Thursday, December 29, 2011

Shawn's Cornbread

I can honestly say that my husband came up with this recipe for cornbread on his own. It is so good and it has become a new family favorite. The kids will eat this on its own...like they're eating a cookie.

What you'll need:

*2 cups all-purpose flour
*2 cups cornmeal
*2/3 cup sugar
*2/3 cup brown sugar
*2 tsp. salt
*7 tsp. baking powder
*2 eggs
*2 cups milk
*2/3 cup canola oil (or veg oil...whichever you have)

What you do:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix really well.

3. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured 9x13 baking dish.

4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Sausage Potato Casserole

This recipe came from a cookbook that was put together by my MIL's 4th husband's family. Don't ask.

What you'll need:

*1 lb. ground pork sausage
*3/4 cup milk
*1/2 tsp. salt
*3 cups potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
*1 can cream of mushroom soup
*1/4 tsp. ground pepper
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

What you do:

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage until it is no longer pink; drain.

2. In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, salt, and pepper.

3. In an ungreased 9x13 baking dish, layer half the potatoes, then the soup, then the sausage; repeat the layers.

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours (aka 90 minutes).

5. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

*NOTE: I don't actually measure the potatoes after I have sliced them...and it doesn't have to be "3 cups" worth of potatoes. You can stack them as deep as you like...which is what I do. Just make sure that you make more of the soup/milk mixture to accomodate all those taters!

Homemade Fresh Bacon Bits

This recipe for bacon bits is recipe #242966 on Recipezaar's web-site.

What you do:

1. Partially freeze your package of bacon so that it holds together better while slicing.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut the frozen bacon into long strips about a 1/4 inch wide.

3. Turn the bacon and cut the strips into pieces also about a 1/4 inch wide.

4. Sprinkle with pepper, if desired (I don't do this).

5. Fry over medium-high heat until crisp.

6. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.




Creamy Potato Soup

"Easy and very creamy soup with taste! Great served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Will satisfy even the meat lovers in your family." ~Karen from Colorado.

This recipe is #15165 on Recipezaar's web-site. I came across this recipe almost a year ago and I am sad to say that I have made this soup only twice. It is DELICIOUS! Here in Texas we have very few days that I consider "soup weather" (yes, even in the winter). I guess I'd better hurry up and make this again...before it gets too warm to enjoy it!

What you'll need:

*5-6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
*1/2 lb. bacon (cut into bacon bits...I'll tell you how to do this in a bit)
*1/4 cup all-purpose flour
*3 cups chicken broth
*2 cups heavy cream
*3/4 cup frozen corn kernels (or canned, drained)
*1 medium onion, diced
*6 garlic cloves, minced
*1/4 cup butter (optional)
*salt and pepper, to taste

What you do:

1. Fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve bacon grease. (Don't worry...I will post how to make perfect bacon bits)

2. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in a large Dutch oven or stock pot in water until tender (but not falling apart)...do NOT add salt! Drain.

3. Pour reserved bacon grease into large empty pot; saute onion and garlic in reserved bacon grease until onion is lightly browned.

4. Add flour to the sauted onion and garlic, stirring until evenly browned; add cream and stir constantly until mixture thickens. Add chicken broth and stir until bubbly.

5. Stir potatoes, corn, and crumbled bacon into the soup; add butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer until butter is melted and stirred into soup.

6. Add milk a little at a time if the soup is too thick for your taste.

*Some side notes...I don't use the butter. Also, this soup will be THICK! I don't add milk at the end to thin it out. Instead, I add 2 whole cans of chicken broth (which ends up to be 4 cups instead of 3).