Maple Butternut Squash with Bacon

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into inch cubes

1/2 pound of bacon (8 oz)

3/4 cup chopped onion

16 oz frozen kernel corn

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Process:

Place squash and onion in a large microwaveable dish with about 1/4 cup water and cover. Cook on high about 5 minutes or until almost tender. Set aside.

Place bacon on paper towels and cover with paper towels. Cook 1 minute for each slice. (i.e., 4 slices = 4 minutes)

Now, add corn to squash and onions and cook on high 3 to 4 minutes.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and crumpled bacon.

Special Barbeque Sauce

Recently, I went to family reunion in South Carolina where we had a huge cookout. . . the menu was barbeque chicken and huge boneless ribs! The barbeque sauce was a unique color, but I knew I had seen it before. About 4 years at another reunion (also in South Carolina) we had the same sauce. When I asked about it, I was told you could only get it in South Carolina (I guess they don't have internet). This time, I remembered the name... It's Cattlemen's; Gold to be specific.

I don't know where the home office of the company is located, but I know they make these products.

• Kansas City Classic™
• Mississippi Honey BBQ™
• Carolina Tangy Gold™
• Memphis Sweet™

I also know you can buy it at Amazon. I did check our local grocery stores and, sure enough, it's not there.

Try it if you get a chance. It's really good!

If you want to make something similar at home, here's a recipe.

South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
 

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes

Use this sauce toward the end of barbequing the meat since the sugar will caramelize quickly and then burn. Wait until the last 20 minutes or so, and brush on a couple of coats, letting each coat cook into the meat a bit before adding the next one.

INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, grated
1/2 cup yellow mustard (the kind you get at the ballpark)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard (like Coleman’s)
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1 Heat the butter over medium heat until it's frothy, then add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not let the onions brown.
2 Add everything else, stir well and simmer slowly for 30 minutes or more.
Yield: About 2 cups.

I think I found this recipe at SimplyRecipes.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
18 ounces evaporated milk
1 can cream of coconut (14 ounces)
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Place water, rice, butter and salt in medium saucepan. Over high heat, bring to a full boil, stir frequently. Reduce heat to low setting and cover. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Spray Crockpot with cooking spray. Add evaporated milk, cream of coconut, raisins, egg yolks and vanilla to Crock-Pot and mix well. Add rice mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 4 hours on low setting or 2 hours on high setting. As it cools, the pudding will thicken. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg or chocolate shavings, if desired.

Homemade Moon Pies

Microwave Plus Oven

As I was posting about the RC Cola Moon Pie Festival, I decided to post a moon pie recipe also. If you've never had one, you are truly in for a treat. (Recipe below)

You can learn more about the festival HERE

Moon Pies

Yield: About 18 double-decker moon pies

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Bake Time: 30 minutes

For the Cookies:
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

For the Marshmallow Filling:
2 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch salt
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

For the Chocolate Coating:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
¼ cup vegetable oil

1. To Make the Cookies: With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg and the vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and the salt, and mix just until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in two, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line at least two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside. Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2½-inch diameter round cutter, cut out the rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about ½ an inch apart. Refrigerate the cookies (on the baking sheets) for 10 minutes.

3. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for a couple of minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

4. To Make the Marshmallow Filling: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the salt until firm peaks form, gradually increasing from medium-low speed to medium-high speed as the egg whites gain volume. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230 to 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer (thread ball stage). Slowly drizzle the hot corn syrup into the egg whites and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, beat in the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar.

5. Using either a pastry bag or a spoon, mound about 1½ tablespoons of marshmallow filling into the center of a cookie. Top with another cookie and press lightly to spread the marshmallow to the edges. Add another mound on top of the second cookie, and top with another cookie, again pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

6. To Make the Chocolate Coating: Using a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power and in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together until completely smooth. Place the assembled cookies on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax paper. Spoon the melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie. Allow to set at room temperature for about 2 hours (or refrigerate to speed up the process). Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe obtained from foodandwine.com and browneyedbaker.com

Scrambled Eggs

I was really in a hurry this morning and, as usual, I was running late. It occurred to me that I had no supper last night. What can I do that will be done right now (besides cereal). Scrambled eggs!!!!

Put the egg(s) in a glass microwaveable bowl. Add a little milk or cream or sour cream and salt and pepper.

Scramble with a fork.

Place in microwave and cover. Cook for 30 seconds. Stir. Cook for another 30 seconds. If not done to your liking then cook only 15 seconds at time after the first two cycles. (30, 30 & 15 is all I needed).



When eggs are done, sprinkle with some shredded cheese for extra flavor.

It's fast and easy!

