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I'm Angel. I am a wife and Mom. I love photography. I love to read. I love cooking and collecting recipes. I love traveling. I love classic country music. I love to laugh. I love Emerald Isle, North Carolina. I love hot baths. I love the smell of fresh cut hay. I love chocolate. And most importantly I love my husband and daughter.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Cheesy Bread

Sunday I made some cheesy bread that my family loved!  I didn't have a recipe that I followed, it's just something that I created.  My nephew, Stone, has requested that this be made at every family dinner! It's that good, so make it soon!!

I used Penzy's Garden Salad Seasoning.  It's a mixture of cheese and chives.  It made it very yummy.  But you could make your own mixture with some Parmesan cheese, chives, garlic powder and whatever spices you like.



Cheesy Bread


1 large loaf of bread
2 sticks butter (melted)
Penzy’s Garden Salad Seasoning
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 cups grated cheese (whatever kind you want. I used Colby-Monterrey Jack. But Mozzarella would be good. Or whatever kind of cheese you like.)

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the bread carefully, lengthwise without cutting all the way to the bottom of the loaf, then cut it the other direction (so you have little squares all over the top)

Melt the butter then pour into all the nooks and crannies of the bread.

Pull the slices apart and sprinkle on the Penzy's Garden Salad Seasoning. Then push the cheeses into each little crevice.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Serve Warm – and grab some fast because it won’t last long!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sirloin Steak Bites

This evening I tried something new for supper.  I looked at several recipes online then just made them "my way."  I served them with some Basil Pesto Noodles (recipe to follow ...if you can call it that)  and steamed veggies.  And we had brownies for dessert.   I should have taken a picture of all this....a good blogger would....but we were too hungry and I didn't even think of it until now.

Beef Sirloin Bites

  • Cut the Beef Sirloin steak into bite size pieces....cutting out any gristle or fat. 
  • Season the bits with: Kosher Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Thyme
  • In a large pan, melt 3 tbsp of butter.  Get the butter really hot.  You'll want the meat to sizzle when you put it in.  (I cooked my meat in 2 different batches, adding more butter after the first batch.)
  • Cook until really dark brown, then use tongs to flip them over.
  • Cook on the other side until they are done enough to suit you.  They will cook a bit after you take them out so don't overcook them.

Basil Pesto Noodles

Cook some noodles.  Whatever kind you have in the pantry will work.  I used some small elbow macaroni.  When done, drain and put in some butter (to your taste but at least 3 or 4 tbsp).  Season with salt, pepper, and some grated Parmesan cheese.  Then open up a jar of Basil Pesto (you can make your own, but why bother, just buy some in a jar at the grocery store!)  I put a tbsp in & stirred it up.  Then I tasted it.  Then you can add more to your liking.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Just Married Chocolate Cake

This recipe was given to me when I got married 15 years ago by my husband’s Aunt….it was given to her when she got married in 1951.

JUST MARRIED CHOCOLATE CAKE


Source: Helen Chapman

Mix together:
½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs

Sift together:
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp cocoa
2 cups flour

Mix together:
½ cup sour milk
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together, add 1 cup boiling water over all. Beat with spoon – do not use a mixer.

Bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.

.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Pulled Pork









ANGEL'S RECIPE FOR PULLED PORK


1 Honey Bear
1 Box Brown Sugar
2 Small Bottles of Jack Daniels Honey BBQ Sauce (or one large bottle if your store carries the lg. size)
2-3 Bottles of Budweiser Beer (use the bottled beer, not the canned. I don’t think the brand matters, I bought Budweiser because I like Clydesdale Horses)
Sea Salt (you can use regular salt if you don’t have sea salt)
McCormick Mesquite Seasoning
5-6 pound Pork Butt

The night before, wash your pork butt and place in a large roast pan or a Dutch oven (I used my Dutch oven and I had a 5 ½ pound butt…any bigger and I would have to use a roast pan.) Pour one bottle of beer over the pork butt, cover and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Take the pork butt and sprinkle the sea salt all over on all sides and rub it in. Then I covered all 4 sides with some BBQ Sauce, Honey, and about 1 cup Brown Sugar.

