Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 brick cream cheese, softened (4 oz)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1  1/2 cups strawberries, rinsed, dried and chopped

Instructions: Grease and flour a 9x5 inch bread pan. With electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla. 

In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined--do not over mix. 

Fold in strawberries. The dough mixture will be thick. Pour in prepared  bread pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. 

Let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan. 

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Manhattan Clam Chowder

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped 7 cloves garlic, mincedPinch crushed red pepper 1/4 cup tomato paste 3 sprigs parsley 3 sprigs fresh thyme1 bay leaf 1 large potato (about 3/4 pound), diced 5 cups clam juice (five 8-ounce bottles clam juice) One 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped 1 -1/2 cups minced clams, drained (about four 6-1/2 ounce cans) 1 tablespoon kosher salt or to taste Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Tie the parsley sprigs, fresh thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot with the potatoes. Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and clams. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately. 

Cheeseburger Slider Casserole

Cheeseburger Slider Casserole

Start by browning 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef in a large skillet, add onion and Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Stir in tomatoes.

Cut dinner rolls in half and place the bottoms in a lightly greased baking dish.

Spread the beef mixture over the rolls. Then top with cheese slices.

Place tops of buns over the cheese.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard until smooth.

Brush mixture over the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with sesame seeds over the top.

Place baking dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until buns are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

12 dinner rolls

12 slices sharp cheddar cheese

1  14.5 oz. can  diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground mustard powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon paprika

GLAZE:

1 stick butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon mustard

sesame seeds for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add ground beef. With a spatula break the meat into small pieces so that it will brown evenly. Add onion and garlic, stir in Worcestershire sauce, cumin, mustard powder, salt, pepper and paprika, stirring to combine. Cook until onions are tender and meat is browned completely. 

Cut dinner rolls in half, horizontally  and place bottoms of rolls in greased baking dish.  Spread beef mixture evenly over rolls, then top with cheese slices. 

place the tops of the buns over the cheese. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Whisk until smooth. Brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top evenly. 

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. 

Country Style Pork Chops

Country Style Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
• Cajun seasoning, to taste
• About 1-1/2 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
•  Freshly cracked black pepper,  to taste
• Cooking oil (vegetable, canola, etc) for frying
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 to 1/2 cups milk

Instructions: 

Rinse pork chops and set on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle the chops lightly with Cajun seasoning on both sides. Whisk together the flour, garlic powder and pepper; remove 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour and set aside. Coat the chops in the remaining flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Allow to rest on a rack at room temperature for about 15 minutes.   Heat about 1/4 inch of canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, brown the chops on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Remove the chops and set aside. For the gravy, very carefully remove all but 3 tablespoons of oil from the skillet. Over medium heat, stir in the 2 tablespoons of reserved seasoned flour into the hot oil; cook and stir over medium heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Slowly stir in water then milk, adding only enough milk to create a gravy. You may not need all of the milk. Bring the gravy to a boil, cooking and stirring about 2-3 minutes, or until nicely thickened. Reduce heat to medium low, return the chops to skillet, cover and simmer (do not boil) for about 8 minutes, or until chops are cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes. 

Greek Salad With Tomatoes And Feta

Greek Salad With Tomatoes and Feta

Spring is here and we will soon start seeing some wonderful veggies in the grocery store or your local farmers market. Here is a tomato salad that I made for a recent dinner party. This is what I came up with! My guests LOVED it! So, I wanted to share the recipe with you!

Greek Salad With Tomatoes and Feta

Ingredients:

1 medium sized tomato, chopped in big chunks

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

3 Roma or plum tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, peeled, chopped in bite size pieces

1/2 can of Hearts of Palm (found in the canned vegetable section, usually next to the artichokes) thinly sliced

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1/2 cup Kalamata Olives

1/2 cup Red pickled sweet peppers

1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced

3-4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped

Vinaigrette

2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp lime juice 1/4 tsp oregano 3/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp brown sugar 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp safflower oil

TO PREPARE

Layer tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm, olives, peppers, onions, basil and feta cheese on a large platter. To make the vinaigrette, pour the vinegar and lime juice in a small bowl. Add oregano, salt, sugar and black pepper. Pour the oils in a slow stream, whisking with a whisk or fork to emulsify. The vinaigrette can be made a day ahead of time, just emulsify before using.

Pour vinaigrette evenly over salad. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then toss and serve.

Hummingbird Cake (The most requested recipe in Southern Living Magazine's History)

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 2:30 p.m. by Cindy Rippe

Hummingbird Cake (The most requested recipe in Southern Living Magazine's History)

When I came across this recipe, I just HAD to make it so I did, and I wasn't disappointed. It's been around for many years, and it is astonishingly delicious! It's probably the best cake that I have ever made. They say it got it's name because with every bite you want to "hum" with delight! It is similar to carrot cake, but made with crushed pineapple and bananas. It's super moist and super easy to make!

Here's what you need:

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oil

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple--do not drain

2 cups bananas, mashed (about 4 large bananas)

1 cup pecans or walnuts (I used pecans)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

2. Mix together with whisk. Add eggs, vanilla, oil, pineapple, bananas and pecans and mix until all ingredients are moistened.

3. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans or one 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes until the cake center is done. Let cool thoroughly. Frost with cream cheese frosting and top with chopped nuts.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 lbs. confectioners (powdered) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla together with a mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar until blended well. Ice cake and sprinkle with pecans.

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Make these Jelly Bean Napkin Rings For Your Easter Table Setting!

To make these unique napkin rings, thread small, brightly colored jelly beans on 22-gauge tin wire,(where you can find at your favorite hardware store or craft store) Measure the wire long enough to wrap around a rolled napkin twice. Curl ends into swirls, so the candy won't fall off. Super easy and cute! And inexpensive! And the kids will LOVE them!