Frozen Fruit Salad

 

What You Need:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

3/4 cups of sugar

1 10 oz. package of frozen strawberries

2 bananas

1 cup chopped nuts

1 large can of pineapple drained

1 small container of cool whip

 

Mix softened cream cheese with sugar. Blend strawberries, sliced bananas, and pineapple, then fold in cream cheese and sugar. Fold in cool whip, nuts, pour into a 13x9 baking dish, and freeze.

Best Homemade Brownies Ever!!

Jami's mom makes these brownies for every home Clemson football game and well my husband it addicted to them. He finally talked Jami's mom into sending me the recipe. I made them today and I thought I had already posted this recipe to this blog, but apparently not. So anywho, here it is minus pictures...sorry!!

What you Need for Brownies: 

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of softened butter

2 eggs

3/4 cups of self rising flour

2 tablespoons of cocoa

pinch of salt

1 cup of chopped nuts

Cream sugar, softened butter, and eggs together. Mix together self rising flour, cocoa, and salt in separate bowl and gradually add to sugar mixture. Add nuts. Bake in a greased 8x8 dish for about 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees. 

What you Need for Icing: 

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups of 10x confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons of milk

1/4 cup of softened butter

pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla

Mix all the above ingredients together and spread over brownies once they are cool!! We like to top the brownies with vanilla ice cream!! 

Zucchini Bread

My FIL has an amazing garden and we have been fortunate to receive all kinds of great veggies this summer from him. Yesterday I made this amazing zucchini bread. I found the original recipe on pinterest, but changed it up a little because when I started making it, realized I didn't have the exact spices it called for. It still turned out to be very delicious!!

What you Need: 

2 cups grated zucchini, about 3 small to medium zucchinis (I used the largest zucchini in the picture above and it was exactly two cups.)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp all spice

¼ tsp cloves (Did not have this so I just doubled up on the all spice)

¼ tsp nutmeg (I used ginger instead)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

¾ C oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

The first thing I did was cut the zucchini and put it in my chopper just so it would be ready when I needed it.

Then mix all the dry ingredients together:

Then whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and oil in a large bowl:

Next, gradually stir in dry ingredients:

Finally, add zucchini: 

Mix well: 

Pour into a greased and floured 10 inch loaf pan: 

Bake for 60 minutes on 350 degrees. Let sit in loaf pan about 10 minutes after taking out of the oven.

Delicious!!!

Favorite Side Dishes!!

I am linking up with Kelly today for SUYL...Side Dishes. Click on the three links below to see my favorite side dishes!!

Mama's Beefy Baked Beans

The Best Brown Rice Ever

Cheesy Squash & Zucchini Casserole

I promise in the next week I am going to update with more recipes. I have been so slack about updating this blog!!

Mama's Beefy Baked Beans

I know it is about time I update the recipe blog. I promise I will get caught up this summer on here, but for now a quick, yummy recipe I made for the first time yesterday for our Memorial Day cookout!!

What you Need:

 1 28 oz. can of Bush's Original Baked Beans
1/2 a pound of lean hamburger meat (I forgot to put it in the picture!)
1/2 onion
1/2 green pepper
1 cup of ketchup
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger meat with green pepper and onion and then drain.

Combine hamburger meat with remaining ingredients and mix together well.

Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes.

Mostaccioli

I made this one night last week and the hubs loved it, and it was so simple, which made it that much better! 

What you Need:

1 lb penne pasta

1 lb Italian sausage

1 28oz. jar of meatless spagetti sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 15 oz. carton of ricotta cheese

2 cups of shredded mozzarella

1/2 cups grated romano

Cook pasta & drain. While cooking pasta, brown sausage, drain, and then add spagetti sauce.

In a bowl combine egg, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. 

 Mix cooked pasta into the sausage and sauce mixture:

In a greased, 3 quart baking dish, spoon 1/2 of the pasta mixture and layer with the cheese mixture. Then add the remaining pasta mixture. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Uncover and top with Romano cheese and bake for five more minutes. 

Cheesy Squash & Zucchini Casserole

Last night, Ray and I had bacon and cheddar burgers from Publix for dinner. We grill these about once a week these days and I was sick and tired of french fries, so I bought some squash and zucchini and made this yummy casserole to go with them! I meant to take step by step pictures, but of course I am no pioneer woman and I forgot, so sorry!

What you Need:  

6 small yellow squash and 2 zucchini

 1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

2 eggs

1/3 cup of milk

1/2cup of melted butter

1 cup of crushed Ritz Crackers

 

Wash and chop squash and zucchini in small pieces and boil with salt for 15 minutes or until soft. 

