Squash Casserole, Pork Chops and Dixie Lee Peas

I can remember not liking squash at all when I was younger. Now I love fresh squash steamed with onions or other wonderful colorful veggies.  Today we will be having a squash casserole.

Isn't this the cutest frog with tiny frog
It is a Pomaireware Frog Clay Baker
Carly gave to me a few years back
Cute little thing.

The little frog is for letting out steam but the instructions say this little frog is for good luck!

Squash Casserole

Printable Recipe

2 Lb. Squash                                                                            Salt & Pepper to taste

1 egg                                                                                         1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup sour cream                                                                    1 can mushroom soup

1 c Ritz cracker crumbs                                                             1 c grated cheddar cheese

Wash and slice squash, then place into a saucepan.  Add salt, pepper and onion.  Cover with water. Bring to boil and cook until vegetables are tender.  Drain in colander and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add to this soup, sour cream, egg and cheese.  Stir to mix.  Pour into a 2 1/2 quart greased casserole dish.  Top with cracker crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until bubble around edges and slightly browned.

I used a little more cheese to put on top of casserole then cracker crumbs...It is pretty good.

Fried Pork Chops

Center cut pork chops, seasoned salt, black pepper, flour to dredge

oil, enough to cover the bottom in electric frying pan

Preheat to 375 degrees

Wash and dry thoroughly the pork chops

season with salt and pepper on both sides

dredge in flour

fry in electric frying pan for best results.

Cover to cook until you begin to see edges turn light brown, test to see if you can turn them. It is too soon is your flour is coming off chop.  It should turn freely when ready. It will be lightly browned. Turn and cook this side will cook faster and brown beautifully. Cook until golden brown . Drain on paper towels.. Serve warm.

Not the healthiest menu around but once in awhile it is sooooo good.

Dixie Lee Peas

I put a small piece of salt pork..or fat back as we call it here in the South in a little bit of water.

(you could use chicken broth, or a bouillon cube if you prefer).

Cover let this boil for a few minutes at least 5.

Add frozen or fresh if in season quart of Dixie Lee Peas.

Bring to boil then turn down to simmer cover with lid.

These are better if you simmer them for a long time but good either way.

Add salt to taste

Remove salt pork and serve.

Easy Cobblers

http://hibiscushouse1.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-unto-you-is-born-this-day-in-city.html

Gingerbread Men Cookies

I love gingerbread men, but it wasn't always that way! I tried for many years when the girls were growing up to make them and never could get any that tasted very good. My idea of gingerbread men became, "Oh these are the cookies I pick up at any bakery because they're not very good from them either so I'll poke a hole in the top of them shellac them add a ribbon and hang on the Christmas tree.

  Carly, my daughter made this recipe and they are so delicious that I now like them very much.

I just love the frogs with Santa. Who knew he was such a party animal?

Carly gave it to me.  I can't help but laugh when I look at them, they have such expressions.

She made the dough for these gingerbread cookies.

She is quite the baker, and expecting a baby soon. I don't know how she does it.

"I have found that you can put 10 people in a room with the same ingredients and the very same recipe and you will taste 10 different tastes when they are finished cooking.  No 2 individuals cook in the same way. "

I had so much fun rolling out the dough and baking these.

She found the recipe at McCormick

Ingredients

 

3 cups Flour

2 teaspoons kround ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

 Makes 2 dozen cookies

Directions

1. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

I know you will enjoy these and I'm so glad Carly introduced me to a great tasting Gingerbread Cookie Dough Recipe..
Enjoy the recipe and the video...Thank you Carly and Thank you McCormick!

Also see McCormick's Colorful Royal Icing

here for post

Easy Pork Butt Bar B Que

This is actually Chuck's recipe:

1 pork butt

1 large onion
garlic powder

crock pot


Peel onion and put into crock pot
Wash and dry pork butt put into crock pot on top of onion
Sprinkle top of pork butt with garlic powder
Do not add anything else.
Close lid.
Cook on low all day, or overnight.
Cook until falling off the bone tender.

When fork tender, remove from crock pot. Using large forks pull apart some to allow for faster
cooling. The cooling will take awhile because it has been cooking for so long.  When completely cooled pull apart into desired size. Be sure to discard the fat.

Drain juices from crock pot discard or save for other uses, but it will have lots of fat.
Put pulled pork back into crock pot on low. Add your favorite bar-b-que sauce. With fork or clean hands mix sauce into pork and heat. Stirring occasionally and taste to see if you have enough sauce.

