I
have been trying to go through a bunch of stuff from my mom's house
and sort through it. One of the problems with that is I keep getting
sidetracked. This recipe for example, I found this recipe on a recipe
card tucked into one of mom's cookbooks. As soon as I read it I was
not only craving it but I was remembering all those pot luck dinners
that mom took this dessert to.
For
a couple of years of my childhood and into my teen years whenever mom
was called upon to bring a dessert to a potluck this was what she
made. I think mainly because it was easy to make and carried well to
these functions.
I
really don't know what the real name of it was because she had just
titled the card “refrigerator dessert” I don't know where she got
the recipe from either. I just know that when I took a bite of it I
was right back there at one of those potlucks surrounded by friends
and celebrating whatever event the potluck was for.
I
know that mom changed up the cake component depending on what was on
hand. Sometimes she used angel food cake and sometimes she used a
plain white cake or whatever she had handy I think. Feel free to use
whatever your favorite plain light cake is.
I
was really at a loss for what to call this dish, I know what it is
not (a jambalaya) but stew comes the closest to what it really is. I
came up with this one all because of some sausage I tasted at a demo
table at a grocery store several months ago. I needed to just pick up
a couple of things and the parking lot at the store I normally go to
was a zoo so I went to the store down the street that I don't go to
very often. As I was walking through there was a very nice lady
offering up samples of a smoked sausage from a company that I was not
familiar with. I tried all the varieties and decided to take a
package of the cajun spiced one home with me. Now I needed to figure
out how to serve. I thought about it a couple of days and decided I
wanted to play around with it a bit.
Since
I live a ways from the nearest grocery store I always have stuff on
hand in the freezer and pantry. When you live out here you don't run
to the store at the last minute to pick up something for dinner.
There is also no delivery any where near here. I started to think
about what I had on hand. I knew there was some chicken breasts in
the freezer (these are always in my freezer) and I had picked up
some frozen shrimp a few days before. Hummmm.....
I
mulled the choices over for a few days and decided to combine the
sausages with both of the above meats. I knew I wanted to go cajun
style so that meant onion, celery and green pepper. I had all of
these on hand so now dinner was coming together. I wanted the chicken
and shrimp to stand up to the sausage so I decided to coat these two
items with some of my homemade cajun seasoning blend (I'll add that
recipe at the end of this post). I knew it wouldn't take much of the
seasoning, a little goes along way but it is so good on almost all
meats. I had just picked up a bunch of cans of diced tomatoes and I
like a tomato base to this kind of dish so that went on my mental
list of ingredients. My fresh thyme was doing well at that time too
and since there's dry thyme in my seasoning blend I thought that
would be a good addition too (I like to add some fresh herbs in
wherever I can)
The
rest of the ingredients came about as I tasted the dish as I made it
the first time.
Now
all that being said the day I recorded this I couldn't get the cajun
sausage and used some smoked sausage that was labeled Spicy Italian.
It worked just as well. If you want to cut back on the spiciness of
the dish use a smoked Polish type sausage. Really any variety of
pre-cooked (smoked) sausage will work just fine.
We
really love this one and it is really easy to make in a larger batch
to feed a crowd. Since the different elements are cooked separately
and come together at the end just increase it to fill up your crew.
The recipe as written is plenty to fill up my son and myself and have
plenty of leftovers for lunch.
On
the subject of servings and more importantly how many servings my
recipes make. That is a really tough question since I am trying to
fill up a growing teenage boy. I swear at this age (14) they can eat
enough for an army and still pop up for a snack 5 minutes later. He
is currently 6' tall and still growing. So how many normal people
will this feed?? You will have to be the judge of that one.
Cajun
Stew
½
lb large shrimp (peeled, deveined and thawed if frozen)
1
boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
1
Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning blend
½
lb spicy sausage Cajun style or spicy Italian smoked sausage
I
discovered this little gem just a couple of years ago. It seemed like
every time I picked up a cooking magazine or tuned into the Food
Network I saw someone making/serving pickled onions. I tried a couple
of recipes and we fell in love with this one. I think it is a
combination of several I found in different places but I am not
really sure. All I have is the recipe scribbled on a partial piece of
yellow legal paper. I keep it tacked to my kitchen bulletin board so
I can make these regularly. Truth be told at this point I could
probably make them in my sleep though.
There
is pretty much always a jar with some of these in our fridge. We use
them all the time. They are great on sandwiches of all kinds and just
as fantastic in a green salad. I have thrown them into almost every
recipe that calls for pickles or pickle relish and so far they have
been a huge hit every time. I know that both my son and I have on
occasion just grabbed a few to eat on their own too. They really are
that good.
I
like to store ours in a quart size canning jar. I do this for several
reasons first off I have a bunch of them around from the canning that
my mom, my grandma and that I have done over the years. The jars are
easy to clean and can withstand the hot brine solution going in with
the onions. Also the lids give a nice seal so the pickly awesomeness
doesn't invade the rest of the contents of the fridge.
I
like to heat the brine up in the microwave for about 2 minutes. I
tried doing them without heating the liquid up and we just prefer the
results this way. The brine doesn't need to come to a boil, just get
it hot enough to steam a bit and to dissolve the salt and sugar. I
use Tabasco in ours but use your favorite hot sauce, after a batch or
two you will know how much to use. I use about 3 or 4 good splashes
of it and we find it to be perfect.
These
really are best after a day or so, the onions need some time to get
friendly with the brine and begin to break down a bit. I really don't
know how long they will keep because they have never lasted long
enough to find out. The brine is a wonderful addition to salad
dressings and just about anywhere else you would use vinegar. It
turns a very pretty magenta color from the onions and takes on the
flavor of the onions very quickly.
This
is the very first cookie recipe I remember making as a young girl and
I have made them on a regular basis ever since. I love how easy they
are, no mixer required, and they still taste wonderful. I can have
fresh from the oven cookies ready to serve in a matter of minutes.
They have a wonderful hint of lemon but if you don't like lemon just
leave the extract out, they will still be wonderful. The recipe makes
a small number of cookies, I usually get between 24 and 30 per batch.
The only down side I see to them is they do get stale a bit quicker
than some of the other cookies I make but since they are so good they
seldom hang around long enough for that to be a problem.
If
you have never made cookies before these are a fantastic recipe to
try as your first exploration of baking. Also if you have a young
child that wants to bake cookies this is a good place to start. Adult
supervision is necessary for getting the cookies in and out of the
hot oven but other than that these are very kid friendly.
If
you want to really make them special substitute some decorator sugar
in a festive color for the sugar that you dip the glass in to flatten
your cookies before putting them in the oven.
Just
what are smooshed potatoes you ask? Well, that's the name my kids
gave this recipe the first time I made it. They are small baby
potatoes that are boiled then smooshed (as opposed to mashed) and
then cooked again in a hot skillet in a bit of oil. The result is a
yummy and fun side dish that goes so well with any meal. We really
like them alongside of any roasted meat dish.
You
can use any variety of small round (baby) potatoes. Try all of the
ones your store carries and see what your family likes the best. A
couple of times when making this for company I have used a variety of
potatoes and that makes for a wonderfully attractive presentation.
The secret is using the smallest of the potatoes, it is best if you
can buy them in the bulk so you can pick through for the smallest. My
normal grocery store only carries this size potato in the little mesh
bags and there are always a few that are too big to work well. The
bigger ones tend to break apart when you smoosh them with the
drinking glass. They still taste great they just don't look as nice
on the plate.
The
other real key to this dish is to use a really hot pan, this will
help the potatoes to form a crust quickly and not to overcook.
Remember they are already cooked through, we are really just crisping
them up.
Work
in small batches so you don't cool the pan off and have room to work.
Season them really well with salt and pepper when they come out of
the oil and keep the finished ones hot in a warm oven while you cook
off the rest.
I'm
not going to give you amounts on this recipe because you can make as
many or as few as your family will eat.
This
is a dish I have been making for at least a decade. It is a
particular favorite of my middle son. I think the reason the kids
love it is because it combines the flavors of several summer time
foods all in one comfort dish of a casserole.
The
thing I love most about it is that all of the ingredients are things
that are easy to have on hand so it is great to serve when you have
people show up just in time to expect to be fed.
You
can vary the flavor somewhat by your choice of the bottled BBQ sauce
and the baked beans, these come in lots of different flavors and the
nice thing is they come on sale at great prices often too. Since they
are both canned goods they store in the pantry really well. The
little sausages tend to come on sale from time to time too and I try
to stock up when they do. They freeze really well and I have been
known to partially thaw them in the microwave before heating them
with the beans and sauce.
The
cornbread mix is almost always a bargain and although I rarely make
cornbread with it I keep it on had for casseroles like this one.
Check the label on your cornbread and use the ingredients called for
on it, the ones in the list are what I have found to be pretty
standard.
Onions,
milk, eggs and butter are always in my kitchen so you can understand
why I fall back on this casserole regularly.
I
have also doubled this with fantastic results for a crowd, just bake
it in a 13”x9” and is will be fine.
Corn
Dog Casserole
!
(28 oz) can baked beans (any variety)
1
(14 to 16 oz) package of “little smokey” sausages
½
cup barbecue sauce (any variety)
1
small onion chopped
1
(6- 8.5 oz) box or pouch of corn bread mix
ingredients
to make cornbread mix:
1/3
cup milk
2
Tablespoons melted butter
1
egg
Heat
oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
In
a large saucepan combine the baked beans, sausages, bbq sauce and
onion. Place pan over medium heat until bubbly. Stir the pan
frequently while it heats.
Meanwhile
combine the cornbread mix with the ingredients called for on the
box/pouch.
When
the bean mixture is hot and bubbly pour into an 8”x8” baking
dish. Spoon the cornbread batter over the beans in the casserole dish
spreading as well as you can.
Place
the casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25
minutes. The top of the cornbread should be golden brown and the bean
mixture should be bubbling up.
I
developed this recipe a few years ago for a good friend. At the time
her daughter (Sara) was having a lot of food allergy issues and was
on a very restricted diet. This is hard for anyone but for a teenage
girl whose friends go out for pizza and ice cream is is doubly hard.
