it from Carries Cooking and Recipes who got it from Melissa d'Arabian, winner of The Next Food Network Star. And not one of our recipes are the same... we all tweaked it! But 'tis the nature of recipes. While my version didn't turn out exactly as I planned/hoped, it was really delicious and we'll be making it again.

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced very small
1 cup ham, chopped very small
1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
Heavy cream (2 Tbsp per serving)

Although this makes 12 individual cheesy ham & potato servings, it could easily be cut down to serve only 2 people by halving the recipe. An adult can easily eat 2 servings. And they warm up well for the next day.

Directions:

Chop potatoes very small.

Add ham.

Add cheese.Mix all together.Spray muffin tins with Pam. Spoon potato/ham/cheese mixture into each cup.Using a Tbsp, pour 2 Tbsp into each cup. Cover with foil. And bake for 20 minutes at 375. You will want a cookie sheet on the bottom rack because some of the cream will boil over (but only a little). After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. At the last 5 minutes, put the oven on HI broil. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from muffin tin with a spoon.

Now, here is where mine went awry. Mine did not solidify into little cake-like potato patties like Coleen's. I think my potatoes may have needed to be a little smaller, maybe somewhere between chopped and shredded. But they still tasted so wonderful. I'll still be making them again. I ended up scooping them all out and putting them in a dish and serving it that way. It was okay. I was disappointed in the presentation but the taste was so good I didn't really care anymore. And I really liked the potatoes being cut up so small. My family absolutely loved them. We served them with chicken, but they'd be a great side dish for any meal. I also think they'd be great served at breakfast as well. They are super easy and all in one dish. That's my kind of meal!

Macaroni and Cheese

from Shannon

It was hard to get a good picture, but I promise it is good.

1 c elbow macaroni
6 c boiling water
2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped small (or minced onion) (the onion really gives it good flavor)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c flour
1 3/4 c milk
3/4 c sharp cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni in rapidly boiling salted water. Heat to boil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover tightly; remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

Heat butter, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until onion is slightly tender. Blend in flour. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until completely melted.

Place macaroni in greased baking dish. Stir cheese sauce into macaroni. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 4-6 servings.

Note: You can use this as a main dish or as a side... I served it with BBQ Chicken and some Veggies... it was a hit!

Cream Cheese Corn

We had this side dish growing up a lot. Always a staple at family gatherings as well.
Its really simple, but it's so good. But what's not good with cream cheese... really?!!

3 cans corn
1 8oz pkg Philadelphia cream cheese

Drain cans of corn and put them in a bowl. Put cream cheese in the bowl. You can cut it up to help it melt down if you want.Microwave in 1 minute increments, stirring between each, until cream cheese has melted down and the corn is hot. Stir to make sure all the corn is sufficiently coated. About 2 or 3 minutes.

Serve on the side with your main dish.

Note: For just my little family of 4, I usually don't need this much so I do a 1/3 pkg of cream cheese and 1 can of corn. But it's a great dish to take to potluck. It always gets eaten and the bowl is practically licked clean. I don't blame them... it's cream cheese!

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

from my brother, Denton and (allrecipes.com with our changes)

3 cups flour, divided
2 eggs, separated
1 cup Fat Tire Beer, plus more for thinning (its better, I promise)
4 Tbsp butter, melted
salt to taste (a pinch or so... we usually end up doing about 1/4 tsp, but you can start with less and add more later after you test one)
3 large Vidalia or Walla Walla onions (Vidalia are our favorite)

Put 1 cup flour into small bowl for dipping onions before the batter. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks (saving the whites for later in a small bowl). Add in beer, butter, and salt. In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour. Slowly stir the egg mixture into the flour and mix well.  Batter is different every time I make it due to humidity and time of year etc. So sometimes it is a little thicker and sometimes it is thinner. Add more beer from the bottle until the batter resembles pancake batter. Sometimes we end up using the entire bottle. Sometimes less. But get it to a pancake batter consistency. Allow to stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat up deep fryer to 375.

