Happy Easter to you!

Celebrate this Easter with a heart filled with

 peace, joy and cheer!

Wishing you a blessed day!!!

Corn Pudding

Corn Pudding was something reserved just for holiday time when I was growing up ~ and that’s pretty much the case today.

There are hundreds of variations of this dish, and this is mine; with cornmeal, no Jiffy mix.  The ingredients are pureed in a food processor until the corn is smashed, turning it into a creamy corn mush. It’s a sort of sweet and savory, egg-custard dish baked to a golden brown ~ almost a soufflé.

This could be made with frozen corn, or even better, fresh corn in the summertime.  It would fit right in at a summer BBQ!

It’s a popular Midwest side dish that I’ve decided we should enjoy more often!

Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

2 (14 ounce) cans corn, drained

1½ cups whole milk

4 eggs

½ cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon flour

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place drained corn into a food processor and puree until almost smooth.

Add remaining ingredients, and blend well for a minute.

Pour mixture into baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Serves 8

It’s easy as pie and good too!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Asparagus with Pine Nuts and Cranberries

Usually, I like asparagus steamed and served with just a touch of butter and salt and pepper.  For guests, especially at Easter, I like it gussied up a little.

Some folks claim that pine nuts have a mild pine taste; to me they are sort of sweet and nutty.  Whatever the flavor is to you, it pleasingly complements other flavors, particularly after toasting.  If you prefer, substitute slivered almonds for the pine nuts.

Slightly tart and tangy cranberries round out the dish, making it a delicious side dish which goes along nicely with ham, turkey, and salmon, just to name a few.

This asparagus is simple and quite elegant.  I hope you like it too…

Asparagus with Pine Nuts and Cranberries

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus stalks, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup dried cranberries

Salt and seasoned pepper, to taste

Method:

Steam asparagus in a steamer, covered, for 4-5 minutes, to your desired degree of doneness.

Remove to serving dish, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat oil and sauté remaining ingredients until pine nuts are toasted.

Arrange over asparagus.

Serves 4

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

7-Up Biscuits aka Popeye’s Biscuits

Woo hoo!  Praise the butter, and pass the biscuits!

If you’re a fan of Popeye’s biscuits, you’ll love these biscuits!  They’re a “copycat” for sure…

These are the lightest, fluffiest biscuits you can imagine, with the only problem being they disappear quickly.  This recipe makes 9 biscuits in a 9-inch square-baking dish.  I used an 8-inch square dish and they turned out fine after baking a minute or 2 longer.

This is a very soft, sticky dough.  Use extra Bisquick, like you normally would use flour, to manage the dough sticking on the surface. I sprinkled a little additional Bisquick right onto the countertop; you might want to sprinkle it onto waxed paper or parchment paper for easier clean up.   

Do not knead the dough; just pat it out to about 1-inch thickness.  Use a biscuit cutter, or simply cut the dough into 9 equal squares, before placing them in the pan.  You may have to squish and crowd the biscuits into the pan, but never fear ~ they’ll still turn out fine.

By the way, the recipe can be doubled; bake in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish for even more of a good thing!

These biscuits are the quickest, easiest, “butteriest”, softest biscuits to ever hit your mouth!  

Before

After

7-Up Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick mix

½ cup sour cream

½ cup 7-Up soda

¼ cup butter, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Melt butter in a 9” square baking pan.

Pour Bisquick into a large bowl.

Cut sour cream into the mix.

Add 7-Up and mix well, it will make a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional Bisquick on the counter, or parchment or waxed paper.

Pat dough out to about a 1-inch thickness.

Cut 9 biscuits with a biscuit cutter.

Place biscuits over melted butter.

Bake for 12-minutes or until golden brown.

I’m hooked on these biscuits!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Chicken Broccoli and Tortellini ~ the One-dish Way

“I do not like broccoli.  So --- no more broccoli!"

That’s probably something most kids have always wanted to yell from the rooftops.

Credit:  Lee Lorenz-New Yorker

Trivia time ~~~ Who said:

“I do not like broccoli.  And, I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it.  And I’m -------- of the ------ ------, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”

He wanted to never, ever see a sprig of broccoli on his plate if he was on the plane, in his house, or anywhere else in the land! Therefore, he proclaimed a “broccoli ban.”

