Blog-A-Thon: Calling all Football Fans!!!

This weekend is a time-honored, American tradition....the SUPER BOWL!!!! (YEAH!) As long as I can remember, I have celebrated Super Bowl Sunday with family or friends. Its just something we have always done!

Now that life is settled in my "new town" (I've been here a year), I'm hosting my first Super Bowl party in my house. YEAH! I think I have the perfect set-up, personally, with a flat screen in the living room and in the kitchen, and an open floor plan between both.

Anyway, this blog-a-thon is requesting all of your football favorites. What are you cooking this year for your Super Bowl party? Or what are your favorite tailgating treats?

So far on my menu:
BBQ Sandwiches
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips & Guacamole
And "cheater-cheater-pumpkin eater" homemade coleslaw (I'll explain later)

Email or Facebook me with your recipes, decoration ideas, tips, etc., and I'll post them for all to see on Saturday!

Happy cooking!!!!

Chili Mania

To kick off my blog-a-thon recipes, I am including a somewhat surprising entry. Below is a chili recipe from my dear friend Jacob. Chili is a great dish for those perfect, nippy fall football days. In fact, we'll be having chili prior to MSU vs. Georgia Tech at my house this weekend. (But most likely my own recipe...)

Anywho....thanks to Jacob for submitting a recipe for the blog-a-thon. If others want to submit something, just send me an email.

Jacob's Deer Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground deer meat
1 pound regular ground beef
1 can HOT rotel
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 jalepeno
3 habenero peppers
1 packet of East Texas Chili seasoning
Optional-1 or 2 cans of kidney beans

Directions: rown the ground beef first, draining all the fat and juices. Then brown the deer meat and mix the meats together. Add the diced tomatoes, Rotel, beans and chili seasoning in a large pot on the stove. Have it on a low setting. Cut the jalepeno and habenero peppers and add the seeds (be careful while cutting habeneros). Stir together and simmer on the stove or fire for a good 30 minutes. Add anything else for personal taste.

Suggested sides: Fritos, cheese, crakers, corn bread, sour cream or tortilla chips.

Disclaimer - I have never attempted this recipe or tried it when Jacob has made it. I hear its good, but its hot if made with all those peppers. And, this recipe is coming from a dude that eats frozen dinners and boils hot dogs when his new wife isn't cooking for him. (At least...when I lived near him that's what he would eat. Heart you JWL!)



Wendy's Chili (from my sister-in-law)

Ingredients:
2lb ground beef
29 oz tomato sauce
29 oz tomatoes (diced and stewed)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 med onion (chopped)
1/4c chopped celery
1 bell pepper chopped
3 T chili powder
3 t cumin
1 1/2 t pepper
salt to taste
1 can water

Directions:
Brown beef. Saute veggies. Add water and tomatoes. Cook down until soft add tomato sauce and beans and spices.Stir. Add meat. The longer you cook the better!!!!!!

Fall Blog-a-thon: Tailgating Favorites

It's been a long time since I've done a blog-a-thon, so let's recap what this is all about. Blog-a-thons are where I put out a request for a certain type of food. Friends and family submit their favorite recipes, and then I post them online to share with the world.

This month's blog-a-thon is all about tailgating, a time honored tradition at many colleges and universities. In two weeks, my alma mater/employer will be celebrating homecoming. To commemorate the annual event, several of my friends will be coming to town to enjoy a weekend of football, fun, and, of course, food.

In order to plan for our event, I would love to hear from YOU some favorite tailgating treats. Email your recipes to me, and I will post them online for others to see. You may also submit recipes on Facebook.

I hope you guys will participate!!! Here's to football, here's to friends, and here's to food!

Happy cooking!

Blog-a-thon - Cast your vote!

Help me decide what to cook for dinner tonight! Your choices are:

Chicken Salsa Verde Bake (From Rachael Ray magazine)
Shephard's Pie
Pork Chops with wild mushrooms

Rub a dub, dub, thanks for the grub...

Thanksgiving for my family is always a huge eating event. My parents host my mother's siblings and their families for lunch the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It has been that way as long as I have been alive I think. We begin the day usually with a pancake breakfast prepared by my dad. Then the family starts arriving about mid-morning. The snacks are put out, and we continue eating until our late afternoon lunch. Really...we just eat ALL DAY LONG! Here are some family favorites though!

