Super Bowl Sunday

Ok, so Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food and commercials for me. Sure, there is a game on, but I can't wait for the commercial breaks.  I use game time to refill my plate, and I make sure to be back on the couch for the 3 minute slots in between! I kid, I kid! I'll watch the game too. ;)
I am having a dilemma over who to cheer for....I immediately said I would be cheering for the Steelers, because I think cheese-heads are SUPER CHEESY! Pardon the pun. However, my husband filled me in on the accusations against Ben. He is the Steelers' quarterback for those like me who didn't know. He has been accused of some very bad things. Innocent until proven guilty, I know, BUT if it is true.....I DON'T WANT HIM TO WIN. I may cheer for everyone on his team except for him, because I still don't think I can cheer for someone with cheese on their head. I'm sorry if any Packer fans read this.  I am sure the team is great, and you are great, and maybe it is fun to wear the cheese...I don't know.

I am soooooo off topic here. This post was supposed to be all about the food. We are going to serve a small array of items:

Wings (Wings & photo from Publix)

Jalepeno Popper Dip (photo from My Baking Addiction)

Pigs in a Blanket

Tornadoes

That is it, for now....  What are you fixing for the game?

Tortilla Soup

As I told you, yesterday we went to a friend's house for some Christmas fun.  She made a delicious soup called, Tortilla Soup.  If you like Taco Soup, you will definitely like this one too.  They are very similar. Here is the recipe for anyone interested:

Taco Soup
1 pkg frozen creamed corn (or 1 can)
1 can Rotel
1 can yellow corn
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans
1 can refried beans
1 jar of salsa
1 packet of ranch dressing mix
1 packet of taco seasoning
8 oz. sour cream
1 lb. ground beef, cooked


Mix all ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally.


Sprinkle with cheese and serve with corn chips.


Serves 6-8

Easy Summer Meals: Meal #2

Corn-on-the-cob, how do I love thee!  Let me count the ways. I could eat fresh corn-on-the cob every day!  This meal was super easy.  Prep your corn and slice the squash.

The menu: pork chops, corn-on-the cob, and squash. You will see some fresh green beans...ignore those.  I was trying it out....FAILED! If anyone knows how to grill green beans, please let me know.

I put the corn on the grill first. Turn it slightly every couple of minutes.  I drizzled a little butter and Kosher salt on the cobs every once in a while. Be careful, the flames will try to get you when you do this! Season one side of the chops with seasoning salt and garlic salt.  Place the seasoned side down.  Season the backside. Place squash on the grill and season. Turn as needed.

P.S.  I don't always cook pork chops.  The package had 6 in it. Three for one meal, and three more for a meal a couple of days later.

Easy Summer Meals: Meal #1

I LOVE cooking on the grill in the warmer months. Clean up is easy, and my husband usually does the cooking and I just have to prep the food.

One night last week, we made Asian Grilled Pork Chops.  I got the recipe from a Bruno's ad that came in the mail. Check out these YUMMY puppies!

In addition to the pork chops, we grilled some fresh summer squash.  I used a little EVOO and sprinkled them with Kosher salt.

I also sliced up a tomato and cucumber for a nice, cool addition to our plates!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the vibrant colors of summer.  Now, for the recipe.

Asian Grilled Pork Chops

1 TBSP soy sauce

1TBSP vegetable oil

1/2 TBSP honey

1/2 TBSP fresh lime juice

1/2 TBSP ground ginger

1 large garlic clove, smashed (I used the jar of the minced garlic)

The recipe calls for 8 thin, center-cut pork chops (about 1 3/4 pounds).  I used 3 bone-in thin, center-cut pork chops. 

2 scallions, chopped (I used green onions.  I don't know the difference.)

Preparation:

Combine soy sauce, oil, honey, lime juice, ginger and garlic in a large zip-top bag. (I must admit, I didn't read carefully, and I add my green onions to the bag. Oh, well.) SMUSH it all together. :) Add pork chops, squeeze air out, seal and turn to coat pork.  Chill for 15 minutes (I prepared them about an hour ahead of grilling time). Prepare a grill or grease a grill pan and place over medium heat.  When hot, add chops and cook until nicely marked and just cooked through, about 7 minutes total, turning once.  Transfer chops to a platter and let stand for 3 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with scallions.

Snickerdoodle Bars

Today I saw this recipe on the Cookies and Cups blog. She had gotten the recipe for Snickerdoodle Bars on the blog called 3B's...Baseball, Baking, & Books. Did you follow that? What a simple, quick treat. I love a recipe that calls for ingredients that I always have in the pantry. That means I can make a batch any time I want....which will probably be often. They are so good. I have always been a fan of Snickerdoodle cookies so I really enjoyed these. My daughter also enjoyed helping Mommy in the kitchen. She stirred the batter and washed dishes! (I could get used to that.) Let me know if you try them. I hope you like them as much as we do!

Pumpkin Bars

Because it is the 1st day of Fall, I am making Pumpkin Bars, Taco Soup, and cornbread today. I LOVE FALL! I just wish the weather was a little cooler in the southern end of Alabama. Oh, well. It will be soon enough. This recipe for Pumpkin Bars comes from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The bars are more cake like than what I typically think of for "bars." They are topped with a cream cheese icing. I love anything with cream cheese!