Her mom asked me if I knew of any kind of dessert recipe that she
could make for Sara. Among the long list of other items not allowed
were wheat, dairy, soy, and corn (I won't bore you with the entire
list) Luckily she could have chocolate as long as the other
ingredients were okay. Well, my first thought was a flour-less
chocolate cake. The problem was all the ones I could find had at
least on ingredient from the list of forbidden foods. I put on my
thinking cap and did some experimenting. I came up with this
particular chocolate cake that has only 4 ingredients, all on the
approved list and it was a hit. Sara and her mom loved it as well as
my kids. (Good thing my kids liked it, we ate several versions to get
to this one)
This
is a very dense, moist chocolate cake with a slightly bitter taste
(like that of dark chocolate) so good. It is best the first day or so
after it is baked but it seldom lasts very long at my house.
Obviously,
if you are making this for someone with allergies be sure to read
all the labels on the ingredients you are using. And I can say from
personal experience read them every time you purchase. Manufacturers
do change formulas sometimes and just because the last one you
purchased was fine there is no guarantee that the one on the shelf
today will be. When you are trying to work with food allergies you
have to read those labels every time not just sometimes.
I
based this recipe on unsweetened baking cocoa for a simple reason
that is all that is in it. There are no other ingredients (at least
my brand) added to it. Many of the unsweetened chocolates have other
ingredients and they were not allowed for Sara at that time.
Chocolate
Cake for Sara
1
1/4 cups cocoa powder 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1
cup sugar 3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Oil an 8"
cake pan In a mixing bowl combine the cocoa powder and the oil and
beat with a mixer until smooth. Slowly beat in sugar until well
combined . Add eggs and beat well after each. Pour/ spread in
prepared pan Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top of the
cake forms a thin skin. Cool in baking pan for 5 minutes and then
invert onto a serving plate.
I
have been working on this bread recipe for several months now and I
think I have it just where I want it. My goal was to make a loaf of
bread that used the bread machine to do the tedious part of the bread
making and still have a normal shaped loaf.
You
may have noticed on my blogs in the past that I often refer to my
bread machine and my slow cooker as the “hired help” in the
kitchen. They really can be if you use them on a regular basis. I
love my bread machine and use it a lot. Sometimes I let it do all the
work from start to finish but more often I use it like I do in this
recipe. I take advantage of the Dough setting and then transfer the
bread to a regular loaf pan to finish up.
Since
I am home working most days it is convenient for me to do this. I can
still get a lot of work done while the machine does most of the work
on the bread. Then at the sound of my timer I can take a break to see
to the needs of the bread. At the end of a few hours I have a loaf of
bread just as good as the ones that my mom and my grandma put so much
work into. That being said I do still make bread the old fashioned
way that I learned as a young girl. I still enjoy to work with the
dough but face it most days I just don't have the luxury of the time
it takes.
I
want to cover a few things about this bread before I give you the
recipe.
I
use ¼ cup of sugar in this recipe. I do that for several reasons the
first being that it helps the yeast to get maximum rise. The yeast
does need sugar to give it the energy and it helps to make this a
practically fool proof recipe (as long as you measure carefully and
follow the directions) Also with the addition of sugar you get some
of the best toasting bread since the sugar is what helps to brown it
in the toaster.
I
designed this bread to use plain old All Purpose flour. I love that
because I don't always have special bread flour on hand, if you want
to add some variety and boost the nutrients a bit you might try
replacing up to half the flour with whole wheat flour. The resulting
loaf will be a bit denser but equally as tasty. Or try your favorite
flour and see how it works. I would recommend that you replace no
more than half of the flour with another flour.
About
10 minutes after I start the bread machine I like to go and make a
visual check of the loaf. At this point I adjust the liquid/flour
ratio. When I lift the lid I want to find a nice ball of dough being
worked by the machine. If it is too hard or there is a batch of flour
that isn't getting mixed into the dough I add just a bit of warm
water (no more than a Tablespoon at a time) if on the other hand the
dough is too loose to form a good ball I add some more flour (again
about a Tablespoon at a time) After the machine has a few minutes to
work this addition in I re-check to see if the dough is forming a
nice ball, if not I make another adjustment and re-check.
Another
way to add some variety to your loaf of bread is to change the liquid
you use. You can always use water but why? There's an entire world
out there of wonderful liquids to try. I have used many things I
think our favorites so far have been various fruit juices (orange is
really good and makes fantastic French Toast) and buttermilk. Be
warned the juices will allow your bread to raise a lot taller so keep
an eye on it while it is rising in the loaf pan you might want to
bake it before the hour is up. My nest experiment will be with some
broth to see how that works. What can you think of to try?
At
the end of the video I share a tip I learned from my mom (and she
most likely learned from her mom) and I wanted to pass it on to you.
As soon as you take the baked loaf out of the oven and out of the pan
brush it with melted butter and wrap it in a damp towel and then onto
a cooling rack. This process not only gives the bread a wonderfully
flavored crust but it steams the loaf and softens the crust just the
right amount. Don't use your best towels for this, you might get some
stains from the melted butter and the steam but it is well worth it.