Drain well.

In a medium size bowl, mix cheese with squash mixture. Beat eggs and stir into milk. Add to squash mixture. Pour one-half of squash mixture into a 2 quart casserole baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs over and pour 1/2 of melted butter. Pour remaining squash mixture and repeat with remaining crumbs and melted butter on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Chicken Alfredo

Last night, I made yummy and really easy Chicken Alfredo. I definitely cheated in this recipe. I went to the grocery store after work, picked up a rotisserie chicken, pulled the white meat off of it, chopped it up, and that was the chicken part of the alfredo!

What You Need:

2 cups of chicken

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1 pound fettucine

2 cups of parmesan cheese

Cook fettucine until done, drain, and place in serving bowl. On medium heat, melt butter, add the cream, and the cheese and warm. Pour over pasta and then add the chicken, mix, throw in some salt and pepper, and serve. I found the alfredo recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website & Jenna's Journey, then did a few edits of my own. Yummy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Icing

What You Need:

1 1/2 Cup of Sugar

2 sticks of butter (softened)

4 eggs

2 small bottles of red food coloring

2 tablespoons of Cocoa

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

1 cup of buttermilk

2 1/2 cups of self rising flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of vinegar

Mix ingredients, mix well after adding each ingredient.

Spoon into cupcake liners.

Bake about 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. This will make tons and tons of cupcakes or a three layer cake. That is actually what I normally make. I made 36 cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes from this recipe!!

Cream Cheese Icing:

 What you Need:

2 8oz packages of cream cheese

4 cups of powdered sugar

just a little milk

3 teaspoons of vanilla

Mix ingredients well until there are no lumps!

Pioneer Woman's Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

The other night for dinner I made this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. You can find her version here. I switched it up a little bit, because let's face it, I am no pioneer woman and my cooking expertise are not what hers are! I took this along with my chocolate chip pound cake to home group and all of us girls loved it.

What I Used:

1/2 pound of lean hamburger meat (PW used Italian Sausage)

8 oz of Jumbo stuffed shells

28 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes

15 oz. can of Tomato Sauce (PW uses all crushed tomatoes)

1 Small onion, chopped

30 oz of Ricotta Cheese (I used part skim)

8 oz. of Parmesan Cheese (I cheated here and bought the already grated kind)

1/2 cup of Italian Cheese (PW uses all Romano)

2 tablespoons of EVOO

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 Cup of Red Wine

1 egg

Basil, Parsley, and Minced Garlic (Now here is where I really cheated. :) I just threw a little of each in where it called for it from my spice rack. PW actually used garlic cloves she chopped and Basil leaves) 

1.  Chop Onion

2. Add Oil to large sauce pan and heat on medium heat

3. Add onion, minced garlic, and then meat, brown. 

4. Add Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Sugar, Salt, and Pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn to low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes covered. Stirring Occasionally. 

 5. Cook shells half way, drain, run some cool water over them, and let them sit until ready to be stuffed.

 

6. Prepare cheese mixture. Place one egg in medium bowl. 

 7. Add in the ricotta cheese, Italian or romano cheese, half of the parmesan cheese, the parsley, and basil.

8. Mix together well and then stuff into shells. 

9. Fill the bottom of a casserole dish with a layer of the sauce before placing shells in the dish. Once the shells are stuffed and in the casserole dish, cover with the rest of the sauce and then sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top. 

Cook for about 25 minutes on 350.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Oh my goodness!! This is pure heaven in your mouth! I called Jami and asked her for this recipe because I needed a dessert to take to home group last week and I am so glad I did:

What You Need:

1 box of Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix (with no pudding in mix)

1 small box of Instant Vanilla Pudding

4 Eggs

3/4 Cup of Water

3/4 Cup of Oil

12 Oz Package of Mini Chocolate Chips

Mix first five ingredients together.

Add in chocolate chips and blend for exactly 4 minutes. Apparently, that is the secret, no more or no less than 4 minutes!

And this is what it looks like when it is done! Of course, I took a picture of the final product and it somehow got deleted!!

The Best Brown Rice Ever...

I am sure you all have a brown rice recipe, but if you aren't using this one, you aren't getting the best. :)

1 cup of rice

1 small onion or I use 1/2 the onion

2 cans of beef consumme'

1 stick of butter

Melt butter on the stove and then add the chopped onion and saute.

Add the one cup of rice to the mixture.

Transfer to a casserole dish and then add the cans of beef consumme'.

Cover and cook at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes.