Sweet Potato Casserole

Here is another one of Lee's family recipes. His grandma, Meme, has tons of great recipes and this is one that we ALL love!

OK now really folks..... I can't tell you how many people are scared of yams. Either it's just the name or something your great aunt used to make that made you resent them for life. It is time to get over your fears... and it can be done with this dish!!! The picture really doesn't do it justice! A little true life story for you.... My dad and sister have NEVER EVER eaten sweet potato casserole at thanksgiving. I would b/c my aunt made the one with the big marshmallows and I loved that. I made this last year for my family. Laura and dad were the first to go back for seconds on this one. The ones who HATE yams! Yeah... so that should tell you a little something about this dish. And let me tell you... the topping of this dish is the best kept secret. It is crunchy pecan sugar heaven. Just try it. 

3 cups of sweet potatoes, mashed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 t vanilla

Mix the above ingredients together and put in a casserole dish.

Topping:
1/3 c butter, softened
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Mix and sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Can be made ahead and frozen. 

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

This is a recipe from Lee's family. They do not have a gathering during the holidays without it.

This is my go to dish when it comes to gatherings during the holidays. If it's at work or friends house, this is ALWAYS a hit!! I had to write this recipe down and make 6 or 7 copies last year. It's just good. You can always add chicken to it and make it your main course. When I'm in a hurry sometimes I'll use seasoning blend for the veggies and it's just as good.

1 stick of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 pkg of frozen chopped broccoli
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup of grated cheese or 1 small jar of cheese whiz (I use the cheese whiz)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I use 2 boil in the bags)
Tabasco to taste
salt/pepper to taste
bread crumbs


Preheat oven to 350. Start the boiling process of rice. In a large skillet, saute the onions and celery in butter until the vegetables are clear. Cook broccoli according to pkg; drain well. Mix broccoli with soup and cheese; add to celery and onions. Stir in rice; season and mix well. Put into a greased casserole dish; top with bread crumbs. Bake 45 minutes. Can be mixed ahead and frozen.

Bean Dip

Here is another good dip from Pinterest!!

Ingredients:

2 cans (16 Oz) Refried Beans

1 can (10.5 Oz) Diced Tomatoes (see notes)

1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning

4 cups Shredded Colby-jack Cheese (see notes)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Drain excess juice from tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, combine refried beans, drained tomatoes, taco seasoning and 2 cups of cheese.

Spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour combined ingredients into dish and spread around evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until thoroughly heated through. Add remaining cheese on top of dip and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve warm with your favorite tortilla chips.

Cook’s Note: This is the basic recipe but you can definitely turn up the heat and flair with this. Use a can of tomatoes with diced green chiles (like Rotel) to turn up the heat or try using Pepper Jack cheese. Also, try spreading an 8 ounce block of softened cream cheese on the bottom of the dish first before spreading the bean dip on top. Throw in a small can of diced olives and you have a warm dip that is similar to a 7 layer dip. This dip still tastes great when it has cooled.

Butterfinger Pie

Y'all can thank Pinterest for this one.... 

7 butterfinger candy bars, crushed (set aside 1 for topping)
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 (12oz) Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust


Mix first 3 ingredients together. 

Pour in pie crust. Top with more crushed butterfinger. Chill. 

Enjoy!! (Yes, it's that easy)

Chicken n Dumplins

I'm going to be honest. I haven't made chicken n dumplins since I was a little girl and I would help my grandma roll out the dough. I remember it being a process!! So that's why I haven't bothered with making any. My friend introduced me to this fabulous and addicting website Pinterest which has tons of recipes, home ideas, fashion, etc. This recipe was floating around on there (bubblecrumb.com) and I thought it would be perfect for a Sunday afternoon. They really tasted homemade!!! They were so good!! My husband LOVES chicken n dumplins and gets them when we go to any home cooking restaurant and he gave them an A+. I've now had them leftover twice and they were great each time..... no better way to welcome the fall with a big warm pot of chicken n dumplins!!!! Enjoy!


4-6 boneless chicken breast
2 T butter
2 cans cream chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 T dried parsley
pepper/Tony's
5-6 grands flaky biscuits, cut into 7-8 pieces


In a crockpot, place chicken, butter, cream of chicken, broth, onion, parsley, and seasonings. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. Use a fork to shred chicken in pot. Add cut up pieces of biscuits and cook another hour. It comes out nice and thick!! 

Chicken with a Flair

I made this a while ago and I forgot how great it is!! My good friend, Laura, shared this recipe with me. I made a few changes so I figured I would repost it. It is perfect dinner for a week night... So easy and oh so good. 

3 cooked chicken breast, chopped small

1/3 c milk

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of rotel

1 lb of Velveeta, cubed

1 c of shredded cheddar cheese

1 12 oz pkg of Spicy Dorito chips, crushed

pepper

Place chicken in a pot of water and boil for 20-25 minutes. Chop. 

Preheat oven to 350. In a greased 13x9 in baking dish, layer the bottom of dish with crushed Doritos (setting aside a handful to add to mixture; optional). Mix the remaining ingredients except cheddar cheese. Pour over Doritos and top with cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and back an additional 20 minutes.

Sauteed Veggies

I had random veggies in the fridge so I made up my own concoction. I loved it! You can make your own with any spices and vegetables you enjoy.


1 onion
1/3 head of cabbage
1 zucchini
1 can mushrooms (fresh if you have on hand)
Worcestershire's sauce
seasonings
butter, spoonful
garlic


Slice or cut up your vegetables. Place in a saute pan over medium heat. Seasoning with remaining ingredients and cover. Let simmer until soft. Sometimes I add wine or chicken broth.

Enjoy!!

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

If you like pumpkin, you will love these!! I got this recipe from Sabrina's blog, LouLou Sucre, which she got from Annie's Eats which is another great recipe blog. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. 

Thank you, Annie's Eats for a wonderful Fall treat!!

Source: annies-eats.com via Carolyn on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a medium-bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.  Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended.  Withe mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). 


Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. 

Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. 


Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffins.


Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Zucchini Chips

I had a couple of zucchini in my refrigerator and I wanted to do something different than just sauteing them. I have always seen recipes for zucchini chips and thought I'd give them a try. I got this recipe on Spark recipes... they have some good ones. I could NOT stop myself from eating them!!!! Seriously, I just used 1 1/2 zucchini b/c it was just me and I ate EVERY SINGLE ONE! They were great and I will be making them again. I had chicken breast and a fresh tomato with them but they can go with just about anything. Even great for a snack!


1/4 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/8 t pepper
1/4 c milk OR 2 egg whites
2 medium zucchini, sliced about 1/4 in thick


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place slices on ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray, place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately. 

Guacamole

I went by my parents and my dad had all of these ingredients from a batch of guacamole. He gave me all his left overs so I made my own! 

• 2 avocados, peeled & mashed
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 ripe roma tomato, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1-2 T of cilantro
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients & chill. Serve with chips. Enjoy!!