Chicken Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small cubes
1 (8 ounce) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or sprinkle to taste
2 zucchinis, cubed
2 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
2 yellow squash, cubed

2 large red potatoes, cut into cubes
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth

Chopped Onion and Garlic on Top

Cubed Sweet Potato

Directions

Place all ingredients in the crockpot and drizzle olive oil over top. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (add sour cream, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and stir during the last 30 minutes).

 

I took this to a family reunion, so I cut the vegetables and chicken in advance and put them in the crockpot when I was ready. I also transferred it from the crockpot to a casserole dish for more compact travel.

Mushroom Chicken Stew

3 Frozen chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (or fresh equivalent)
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1 14 oz can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I used the cream of chicken and mushroom)
1 14.5 oz can of vegetables or 1 pkg frozen vegetables
1 small can or jar of mushrooms (or fresh mushrooms)
1/2 bottle Rock Light beer (optional)
1 large heaping tablespoon Frank's Red Hot sauce (optional)

Cook chicken breasts, chopped onion and chicken broth in crockpot on low for about 6 or 7 hours. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and vegetables. Cook an additional 30 minutes on high until hot. If choosing the options, add the 1/2 bottle of beer and hot sauce and cook for 15 minutes on high.


*If using frozen vegetables, you can put them in at the beginning.

German Chocolate Nut Crunch Candy

This is not a recipe to be left in the crockpot while you are at work. You should be around to check on it periodically.

Ingredients:

4 oz German Chocolate
3 lbs white almond bark, broken into small pieces
12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
32 oz roasted peanuts

*You can also use two 16 oz bags and you can substitute the nut of your choice.

Instructions:

o Place all ingredients into crockpot and set to high setting. Allow to cook for 45 minutes undisturbed.

o Change heat setting to low, stir and continue cooking for 1 1/2 hours stirring at 30 minute intervals.

o Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto waxed paper. Let cool 30 - 45 minutes -OR- spread mixture onto waxed paper and let cool and then break into pieces.

This candy has a great flavor!

Barbeque Sandwiches

I was in a hurry for supper the other day and I had forgotten to thaw anything, so I raided leftovers in the refrigerator. I had part of a roast left over from a couple of days ago that I had cooked in the crockpot. I pulled the meat apart and put it back it the crockpot (on high) with a 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce. 30 minutes later, we had barbeque sandwiches and a salad.

A little bit of leftover roast really goes a long way when it's pulled and shredded and has a sauce added to it. I also added some chopped onion that I put into the microwave for 1 minute before adding it to the crockpot with the meat and sauce.

Lemon-Herb Alligator

I was looking for an unusual crockpot recipe for a family reunion. While on my search, I found this one. I don't plan to take it to the family reunion, but I just had to share it. It came from cdkitchen.

How will I ever get this thing into the crockpot?

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds Alligator, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 leek (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup whipping cream
salt
tarragon or sage springs; or chopped parsley
thin lemon slices

PREPARATION:

In a 3-quart or larger electric slow cooker, combine leek, garlic, tarragon, lemon peel, thyme, white pepper, and sage. Coat alligator cubes with flour, then add to cooker and pour in wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook at low setting until alligator is very tender when pierced (7 1/2 to 8 hours). 

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cream; blend into stew. Increase cooker heat setting to high; cover and cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes, until sauce is thickened (about 15 more minutes). Season to tUfaste with salt. 

If you are looking to buy alligator meat, you can order it from www.cajungrocer.com

3 Bean Casserole

This is a hearty meal without meat! Imagine that.

What You Use:


1 cup dried lima beans
1 cup dried great Northern beans
1 cup dried garbanzo beans
4-1/2 cups water
16 oz baby carrots or sliced carrots
1 chopped onion
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp tomato paste


What You Do:


Place beans in large saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat, cover and let stand for half an hour. Drain beans. Add the beans, carrots, Onion, garlic and 4-1/2 cups water, carrots, onion, garlic and seasonings to a 4 quart crockpot. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until beans and vegetables are done. Mix in tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt. Cover, and cook a half hour longer on low. Remove bay leaf before serving.

My Newest Tea

Isn't this tea just gorgeous! It tastes pretty good too! It's Chinese Flower Green Tea. It came from Fante's.


I've ordered Oolong (Wu-Long or Wu Yi) tea from this company before and I loved it. It didn't cost a fortune either. That's why I ordered from them again. I got half the amount for twice the price or better than I did from other companies in the past. Their Oolong tea is much more flavorful too. It's called Formosa Oolong. See it here at Fantes Kitchen Shop

At Teavana, you only get 2 oz for the same price or more, as the 4oz from Fante's, but Teavana has a much greater selection. I'm going to have to try some of them. They are just too tempting. They even have monkey picked Oolong. However, for just a basic, healthy, flavorful, economical Oolong, Fante's is my first choice. 
Teavana's large Oolong selection can be seen here Teava Oolong Tea


I always use Truvia; never sugar.

