Grape Jelly Meatballs

Grape Jelly Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz) bottles Heinz Chili Sauce

1 (32 oz.) jar grape jelly

1 pinch cayenne pepper 

3 (5 lb) bags frozen cocktail meatballs

Instructions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Pour meatballs in a slow cooker. Pour jelly mixture over the meatballs. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Hot Crab Dip With Capers

Hot Crab Dip with Capers

Hot Crab Dip with Capers

Ingredients:

2 cups crab meat

1 cup sour cream

1 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup capers, drained

2 (8 oz.) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried dill, or to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste

Tortilla chips for dipping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl, combine crab meat, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, capers, artichoke hearts, garlic, salt, pepper and dill. Stir until well mixed. Spoon dip in prepared pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Old Bay Seasoning.

Bake in preheated oven until top is crusty, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips. 

Crab and Oyster Bisque

This rich seafood soup is so velvety and decadent! I found the crab meat and the fresh oysters in the seafood department at HyVee. It only takes a little over 30 minutes to make it. 

Crab and Oyster Bisque

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 shallots, finely chopped

3 tablespoons flour

8 oz. clam base (I used the brand "Better Than Bouillon") or you can use 1 (8 oz.) bottle of clam juice

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, add more if you want more spice

salt and pepper to taste

1 quart heavy whipping cream

1 12 oz. container fresh oysters, drained and pick any shells out

1 lb. lump crab meat

Instructions:

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and saute' until tender. Add flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add clam base (or clam juice) and wine. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and next 3 ingredients. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 10 minutes. Stir in oysters and crabmeat, cook just until edged of oysters start to curl.  Yield: 10 cups.

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

I love smoked salmon. This is an incredible recipe--great to take to a holiday party and super quick and easy to make!

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tablespoon fresh dill weed or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

2 tablespoons diced red onion

1 pack 4 1/2 oz. smoked salmon, skinned and finely chopped

16 spinach leaves

2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons capers, drained

4 flour tortillas (8-10 inch in diameter)

Instructions:

• Mix cream cheese and dill weed. Spread about 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture over each tortilla. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup salmon. Place 3 or 4 spinach leaves, bell pepper, onion and capers evenly spaced on each tortilla.
• Roll up tortillas tightly; seal edge of each tortilla by spreading with additional cream cheese mixture. wrap securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• To serve, cut into 1-inch pieces. Place cut side up on serving platter.

Miss Cindy's Italian Meatballs

Miss Cindy's Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. Italian sausage

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup beef broth (I used the brand "Better Than Bullion"

3/4 cup chopped onions

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, broth and onion. Add sausage to the bread crumb mixture. Mix well. Shape into meat balls. Arrange meatballs on a greased shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then pull out of oven and turn, place back in oven and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite sauce and pasta. 

Barbecue Shrimp

This shrimp isn't really barbecued on a grill, but sauteed in a Worcestershire butter sauce...make sure not to over cook the shrimp, because it will  make it tough and rubbery. 

Barbecue Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 stick butter

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup white wine

Instructions:

Mix the  Creole seasoning and pepper together.  Add shrimp to the mixture, and toss to coat evenly. Set aside. 

Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute, making sure it doesn't brown. Add the shrimp and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are almost cooked, but still opaque in spots, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and wine. Cook for about 2 minutes more. Serve.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

I had 4 really, REALLY ripe bananas on the counter yesterday, so I thought I'd turn them into something my son LOVES....banana bread! This is such an easy recipe, and the bread turns out so moist and so scrumptious! My son says it's one of his favorites, trust me, this doesn't last very long, so you might make 2 loaves!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) I didn't use any in the picture.

INSTRUCTIONS: No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. 

Miss Cindy's Classic Beef Stroganoff

Miss Cindy's Classic Beef Stroganoff 

Instead of using canned beef broth, I used the brand Better Than Bullion. It's my favorite! You can find it in the soups and broth section in your grocery store. 

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cubed steaks, cut into 2 inch strips

Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 red wine (I used Cabernet)

2 cups beef broth (I used the brand Better Than Bullion) 

3/4 cup sour cream 

salt and pepper to taste

Cooked egg noodles

Instructions:

Cut cubed steaks into 2 inch strips. Season generously with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until the oil if almost smoking. Stir in beef: cook, stirring constantly, for about 6 to 7 minutes, until liquid evaporates and the meat is brown. Remove meat from pan and set aside. 

Melt butter in the same skillet. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in flour, cook for about 1 or 2 minutes, making sure the flour is soaked up in butter. 

Stir in wine and 1 cup of the beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any of the browned bits. Bring to a simmer, cook for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. 

