Baked Cinnamon and Sugar Cheerios

A nice, sweet treat!

Baked Cinnamon and Sugar Mini Donuts

1/4 cup butter, melted
4 cups Cheerios cereal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, add melted butter. Add cereal and stir.
Add sugar and cinnamon to cereal in bowl; toss well to coat.

Spread on a sheet pan and bake for 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on them in the oven so they don't overcook. 

Yeast Rolls and Honey Butter

Those that know me, know that I don't do a lot of baking, at least not breads and rolls. (Yeast doughs) My son and his fiancé gave me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer last Christmas, and I got brave enough to go for it. The right recipe helps! I tried my best foodie friend Mary's recipe. I did it! Her recipe is awesome! I do have to work on size consistency! LOL 

Cooking with Mary and Friends <- Click on this link for the recipe! 

 I made Honey Butter to go with them,

at the hubby's request! 

1 stick of Butter
3 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix together until smooth. Refrigerate, if there is any left! 

Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

I had almost forgotten that I used to do the shrimp on the stove top in a sauce pan years ago. I saw a recipe that kind of reminded me of my recipe, so I pulled it back out. I decided to grill them on skewers, and they are now our favorite go-to shrimp!

1lb uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 slices baguette

In a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in Worcestershire sauce and 3 cloves chopped garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the bread. Add shrimp to a zip top bag. Pour remaining butter mixture over shrimp; carefully toss to coat. Marinade for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

Brush baguette slices on both sides with the reserved 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture and toast until golden brown. Transfer to a bread bowl and keep warm.

Skewer the shrimp about 5 to 6 shrimp per skewer. Brush shrimp with any left over marinade. Grill shrimp for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm; transfer to serving platter or bowl.

Serving Suggestion: Serve shrimp with bread and a tossed salad.

Sautéed Shrimp

I learned this recipe a long time ago from Chef Paul Prudhomme on a morning show. He published a more refined recipe later, but I like the original better. 
BTW... Locally SC sourced Large Shrimp from the Shrimp Guy!

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
¼ pound (1 stick) Butter
1½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


Peel and devein the shrimp.

Melt the butter and add the Worcestershire Sauce. Bring up to a hard simmer on medium. Add garlic. Bump the heat up to medium high and add the shrimp. Sauté until nice and white and orange. (No longer or it will be rubbery.) 

This can be served with rice or noodles, but we like it by itself with a side of fries and a salad! 

Chicken Scampi

My guys love scampi. I didn't have shrimp, but I did have chicken breasts in the freezer. It turned out delicious! 

1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Chicken Broth (add a little corn starch if you want a thicker sauce)

Bring a large pot of salted water (with a drizzle of olive oil added) to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook until done; drain. 

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and fry in a little oil. Remove and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Once the onion is translucent, add the chicken and Parmesan. Cook and stir until heated through. Add in cooked pasta and toss. Add enough chicken broth to create a sauce as thick or thin as you want. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Basil Butter

This butter is great on just about everything! Breads, vegetables, rice or pasta, but it's awesome on pork chops or steaks right after that last flip on the grill. Add a pat of this butter directly on the meat on the grill. Let it melt and soak into the meat! Yummy!

½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup finely chopped fresh sweet basil and purple basil *
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
½ teaspoon lemon pepper

Mix together well.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Makes ½ cup.

*You can use sweet basil alone. I used both, because I have both in my garden.

Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower and Red Onion

I know many of you have seen me mention PBC on my Facebook page. Most of you know that that's my home church, Pinewood Baptist Church, and I feed our Wednesday Night Supper crowd. We have recently grown to a group of about 75 or so. This past Saturday, the youth put on a Sweethearts Banquet, serving Steak/Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Salad and Desserts. When I got to the kitchen today, there was all kinds of leftovers in the frig. There was broccoli, cauliflower and red onions left over from the salads... already cut up and ready to go! I tossed them with enough oil and melted butter to coat them and sprinkled them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I spread them out on a cookie sheet and roasted them at 425 degrees, until they were nice and caramelized!

 Before...

After Roasting!

Sugar and Cinnamon Candied Pecans

These candied pecans remind me of Christmas! They smell awesome and taste delicious! Just a word of caution, they are addictive! We eat them by the handful!

½ cup sugar

¼ cup butter

¼ cup light corn syrup

½ tsp cinnamon

3 cups pecans

Whisk sugar and cinnamon together in a medium sauce pan. Bring sugar mixture, butter, and corn syrup to a boil. Place pecans in a grease 13X9 dish, pour sugar mixture over them and stir. Bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Southern Green Beans and Potatoes

I cook a lot of green beans for my Wednesday night supper crowd at church. After a while I get really tired of the same old, same old. I'm on a VERY tight budget, so I can't get too fancy. But with just a few extras, you can jazz up some boring old sides. I was cooking hams, so I borrowed some of the fat and a little meat and used it for seasoning... browning it in a saucepan. This feeds 50 people and makes 2 buffet pans of beans. Adjust if you are making for lesser amounts. 

I sliced up some onions and added minced garlic. I added a stick of butter a little at the time. You need to remember (before you gasp at the butter) that this is enough for 50 people. I also added salt and lots of pepper.