If you do visit Fante's, check out all the cool kitchen gadgets. I just love this website.

Making Garlic Paste

I love this simple video that explains the generalities of fresh garlic and  how to make garlic paste.

Honeysuckle Tilapia

1 cup of honeysuckle blossoms
3 or 4 tilapia filets
3 heaping tablespoons of honey
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
water


Gently rinse honeysuckle blossoms, being careful not to pull blossoms apart so as not to rise away the nectar. Place honesuckle blossoms into a small glass bowl. Pour in just enough water to cover the blossoms. Cover with glass lid or small glass plate. Put into microwave for about 3 minutes. When microwave cycle is finished. Don't remove them from the microwave. Leave blossoms to soak for about 5 minutes.


Chop the garlic or run through a garlic press. Place half in a coffee cup and add half the marjorine or butter. Add a tablespoon of honey. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the honeysuckle tea.

Drizzle this mixture over both sides of fish and set aside to marinate.


In the meantime, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the rest of the garlic to honeysuckle in the microwave.


At this point, you will pour over the fish to cook it.

You can grill the fish, which is what we did. You can cook it in a George Foreman Grill, microwave it, broil or bake it or even "just put it in a crockpot". You can also wrap it in foil and put it in any of the above.

*If you choose, you can use more of the juice to grill and pour the rest of blossom mixture over the fish after cooking.


Author's Note: I am not one to cook with flowers. I know that honeysuckle is an edible flower and it is so plentiful this year and smells so good that I decided to try it.


I believe this would have been better for chicken than for fish. The fish actually was a little blander than I expected. Chicken would have better matched the flavor.


Since I've never cooked with honeysuckle before, I decided to taste the juice or "tea" right after microwaving it (before the honey and garlic). Yuk! With a capital K. I might as well have been eating grass. I almost ditched this project. But, I had to know how it all ended.


I don't know that I would do this again just because of the trouble of picking the blossoms and the carefulness of cleaning them, but on the otherhand... it would be a great home economics project or something fun just to do with the kids when they are a bit older. Next time, I will use chicken.


*Also, if you don't like to taste or feel of alfalfa sprouts, you won't like eating the actual blossoms. Instead of using the blossoms, you can mash them up with a hand-held potato masher just to make sure you get all the nectar and the strain the blossoms out, using only the left over juice.

Crockpot Blackberry Deserts

I woke up to blackberry winter this morning and I started thinking ahead. What will I do with blackberries this year. Cooking them in the microwave is easy but the crockpot is a little different. I did some searching and I found these recipes that I want to try.



Crock Pot Blackberry Lemon Bread


Ingredients


1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c honey
1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c lemon juice
1 egg
1 c frozen blackberries
1 c Cool Whip Lite




Directions


Stir together dry ingredients. Add in oil, honey, juice and beaten egg. Mix just to moisten. Stir in frozen berries. Pour into greased and floured Bread/Cake Crock Pot Bake pan. Place in crock pot. Cover and bake on High setting for 3 - 4 hours or when bread tests done with a wooden toothpick. 


Remove from pan and let stand for 5 minutes, Unmold on cake rack. To serve cut in 1/4 thick slices and serve with about 1 tbsp of light cool whip. 


Please note that pretty much any fruit can be substituted for the blackberries. Just make sure the larger ones are in berry size chunks. 


To store, wrap in foil or plastic and place in refrigerator for up to 1 week.


Number of Servings: 24

I found this recipe on SparkPeople



Crockpot Blackberry Cobbler


1 package (14 oz.) frozen or fresh blackberries (3 cups), thawed and drained 


1/2 C. sugar 


1/3 C. water 


1 t. lemon juice 


1 C. Bisquick Original baking mix 


2 T. sugar 


1/3 C. milk 


Ground cinnamon


Whipping cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired 


Mix blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, the water, and lemon juice in crockpot. Cover and cook on low 3 to 4 hours, or until mixture is boiling.


Mix Bisquick and 2 Tbsp sugar in small bowl. Stir in milk just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot berry mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon.


Cover and cook on high 20 to 25 minutes.


To serve, spoon dumpling into dessert dish. Spoon berry mixture over dumpling. Top with whipping cream or ice cream. 

I've used this recipe before. You can find it most anywhere. I got this one from That's My Home.