Corn Casserole

This is a tasty comfort food that we like a lot.

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can corn (do not drain)
1 can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in 13x9 baking dish in the preheating oven.  Add both cans of corn and muffin mix to the 13x9 pan; mix well.  Add eggs and mix gently.  Add sour cream by dropping it several places on top; fold in.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Test with toothpick if done.  Ours always takes longer to bake.  About 30-35 minutes.

Non Slip Headbands

I make these headbands for my girls.  They love them because they stay in place and are so stylish.  The velvet on the back grips their hair.  The elastic holds them on your head and makes them fit most everyone.
They are for sale.  $8 each or 2 for $15.
contact me at Hamiltonmkne@gmail.com

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I first brought this to our family Christmas dinner.  It was a big hit, and we use it when we want something extra special.

4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half (I usually use milk instead)
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Cutting the potatoes into small pieces ensures that maximum surface area is exposed to soak up garlicky flavor.
1.  Place potatoes in colander.  Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear.  Drain thoroughly.
2.  Melt 4 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook garlic and sugar, stirring often, until sticky and straw colored, 3-4 minutes.  Add rinsed potatoes, 1 1/4 cups milk, water and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 25-30 minutes.
3.  Off heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth.  Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining half and half until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are creamy.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Sweet Potato Pie

I can't believe it's taken me this long in my lifetime to try a dish like this.  It's wonderful!  Thanks mom for the recipe.   
3 lbs. sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 egg
½ cup sugar
½ t. cinnamon
2 ½ T. butter, melted
dash of salt

Topping:
½ cup ritz crackers, crushed
2 ½ T. butter, melted
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar

Bake in 9 or 10 “ pie plate at 350 for 30 minutes.

Teriyaki Salmon Steaks

Salmon is so healthy for you, but alone it is a little too fishy for our tastes.  The teriyaki flavor makes this salmon tasty and most of our children will eat it.  Hope your family will enjoy it as well.

3-4 salmon steaks or filets
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh lemon
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Combine all ingredients and pour over salmon in a shallow baking dish.
2.  Marinade for at least 30 minutes, turning at least once.
3.  Broil at 500 degrees for 7-10 minutes on each side.
4.  Serve with wild rice and steamed veggies for a healthy meal.

Pasta and Shrimp with Asparagus

This one comes from my neighbor, Sue, who always seems to have something good planned for dinner.  Inspiring...  We've been making this for years now and I like how it comes together quickly.

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 pound cooked shrimp, tails removed and cut in half (or thirds if they are large)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound bow tie pasta (I use 3/4 lb. of whatever bite size shape we have)
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon basil
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 bunch asparagus

Cook asparagus in the microwave in a little water until tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Boil the pasta, drain, reserving about 1 cup of the water from the pasta.  Saute the oil, garlic and shrimp just until warmed (about 3 minutes).  Do all 3 of these things at once! J

 Add cooked asparagus, parsley and basil to the shrimp.  Add pasta to the shrimp.  Add ¼ cup of the reserved water to the shrimp until desired consistency.  It will make a “sauce” so it isn’t too dry.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on just before serving.

Baked Beans

Brenda made these beans for our campout picnic this year.   They are the best baked beans I've ever had, and they smell so good while they're baking!

2 16-18 oz. cans Bush's Original Baked Beans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
6 slices of uncooked bacon, cut up
1/2 cup ketchup

Empty one can of beans into greased casserole dish.  Combine sugar and mustard, sprinkle 1/2 of mixture over beans.  Top with remaining beans;  sprinkle with the rest of sugar mix.  Add bacon and ketchup on top.  Bake uncovered for 2 1/2 hours at 325 degrees.

Peanut Butter Balls

This was my absolute favorite treat in High School.  This recipe beats any "buckeye" in my opinion.  Note: the icing makes twice as much as needed, so double the peanut butter part or halve the icing.
1 pound peanut butter
2/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup dry milk
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Shape into balls (I use a 2 T. cookie scoop) and refrigerate.  Drizzle with warm chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
1/3 cup soft butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk

Mix butter and chocolate.  Blend in sugar.  Stir in vanilla and milk.  Beat until frosting is smooth.  I put this into a freezer bag and clip the corner off and pipe it on top of the peanut butter balls in a squiggly line.