After batter has rested, in a small bowl, beat the egg whites with hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Coat each onion ring with a dusting of flour (to help the batter stick) and then dip into batter.Using a fork, allow some of the batter to drip off a bit. Carefully dip the onion ring into the hot oil. You don't want to just plop it in there or the batter will fly off and your onion ring won't be as pretty. (But it still tastes the same.) I usually fry one or two and then taste them to see if the batter needs more salt. You don't want them salty. Just barely there for flavor. We dip the onion rings in various things so you don't want an overpowering salty flavor. So we start with 1/4 tsp and that is usually enough. Sometimes it needs a dash more, but not too often. Once you're happy with the taste, continue flouring and battering and frying until you get the amount of onion rings needed.Deep fry until rings are golden brown. Usually 3 minutes or so. I use my larger fryer (not shown) and can get about 4-5 rings at a time. And I flip them over half way.

Note: If you don't need to use all the batter, it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Admittedly, this makes a large batch. LARGE! But don't despair, that means more for later. Just put the onions and batter in the fridge and make some more later or the next day. It's still great. Follow same directions as above... flouring first, then batter, tap... and fry to golden. :) ENJOY! YUM!!!!

Monkey Bread Muffins

This is just a twist on an old favorite
and it's a fun recipe to make with your kids

1 tube of Pillsbury Flaky Layers biscuits
cinnamon/sugar mixture in a ziploc bag
melted butter and brown sugar to desired consistency
Muffin pan
Non-stick spray OR Muffin liners (optional)

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Put pieces in ziploc bag and shake. (This is my kid's favorite part.) Spray muffin pan or use muffin liners (or both). Place 3 pieces into each muffin cup. Repeat. (One muffin cup will have just 2.)Using a spoon, drizzle brown sugar mixture over each muffin cup. If you want them super gooey, put more on. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Naturally, they are best served warm. We like to serve these with scrambled eggs and cheese.

Note: I should have put these in muffin liners. I think they would have been less mess. If there are any left, place them in ziploc bag. When you want another one later, just pop 'em in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Betty's Sourdough Rolls

Sour Dough Start
4 C warm water
1 T yeast
1/4 C sugar
5 C flour

Do not use with metal.
Let sit 3-4 days. (Make sure you use a container with lots of space in it because it will rise and overflow the first couple days!)

To replenish: Add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water after a few (like 2 or 3) uses.

ROLLS
2 C warm water
1 T yeast
1/3 C sugar
1 C Starter sour dough
1 ½ tsp salt
5 C flour

Mix well let rise until doubles. Roll out to ¾ in thick. Cut and dip in butter. Both sides.Bake 15-20 min. 350 degrees.I keep the start refrigerated and then set it out for a few minutes to soften and then shake it up so it is well mixed and then pour it out for measuring etc...

Note: If you want to use this for stromboli, I do half a batch and use just over 2 tbsp sugar (which is about half of the 1/3 cup).

Easy Fried Rice

the back of a SUN BIRD fried rice seasoning packet


1 packet Sun Bird Fried Rice seasoning packet (they're about 60 cents)
1/3 cup chopped, cooked chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or fish if desired
2 Tbsp canola oil
3 cups cold, cooked rice (white, brown, or instant)
3 green onions, sliced small
2 tsp soy sauce (but we always use more)
2 or 3 eggs beaten
1 cup frozen peas (or peas and diced carrots), cooked

Earlier in the day, cook the rice. For regular rice, boil 3 cups water and then add 1 1/2 cups rice. Turn on low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place in fridge on a hotpad.

About 15 minutes before the sweet and sour chicken is ready, start cooking the fried rice.

In a large skillet, heat oil (about medium temperature). Add onions and cold rice. Stir around to break up rice. Scramble eggs in a small pan. Add eggs to rice.

Add seasoning packet and soy sauce. Stir to mix in seasoning. At the end, at peas (or peas and carrots) and meat (if desired). Final product. If I don't have ham, I don't put it in. It is really good with it though. Serve with desired main dish. We like to serve it with sweet and sour chicken.