Return beef to the pan. Stir in remaining cup of beef stock. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 1 hour, covered. Stir every 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare egg noodles according to package. Once sauce has thickened to your desire, stir in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

The hardest part about making this soup is peeling and getting the seeds out the the squash. Here's a quick 1 minute video on how to do that!  ">How to peel and seed a butternut squash

This is so healthy and tasty and really good for you! 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 whole butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups chicken stock

3/4  cup heavy cream

Instructions:

In a large stock pot, melt butter and saute' onion and celery until tender. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Add chopped squash, pour broth over vegetables. Boil until butternut squash is tender (about 30 to 40 minutes) Puree soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor until smooth. Add cream until you get it to your desired consistency.  

Miss Cindy's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Miss Cindy's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls make a wonderful gift! It takes all day to make them, but OH! They are so gooey, sweet and cinnamony! (Is that a word?)

It makes 7 round pans of rolls. I like to go to my favorite party store, where you can get the aluminum pans and the decorative plastic wrapping to make them festive for gift giving!

Ok, you know you want these, and here's how to make them. But make sure and give yourself enough time to make them. They are worth it! You are going to "WOW" your friends if you decide to give up a pan or two for gift giving. First for the dough, heat 4 cups of milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup of sugar. Heat in a large sauce pan. Heat the mixture but don't let it come to a boil. Remove from heat.  

When the milk gets lukewarm, sprinkle 2 packs of active dry yeast over the top. No need to stir... Just let it sit on top for a minute or two. Make sure it isn't too hot, just lukewarm, or it will destroy the yeast enzymes and the dough won't rise.

Next slowly add 8 cups of flour. Stir mixture and cover. This is what it should look like.

We have our dough all covered up and it's going to sit and rise for at least an hour.

Remove the towel and add 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder and a half teaspoon of baking soda and 1 cup of flour. Stir to combine.

Now if you want, you can refrigerate the dough for a couple days or bake them now. If you chill the dough it makes it easier to work with. So, take another break, maybe check Pinterest or something! You might find a good recipe for the holidays. Let's get ready to make these rolls!!! Sprinkle your surface with flour.

Grab half the dough and roll out into a long rectangle.

This dough is so easy to work with!

Now that it's all rolled out, you are ready for the fun stuff!!! Butter, sugar and cinnamon! MMMM!!! 

Pour 1 cup, yes, I said 1 CUP of that good ol' sweet butter!

Brush it all over the dough!! Don't skimp!

Next sprinkle 1/4 cup (or more if you wish) of ground cinnamon all over the butter.

I think I need more...... 

Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the cinnamon and butter! Oh this is going to be so buttery and gooey!!! Now here comes the fun part, begin at the end farthest from you, and roll the rectangle tightly towards you.Just keep it as tight as you can! You can do it! It's really fun when the filling oozes out all over the place. You'll want to lick your counter tops!

When you get to the end, just pinch the seams together. And you will have one long log that'sfull of decadence!   

Next slice the log into 1 1/2 inch slices. You should get 20 to 25 rolls from one log.

Melt 1 stick of butter and add 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter to your pans, coating evenly. Place the sliced rolls in the pans. Don't get them too close together.

Cover the rolls with a towel and let rise for 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. And repeat the butter/sugar/cinnamon/rolling process with the remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Now for the maple icing!!!!!!! In a large bowl whisk together a 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of maple flavoring.

1/2 cup whole milk and 1/4 teaspoon of salt

add 6 tablespoons of melted butter,

and 1/4 cup of brewed coffee.

Whisk together until smooth. The icing should be thick but pourable. Like this!

When the rolls are finished baking and are still warm, drizzle the icing all over the rolls!!! Fill every nook and cranny with that wonderful maple icing!

Oh, and by the way, the house smells AMAZING!!!!!! MMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! Cinnamon Rolls!!!!!! 

Make these. Your family and friends will love you.

Ingredients:

Dough

4 cups of whole milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 packs of active dry yeast

9 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon of salt

Filling 2 cups melted butter or more if needed

1/4 cup ground cinnamon

2 cups sugar

Maple Icing 2 pounds powdered sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 stick of butter

1/4 cup brewed coffee

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon maple flavoring or extract

Follow directions above!

Mini Holiday Cherry Cheesecakes

These adorable little cheesecakes are perfect for the Holidays! They are so festive and delicious! And very simple to make! This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes. You can double the recipe if you need more.

I found this box of pre-crumbled graham cracker crumbs, it made making the crust so much more convenient.