Libby's Pumpkin Cookie

This one of my (many) favorite cookies my mom made when we were growing up.  We frosted them with buttercream frosting, decorated them with m&m's and candy corn and put them in the freezer to keep them fresh.  (They are excellent straight from the freezer, by the way.)  These days I often make them as a drop cookie and don't frost them because they are very good plain as well.  They are a soft and cakey type of cookie.  We just had our family from Kentucky here for a visit and had a great time together.  There were many requests for the recipe, so here it is!  Enjoy!  Since I have a big family, we make the amounts is parenthesis; it's a huge batch.

4 cups flour (7 cups)
2 cups old fashioned oats (3 1/2 cups)
2 tsp. baking soda (3 1/2 tsp.)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (3 1/2 tsp.)
1 tsp. salt (1 3/4 tsp.)
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (2 1/2 cups plus 1/8 cup)
2 cups packed brown sugar (3 1/2 cups)
1 cup sugar (1 3/4 cups)
1 egg (2 eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla (1 3/4 tsp.)
16 oz. can pure pumpkin (29 oz. can)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 3/4 cups or more :)

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon & salt; set aside.  Cream butter, gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; mix well.  Alternate additions of dry ingredients & pumpkin, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in chocolate chips.

For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Spread into a pumpkin shape using a thin metal spatula.  Add a bit more to from a stem.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned around the edges.  Remove from cookie sheets, cool on racks.  Once cool, decorate with icing and add candies to make pumpkin faces.  Makes 32 large cookies.

For drop cookies, use a 1 T. or 2 T. scoop to place on greased sheet.  1 Tbsp. size take about 16 minutes to bake and 2 Tbsp. size take about 18 minutes to bake.  They'll spread when they bake so allow room for them to grow.

Vanilla Butter Frosting:  Combine 1/3 cup softened butter with 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and up to 2 Tbsp. milk to get a spreadable consistency.  Once iced and decorated, you can set them on a clean cookie sheet and pan freeze them so they won't stick when you store them in the freezer.  Add a sheet of waxed paper between layers for add insurance.

Orange Jello Fluff

I first tasted this refreshing dessert at my friend Dianne's.  Over the years I've collected several recipes that are very similar, so this recipe we use now is a combination of all three.  We just made this for our nephew's birthday party and it got great reviews.

3 small boxes of orange jello
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup crushed ice
11 oz. can mandarine oranges
1 small Cool Whip, thawed

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Pour mandarine oranges and juice from the can into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add cold water until the level reaches 2 cups. Stir into jello mixture. Add 1/2 cup crushed ice and stir until melted. Pour into a 13x9 pan and chill in the frig until the jello is soft set. Remove the jello from the frig and scrape into a large bowl. Add the cool whip and use an electric mixer to combine the two. Pour it back into a clean 13x9 dish and chill until set (overnight would be best). Cut into squares with a sharp knife and serve with a mini spatula.
Instead of a 13x9 pan, you could pour jello into a bundt pan or jello mold coated lightly with non-stick spray.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Super moist, chocolatey muffins that could pass as cupcakes, no icing needed!

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil & egg;  stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper lined muffin tins 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.  Yeild:  12
Recipe doubles and freezes well.  I just mix this up by hand in the Tupperware Thatsa Bowl.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Great for using all those zucchini in the summer.  Another moist cake that doesn't need frosting.  The chocolate chips add the sweetness on top.

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups peeled then grated zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together in mixer.  Add oil, eggs, vanilla & buttermilk;  stir well.  Mix dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl;  add to sugar mixture.  Beat well.  Stir in zucchini.  Pour batter into greased and floured (or sprayed with Pam) 13x9 pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until cake tests done with a toothpick.  Freezes well.