Caramels

Home made caramels made in the microwave.  Just like the peanut brittle recipe, homemade goodness done easy.

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light Karo syrup

1 14oz can Eagle brand milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter a 9x13 pan and set aside

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter.

Add all the remaining ingredients except vanilla and mix well

Microwave on full power 4-5 minutes. 

Remove from microwave and wisk.

Microwave another 4-5 minutes

Remove from microwave and wisk.

Return to microwave and cook another 4-5 minutes.

Remove and wisk while adding vanilla.

Pour into buttered casserole dish and let cool for 2 hours. 

Cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Recipe says to keep in the refrigerator but I find that makes them hard.  I like chewy.  So, if you aren't planning to eat right away, refrigerate them but take them out and let them soften up before you serve.  

Italian Chicken and Rice

4 chicken breast
1 packet of dry zesty Italian dreasing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water


Spray inside of crock pot with Pam for easy clean up.  Pour in 1/2 cup water.  Place breast in the pot.  Can be frozen.
Sprinkle seasoning mix on the breast.
Lay butter and cream cheese on top of breast.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until done.  Remove the breast and tear into bite size pieces.  Add can of cream of chicken soup to crock pot and stir until mixed in.  Add the chicken back to crock pot and mix in.  Serve over rice.

Wedding Brunch

This weekend I was blessed to see my daughter marry the most wonderful man.   We gathered at beautiful Lake Keowee in South Carolina.   We came together, two families and a small group of their dearest friends, to watch them join their lives together at a beautiful little chapel by the lake. Sunday morning I hosted a farewell breakfast for everyone. These two dishes I prepared were a big hit and I promised I would share the recipes.

Breakfast Casserole

1 pound sausage, I used Jimmy Dean
1 bag of mini croissants,  24 count
1 1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
1 teaspoon salt
6 green onions, sliced
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, I opted for Swiss

Cook sausage, stir until crumbled and no pink is left.  Tear croissants into bite size pieces.  Toss sausage, bread, parmesan cheese and onions  together.
Spray casserole dish with Pam.  Arrange the bread mixture in the dish.
Wisk together the eggs, milk , cream and salt.  Pour evenly over the bread mixture.
Cover and chill for 8 hours.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover and top with the remaining grated cheese.  Bake 45 minutes until golden.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Grits Casserole

6 Cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic
2 cups grits
16 oz mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1 stick unsalted butter
8 oz grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
spraycasserole dish with Pam
Bring broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a boil.  Stir in grits and wisk until smooth. Lower heat and cook about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cheddar and milk and stir. Remove from heat and add eggs and butter and stir until combined.  Pour into casserole dish and top with grated white cheddar.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until set.

Gumbo

My husband has loved Gumbo and all things Cajan since he went with my brother Buddy on a company sponsored trip to Louisiana.   I have never made Gumbo because frankly it just seemed like too much trouble.  I rarely tackle recipes that have more than a few ingredients.  Tonight I made Gumbo and it was so easy I couldn't wait to share.

One day Zataran's box mixes were on sale and I had a coupon that made them almost free so I bought several with no idea what I would do with them.  One purchase was Gumbo Mix with rice.  It is the perfect base for gumbo.  Best part, it was easy and ready in about 30 minutes.
6 cups of water in a pot with a couple of chicken breast and let them cook while you do the next step.
Spray a large pot or Dutch oven with Pam for easy clean up. Add a little oil.  Add a diced onion and a package of Cajun andouille sausage sliced or diced, that's up to you.  Sautee the onion and sausage together till the onion is cooked.  If the chicken breast are done remove from water and shred.  Save the water.  Add chicken to the onion and sausage mix and sautee the chicken for just a minute so it can absorb some of the flavor.
Add the contents of the Zataran's gumbo mix.  Add 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes and the water you cooked the chicken in.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simner for about 30 minutes.
Here are a few hints...when you add the oil at the beginning you can add whatever oil you like to use.  I added bacon drippings which I always save for flavoring vegetables.  You can adjust the heat by adding smoked sausage instead if the cajan andouille.  You can add mild Rotel or use the hotter version .  I added about 1/4 cup of extra rice to make it thicker.  You can also add a little chicken broth to make it thinner.  If you like okra that's a good idea.  And you can add shrimp the last few minutes. Cook just until shrimp are pink or they will be tough.
My favorite thing to serve this with is jalepeno cornbread.


Jalepeno corn muffins

I make up my normal corn bread (recipe on blog).  To it I add about a half cup of corn.  I used frozen but canned will work.  I add about a half cup of grated cheese (I used sharp) and I added the jalepenos from a jar. Dice them up.  You control the heat here.  Personally I like the taste of Jalepenos but not the heat so I use the Tamed jalepenos that I've mentioned before.  The amount you add would also be up to your heat tollerance.  I always spray my muffin tin with Pam and then I had a splash of oil to the bottom of each cup in the tin before I spoon in the cornbread mix.  This will give it a nice crust.  Bake at 425 until golden brown.  Let them sit a couple of minutes before you try to remove them from pan.  The melted cheese on the inside can make them soft and a little hard to remove.  A good idea is to run a knife around the sides to loosen them before you remove.
Enjoy experimenting and let me know how you like it.

Tomato Pie

I've been working this summer on perfecting my version of Tomato Pie.  Today I think I finally got it.