I bet if his mom had made this tasty one-dish entrée, he would’ve been a broccoli lover!

This is a hearty stove-top dish filled with lots of good flavors. The broccoli and tomatoes make the dish colorful, and nutritious also.  Combine them with chicken, tortellini and seasonings, and you’ll have a good meal, that only needs a salad alongside it.

It’s a comforting dish that takes little time to prepare ~ something we cooks appreciate about any night!

Chicken with Broccoli and Tortellini

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh cheese tortellini

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups broccoli florets

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes

½ - ¾ cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain, set aside, and cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in a skillet, add chicken and garlic, sauté until chicken is nearly cooked through.

Add broccoli and cook until crisp-tender.

Add all of remaining ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through, adding more chicken broth if needed.

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled over top.

4 servings

Bon appetit!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Happy Birthday to Our Special Little Guy, no recipe today…

Our perfect, (of course! ☺) grandson, recently turned 2, so today it’s photos of him and his gorgeous fun cake, no recipes here today…

Matthew is the apple of my eye and it’s apparent he has his dad’s sense of humor and his mama’s loving, caring ways and good looks. 

He has such a sweet soul ~ a good little boy who loves to share.  After a bite of his birthday cake, he placed another bite on his spoon for Grandpa, and grinned with delight as Grandpa devoured it.

Matthew likes to be barefooted, even pulls his shoes and socks off in the car in the dead of winter.  He loves his 2 dogs, Bella and Coco; Sesame Street, and his favorite---Elmo!

As he grows up, it reminds me the years are adding up for me also.  I am so proud of Matthew and my entire family. 

Grandma and Grandpa love you, little guy!  We are looking forward to the years ahead, watching you grow up.  

Bless your little heart ~ you are a huge joy in our lives ~ and may God bless you all the days of your life…

Now, let the potty training begin!

Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork

There are probably as many recipes for slow cooker pulled pork as there are celebrity chefs…

And, this recipe for it is a cinch ~ easy, easy, thanks to the slow cooker. The pork cooks for hours in its penetrating smoky, slightly sweet, spicy sauce, until it’s falling-apart tender, and you can pull it into shreds with a fork. 

As a bonus, it fills your house with mouth-watering aromas ~ you will be drooling!

Why spend all day cooking when the slow cooker can cook this scrumptious dish for you, vastly cutting your kitchen time?

Before

Voila!

 

 

 

Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork

Ingredients: 

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed

1 onion, sliced thin

2 cups ketchup

1 cup water

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

8-10 soft hamburger-style buns

Method:

Trim pork and place in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Spread sliced onions over top.

In a medium bowl, combine next 10 ingredients and stir well.

Pour into slow cooker, set on low for about 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily.

Place on buns and serve.

Mouth-watering delicious!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Overnight French Toast...

As I’m cooking and eating dinner, I’m on to “what do you want for breakfast?” 

I never thought I would, but I’ve turned into my mother ~~~ It’s always about the next meal…

And for me, the next meal is the best meal, my favorite meal:  BREAKFAST!

It makes me happy when there’s a “crowd” around for breakfast; I like to cook a big one for everyone.  And for these breakfasts, I sometimes lean towards serving a casserole dish like this one.

This recipe is put together the night before, and then popped in the oven the next morning. It’s a sweet treat for breakfast that pleases everyone with its good flavors and its bit of crunchiness.

Top it with whatever floats your boat ~ fresh fruit, confectioner’s sugar, or whipped cream; I myself, like it with a pat of butter and maple syrup. 

With a side of crisp bacon, it’s heavenly!  And, maybe a fried egg---over easy, whole-wheat toast, hash browns, a couple of sausage patties, a bear claw, some melon, or berries, and my home-made cherry jam… 

Are you hungry yet???

Overnight French Toast

Ingredients:

12 (3/4-inch) slices Tuscan or French bread

5 eggs

1¼ cups milk

¼ cup half and half

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

 Method:

Arrange bread in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Do not crowd bread.

In a large bowl, beat remaining ingredients.

Pour over bread.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Turn bread slices over to make sure they are coated well with egg mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Turn over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

if not brown enough, broil for a minute, if you desire.

Serve with maple syrup, confectioner’s sugar or fresh fruit.

Serves 6

Tell me ~~~ have you turned into your mother?

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes!