Corn Casserole a/k/a Corn Pudding

I love this sweet little side dish. It is moist and creamy and goes great with a lot of foods. I like to serve along side a BBQ chicken or even along side a Mexican dish.

Take it to a pitch-in and you will be guaranteed to bring home an empty dish.

1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 small carton sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
1 stick butter or margarine

Mix together all ingredients except butter. Melt butter in a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Add corn mixture. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

*Note: To make this dish a little more spicy, try using the Mexican style canned corn!

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Celebration Cake

This is a great spring-time cake. It is refrigerated and served cold.

Another great thing is it is made with sugar-free pudding and unsweetened fruit making it great for those dieting!

1 yellow cake mix
3 egg whites
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 can (8 oz.) unsweetened mandarin oranges
8 oz. light Cool Whip
1 box (4-serving) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice

Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Mix cake mix, egg whites, applesauce and oranges with their juice; beat for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely.

Frosting: Gently fold together Cool Whip, pudding mix and pineapple in its juice. Frost the cake. Store in refrigerator. Serve cold.

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Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken

A simple sauce makes this is a tasty chicken recipe that can be made either in the crock pot or the oven. I am opting to cook mine in the oven tonight.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed tomato soup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried basil

Place chicken in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl and pour over chicken. Mix well to coat all pieces.

Cover. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

*Oven directions: Place chicken in 13 x 9 glass pan. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl and pour over chicken. Mix well to coat all pieces. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes or until chicken it no longer pink and juices run clear.

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3/29/10 Menu

It is Spring Break week around here which means Joel is home from school and I have taken a couple days off of work. It looks like the weather is going to be good, and I am looking forward to a nice week.

I am also excited that this is the week that precedes Resurrection Sunday! I am looking forward to an exciting day in church as well as time with family.

I plan on cooking more this week than I did last week now that my kitchen is all spruced-up!

Monday - brown sugar BBQ chicken, corn casserole, green beans
Tuesday - broccoli and chicken casserole, cooked carrots, cottage cheese, celebration cake
Wednesday - pork fritters, mac-n-cheese, applesauce (before church)
Thursday - savory turkey breast, seven layer salad, fresh-baked bread, brownies
Friday - meatloaf, buttered potatoes, relish tray, apples and dip
Saturday - spinach quiche (breakfast) Easter Dinner at my parents
Sunday - spiral ham, sweet potatoes, fried zucchini, creamed spinach, Hawaiian bread, coconut cream pie

Recipes I will highlight this week: brown sugar BBQ chicken, corn casserole, celebration cake, and coconut cream pie (my dad's favorite!)

Spring Cleaning

Not a lot of cooking has been going on the last few days here at the Farmer's Daughter.

It is Spring and I am cleaning!

One item I have found to be essential to me in spring cleaning: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I have found this is great for cleaning my painted cabinets. It truly is magic.

Hopefully I will be done Saturday and will post pictures of my sparkling kitchen!

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Easy Peach Cobbler

This peach cobbler could be called many things:

Lazy Peach Cobbler
Worn-out Wife Peach Cobbler
Tired Taxi-driver Mom Peach Cobbler
Oops I Need a Quick Dessert Peach Cobbler . . .

You get the idea. This cobbler is quick and easy.

1 large can of peaches, drained
1 box yellow cake mix (will only use 1/2)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. corn starch
margarine

Drain peaches and place in sauce pan. Add brown sugar and cinnamon; stir well. Add corn starch to small amount of water; stir until dissolved. Add cornstarch to peaches.

Heat until mixture boils and thickens; stirring constantly.

Pour into glass pie pan. Cover with the cake mix. Cover top with pats of margarine. Bake at 425 degrees 25-30 minutes or until top is well browned and fruit mixture is bubbly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream . . .

. . . and prepare yourself for hugs and kisses from your family.

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3/22/10 Menu

Joel turns 16 this Wednesday! So this week's menu will contain a lot of his favorites.

Monday - chicken tenders with BBQ sauce, oven fries, applesauce and peanut butter cookies
Tuesday - biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs
Wednesday - corn dogs and chips before church and birthday cake after church!
Thursday - pulled pork sandwiches, slaw, and peach cobbler
Friday - take Joel out for his birthday
Saturday - french toast and bacon (breakfast) chicken BBQ pizza and bread sticks (supper)

Recipes I will highlight this week: super easy peach cobbler, Virginia's ham salad, and vegetable beef stew.

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Oxblood Cake

Don't worry. No oxen were harmed in the making of this cake. In fact, there is no blood involved. The blood has to do with the red color of the cake.

Some suggest that this cake was a precursor to the more well-known red velvet cake. I cannot vouch for the legitimacy of that, but I can vouch to the fact that this cake is yummy.

This is another recipe from the cookbook my mom made. She said that it was a favorite of her dad's. While the cake and it's hint of coffee flavor isn't very sweet - the frosting is very sweet.

2/3 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk*
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup boiling water

*To sour milk add 1 tsp. vinegar to 1 cup milk and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Milk will slightly curdle.

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup melted margarine
3 Tbsp. hot coffee
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour and milk alternately. Combine cocoa, soda, salt, and water; fold into batter. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool and frost.

Frosting

Combine sugar and cocoa; blend in margarine. Gradually add hot coffee and vanilla and beat well.

*We all concluded that this cake tastes just like a Hostess Cupcake!

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Creamed Spinach

I almost embarrassed to post yet another spinach recipe, but this one is just too quick, easy, and yummy not to share. I saw it on TV the other day in a segment featuring bar food. Nice, right?

Considering the fact that we don't frequent bars, I was a foreigner to creamed spinach.

My mom used to make creamed peas on occasion. They are nice but totally different.

You can use either fresh spinach or frozen spinach for this. I did not have any heavy cream on hand so I used the half and half that I generously use in my coffee.

spinach (either fresh or frozen)
cream
butter
salt

Put spinach in large stock pot. Allow to cook down until soft.

IMPORTANT: Drain spinach well.

While spinach is cooking down, put desired amount of cream, butter and salt into deep skillet. Allow to reduce by half.

Add well-drained cooked spinach to cream. Heat through. Serve warm.

California Baked Beans

When I was in grade school I told all of my friends that my mom invented snickerdoodles. I wasn't trying to lie, I seriously thought she invented them.

She says funny words like fiddlesticks and davenport - so I thought it reasonable that she invented the snickerdoodle - the sweet, cinnamon-sugar cookie with a funny name.

Even as an adult, I am unsure if my mom invented California baked beans. I believe there is a reasonable chance that she did. But considering we have no ties to California, I am not why she named this dish California baked beans.

Origin aside, this is Megan's favorite supper. Serve good and warm with a cold side of cottage cheese and give them a little mix on your plate.

Yummy goodness.

1 large can of Bush's baked beans (original), drained
1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain well and return to skillet. Add drained baked beans, ketchup, and brown sugar. Cook over med. heat until bubbly. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

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3/15/10 Menu

Joel's fine arts competition on Thursday and Friday will keep us on the road this week and keep us eating out more than I like.

Monday - chicken pot pie, creamed spinach, corn, cheese cake with cherries
Tuesday - California baked beans with cottage cheese, applesauce, ox blood cake
Wednesday - pork fritter sandwich with lettuce and tomato, chips, fruit
Thursday - competition (eat on the run)
Friday - competition (eat on the run)
Saturday - breakfast casserole (breakfast) and soup pitch-in
for March birthdays at my parents (supper)
Sunday - venison tenderloin, buttered potatoes, green beans, angel food cake

Recipes I will highlight: creamed spinach, California baked beans, ox blood cake, and whatever breakfast casserole I end up making.

Blueberry coffee cake

Unlike my brother, who loves raw blueberries, I prefer blueberries cooked.

I like blueberry pancakes or blueberry waffles or blueberry muffins or this blueberry coffee cake.

This is a Paula Deen recipe which I have cut the sugar and butter in half. Sorry Paula. I am a huge fan, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 (12 oz.) can buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar

Grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters; dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

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Birdnests

This is another Grandma White recipe - and it has been a staple at our house since Brian and I were married.

1 pound bologna
sliced cheese
mashed potatoes (left over or instant)

Pinwheel bologna and place one slice in each cup of a well-sprayed muffin tin. Add a large scoop of mashed potatoes inside each bologna cup.

Cut sliced cheese into quarters. Place two quarters on top of each mound of mashed potatoes.

Bake in 350 degree oven until browned and bubbly.

Serve warm.

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Broccoli Salad

Sometimes I just get tired of lettuce salad.

This is a nice change of pace. Broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds, and raisins - I love fruit in salads!

1 medium bunch broccoli
1 medium purple onion
1/2 cup bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

Cut broccoli and onion into fine pieces. Add raisins, bacon and sunflower seeds. Mix dressing ingredients (Miracle Whip, vinegar and sugar) until well blended.

Pour over salad. Toss until well coated. Refrigerate before serving.

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Choco-Cherry Angel Cake

Here we go again - more chocolate and cherries!

My favorite part of this cake is the chocolate Cool Whip topping! So good - not too sweet. If you use light Cool Whip and light cherry pie filling (sweetened with Splenda) this cake is fairly low sugar and low carb.

I have never made an angel food cake before (I always cheat and buy them ready-made), but I got a cake pan for my birthday so I may give it a shot.

1 large round angel food cake
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling (I use light)
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed (I use light)

With long, serrated knife and cutting horizontally, carefully cut off top 1/2 inch of cake. Set top portion of cake aside.