Mini Holiday Cherry Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

Crust:

2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

2 (8 oz.) packs of cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (12 oz.) can of cherry pie filling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 (6 cup) muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter with a fork until combined. Measure a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing firmly. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then remove to cool. Keep the oven on.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in the egg.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each until 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. They will be slightly jiggly when ready. (note: if you are using foil cupcake liners, they cook a bit faster) Cool completely in pan before removing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Then top with cherry pie filling. You can leave the cupcake liners on, or remove.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

This is a quick and easy recipe. It's low carb, and very healthy and simply delicious!!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

2 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

3/4 cup of hot water

2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large skillet, over medium high heat cook ground beef until it's browned. Add onions. Cook until onions are tender. Add garlic. Cook for another minute. Add chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, salt, pepper. Dissolve bullion cube in the 3/4 cup of hot water. Pour into mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb. red potatoes, cut into small 1 inch chunks

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, garlic and olive oil. Toss to coat vegetables. Add rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and toss again coating everything. 

Pour potato mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, take out of oven and stir, put back in oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

Serve immediately. 

Garlic Shrimp Scampi

Garlic Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package angel hair pasta

1/2 cup butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions: 
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and return to a boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well.

In a large skillet, melt butter, saute garlic until tender. Add wine and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are light pink. The breadcrumbs are used to thicken sauce. Stir in a little at a time until you reach desired thickness.

Sever shrimp over angel hair pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. 

Buffalo Shrimp

Buffalo Shrimp

Ingredients:

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon yellow mustard 

2 teaspoons creole seasoning

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

cooking oil minced parsley for garnish

For the Batter:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons creole seasoning

1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Buffalo Sauce:

1 stick of butter

1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Preheat oil in a large pot to 350 degrees. Rinse, peel, devein shrimp. Leave the tail if desired.

Mix egg and mustard. Place shrimp in a large bowl, coat with spices, egg/mustard mixture and set aside. 

To prepare corn flour : Mix together ingredients in a freezer bag, shake well. Dip shrimp in the corn flour, coat well, and place into hot oil, mkaing sure not to overcrowd the pan. (I did mine in 2-3 batches) Cook shrimp for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Immediately toss shrimp in buffalo sauce. 

To make buffalo sauce:

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until butter is melted. Stir. 

3 Cheese Breakfast Casserole (Make the night before!)

This is a great breakfast to serve on Thanksgiving morning. It's so easy, because you can make it the night before and it feeds several too! Just bake some biscuits to go with it and maybe serve with some fresh fruit! It has bacon, eggs and 3 different kinds of cheese, all baked into a delicious, comforting breakfast casserole! Here's the recipe!

1 lb. sliced bacon, diced

1 med. sweet onion, chopped

4 cups frozen shredded O'Brien hash browns (or use plain if you like)

9 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese

1 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir bacon and onion until bacon is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer bacon and onion to a large bowl. Stir in potatoes, eggs, Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and Swiss cheese. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven until eggs are set and cheese is melted, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
4. Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!!

Turkey Brine Recipe

Turkey Brine Recipe

I like to "Wine and Brine" on Thanksgiving Eve! Open a nice bottle of wine and make my brine!! Trust me, if you want a really juicy, tasty bird then BRINE!!!

For the last 4 years I have brined my Thanksgiving turkey, and I don't think I'll ever prepare a turkey any other way! Brining is soaking your bird in a salty mixture that leaves your turkey very juicy, moist, tender and full of flavor! And it's really easy. Make sure that you use a fresh, not frozen and NOT self-basted turkey. The self-basted ones have a salty stock that's injected in them that would make your brined turkey WAY too salty. A fresh, natural turkey works best. You can use brining bags, but those oven roasting bags for turkeys work really well, just double them up to it won't tear from the weight.

Here's what you need:

3 cups apple cider

2 gallons cold water

1 bunch of rosemary (strip the leaves off the sprigs)

1 bunch of fresh sage (also strip the leaves from the sprigs)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups kosher salt

2 cups brown sugar

4 T. peppercorns

6 whole bay leaves

the peel from 3 large oranges. (cut bottom off or orange, and cut the peelings off)

This will make enough brine for a 20 lb. turkey. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. You are going to LOVE the aroma--it smells like the holidays!! Remove from stove and let it cool completely. I like to set it outside on the patio so it will cool faster, just make sure it cools completely. Now, here comes the tricky part, you might need help. Place uncooked, fresh, clean turkey on it's bottom in the oven bag, and pour the cooled mixture over the turkey, then twist the bag up and secure with a twist tie. You can place it in a large cooler or a large pot. The cooler works very well, because it frees up space in your refrigerator, just cover with some ice. Let the turkey sit in the brine for 15-24 hours. Flipping the turkey halfway through so it will brine evenly. I like to keep the cooler in the garage or out on the patio if it's cool where you are!

When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove from the brine and place in a sink or pot of clean, cold water. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, to remove the salt. Remove the bird from the water and pat dry with a paper towel and cook the way you normally do.