I used small potatoes, peeled cut into small, bite sized pieces and cooked. I added them to the green beans in the buffet pan. Then I stirred in the seasonings and covered them with foil. I let the heat through.

After they cooked for a while, I added a little more butter and pepper. I covered it and let it simmer on top of the stove. From the remarks I received, they were VERY tasty! :-)


You need...

Meat and fat for seasoning... Ham, bacon or fat back
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 stick of butter
2 #10 cans Green Beans
4 pounds Potatoes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salmon with a Browned Butter Dill Sauce

Tonight, I wanted Salmon, and no one else here likes salmon! So, I made it special for myself!!! This is Salmon with a Browned Butter, Lemon Dill Sauce.On a funny note... The hubby ate half of my salmon... that he doesn't like! Humph! I guess it was pretty good then! But what do I know?!?! LOL

Browned Butter Dill Sauce

2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 tsp dill weed
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic juice*
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste

*You can substitute a little garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan, sprayed with cooking oil, to medium high heat. Salt both sides of the fish. Place salmon, skin side down, in the hot pan. Do not try to move the fish. It cooks pretty fast. When the skin releases from the pan, it's ready to turn. If you like the skin 'blackened' a little leave it a little longer before turning.

Remove the fish and plate it. De-glaze the frying pan with the lemon juice. Add the butter, dill, garlic. Let the butter brown a bit. (This happens pretty quickly in the hot pan, so watch it closely.) Add salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the sauce over the fish. Enjoy!

Williamsburg Orange Cake

This cake is incredibly moist. The directions took me by surprise, but it is a very old recipe. Use you own judgement or follow my revised directions at the bottom. My family went to visit my (Great) Uncle Perry in Virginia every summer, and we went to Williamsburg, Virginia as often as we could while there! For me anything that has Williamsburg in the title has to be awesome! :-)

2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup drained, crushed Dole® pineapple
1/2 cup pecans or almonds, finely chopped (I used almonds)
1 tbsp orange zest
Williamsburg Butter Frosting*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure all ingredients into a large mixer bowl.*** Blend for 1/2 a minute on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat 2-3 minutes on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Pour into 2 - 9 inch greased and floured cake pans. (I made this one in a 9x13 pan.) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and frost cake.

Williamsburg Butter Frosting*

1/3 cup butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar (10X sugar)
3-4 tbsp orange juice
2 tsp orange zest

Blend butter and sugar. Stir in juice and orange zest. Beat until smooth.


*** The directions threw me, but the recipe is very old. I followed my own directions that I was taught in making cakes... I creamed the sugar, butter and shortening. I added the eggs, zest and vanilla. I combined the dry ingredients, and added alternating with the buttermilk. Lastly, I added the nuts and fruit.

Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Cheese Straws

These are always a big hit at parties in the Deep South. The cayenne pepper gives them the perfect kick!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, add the butter, cheese, flour, salt and cayenne and process until a smooth dough is formed. Scoop it into a cookie press, fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough in 2-inch strips onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. If I am making a lot for a catered even, I pipe out long running lines and cut them to the size I want. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and roll on a lightly floured surface into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut into smaller rectangles, about 2 by 3-inches, with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool.

Swedish Butter Cookies

We didn't have anymore pecans, but the hubby wanted to make them anyway... He says that he'll get some pecans later. When he thaws them out at Christmas, he says that he'll brush them with butter and roll them in chopped pecans. I say leave them alone and make another batch when you get the pecans! LOL

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp half & half cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 finely chopped pecans
maraschino cherries, halved

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla and cream. Combine flour and baking powder and gradually add to the butter mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Roll about a tablespoon of the dough into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white. dip the top of the balls in the egg and then dip in the remaining pecans. Place them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the top of each cookie. Place a cherry in each hole, cut side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.

Cinnamon Butter

So simple, but very tasty. It tastes like cinnamon toast! I'm going to use it as a filling in a pastry of some sort. We'll see... My hubby loves it on toast and in oatmeal!

1 stick Butter, room temperature
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon

Mix together until smooth. Store in a mason jar in the frig.

Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash

Last night, I attempted once again to re-create an old family recipe... My Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash! To get the intense browning that she did, I have to cook it low and slow on the stove-top. If the temp is not just right, it will burn and you'll end up with a bitter flavor. I discovered that I don't have the patience to cook this dish often! It took me 2 hours to even get close!

Aunt Vashti used:

Yellow Squash... about 4 or 5 

3 T butter

1 onion, minced 

Basil

3 cloves minced garlic

Salt and black pepper, to taste.

Cook in a sauce pan on medium low, stirring occasionally. I covered it for the first 30-45 minutes for it to cook down. Then let it simmer and turn golden brown. (about an hour to an hour and a half) Aunt Vashti's squash was always a deep bark brown,  and caramelized to perfection! YUM!

 Mine is not a brown as hers was, but like I said, I'm not as patient! :-)

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

I don't know what it is about the taste of fresh corn... on the cob! There is nothing like it! I've never grilled or roasted corn. Our grill is on the fritz again, so I decided to try oven roasting some. I left mine in a little too long so watch yours closely. 20 - 25 minutes should be plenty of time. 

