Man Food With A Twist

I found this recipe on Crockpot Lady's blog. I knew we had to try it immediately. Now, hubby LOVES roasts and any kind of potatoes, but I wasn't sure how he was going to feel about this one. Much to my surprise, he was saying how good it was before I could even eat any. We will be making this again, and maybe even with pork next time.

Cranberry Roast:

1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1, 2-4 lb roast
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 can whole bery cranberry sauce
flour for dusting
salt and pepper

Cover the roast with a sprinkle of salt and pepper on each side. Dredge each side of the roast lightly in flour. Heat a tablespoon or 2 of butter in the skillet, and brown the roast on all sides. Place the rings of onion in the crockpot. Place the roast on top of the onions. Pour the butter and dripings over the roast. Next add the 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce, just pouring over the top of the roast. Dispense the cranberry sauce on top of the roast. Cook on low for 5 -6 hours. This is so good. Can't wait to make the pork version. ENJOY!!!!

Sudsy Soup

I found this recipe in the Birmingham News, and made it for my husband and parents earlier today. Everyone loved it, and thought it was blog-worthy.

Beer Cheese Soup:

2 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
2 soup cans full of evaporated milk or half and half
12 ounces beer
1 pound Cheez Whiz or Velveeta
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of white pepper
Worcestershire sauce, to taste

Put soup in heavy-bottom saucepan. Gradually blend in milk or half and half. Blend in beer. Heat over moderate heat until mixture is hot, but not bubbling. Add Cheez Whiz or Velveeta in small amounts until melted, stirring frequently. Add pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Be careful not to let soup boil or get too hot -- it burns easily. Serve immediately.

Holiday Staple

Sweet Potato Casserole With A Crust:

3 cups cooked, peeled, mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix together and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and put on top of the potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes to an hour until the center is set.

Mexican Fare

Mexican Cheese Dip:

3 cups Dannon all natural plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. canned, diced green chilies
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Tortilla chips

Lina a small colander with 3 layers of 100% cotton cheese cloth or a clean paper coffee filter. Suspend colander over a bowl and spoon in the yogurt. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight to create yogurt cheese.

Remove yogurt cheese from the stainer and discard the liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and salt. Fold in the pepper, corn, black beans, tomato, and green chilies, and 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Spoon into the crockpot and top with remaining cheese. Simmer on low. Optional, you can spoon mixture onto a platter, top with cheese, and either way, serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Going Dutch

Dutch Apple Pie:

For the pie:

18 oz. prepared pie dough
3 lbs. apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Whipped cream to serve

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough and line the prepared pan. The dough needs to run all the way up the sides of the pan. Trim the dough by folding the excess over the rim of the pan and using the rolling pin to cut the excess. Refrigerate while preparing the apples.

Peel, core, and dice the apples. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Mix well, and set aside.

In a food processor, combine all the streusel ingredients except the walnuts. Process to form coarse crumbs. Add the walnuts and then pulse several times to combine.

Transfer the apple mixture to the pie crust. Sprinkle the streusel over the apples. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream to serve.

Seasonal Squares

Apple Cranberry Squares:

1/4 cup White House applesauce
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sweetened, dried cranberries (can substitute raisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup white chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 square pan. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, brown sugar, oil, and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and pecans. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center comes out clean when pricked with a fork or knife. Microwave the morsels in 30 second intervals until melted. Drizzle over the bars. Cut into 2 inch squares once they are cooled.

Potatoes With A Little French Twist?

Sausage Hash Brown Casserole:

2 lbs. Tennessee Pride sausage
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 8oz. container French Onion dip
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 red and green bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 30oz. pkg. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

Brown and drain the sausage. Combine the cheese, soup, sour cream, dip, onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Fold in the thawed potatoes. Spread 1/2 of the hash brown mixture in a greased 13x9 baking pan. Layer half of the sausage on top of hash brown mixture. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

The Snack That Makes You Come Back

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix:

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
4 cups popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter

Mix the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the cereals and popcorn. Melt the butter in the microwave. Pour butter over the cereal and popcorn mixture and toss well to coat. Microwave mixture for 2 minutes. Stir after 1 minute. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the cereal mixture. Stir well, and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the cereal mixture. Stir well, and microwave for 1 minute. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Bake It Twice, Eat It Once

Twice Baked Potatoes:

8 Russet baking potatoes
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream (Fat Free Half and Half)
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions, finely diced

Peheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the potatoes and prick them with a fork. Bake for one hour. Cool slightly, and then slice the top 1/3 off of each potato lengthwise. Hollow out the potatoes, leaving 1/4 of the potato inside. Combine reserved potatoes with butter, sour cream, 1/2 cup cheese, heavy cream, milk, salt, and papper. Mash until mixture is smooth. Stir in the bacon and onions. Fill each skin with mixture and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Garfield's Favorite

Garfield the comic strip cat loves lasagna. So does my husband. Finding the perfect recipe for lasagna, on the other hand, has been a challenge.

