Tater Tot Hamburger Casserole

The other morning I went to get something from the outside freezer.  I reached to open the door to the freezer and realized it was already opened.  My heart stopped!  Why was the door open?  Who left the door open? Was all my food ruined?  I quickly opened the freezer door wide so I could see the inside.  Oh, I was so sad.  My chicken, hamburger and tater tots were all thawed.  Well, I knew what we'd be having for supper that night--Tater Tot Hamburger Casserole!  Of course the next evening we had my famous grilled chicken. Just goes to show that something good does come out of something bad. 

Tater Tot Hamburger Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 bag frozen tater tots
1 - 2 cups grated cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Brown meat and onion.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Drain juices from meat and add soups.  Mix together.  Spray a 9 x 13 dish with Pam and pour mixture into dish.  Put tater tots on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until tater tots are brown.  Sprinkle cheese on top and bake 10 - 15 minutes more, until cheese is melted.

**In case you're interested, here's the scoop on the opened door to the freezer:
My granddaughter, Addy, went to the freezer to get a popcicle.  As she grabbed the popcicle, she saw a huge bug in the garage.  Screaming at the top of her lungs, she ran inside as quickly as she could.  (She's like her mom, Charen--HATES BUGS!)  And you know the rest of the story!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies

Now, talk about something good!  These brownies are to die for.  Chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallow--You may think you've been to heaven and back when you try this delicious dessert. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies

1 package (19.8 oz) Brownie Mix (I used Duncan Hines chewy Fudge Brownie Mix)

1 package (10 1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows (Kraft is the best)
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
I cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jiff)
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cup rice krispies cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Prepare and bake brownies following package directions.  Remove from oven and sprinkle marshmallows on the hot brownies.  Return to oven and bake for 3 minutes longer.

Put chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted.  Add rice cereal and mix well.  Spread mixture over marshmallow layer.  Refrigerate until chilled. 

**Since my family loves anything peanut butter and chocolate, I made this dessert for Easter and put some pastel sprinkles on top to make it look Spring-like.  It was definitely "heavenly"!

Strawberry Blueberry Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

Now that is a mouthful--Strawberry Blueberry Poppy Seed Pasta Salad.  And you're going to love every mouthful when you taste this delicious fruit and pasta salad.

Strawberry Blueberry Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

1 box (1 pound) bowtie pasta
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
1 1/2 Tablespoon onion juice or grated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Strawberries
Blueberries

Cook bowtie pasta according to directions on box.  Rinse and set aside to let cool. 

Put sugar, salt, mustard and vinegar in a small pot.  Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  (It does not need to come to a boil.)  Put this mixture in a blender.  Slowly add oil and blend.  Add onion and poppy seeds and blend.  (This is the same recipe I use in my Poppyseed Salad, except for the onion.)

Put pasta in a bowl and pour 1/2 the dressing mixture in it and mix well.  Let it marinate overnight.  Add the strawberries and blueberries.  Fold into pasta.  Add the rest of the dressing.  Toss and serve.

**Doesn't this salad look beautiful in my strawberry bowl?  This would be a great salad to serve on a red, white and blue day--Memorial Day or 4th of July.

Oh, and speaking of special days. . . . . . . . . . . .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JONATHAN!  I love you!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight

I was making a meal to take to my friend and I needed a quick dessert. I found a recipe on a piece of torn notebook paper that was probably written over 30 years ago. It had chocolate bars written along the side, but I really I didn't know (or should I say remember) what it was. Since it looked easy to make and I had all the ingredients, I decided to try it. Personally, I liked the bars just they way they were because I love anything chocolate. My daughter, Charen, thought they needed something else. So we tried putting crunchy peanut butter between two pieces, making it like a sandwich. Of course, Charen loves peanut butter. You know the saying that "two heads are better than one"? Guess that's true when it came to creating one of our new favorite treats, Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight. We were delighted that this chocolate bar turned out so yummy! By the way, my friend and her family loved it, too.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Crunchy Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate squares together. Add all other ingredients, except peanut butter, and mix well. Spread evenly on a greased jelly roll pan. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool and cut into squares. Spread peanut butter on one square and put a square on top like a sandwich. Serve and enjoy.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

I'm sad to say that this will be my last post--------------APRIL FOOL'S! Don't you just hate those silly April Fool's jokes? Well, this recipe is no joke. It is simple, tasty and you can substitute your favorite fish--catfish, flounder or orange roughy.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

1/2 cup pecan halves, finely chopped (I used my food processor to chop them)

4 - 5 fresh or frozen tilapia fillets ( I used frozen)

Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder to taste

3 Tablespoons butter

Sprinkle fish fillets with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dip fish in the finely chopped pecans. (Some did not want to stick, so I just placed the pecans on the fish.)

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until well browned and fish flakes with a fork. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of parsley, if desired.

**I served it with lemon wedges in case someone wanted to put a squeeze of lemon on the fish. It was fantastic. My family really loved it.