Everybody has their own choice of bar-b-que sauce so will not put Chuck's on here and he may slap me if I do.
You know the Police Departments and Fire Departments have the best cooks in the world!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies---No Flour

I love Christmas! 

I love Fitz and Floyd!

I love Peanut Butter Cookies!

They were my Catie's favorite cookie!

My mama would make them for us after school.

We did love them so much. My cousin J.D. Slick would

come over and always ask the same thing.

"Do you have any of those peanut butter cookies, Aunt Dot?"

We have lots of recipes this is one of the easiest. 

I have to warn you though not for those on a diet.

I am freezing some of these along with other kinds

because I do believe in Santa Claus.

RECIPE

Preheat oven 350 degrees

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (optional)

Mix all of the above

use cookie scoop or teaspoon

drop onto cookie sheet

use a fork dipped in sugar

press cookie horizontally

then press vertically

Bake 10 to 12 minutes 

Cool 2 to 3 minutes then carefully lift off of cookie sheet and put onto a cooling rack.

makes about a dozen

It is very easy to double this recipe

These are delicious and can be wrapped thoroughly and frozen 

Take out of freezer only the amount you need and they will taste as good as the day you made them.

Enjoy

 

A Weekend of Cooking: stew beef, chicken, salads etc.

We do love salad

Beef Stew and delicious salad

Mama gave me lots of collards and cabbage a friend gave her so many

we ate some and I froze 2 gallon bags full

cabbage I need to cook and freeze some. 

It is the largest cabbage I have ever seen.

Pan grilled chicken breast

This weekend of cooking I also had to fry a little 

We southerners do love our chicken

Genolia's Applesauce Raisin Nut Cake

So delicious

Farm Fresh Eggs

This is the largest double yoke egg I have ever gotten

Easy Beef Stew

Brown cubed chuck/stew beef & 2 cloves garlic minced little batches at a time

sprinkle with paprika for good color

when beef is browned add 2 1/2 to 4 cups of water

1 can mushroom soup

1 envelope dried onion soup

Bring to a boil

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours 

add 4 peeled quartered potatoes

Big handful of baby peeled washed carrots

Cook for 30 minutes more

Add salt & pepper to taste

serve over rice or potatoes or simply in a bowl by itself

If gravy needs to be thickened

add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour with little water mix into paste 

pour into pot bring up heat

cook until lumps are gone and thickened as you wish.

If it is not brown enough add a little Kitchen Bouquet

Easy Pot Roast

The night before:

Put a rump roast fat side up in a crock pot

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

That's it cook on low overnight.

Cook longer is you need it more tender.

You probably already have this recipe. It is very flavorful

 

Vegetable Beef Soup

RECIPE

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Lb cubed chuck roast, or sirloin or lean ground chuck
• Half small onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 ribs celery chopped
• 4 carrots sliced 
• 3 small potatoes chopped
• 1 can corn drained
• 1 can sweet peas drained
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 can green beans
• Quarter of cabbage chopped
• 1 can green limas or fresh
• Cut fresh okra to your liking
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 8 cups water with 3 bouillon cubes or beef broth even chicken broth with beef bouillon cubes.

Fresh vegetables always work better but canned will work in a pinch.  You can always short cut with canned or frozen mixed vegetables but if you know me by now I only shortcut when I have no choice. I hated using canned veggies today.

Instructions

1. Brown meat thoroughly in a very small amount of olive or vegetable oil
2. Sprinkle liberally with paprika for color and flavor
3. Add chopped onion and minced garlic.  Saute until lightly browned.
4. Add water or broth
5. The water will cook down some
6. Today I used 71/2 cups water and 1/2 cup chicken broth with beef bouillon
7. The condensed beef broths and soups contain so much salt I don't use them much
8. Add the rest of the vegetables
9. Bring to a boil then turn down to low and simmer 1 to 2 hours.  You may keep on low for hours as long as you are home to watch.  You can also after boiling put into a crock pot and simmer all day on low or half a day on high.
10. Remove Bay Leaf and serve. 

Wonderful with crackers, cornbread, or yeast rolls and crisp salad. It is the perfect meal and you can also leave the meat out entirely add vegetable broth or water to make vegetable soup.

Something easy to put together that simmers all day. The house smells so good

you will have free time to do whatever you choose and your meal is done!

Enjoy