We may finally have a winner, courtesy of Paula Deen.

Lots O'Meat Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
2, 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1, 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese
5 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. In large saucepan, combine ground chuck, sausage, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbled; drain.

Return meat to pan and add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes. Boil the noodles.

In small bowl, combine Ricotta, Parmesan, parsley and eggs.

Spoon 1/4 of sauce into bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Place lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/3 of Ricotta mixture over noodles, top with 1/4 of sauce and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with sauce, reserving 1/3 of mozzarella.

Bake 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Little Bit of Sour, None of the Sweet

Sour Cream Pork Chops:

2 Tbsp. oil
4 boneless pork chops
1 1/2 cups onion, sliced thinly into rings
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
Hot cooked rice
parsley for garnish

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the pork chops, cooking on each side just until browned. Place onion slices over the pork chops. In a small bowl, combine the broth, parsley, paprika, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour broth mixture over the pork chops. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the sour cream and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over hot rice, and garnish with parsley.

Favorite Find

This is yet another recipe that comes from Paula Deen. It can be a main dish for lunch or dinner, or used as an appetizer. Either way, it's worth a try, despite the fact that it contains mayonnaise, and mayonnaise repulses me.

Chicken Broccoli Salad:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 red onion, diced
1 cup crushed peanuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. orange marmalade


In a large skillet, place the chicken in a single layer. Pour the water and soy sauce over it and sprinkle with garlic. Cover, and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow chicken to cool for 20 minutes. Chop chicken into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, onion, peanuts, and cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk together the marmalade and mayonnaise. Pour over the chicken mixture. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Tater Bread

Sweet Potato Bread:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2 medium sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup oil
6 T orange juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. In small bowl, whisk eggs, sweet potatoes, oil and orange juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans. Transfer batter to greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Recipe from Taste of Home's Halloween issue

Apple Bites

Baked Apples:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
4 large tart apples

Combine first six ingredients in small bowl. Core apples and fill each of them with the mixture. Place in greased 8-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake for 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Spoon juices over top.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home's Halloween issue.

Dressing Up a Salad

Pasta Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup ketchup
2 T sugar
2 T white vinegar
1/2 of a small onion, cut into wedges
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup oil

In blender, combine ketchup, sugar, vinegar, onion, garlic, paprika and salt. Cover and process until blended. Gradually add oil in steady stream. Process until thickened. Pour over your pasta salad. Cover and refrigerate for two hours before serving.

This comes courtesy of Taste of Home's Halloween issue.

The Cider Drink Rules

Mulled Cider:

4 cups water
2 tsp. ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
Dash of ground cloves
1 gallon apple cider or unsweetened apple cider
1, 12-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
Individual tea bag

In large kettle or saucepan, combine water, allspice, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Return to a boil. Discard cinnamon stick and tea bag. Stir and serve warm.

This recipe comes courtesy of Taste of Home's Halloween issue.

Slimy Sipper

Gummi Worm Punch:

4 cups unsweetened apple juice
4 cups orange juice
2/3 cup lemonade concentrate
2 cups water
20 Gummi worms
4 1/3 cups lemon/lime soda, chilled

In a punch bowl, combine apple juice, orange juice and concentrate. Pour water and 1 cup of juice mixture into a 5-cup ring mold. Add worms. Freeze until solid. Meanwhile, refrigerate juice mixture until chilled. Just before serving, add soda to juice mixture. Unmold ice ring by wrapping bottom of mold in a damp, hot dish cloth. Invert onto baking sheet. Place worm side up on punch bowl.

This comes from Taste of Home's Halloween issue.

Tongue Twisting Treat

Purple People Eater Punch:

2 quarts red grape juice, chilled
4 drops neon purple food coloring
2 liters club soda, chilled
2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

Pour grape juice into punch bowl. Add food coloring. Slowly pour in club soda. Gently spoon ice cream into punch and whisk to swirl. Serve immediately.

A Drink That Packs a Punch

Bloodthirsty Punch:

2 quarts black cherry soda, chilled and divided
1 quart orange soda, chilled
1 quart lemon/lime soda, chilled

Pour 1 quart black cherry soda into ice cube trays. Freeze for four hours. Combine orange soda, lemon/lime soda and remaining quart of black cherry soda in a punch bowl or large pitcher. Add ice cubes and serve in prepared glasses.

Halloween Beverage

We're getting closer to Halloween, which is a time of the year that I love. Not just for the trick-or-treaters or costumes, but for the fun, festive food I get to make. Here's one beverage that you'll like.

Apple Cherry Punch:

4 cups water
4 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unsweetened cherry soft drink mix
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1.8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

This comes courtesy of Taste of Home's Halloween issue.