Wednesday, June 22, 2011

EASY ITALIAN SKILLET SUPPER

1Medium Onion, peeled and cut in half and sliced 
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
! Lb. Fresh Italian Sausage
1/2 Lb. or more of Cooked Smoked Sausage, sliced diagonally into 1/2 in. slices
1(15oz.) Can White Kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1(15oz.) Can Chick Peas, rinsed and drained
1(141/2oz.) Can Salt-free Stewed Tomatoes, undrained
2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Oregano, dried
1 Teaspoon Thyme, dryed

In a large skillet put 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Remove the casing from the sausage and add to saucepan. Can use brats if you cannot find the fresh italian sausage. Cook 3 minutes stirring constantly. Next add the smoked sausage and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Pour off the drippings and then stir in the remaining ings.  Stir and cook on low heat for 5 minutes and then uncover and let cook for 5 more minutes for the flavors to blend. The juice in this dish is so good and is best if served over or with cooked rice.

PULLING GREEN ONIONS

After another rain this week I was in the garden pulling up weeds. To bad we can't eat them as they  sure seem to be more and more after each rain and no matter how much you try to keep them hoed out it about seems impossiable.
Any way I wanted some green onions for a big bologna sandwich and I pulled some up.
 I just had to have one before I brought them in so I ate me a small one. You would be surprised at how tender and crisp this onion was. So to test it out I ate another one. Oh yea, not  washed. But I removed all of the outer stems and they were clean. lol.
 This one was also crisp. So from now on after it rains is the time to pull onions. Just don't get stuck in the mud. lol.
 The rain must make them crisp. It sure helps with pulling them up. Mine were getting big so the white stem part was getting tough.
 The next day I found out that they were not like they were when I brought them in.
 Wonder if you could pour some water on them and let them get wet and it do the same thing.
 Nothing is better than a big green onion and a bologna and mustard sandwich for lunch or dinner if you are to tired to cook.
 Have you ever tried a split banana pepper on a bologna sandwich or crushed plain potato chips. Give this a try, it is so, so good.
Oh and make sure you give your hubby a great big kiss after you have ate your onions. lol.

SWEET POTATO MARSHMALLOWS

4 Large Sweet Potatoes 
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 Teaspoon Orange Zest
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmet
2 Cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 Cup Regular Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Bag Large Marshmallows

In a 350 oven, bake the potatoes until they are tender then peel them and mash them. Or if you are pressed for time just cook them on them on a stove (put water up to the top of them)until tender and then peel. Stir in brown sugar, orange juice, zest and nutmeg. In a separate bowl toss the coconut and the regular sugar and cinnamon. Press the mashed potatoes around each marshmallow and make a 2 or 3 inch ball. Then roll the balls in the coconut mixture and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch as the expanding marshmallows may cause them to burst open.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

CANDY MESS

My son called me Sunday and was asking me if I had ever made any Potato Candy. I told him no but I had heard of it. Potato Candy is nothing but Peanut Butter Roll the easy way.
So he began telling me how to make it. I got to laughing telling him there is no way you could use a 2lb. bag of powdered sugar in this. That is way to much sugar. So he told me to go try it. Now I just had a half of bag of sugar and I thought hay that will do. So I cooked me a "medium" potato as I said no way just one little small potato would work. We Ky. people like to make bigger batches of everything lol.
I took my potato, after it had cooked and took a hand potato masher and mashed it up then put it in a flat bowl to cool down and then started adding my powdered sugar. Ok, so what happened, the more sugar I added the more syrup I got.
Where was all of my sugar going to. lol. The potato began to turn to water and as I added the sugar it just got thinner and thinner. No wonder it called for a 2lb. bag of this sugar. So I just pitched it all in the garbage as guess what, I had put way to much potato in the bowl.
When it says a small potato it means just a tablespoon to start out with and that 2lb. bag of sugar, you will use it up quicker that you expect. You had better have 4 lbs. of sugar. lol.
 I told him to go to you tube and see how they were making it there. I learned real quick that one potato can sure go a long way in making candy.
 I have always made the cooked peanut butter roll and all that mixing with a hand mixer can sure get to you. No wonder they sell it for $10 to $12.00 a roll at these fund raisers. It is worth every penny of it.
 So I went today to get me some more powdered sugar but this time I got 4lbs. If I mess up I will have more sugar to add.
 But I am wondering just how many calories one bite of this candy will be. Just make sure you are not dieting as one piece will ruin a diet for two weeks. lol.
Look up a recipe for potato candy. It is real simple to make if you will follow directions and not be like me think I will just add just a little bit more of this and that......

Thursday, June 2, 2011

NEW COLORS FOR ROOMS

This blog will show you pictues of different paints that people have used in different rooms.  http://favoritepaintcolors.blogspot.com/

WON'T LAST LONG CAKE

This cake will bake up a brown color so don't think it is scorched or burnt. It is a very moist cake. You can leave out the cherries if you like.

11/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Crushed Pineapples with juice
2 Cups Mashed Bananas
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
3 Cups Flour
11/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Spray and flour a 9 or 10 in. bunt pan. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together all ings. Cut cherries in half and add them. Pour into the pan and bake for 11/2 hours on 350. Do not over bake. This is a very moist cake.

EASY PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1 Container Betty Crocker White Whipped Forsting
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
1/3 Cup Marshmallow Cream or Fluff

In a large bowl combine the frosting, peanut butter and the fluff or marshmallow cream using a spatula to mix with. Spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes of your choice and place in the ref. to chill. It has a better taste when chilled.

Stefen's White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Raisin Cookies From Lisa B. Ingredients: 14 TBSP butter, softened (2 sticks) ½ cup granulated su...