1 frozen pie shell
1 or 2 tomatoes depending on size
1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1/2 cup diced onion
salt and pepper

Peal and slice tomatoes and lay in a colinder.  Go ahead and salt and pepper them and let them sit in the sink.  This will draw some of the water out of the tomatoes. Turn oven on to 400.  Go ahead and put frozen pie shell in while it's heating up.  After a few minutes the shell will be thawed enough for you to either prick with a fork several times or slit 2 or 3 times with a knife.  Cook just until the crust starts to brown slightly.   Remove from oven and lower heat to 350.  Dice up onions enough to cover the bottom.  I used red onions but Vidalia would be just as good.  Lay tomatoes on the onion enough to cover. Stir 1 1/2 cups finely grate cheese with about 1/2 cup Mayonaise.  Use a spatula to spread the cheese mix over the tomatoes.   Return to oven until it starts to brown.  I then increased the heat to 400 to finish browning and getting the cheese all bubbly.
I found this to be a good side dish but you can make a meal out of it by adding meat.

Cook and crumble about a half pound of bacon.  Add after the onions but before the tomatoes.

Thinly slice a smoked sausage.  My new favorite smoked sausage is McCormick brand with Montreal Steak season in it.
They come in a pack of six and are slightly larger than a hot dog.  Again, add between onion and tomatoes.

BTW...They are great grilled and served in a hot dog roll with mustard (preferably grain mustard)

Chicken Bog

I have 3 nieces I love like they were my own.  The youngest, Jennifer, texted me tonight to remind me that I did not have one of her favorite recipes of mine on my blog. So here it is Jennifer's Chicken Bog.

1 pound chicken- 2 good size breast
1 lb. Smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 stick butter
2 tsp. Seasoned salt
2 tsp Paula Deens house seasoning (recipe is on this blog)
1 tsp black pepper
3 bay leaves
8 cups water
3 cups raw rice
1 tsp. Ground red pepper.  I don't like too much heat so I don't add this much.  As always I'll leave the level of heat up to you.

In a large pot melt butter add onion and smoked sausage and cook just until onion is tender.  Add water, chicken, seasonings and bay leaves.   Bring to boil.  Lower heat and cook until chicken is done.  Remove chicken.  Add rice.  Bring to boil.  Cook until rice is done.  Boil for about 10 minutes, lower heat and continue to cook until rice is tender.  About 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally as the rice cooks.  Remove bay leaves.  Shred chicken and return it to the pot.   Stir to combine and its ready to serve.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

6-8 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-8oz packages of creamed cheese that you have allowed to soften
1 cup mayonaise, I prefer Hellmans.
4-6 diced jalepenos, I don't like so much heat so I buy the TAME jalepenos in a jar in the pickle section .
I cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded motzerella cheese
1/4 cup diced green onion
Mix together and transfer to a baking dish
Mix a cup of crushed Ritz crackers, 1/2 stick melted butter and 1/2 cup parmesean cheese.
Sprinkle on top.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes till its golden brown and bubbly.

Mexican Spaghetti

Got this one from my friend Ashley
Pound of chicken breast in the bottom of crock pot that has been sprayed with Pam.
Add a can of cream of mushroom soup,
a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of rotel tomatoes.  I use mild.  You choose your heat.  Cook on low until chicken is done.  Remove chicken and shred or cut into bite size pieces.  Add a cup of sour cream to crock pot and stir.  Return chicken to crock pot.  Cook 8 ounces of pasta, I prefer angel hair.  My friend Ashley prefers fettuccine.  I'll leave that to you.  Drain pasta and add to crock pot.  Its ready to serve.  You can top with a Mexican  blend cheese, if you like.
Chicken can go in frozen.  Allow more cooking time.

Mississippi Potroast

I saw this on Pinterest but was reluctant to try it until I saw them talking about it on Good Morning America.  I'm sure glad I did.

Roast in the bottom of your crock pot (be sure to spray with Pam for easy clean up)
Sprinkle an envelope of ranch dressing mix over roast
Then sprinkle an envelope of au jus brown gravy mix over the roast
Lay a stick if butter on top
Lay 6 peperocini peppers around the edge
Cover and cook on low until roast is done and tender.
I serve it with vegetables the first night and use the left overs to Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches the second night.
I tried this with chicken and served over rice-delicious
I tried it with a pork roast-delicious as well.

Tortellini Soup

1 pound Italian sausage
onion diced
2 cans Italian tomatoes
1 tsp. Cummin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
32 oz carton chicken broth
8 oz cream cheese
bag of fresh spinach
bag of frozen cheese tortellini
Brown sausage and onion. Add garlic, cummin, oregano, salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes then cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted and blended into soup. Add chicken broth. Add spinach and let cook until spinach is wilted into the soup mix.  Add the tortellini.   Stir gently so you won't break up the tortellini.  When the tortellini
is done the soup is ready.  Only takes 2 or 3 minutes.  Serve with freshly grated parmesean cheese on top and some Italian bread.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

With colder weather coming on I've been tackling some new soups.   Here are a couple I think you will like.

Cream of Mushroom

drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup of butter
Small onion diced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2-3 cups mushrooms roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons flour
Splash of white wine-optional
3-4 cups of chicken stock
Block of cream cheese
Melt butter.  Add the olive oil. Add mushrooms and onions and cook until tender.  Add garlic just before they are done.  Add the flour and the wine.  Cook until the wine has cooked off.  Add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.  Add the cream cheese and stir until in melts into the soup.  The soup will thicken slightly.  Salt and pepper to taste.  It's recommended you serve with buttered crackers.  I ate mine with buttered croutons.   Of course good bread will work too.