Pineapple Casserole

Oh my Oh my...if you have never have had Pineapple Casserole
you are really missing out. It may sound weird but think of it
like a Cobbler...sort of. It is good as a side with ham, a dessert
with vanilla ice cream. This versatile dish is really heavenly.

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2  20oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained, and
reserve 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice (I used pineapple tidbits)
 1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers - crushed
 1 stick butter - use real it taste so much better that way

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
Spray a medium size casserole pan with Pam. 
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour.
Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple
chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. 

In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs,
melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with
until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of
pineapple mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!!

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

This is so good and easy to make.

 2 sticks of butter
 1 cup of light brown sugar

1 reg. bag of pretzels (you'll use about 3/4 of the bag)
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt 

 Preheat the oven to 400.

Line a large bar pan with parchment paper (you can lightly spray

with Pam at this point) then cover with pretzels.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat.

When it begins to bubble add the brown sugar. Stirring occasionally

let the butter/sugar mixture meld together and brown. This should

take about 3 minutes. Do NOT let it boil, you will have sticky mess

that is no good. When you have a nice, brown caramel pour it over

the pretzels, slowly and evenly. You can then use a spatula to spread

it out, you have to work quickly. It hardens fast so even

pouring is the best method.

Bake the sheet for 5 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the whole bag of

chocolate chips evenly over the mixture.

Place back in the oven for about 45 seconds to a minute. Chocolate

burns easy so keep a close eye on this.

 Remove from the oven and use a spatula to evenly spread

the chocolate over the top. Then sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate

for a minimum of 2 hours. Then you can break it apart into pieces.

 

Yummy!! Enjoy!!

 

 

Cheddar Herb Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick Baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1 cup extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (omit this if you don't want it in there)

1/2 stick real butter (it just taste so much better)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning (I actually grind mine in a spice mill so you
don't get big pieces of sprigs in a bite)


Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine first 7 ingredients in medium-sized bowl just until all is moistened.
Drop heaping table spoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheet making 10
mounds.

Melt butter and add the other 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and italian seasoning,
and spoon or brush butter mixture on top of each biscuit. Bake approximately
10-12 minutes until golden and lightly browned on the bottom. Keep a eye on
them at the 10 minute point....

Enjoy!!

Russian Tea Mix

I remember as a little girl Mom making this tea for me. I thought it was the best
tea in the world. With fall just around the corner it is time for those wonderful
comfort drinks and foods we love so well.

2 cups Tang (instant orange drink) remember the astronaut commercial??
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup instant tea mix with lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix. That's it. Put in a airtight
container. This stores well and will last a couple of months stored this way.
Use 2 - 3 teaspoons per cup or mug with hot water. I use 3 cause I
like it good and zingy.

Sometimes I make extra batches of this great recipe and put it in festive
containers or small mason jars for gifts during the holidays or for a hostess
at a party.

Enjoy!!

Pizza Dip

The holidays are fast approaching and lots of family gatherings will
be happening. This fast and easy dip can be made ahead to bake
or at the very last minute for company.

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

2  8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temp

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup pepperoni, sliced in halves or quarters

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream together.

Then add garlic powder, salt, 1 cup mozzarella and pepperoni.

Once well mixed, add to greased baking dish. (I used a 2 quart dish)

Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and top with a few pieces

of pepperoni.

 

Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden bubbly.

Serve with pieces of crusty bread, pita chips or crackers such as Ritz.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Pumpkin Monkey Bread

This recipe is just perfect for the fall as well as for the holidays. The smell
of this throughout the house is just amazing.

2 16.3 ounce cans Pillsbury grand biscuits (whatever one is your favorite)
1/2  cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup raisins (I leave them out cause I don't like them)
1/2 cup pumpkin "puree" (in a can)
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each biscuit into quarters so that you end up with 64 pieces.
In a bowl mix together sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Mix together.
Then in a larger bowl (I spray with a little bit of Pam so dough won't stick)
put in the biscuit pieces. Then pour the sugar mixture over the pieces and
mix together to coat them.

Spray a bundt or fluted cake pan with Pam. Then arrange monkey bread pieces
in the pan and sprinkle raisins over the top or throughout as you layer biscuit
pieces. Leave the raisins out if you're like me and don't like raisins in stuff like this.

In a small bowl combine melted butter with brown sugar and pumpkin puree.
Pour the mixture over the monkey bread.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until good and golden brown.
Allow the monkey bread to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully flip the pan
upside down onto a large plate.

Suggestion - dried cranberries are a great choice to replace the raisins with.

Everyone is going to love it!! Enjoy!!

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

 2 sticks butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Melt the butter and peanut butter (you may use microwave).
Stir in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar. Quickly spread into
a buttered 8x8-inch square buttered dish. Chill to set.
Cut into 64 squares.

Tomato Pie

1 whole 9-inch Frozen Traditional DEEP Dish Pie Shell
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon hot sauce or a little more if you like it
1 small onion diced
4 large ripe tomatoes, slice about 1/4 inch thick (pat dry with paper towel)
salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic powder to taste

Bake your pie crust for about 10 minutes first on 400 degrees. Take out
of oven to rest while you prepare your tomatoes.
Then layer your sliced tomatoes in the crust. About 1/2 way through
layering tomatoes I sprinkle half of the diced onion and put some salt,
pepper, italian seasoning and garlic powder. then finish layering tomatoes,
onion and do seasonings again.

Mix mayo, parmesan, cheddar, hot sauce together (might need a little
more mayo if it is to thick). Then spread all over top of tomatoes.

Bake 400 for about 45 minutes...til good and bubbly brown on top.

I cover the "edge" of crust while baking with foil so it doesn't get to over done.

This is really good and truly southern. Enjoy!

Ann's Meatloaf

Ann's Meatloaf

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. ground round
1 cup tomato sauce
1 onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 to 1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup ketchup or Heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tblsp Dijon mustard
2 tblsp worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons texas pete
1 tblsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
2 eggs beaten

This really is easy...I put everything in 1 big bowl and mix well
(with my hands).  Then put in your loaf pan. I spray mine with Pam.

I then mix about 1/2 cup ketchup with 1 tblsp of brown sugar
and mix well. Then spread over top of meatloaf. Do not cover it.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

After you take it out of oven "do not" drain it and let it rest about
15-20 minutes. This is what makes it really moist and not dry.

Nana's Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Nana's Cream Cheese Pound Cake


This cake brings some special memories to mind. My Mom always made
this cake with such love. So while I'm making it I always think of her
and how much she loved baking and sharing what she had made with
our family. This cake is so simple yet sooo yummy.

3 sticks butter (salted or unsalted it doesn't matter) room temperature
1 8oz. regular cream cheese - room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons vanilla


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan. I
actually spray mine with flour baking spray and it works wonderfully.

In your bowl cream butter and cream cheese until very smooth. Add
sugar gradually and beat until very fluffy. I usually beat this about 3
or 4 minutes.

Add 1 egg at a time....beating well with each egg until all are added.
Then add flour in a cup at a time until all is mixed in. At this time add
and mix in vanilla.

Pour mix into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow to
cool before flipping out of pan after baking or at least 20 minutes then
allow to come to room temperature.

**Do Not Use regular Pam to spray pan....cake will stick. USE Baking
Pam with flour or Pillsbury Baking Spray**

Baking Tip - You can also add 2 teaspoons of lemon extract OR 2
teaspoons almond extract to this recipe and make it the flavor you
like. You would still add the vanilla.

ENJOY!!!