I cooked my roast covered for 3 hours on 300 and about another 2 – 3 hours on 250 degrees. Every hour I would take it out of the oven and would use my flavor injector (you need one of these, they only cost $4.50 at Wal-Mart and really help the flavor of the pork and makes it very juicy) I would suck up some of the juice and inject it 2 or 3 times. Then turn the pork over and do a few more injections. Then add more honey, bbq sauce, and ½ cup brown sugar. And if the liquid level got low, I’d add another bottle of beer. (I only used 2 bottles total for this size of roast).

About ½ way thru the cooking time, I would also sprinkle on the mesquite seasoning (along with the bbq sauce, honey, and brown sugar)

At the end of the cook time, my roast was so tender that it fell off from the bone as I was lifting it out of the Dutch Oven. I placed it in a large platter and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then use 2 forks and pull the pork apart, throwing out any fat. Then I used a ladle and spooned a couple ladle fulls over the pulled pork to give it some extra juicy-ness.

Serve and enjoy!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Here's an easy recipe to make and a real crowd pleaser.  I made this several months ago and sent some home with Jennifer (for her husband Barry ) when she & Colton were over for a play date with Katie.  He loved it and he's requested I make it again.  So this recipe has the "Barry Good Endorsement."

APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP



3 (21 oz) cans apple pie filling
¾ cup apple cider
½ cup dried cranberries or dried tart cherries
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 (17.5 oz) package oatmeal cookie mix, Betty Crocker
½ cup butter, softened
Vanilla Ice Cream (optional, but you are nuts if you omit it!)


Preheat oven to 350. In a 13x9 baking dish, stir together pie filling, apple cider, cranberries, and lemon juice until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine cookie mix and softened butter, rub between fingers until blended. Sprinkle over apple mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping begins to brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

I've been sick the last 4 days and still feel pretty awful.  But I think I must be about to get better because I've been craving peach cobbler.  I made this recipe last fall for the first time, I was hesistant about the blueberries but they were really good.  If I just had the energy....I'd make this.  For now I'll settle with sharing the recipe with you.  Happy cooking.

DUTCH OVEN PEACH COBBLER


PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. SPRAY A DUTCH OVEN WITH PAM COOKING SPRAY. ADD THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS; MIX WELL.


GROUND CINNAMON – A LIGHT SPRINKLING, MORE OR LESS TO YOUR TASTE


1/3 CUP SUGAR


½ CUP BAKING MIX (I LIKE JIFFY ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX)


2 (16 OZ) CAN SLICED PEACHES


1 PINT FRESH BLUEBERRIES

TOPPING (PUT IN A LARGE ZIPLOCK BAG, SEAL, THEN MUSH AROUND TO MIX WELL.)


2 ¼ CUP BAKING MIX


¼ CUP SUGAR


¼ CUP BUTTER, MELTED


½ CUP MILK


CINNAMON SUGAR OR VANILLA SUGAR (I USED VANILLA SUGAR) -- FOR SPRINKLING

DROP SMALL BITS OF DOUGH ON TOP OF THE FRUIT MIXTURE. SPRINKLE WITH THE CINNAMON SUGAR OR VANILLA SUGAR. BAKE 30-45 MINTUES UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN AND CRUSTY. (I HAD TO COOK MINE LONGER TO ENSURE IT WASN’T DOUGHY)


















Sunday, March 4, 2012

Punch Bowl Cake

Over the years I've heard Dan rave about his Mom's Punch Bowl Cake that she used to make when he was a kid.  This weekend while we were visiting his parents I asked Lois for her recipe.  She wasn't able to find her recipe card for it but she told me from memory how she made it, she said she hadn't made it in years.  I haven't made it yet but I am pretty sure I'm putting it on the menu for our Easter Dinner.  Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it to.


Punch Bowl Cake

Yellow Cake Mix
Large Box of Instant Vanilla Pudding
Strawberries, sliced
Pineapple Chunks
Kiwi, sliced
Cool Whip
Pecan pieces
Maraschino Cherries

Cook cake according to the box and let cool.
Prepare the instant pudding.
In a punch bowl, layer ingredients as follows:
crumbled cake
pudding
fruit
crumbled cake
pudding
fruit
container of whip cream
pecans
maraschino cherries

Keep refrigerated.