Grandma Sylvia's Passover Sponge Cake

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When my Grandma Sylvia was alive, she would always make a delicious sponge cake for Passover.  We were always excited about Passover because we knew Grandma would make us this special cake.  She also made a tasty Gefilte Fish from scratch.  If I'm brave, I'll try to make it next Passover and post it.  My cousin, Rozy, makes the sponge cake and gefilte fish for the family now.

When I was in Charleston, my sister gave me the recipe for Grandma's sponge cake.  I just had to make it and it turned out delicious.  It brought back childhood memories of my sweet grandma and the wonderful times we shared--especially eating her Passover sponge cake!

Grandma Sylvia's Passover Sponge Cake

10 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cake meal

1/4 cup potato starch

Juice of half a lemon (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

Separate eggs.  Place yolks in mixer bowl and gradually add sugar, beating until light and creamy.  Combine cake meal and potato starch and add to mixture.  Pour in lemon juice.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until very stiff and gently fold into yolk mixture.  Put mixture in an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until cake springs back when pressed.  Invert to cool.

**My sister said she has trouble making this cake--that it always falls.  I don't know what I did different from her, but I did mix everything in glass bowls rather than my plastic bowls.  I also used an angel food cake pan and I let the cake cool completely before I tried to remove it from the pan.  Mine turned out perfect.  My family loved it.

Now I don't know if it is really kosher to do this, but I tried a piece of sponge cake with cool whip and strawberries on the top.  Ummm, that was delicious, too.  But I love it just plain.

Matzo and Eggs

I just got back from visiting my family in Charleston.  I had a great time and was very excited to come home with a box of Matzos.  Usually I get my matzo after Passover--my sweet sister gives me her leftovers.  But this year she surprised me and gave me a box before Passover. (She knows I love matzo.)  So, this morning I made me some Matzo and Eggs.  Ummmmm, it was soooooo good!  Brought back lots of memories.  Thanks, Cat!

How to make Matzo and Eggs:

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste and beat eggs together. 

Take 1 square of matzo and rinse it with water for several seconds.

Break matzo up into eggs.  Mix the eggs and pieces of matzo together, coating the matzo.  Set aside.

Now heat a frying pan on medium high and add a slab of butter.  Coat pan with the melted butter and add the egg and matzo mixture.  Turn heat down to medium.  Stir often until egg is cooked, only takes a few minutes.  Put in a dish and enjoy!

Now this is could be enough for 2 people, but I always eat the whole thing and still want more.  Can't wait to fix it again tomorrow morning.

HAPPY  PASSOVER!

Perfect Rice Pilaf

Looking for the perfect side dish to serve? Try this rice pilaf. It's the perfect choice for any meal.

Perfect Rice Pilaf

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 -2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add orzo pasta. Cook and stir until pasta is golden brown. Stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and it's ready to serve.

Broccoli Corn Bread

For the Chili Cook-Off, I also made some corn bread and again wanted to make something different. I found this broccoli corn bread recipe in a church cookbook, so decided to try it. It was a hit--everyone loved it.

Broccoli Corn Bread

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

4 eggs beaten

1 small onion, chopped

1 box frozen broccoli, chopped (I chopped it into very small pieces and let it thaw a little)

4 oz. (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Bake in a greased 7 x 11 inch pan at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Crock Pot Veggie Chili

Every year at church we have a Chili Cook-Off. I usually make my Turkey Chili recipe, but every year I come home without a prize. So this year I decided to try something different. I made a veggie chili that I saw in Southern Living. It was absolutely delicious! No, I didn't win a prize (they let the youth judge and you know they hate vegetables), but my friend who was in charge of the cook-off said that I would always be a winner in her eyes and she handed me a handful of candy. I think she just felt sorry for me. But you won't be sorry when you make this delicious veggie chili.

Crock Pot Veggie Chili

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 - 1 cup diced celery

1 sweet onion, diced

Cooking spray or olive oil

1 large package sliced fresh mushrooms

1 - 2 zucchinis, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 yellow squash, chopped (about1 cup)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

3 cups tomato juice

1 (14 1/2 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

4 (15 oz.) cans pinto, black, kidney, or great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (I used one of each)

1 cup whole kernel corn (frozen or canned)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar (I also put 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to cut that tomato taste)

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray or a small amount of olive oil. Saute the carrots, celery and onion over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the mushroom, zucchini, and squash and saute for about 3 more minutes. Add the chili powder, basil and seasoned pepper and continue to saute for 5 more minutes. Set aside.

In a crock pot, stir together the tomato sauce and tomato juice. Add the diced tomatoes, beans, corn and vegetable mixture and mix together. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

**I changed the recipe just a little bit from the one in Southern Living, but it did say that you can freeze cooled leftovers for up to 2 months. Well, I never have any leftovers to freeze!

Oh, by the way, I tried to get a copy of the winning chili recipe, but they said they really didn't have a recipe. It was just made with lots of spice and lots of love. But I did find out the secret ingredient--------ELK! (He went to Montana to hunt for elk.) Do you believe that? It's just not fair. I don't think we have any elk in South Carolina. Now, how can I compete with that? :-)