Tender Brussel Sprouts seasoned with bacon

You will need: 

• A family size bag of Frozen Brussel Sprouts
• 2 slices of Smoked Bacon
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Enough water just to cover them in the pan

In a medium sauce pan, place bacon slices on med-high heat, and cook them a few minutes,  until you have some grease in the pan, but not until bacon is crispy,  then add the brussel sprouts to the pan, add salt and enough water just to cover the brussel sprouts. Stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and cover with a lid. Cook until desired tenderness. I like mine real tender, so I cook them for about 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Veg-all Casserole

You will need:

• 3 cans Veg-all Vegetable Medley mixed vegetables, please note: I usually don't recommend a certain brand for my recipes, but for this recipe, I do recommend using the Veg-all brand, because I have tried regular canned mixed vegetables in this recipe and it doesn't taste the same, and to me it isn't as good made with other brands)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 4 oz. Mozarella Cheese (fresh grated)
• 4 oz. Cheddar Cheese (fresh grated)
• 1/2 a stick of Margarine
• 1 roll of Ritz Crackers  (that you have crushed, I put mine in a large zip bag and crush them)

Grease a 13 by 9 inch casserole dish or baking pan. Drain the juices from 2 of the cans of veg-all, you'll need the juice from one of the cans, so don't drain one of the veg-all cans. Put it all in a mixing bowl. Add Mayo, and both grated cheeses. Gently stir it all together, put it in the pan, then  put the crushed Ritz crackers on top. Slice margarine and put it randomly all over the top of the crackers.  
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!  

This recipe is one that my Mama and her Mama always made during the holidays. 
 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Grease a 13 by 9 inch casserole dish or baking pan this recipe will be a two step...a filling and a topping

For the filling you will need:

• 4 cups Cooked mashed sweet potatoes....I used 6 medium sized sweet potatoes, I washed and dried them, then greased them with cooking oil, then I baked them in the oven, on a foil lined cookie sheet at 400 degrees for an hour, then let them cool. Then I pulled the skins off and placed them in a medium mixing bowl and mashed them with a pototoe masher)

• 1/2 cup to 1 cup SugarStart with 1/2 cup, then just taste it and judge the amount you want to add by how sweet you would like to make this dish

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 eggs (beaten)

Mix ingredients together in a bowl until mixture is smooth, put it in the greased baking dish and make the topping now

For the topping you will need:

• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine plus a tablespoon more

• 1/3 cup flour

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix ingredients and spread over and top the casserole...

*Important Note:

•  You will also need a Bag of Miniature Marshmallows for this recipe, you will not need the whole bag though, and remember not to top the casserole with the marshmallows until it's almost done cooking.

Bake in preheated oven  350 degrees for 30 min. then take it out of the oven and top with miniature marshmallows, then cook an additional 5 minutes or so until the marshmallows are  golden brown. You'll need to keep an eye on it, you know how fast marshmallows can burn.

Enjoy!

Special thanks to my friend Ann for sharing this recipe with me in 2004..... I've been fixing this during the holidays, every year since then and my family and I love it.

Homemade Buttercream Frosting

For this recipe you will need:

• 4 1/2 cups Powdered sugar...plus a little more depending on the desired spreading consistency of the frosting (I actually buy a large bag to have on hand, but you will not need that much)

• 1/2 cup Butter or margarine softened

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3 Tablespoons of Milk or a little more depending on desired consistency

In a large bowl, hand mix together softened butter or margarine, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth, gradually add milk and stir it until smooth and creamy. You can add more powdered sugar or milk until you get it to the desired consistency for icing a cake.

Frost the cooled cake, decorate and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

You will need:

• 1 cup butter (or 2 sticks) softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups Self-rising flour
• 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, Lightly grease baking sheets. In large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until mixed and creamy. Add the eggs, on at a time and mix well. Stir in vanilla. In another bowl mix flour and salt together. Now, add and beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. I mixed everything by hand using a large spoon. Stir in the oats. Drop by heaping Tablespoons 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a spatula and remove the cookies from pan and set on wire racks to cool. 
Enjoy!