Cut down into cake 1/2 inch from outer edge and 1/2 inch from hole, leaving a wall of cake 1/2 inch thick. Remove center with a curved knife or spoon being careful to leave base of cake at bottom 1/2 inch thick. Save crumbs for a later use*. Place cake on a serving plate.

Spoon pie filling evenly into cavity of cake. Fold cocoa into Cool Whip until well blended. Spoon 1/2 cup topping mixture over cut surface of cake. Replace top portion of cake.

Frost sides and top of cake with remaining flavored Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until serving time.

*Mix crumbs with slightly sweetened strawberries for a quick dessert.

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3/8/10 Menu

Basketball season officially came to an end on Saturday. It was a great tournament even though we lost. Joel had two amazing games - especially Friday night's game! Wow!

But maybe things will slow down a little bit now. I am looking forward to the speedy arrival of spring, and I hope to reflect that in our menu this week.

Monday - cheese ravioli, garlic bread, and salad
Tuesday - sour-cream enchiladas, chips and salsa from Chili's, raisin pie
Wednesday - birdnests, chips, choco-cherry angel cake
Thursday - pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, celery with peanut butter or cream cheese, fruit
Friday - salmon patties, broccoli salad, lemon buttermilk sponge pudding
Saturday - blueberry coffeecake (breakfast) chicken nuggets, cheese ball and crackers (lunch)

Recipes I will highlight this week: broccoli salad, blueberry coffeecake, birdnests, and choco-cherry angel cake

*I am still working on featuring Virginia's ham salad, but I have been under the weather and not able to get the pictures I want for that post. Hope to have it soon.

Kentucky Hot Brown

While looking up the history of turkey manhattan the other day, I ran across this recipe for a WW version of the Kentucky Hot Brown.

This will be a good way to use up the rest of the turkey Brian bought for the turkey manhattan and satisfy my nostalgic mood at the same time.

In the late 1920's, this hot open-faced turkey sandwich was created by a chef at the famed Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. It was added to the menu as a quick and delicious way to feed hungry travelers.

1 cup skim or 1% milk
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
4 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 pound sliced cooked turkey breast
4 slices crisp-cooked turkey bacon, cut in half

Combine milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan, mustard, and pepper sauce.

Preheat the broiler. Place the toast into 4 individual casserole or oven proof dishes. Arrange the tomato slices on the bread, then top with the turkey. Spoon the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Place the dishes on a baking sheet and broil, 5 inches from the heat, until the sandwiches are hot and the sauce begins to brown in spots. Top each sandwich with 2 pieces of bacon.

Serve with a crisp lettuce salad.

Makes me want to dance the Charleston!

WW 7 points
33 carbs per serving

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Spoonbread Souffle

I have been looking for a lower carb side dish - one to serve instead of noodles, rice or potatoes.

While looking through a Weight Watchers cookbook Brian's mom* gave me, I found this recipe. It is 4 WW points per serving and 19 carbs per serving. Not too bad.

Per Serving Comparison (3/4 cup serving size):

Creamette Extra Wide Egg Noodles: 32 grams carbs
Mashed Potatoes made with milk and butter: 22 grams carbs
White Rice: 44 grams carbs
Spoonbread: 19 gram carbs

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup stone-ground white cornmeal
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
pepper
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Puree the corn and 1/4 cup of milk in a blender. Place the remaining milk in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the pureed corn, butter, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a shallow 2-quart baking dish and place in the oven while preheating.

Separate eggs. Stir the yolks and baking powder into the cooled cornmeal mixture.

Beat egg whites and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cornmeal mixture.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the mixture into the dish. Bake until the spoonbread is puffed and browned, 35-40 minutes. Serve hot.

*Speaking of Brian's mom, Emmalea, keep her in your prayers for the next two weeks as she is going on a mission trip to El Salvador. She and her sister, Carol, head out tomorrow.

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Turkey Manhattan

You learn something new every day.

Turkey Manhattan is pretty much a quick go-to supper at our house. Considering I have been battling an awful bug for over a week now, I needed something quick and easy to make for supper tonight.

But I had no idea that our favorite turkey manhattan is actually exclusively a Hoosier thing.

"Turkey Manhattan” and “Roast Beef Manhattan” appear to be primarily Indiana dishes, dating from the 1950s. They are open-faced sandwiches, similar to Kentucky’s “Hot Brown.” Sliced roast beef or sliced turkey are placed on a slice of bread, covered with mashed potatoes and gravy.

The origin of the name “Manhattan” for this dish is unknown. Perhaps it is because the sandwiches were piled high, or perhaps (since the “Roast Beef Manhattan” appears to be the earlier one of the two) the term is related to the New York cut of meat.

