Southern Pecan Pie Cake

Run, don’t walk, to the grocery store to get the ingredients for this yummy dessert. Trust me, you won’t be sorry! If you love pecan pie and you love trifles, then you will love this.  I think the title is a little misleading, because it comes together more like a trifle.  However, I can't come up with an alternate title to replace it with.  Just make it, you'll see.  It's AMAZING!

2 sticks Butter
2 cups Sugar
1-½ cup Self-Rising Flour
4 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Chopped Pecans
1-16 Oz. Package Whipped Topping
1-14 Oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
8 ounces of cream cheese

Cream butter and sugar; add flour, eggs, vanilla, and pecans. Stir by hand until well combined. When it's all combined, you might be a little confused because it doesn't really look like cake batter.  And you'll double check the recipe because you think you missed an ingredient.  But don't worry, you didn't.  It will be okay!  Spread the batter into a greased, glass 9 x 13 dish and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the cake is cooling, mix together whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk, and cream cheese until combined. Crumble cake. Layer half of the cake crumbs, followed by half of the frosting mixture. Repeat. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve

Buttermilk Pound Cake

I made this today and let me tell you, it is AMAZING!  It is exactly what you expect from a pound cake.  Moist and delicious!  Doesn't need anything with it.  Just eat it plain.  I mean, I guess you could put your favorite topping on it, but it really doesn't need it.  Make this today!  You will not be disappointed.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon butter extract (you could use lemon or almond if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
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• Preheat oven to 325. Grease one bundt pan. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the butter and the vanilla extracts. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Do not open oven door until after one hour. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
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Tennessee Sin

This is one of my all time favorite appetizer recipes.  I normally make it for every Super Bowl party that we have (we normally have a big one).  However, this year, we're not having a big party.  But, I may make it anyway!

2 loaves round sourdough bread
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
1/3 cup green onions
1/3 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Slice off the top of one of the bread loaves. Hollow out the insides of the bottom, leaving a 1" shell. Cut the inside of the bread that you removed and the other whole loaf into cubes. Bake the shell for 10-12 minutes.

Beat cream cheese at med. speed with mixer until smooth. Add sour cream and beat until creamy. Stir in Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Spoon into bread shell. Replace top of loaf, wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Bake 30 min. 

Wrap bread cubes in foil & bake 15 minutes. Serve with the dip.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
6-8 hamburger buns
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, shredded

In large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook until the liquid has reduced.

Split open the buns and butter the insides.  Toast the rolls and set aside. 

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese. 

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.  These are SOOO delicious!  I am definitely making these again!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
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• Preheat an oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.  Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon.  Pour butter over top of crescent roll dough and then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Cinnamon Pancakes

In a medium bowl, combine these dry ingredients together.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

In a separate bowl, combine these wet ingredients together:

• 2 eggs beaten 
• 1 Cup of milk (or a little more if your batter isn’t runny enough for you)
• 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
• 1/4 Cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Add them to the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Drop the batter by about 1/3 cup fulls onto the pre-heated/greased griddle and cook until the tiny bubbles JUST start appearing on top, then flip over. These only take a couple of minutes to cook.

Serve warm with syrup – or you could use this delicious Maple Icing Syrup:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cups butter – melted
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 cup milk (more if you want it a little runnier)

Combine all of these ingredients and pour over your cinnamon bun pancakes. 

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies

If you are looking for an easy, delicious cookie recipe, then this is it!  I'm not really a "mint" fan, with the exception of Andes mints.  I remember when I was younger, and we would go to Olive Garden, and that was my first experience with Andes mints.  They used to keep the mints in a box by the hostess counter.  On my way out, I'd always "sneak" a handful.  Maybe that's why they don't keep them there anymore.  Anyways, here's the recipe.  Simple and yummy.  My favorite kinds!

1 box of Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 pkg. of Andes Mints

Mix the dry cake mix with the oil and eggs.  Once they are incorporated together, roll the mixture into 1 or 2 inch balls (your preference).  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes at 350.  You want them barely done, so watch carefully so they don't get overcooked.  Immediately when you remove them from the oven, place a mint on top of each cookie.  It will take a few minutes, but once the mint melts, use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate and mint around the top of the cookie, like frosting.  Cool completely until chocolate frosting is set.

These are so delicious and rich.  Try them today!

Baked Ham and Swiss Sandwiches

1 stick of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 T. dijon mustard
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 t. poppy seeds
1/2 lb. shaved ham
8 slices of swiss cheese
1 pkg. (12 count) Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Melt butter in medium skillet.  Saute onion until tender.  Stir in mustard, worcestershire, and poppy seeds. Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Keep the rolls in one big section, like they're packaged, but take a large, serrated knife and cut the tops off (keep them together).  Put the bottom half into a 13 x 9 pan.  Spread about 3/4 of the onion mixture onto the bottom half of the rolls.  Layer on the ham and swiss.  Place tops of bread back on top and then spread the remaining onion mixture over top.  Cover tightly with foil.  At this point, you can refrigerate them until you are ready to bake.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cut into individual sandwiches.

These are really yummy!  I made these the other night and everyone loved them.  I served them with a nice broccoli salad and some chips.  Easy and delicious!

Barbecue Chicken Dip

2 c. cooked, chopped chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. ranch dressing

1 c. barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's brand)

1 1/2 c. shredded, cheddar cheese

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

Mix together chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch, barbecue sauce, and 1 c. of the cheese.  Spread into a 8 x 8 baking dish.  Top with remaining 1/2 c. of cheese and green onions.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly.  Serve with tortilla chips.

You could easily turn this from barbecue dip to buffalo dip by switching out buffalo sauce for the barbecue sauce. 

Sausage Cheese Balls

I've made this recipe for years, but recently found the same recipe with the addition of cream cheese.  I had to try it and was definitely skeptical.  I mean, if it's not broke don't fix it, right? But isn't everything better with cream cheese? So here you go.  You're welcome.

1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
4 oz cheddar cheese (sharp works best), shredded

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix all ingredients until well combined. It will get messy and sticky.  Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.

Sausage Noodle Bake

1 lb. ground sausage
8 oz. egg noodles
1 can of cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. chopped green peppers
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 T. melted butter

Cook your noodles according to package directions.  I like to use the Amish noodles.  They really knock the "comfort level" of this recipe up quite a few notches.  While the noodles are cooking, brown your sausage until it is brown and crumbly.  Drain. Stir the mushrooms and green peppers into the sausage.  Once the noodles are done cooking, drain them.  Mix the soup, sour cream, and blue cheese in a saucepan.  I use the same pan I used to cook the noodles.  Why dirty up a whole new pan, right?  Stir continually over medium heat, about 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.  Dump the drained noodles right back into that soup/cheese mixture and then you might as well go ahead and dump in the sausage mixture, as well.  Give it all a good stir, then pour it into a greased 11 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs and pour the melted butter over top.  Bake in a 350 oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

I made this today and it is one of the first dishes I have made in quite sometime that was worthy enough to put on the blog.  So, you'd better make it!

Biscuits and Gravy

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• Biscuits:
• 
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon butter or margarine, melted
• Gravy:
• 
  
• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 
  
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in butter until melted. Sprinkle with flour. Gradually stir in milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over biscuits.

This was a super easy recipe.  I know if I can do this, you can.  It made just enough to serve 4 people, so if you want more, you may need to double the recipe.

Ranch Chicken Tacos

1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning mix, divided
1 tablespoon mild chunky salsa
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded
8 flour tortillas
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced (optional)
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

 Combine ranch dressing, sour cream, 1 teaspoon taco seasoning, and salsa in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Toss chicken with remaining taco seasoning. Cover bowl loosely with wax paper or plastic wrap. Microwave chicken until chicken is heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Place a scoop of chicken on the tortilla and top with lettuce, tomato, green onion, olives, avocado, cheese, and a spoonful of the ranch dressing mixture. Super yummy!!

Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sliced black olives
1 pinch basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
2 (14 ounce) jars marinara sauce
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. Stir in the water and black olives, and season with basil, garlic powder, oregano, sage, pepper, minced garlic, and onion flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the marinara sauce, and remove from the heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a layer of the meat and sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of dry noodles. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese over the noodles, and sprinkle with a little mozzarella cheese. Cover with another layer of sauce, and repeat layering ending with the meat and sauce on top. Reserve about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese for later. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, but check after 30 minutes depending on how thick the lasagna is. Lasagna is cooked when you can easily stick a knife into it. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top, and return to the oven for about 10-15 minutes for a nice melted cheese topping.

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. You want them tender, but not mushy.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. If your potatoes are smaller then, instead of cutting them in half, remove only the top portion and discard it. To the scooped out potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
Bake for another 15 minutes.