Pumpkin Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugr

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

4 beaten eggs

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 cup cooking oil

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and oil till combined. Spread batter in an ungreased 15x10x1 baking pan.

2. Bake in a 350° oven 25-30 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours on a wire rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into bars.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup buter, softened (1/2 stick)

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1. Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually add 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Should reach a spreading consistency.

Apple Praline Bread

My best friend, Kelli, made a delicious treat today.... APPLE PRALINE BREAD! Double yum! She is bringing me a taste tomorrow. I am so excited! She found the recipe in a recent copy of Southern Living magazine. Here are the pics and the recipe. Get ready to drool.

Praline Apple Bread

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided

1 (8oz) container sour cream

1 c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1TBSP vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. finely copped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb)

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.

2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.

3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter in to a greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1 qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).

NOTE: To freeze, cool bread completely; wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Show Us Your Life-Dinner Recipes

This is a dish that I cook a lot, because it is soooo simple!

Sawdust Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (as many as you need)

Saltine Crackers

Butter

Seasoning Salt

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Pound out the chicken breasts. If the breasts gets too large, I cut them into 2 pieces.

2. Melt a stick of butter in one bowl. Crush the saltine crackers in another bowl.

3. Dip the chicken in the butter. Roll it in the cracker pieces.

4. Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining cracker bits around the chicken. Drizzle the remaining butter all over. Season with seasoning salt.

5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Let me start by saying, "YUM!". I have been wanting to make bruschetta since I watched Julie and her husband stuff their faces with it on Julie & Julia. I am trying to remember how she toasted her bread...I know she did it on the stove, but was it with butter or EVOO...not sure, but it looked great! Here is the recipe I followed:

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (I used roma, because Walmart didn't have plum)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup EVOO

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

8 FRESH basil leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 baguette French bread

1. Parboil the tomatoes: Bring water to a boil, remove pot from burner, add tomatoes, and let them sit for 1 minute. Remove the skins of the tomatoes. Cut them in half and remove the seeds, juice, and stem area.

2. Move a rack to the top in your oven. Preheat to 450

3. While the oven is heating, chop the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes, minced garlic, 1 Tbsp evoo, and vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the basil, salt, and pepper.

4. Slice the bread on a diagonal (about 1/2 inch thick). Coat one side of each slice with evoo using a pastry brush. Place on a baking sheet, oil side down. Toast them on the top rack for about 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

5. Spoon the tomato mixture on the oil side of the bread. Add a touch of S & P (if desired)

6. Enjoy!

Makes 24 small slices.

I plan to use the remaining bread this weekend in Baked French Toast with Praline Topping. Check back for the recipe and pics!

From King Ranch Chicken to Black Bean Tostadas

Last week, I made King Ranch Chicken. I got the recipe from another blog: Kelly's Korner Recipes . The only thing I did different was I put a layer of torn corn tortillas (about 5) on the bottom. Then, I spread half of the chicken mixture on that. I repeated those two layers and topped it with all of the cheese. I still had a lot of tortilla shells remaining. I told you about the magazine All You in a previous post. One of the recipes I clipped was for Black Bean Tostadas. It came out of the September 2009 issue. I made this last night with the plan to make homemade guacamole to go with it. The avocado was rotten so we had nachos with the tostadas instead. They were good and easy!

Black Bean Tostadas

Prep: 5 min. Cook: 10 min.

Serves: 6

Cost per serving: $0.44

6 6-in. corn tortillas

3 TBSP canola oil

Salt & pepper

1/2 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Assorted optional toppings such as shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, salsa, sour cream and sliced jalapenos

1. Preheat oven to 425. Brush both sids of tortillas with 2 TBSP oil and sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt. Lay tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes, turning over halfway through.

2. While tortillas are baking, warm remaining 1 TBSP oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Reduce heat to low and add beans and 2 TBSP of water. Mash mixture with a potato masher or the back of a fork and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Divide bean mixture among tortillas. Layer with desired toppings and serve.

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Pecan Cheesecake Pie

The name of this pie is enough to draw you in. I saw this recipe on MyRecipes.com and just had to try it. According to myrecipes.com, this recipe originally came from the wonderful magazine also known as Southern Living, November 2007.

We are having our parents and grandparents over for lunch tomorrow since it is Grandparents' Day. We are serving ham, potato casserole, green beans, homemade mac-n-cheese (thanks to my sister-in-law, Elizabeth), and rolls. Then, for dessert, we will be enjoying Pecan Cheesecake Pies. I hope they taste as good as they sound! I baked the pies tonight. They will chill in the fridge until lunch tomorrow. I'll let you know how they taste later. Here is the recipe for those who are interested:

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Prep: 15 min., Bake: 55 min., Cool: 1 hr

1/2 (15 oz) pkg refrigerated piecrusts (I used the frozen deep dish piecrusts in their own tins)

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, divided

3/4 cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

1 cup light corn syrup

1. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions. Fold edges under, and crimp.

2. Beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture into piecrust; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans.

3. Whisk together corn syrup, remaining 3 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla; pour mixture over pecans. Place pie on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 on lowest oven rack 50 to 55 minutes or until pie is set. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour or until completely cool. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 2 days.

Yield: Makes 8 servings (This recipe is for one pie. I doubled it.)