Here is my quick and easy version.

deli oven roasted turkey - sliced extra thick
mashed potatoes (instant makes it quicker)
2 packages of dry turkey gravy mix
white bread

Make mashed potatoes according to box directions. Make turkey gravy according to package directions. Heat turkey slices in microwave until warm.

Place piece of white bread on plate, layer with slice of turkey, mashed potatoes and then cover all with gravy. Serve immediately.

Supper in less than ten minutes means early bedtime for my weary body.

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KFC coleslaw

I got this recipe from one of those secret recipe websites several years ago. It is supposed to taste like Kentucky Fried Chicken's original coleslaw.

I am not sure if it does, but I like this coleslaw - and it turned out much better than the Taco Bell burrito supreme recipe I tried.

Like all coleslaw this recipe is best if it is made several hours before serving to allow the flavors to mingle or marry or whatever they do.

Packaged, chopped cabbage/carrots makes this recipe even easier to make!

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 Tbsp. minced onion

Combine mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

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Banana Pudding with Peanuts

There are a few taste combos that I love!

I am not quite sure if these are unique to my family or if they are a regional thing or if maybe lots of people across the country or even the world like them.

All I know is these things go really well together:

bananas and peanut butter - this is the ONLY way I will eat a banana
baked beans and cottage cheese - something about the warm beans and the cold cottage cheese
scrambled eggs and ketchup - yummy, yummy, yummy
cornbread and beans with ketchup - without ketchup cornbread and beans gag me

Given my love of bananas and peanut butter it is understandable why I think this is the best banana pudding EVER!

Mother has made this banana pudding since I was little. In fact, her mother made this banana pudding long before I was born.

Forget Nilla Wafers and meringue - banana pudding was meant to made with PEANUTS!

2 boxes of vanilla pudding (sugar free works well)
milk
bananas
1 jar of salted peanuts

Make pudding according to package directions. Slice bananas. Using meat grinder, grind peanuts.

Spoon layer of ground peanuts into pretty glass bowl. Layer sliced bananas and then add layer of pudding. Repeat layers until bowl is full.

Garnish with remaining ground peanuts.

*This pudding is best eaten the day it is made. For some reason left-overs become a little watery.

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Meat Grinder

I don't have a lot of fru-fru in my kitchen.

One - there isn't enough room for extras; and two - I am just not a fru-fru kind of girl.

My kitchen has the basics and that's it. I don't have a garbage disposal (What would the raccoons eat?) and I don't have a dishwasher (Where would I put it?).

But one thing my kitchen does have is a meat grinder. I love this little baby. I picked it up at my neighbor's yard sale several years ago. Although a real bear to clean, three of my favorite recipes require it.

1. ham loaf
2. banana pudding with peanuts
3. Virginia's ham salad

Since I am highlighting each of these recipes, I decided to do a little post on the meat grinder itself.

This is similar to the grinder I have -
although I don't have the shredding pieces

My meat grinder is a Rival model and is probably from the 70's I am guessing. While not as old as the one my mom uses, I think it is a really nice grinder, and I am pretty pleased with my yard sale find.

This is similar to my mom's grinder

One thing that definitely helps with the grinding process - a teenage boy to turn the handle!

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Ham Loaf

Ham loaf reminds me of my grandpa - my mom's dad. There are a handful of things that remind me of him.

Just to name a few: the smell of Zest or Boraxo soap, this ham loaf, and any pie with meringue!

I typically make ham loaf at Easter, but it is good any time of the year!

A couple notes about this recipe:

1. You need a meat grinder to grind the ham. This is a great way to use up odd and end pieces of ham after Easter dinner. If you don't have a meat grinder, go buy one now. The next two recipes I am going to highlight require one! You won't regret it. I promise.
2. Ground pork is a little hard to find. Walmart never has it - but in a smaller grocery store you can ask someone in the meat department to grind it for you. Do not - I repeat - Do not buy pork roast and try to grind the pork yourself - no matter how nice your meat grinder is. It does not turn out well. That is all I am going to say.
3. This recipe is made basically like a regular "meatloaf" only using pork instead of ground beef.

1 1/2 pounds ground ham
*buy 1 1/2 pounds of already cooked ham steaks or use left over cooked ham - use meat grinder to grind this cooked ham
1/2 pound ground pork
*purchase it already ground (like ground beef - only pork)
1 cup milk
1 cup bread cubes (2 slices) cut or broken into very small, fine pieces
1 egg, beaten

Sauce:

1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. water

Combine meat, milk, bread, and egg. Mix lightly and form into loaf. Place in sprayed shallow baking pan.

Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

*I would feel negligent if I didn't add the following disclaimer: Be sure to thoroughly cook this ham loaf as it contains ground pork.

The first time Mother gave me this recipe she left out the ground pork. She was afraid I wouldn't cook it long enough which would result in salmonella loaf instead of ham loaf. The cookbook she made us girls contains the true recipe - ground pork and all. I guess she feels I am old enough to make it now!

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