Fast and Easy Baked Ham Steak with Pineapples

This is an easy meat to serve if you are in the mood for some baked ham, but you don't want buy a big ham. It tastes good and it is inexpensive. I do buy the big spiral hams during the holidays and for times when I am having a lot of company over, but this little Ham Steak is great for any day of the year, especially if it's for serving a couple or a small family of 3 or 4.

I personally like this Country Ribbon brand, because it's boneless, but Cook's Brand, and Sam's Club Brand is also good.

All you do is line a baking sheet with foil and put the ham steak on it, pour the juices from the Ham on the pan too, (If you buy a bone in the Ham Steak such as Cook's Brand, I'd wash the Ham Steak first before cooking it, because with that brand, I've noticed that it has a gritty feel to it due to the bone being cut)  and pour a can of diced pineapples over the top...Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes....that's it.

I like to serve it with dried lima beans and fried cornbread (recipes for these are in the sidebar of this blog) and I also like a baked sweet potatoe. By the way, for beginners on cooking I'd like to mention that Baking a sweet potatoe is simple too, just wash it good and rub olive oil on the outside of it, bake it on a foil lined baking sheet for 400 degrees for 1 hour or a little longer...until tender.

Enjoy!

Dried Lima Beans

For this recipe I used:

• 24 oz. bag of China Doll Large Dried Beans
• 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
• Garlic Glove Chopped
• 1/2 Onion Chopped
• 9 Cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
• 1 teaspoons Salt
• Sprinled Black Pepper
• 4 Slices of Bacon

First Soak beans in a bowl of water overnight, then rinse them the next day and put them in a crock pot along with all of the ingredients above. Cook on High all day about 6-8 hours.

 I serve them with cornbread (my fried cornbread recipe can be found in my sidebar)  Ham steak with pineapples and Baked Sweet Potatoe.

Enjoy!

Rice Krispy Treats Desserts ~ All Treats No Tricks...Happy Halloween!

You will need:

• 1/4 cup Butter or Margarine
• 1- 10 oz. Bag of Marshmallows
• 6 Cups Rice Crispies Cereal (or any store brand will do)

Melt margarine or butter in a large pan over med heat. Add marshmallows and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat. Add rice crispy cereal and stir until well coated. Using a buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into a greased 13 by 9 inch pan or casserole dish. Cut into squares when cooled.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe is on the back of most boxes of rice crispy cereal or bags of marshmallows...but there once was a time that I found that it wasn't,  so I'm posting it here so I will have it on hand! 

Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, then line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick spray. Wash Chicken legs and put them on the prepared baking sheet.

Sprinkle generously with your favorite seasonings, I used Chicken Seasoning salt, Season All, Soul Food Seasoning, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder. I sprinkle on one side bake about 45 mintutes and then take them out and turn them sprinkle with seasonings on the other side and bake them for about another 45 minutes. Don't be afraid to cook these for about an hour and a half total time...because I have found that they are perfect then...not rubbery at all, like baked chicken can often tend to be... if it isn't cooked long enough.

After you take them out of the oven be sure to let them stand for about 10-15 minutes...they are just better if you do this...  By allowing the meat to stand a little while before serving allows the juices, (which have been driven to the center of the meat while cooking) to redistribute and be reabsorbed. The meat will be more juicy, tender, a better texture (not rubbery).  

Serve with your favorite side dishes and...
 Enjoy this carefree and "easy" as it gets dish!

Easy Baked Apples

This is a perfect recipe for fall

All you will need is some apples, honey, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon and butter or margarine....

Lightly grease a casserole dish, wash and core the center of  the apples, place them in casserole dish, sprinkle the inside of each apple with a generous amount of honey, then pack in some brown sugar and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and  then cut slices of butter and put them on the tops.  Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 30-40  minutes depending on the size of the apples you are using. This makes a nice presentation for  a fall desert and if you'd like to, you can eat these with shortbread cookies or they are delicious all by themselves.   

 I like to cut them into quarters, (as I did in the photo below)....

 I then take the sauce that's in the dish and I spoon it over the apples and then I bake them an additional 5-10 minutes until they reach desired tenderness, the sauce thickens over the apples and this makes them extra yummy.

 Enjoy!