4 cobs of fresh corn
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 tsp of you favorite seasonings per ear ( I used garlic powder, onion powder and basil)

salt and pepper
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 °F.

Remove husks and silk from corn and rinse off. Place ears on foil sheets, dot with pats of butter, and sprinkle with seasoning, salt and pepper (and cheese if you want). 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until soft and steaming.

Brown Rice

This is the recipe that I use on Wednesdays for my church crowd. It feeds about 30 people per pan. I use 2" deep buffet pans. I have had a lot of people  ask how to make this much at one time. It's a good recipe when you are preparing for a reunion or church social. If you want to make a 13X9 pan, split the recipe in half.

Brown Rice for a Crowd

2 sticks Butter

1 Onion, sliced

6 cups Rice

4 cans sliced Mushrooms, with liquid

4 cans Beef Broth

4 cans Beef Consommé

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onions in butter and put in shallow buffet pan. Stir in rice, and liquids. Add mushrooms and liquid. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Greek Chicken and Poatoes

This recipe is so delicious! The lemon and spices and herbs make my house smell so good! This is so simple, but it can make you look like a master chef in the kitchen. The key is to use the Cavender's Greek Seasoning and a whole chicken cut into pieces with the skin ON! Please don't use skinless or it will dry out. If your diet dictates that you can not have the skin, you probably should not be eating a dish that calls for half a cup of oil. OR! Maybe you can forego the diet for one meal! It is so worth the guilt.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced or 1/4 cup juice

• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces

• 4 or 5 baking potatoes, cubed
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
• 2 lemons, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the butter, garlic, 1 tbsp Cavender's and lemon juice. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers or with the handle of a spoon. Be careful not to break the skin. Loosen as much as you can even down the legs. Place a scoop of the butter mixture under the skin and rub down, spreading the butter under the skin. Repeat this process until the butter is covering the entire chicken. Dust chicken with Cavender's Greek Seasoning. Place the potatoes, onions and some of the lemon slices in a 13X9 casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle the Greek Seasoning over the potato mixture. Place chicken on top of potatoes and onion. 

Bake uncovered for an hour and a half 

or until chicken is golden brown and potatoes are tender.

**********

Also great with leg quarters!

Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Every time I bake, my kitchen dies a little. It usually turns out alright. It's never a pretty site! These cakes fell, but my hubby says that it only makes room for frosting! :-)

1 pound Flour* = 4 cups
1 pound Sugar = 2 cups
1 pound Butter = 4 sticks
9 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugar to the texture of whipped cream. Add one egg at a time until 5 have been added, beating each egg 2 1/2 minutes. Add the others 2 at a time, beating 2 1/2 minutes. Add lemon extract. Fold in flour, a cup at a time. Grease and flour cake, bundt or loaf pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. 

* Use self-rising flour

This recipe made 2 loaf pans and a 5-inch cake pan full!

Lemon Glaze:
1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, finely zested

In a small bowl mix the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and zest together until well blended. Use a toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the cake for the glaze to soak into.
Using a large spoon, spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around using the back of the spoon.

Garlic Brats... Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches Kicked Up... Off The Chart

Last weekend I had a party for 30+ people. I made my families famous BBQ and my Daddy's BBQ Sauce. Everyone was excited about that rare treat, but they left talking about my new favorite sandwich...

Recently, I had the good fortune to visit Sunny Cedars Farm and pick up several different pork products. The sandwiches that I made for the party were made with kielbasa and pork sausage. This time I used the Garlic Brats that Russell of Sunny Cedars (Facebook) suggested I try when I was shopping around his display case. Oh man, were they awesome!!! Don't be shy! Hit those links up there and see how to get some of Russell's pork products!!!

Garlic Bratwurst

Onion, sliced

Bell Pepper, sliced

Mushrooms, sliced

Soy Sauce

Butter

Parmesan Cheese

Garlic powder

Basil

Salt and Pepper

Squeeze the brats out of their casings and brown.

Remove sausage. Leaving the drippin's.

 Melt about a tablespoon or two of butter.
Add a few shakes of soy sauce, about a tablespoon.
Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Cook until a little color appears and the vegetables have softened.

Return the sausage to the pan.

Mix about a 1/2 cup of softened butter with

1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese. Add seasonings to taste...

I scoop the inside of the bread out to give the filling a place to sit.
(Makes them easier to eat, also... and I'm all for that!)

Spread some of the butter mixture on the top and bottom pieces.

Load it up!

Oooops! I almost forgot the cheese... Monterey Jack Cheese!

Wrap them up and stick them in a 350 degree oven for about

10 or 15 minutes, until warmed through and the cheese is melted!

In the meantime, fry up some zesty seasoned fries!

Hot and fresh out of the oven!

It's ready for it's close-up! OooooLaaaaLaaaa!!!

MINE!!! 

 OMGoodness!
The hubby says, "Naaa! It's not any good! Go away! Nothin' to see... ummm eat here!"