Appetizers:

Mississippi Sin

8 oz. cream cheese (Softened)
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup shredded cheddar (mild)
½ cup chopped green onions
1 loaf Hawaiian bread

Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Dig out center of bread. Put mixture into shell and cover with foil. Cook for 45 at 350 degrees. Eat with bread bits, Fritos, melba toasts, etc.


Easy Cheesy Chili Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 can chili
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Frito Scoops

Directions: Spread cream cheese in small baking dish. Dump chili on top. Cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chili is bubbling. Serve with chips.

Main Course: Fried turkey and honey baked ham.

Side Dishes:

Mixed Vegetable Salad

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Squash Casserole

3 lbs. squash
½ cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup chopped onion
1 stick margarine

Directions: Wash and cut squash. Boil until tender, drain, and mash. Add eggs, sugar, onion and ½ margarine. Melt ½ margarine. Pour mixture into baking dish and spread melted margarine on top. Sprinkle crackers on top. Bake at 375 degrees until brown. (Apprx. 1 hour)

Desserts:

Dutch Apple Pie

It's The Great Pumpkin, Bars

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 butter cake mix
3 oz. chocolate instant pudding
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
¼ cup water
8 oz. sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla
6 oz. chocolate chips
½ cup frosting (chocolate)

Directions:
Mix first seven ingredients well for 2-3 minutes. Fold in chips. Pour into greased bundt pan. Cook at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Don’t open door. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake to serving plate and allow to cool for at least an hour. Drizzle frosting over cake. Allow frosting to set before covering cake.

Coconut Cream Pie

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thoroughly in saucepan.

1/3 cup sugar
3 ½ tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup shredded coconut
3 egg yolks

Step 2: Stir in gradually until smooth mixture of following ingredients.

1 cup Evaporated Milk
1 cup water

Cook and stir over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Remove from heat and stir in 1 ½ tsp. vanilla. Cover and cool thoroughly. Put into cold 9-inch baked pasty shell. Spread with meringue.

Step 4: Meringue –Beat 3 egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually beat in 6 tbsp. of sugar. Spread on top of pie.

Step 5: Sprinkle ½ cup shredded coconut over top. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until light brown. Cool thoroughly before cutting with wet knife.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Holiday Blog-A-Thon - Part 2

There is nothing better than some good cornbread dressing on Thanksgiving! I have to say that my mom has the best recipe ever, and over the years she has taught me well! The key...fresh ingredients! Nothing beats this recipe!

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
1 large pan of crumbled cornbread (cooked and frozen early is best)
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
Apprx. 4 cans chicken broth (have extra just in case!)
3 boiled eggs diced
3 raw eggs beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery
1 bell pepper
Fresh rosemary, cilantro, and sage to taste

Directions:
Sauté together onion, celery, bell pepper, rosemary, cilantro, and sage in two tablespoons of oil.
Mix together all ingredients in a large baking dish. Mixture should be soupy.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Holiday Blog-A-Thon - Part 1

Thanks to my friend April, here are two great recipies!

Sweet Potatoes w/Praline Topping

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup stick margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 (5-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to form a streusel. Set aside.

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until very tender. Drain well; mash in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup streusel, granulated sugar, vanilla, egg white, and milk. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray; top with remaining streusel. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.


McFaddyen Zucchini Casserole

INGREDIENTS
6 cups diced or sliced zucchini
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded carrots
1 (6 ounce) package dry bread stuffing mix
2 cubes butter (one for sauteeing, one to be melted)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sautee zucchini and onions in 1 cube butter until soft. Remove from heat and add carrots. Stir in the sour cream and soup.

In a small bowl, mix together stuffing and the second cube of melted butter. Spread half of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish, add a layer of the zucchini mixture, and top with remaining stuffing mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown.

April's Tip for Easy Entertaining:

Here's a really interesting tip I read somewhere and put into practice last year... the microwave is insulated and will serve as a warmer if you only have 1 oven (like me). I kept a few dishes warm for about an hour in my microwave and it worked GREAT! Given my education and background with food (smile), I'm always a little excitable about food safety and keeping hot foods hot, cold foods cold. My hot foods definitely stayed hot!

Holiday Blog-A-Thon

The holidays are quickly approaching, and it is one of the most popular entertaining times of the year! I just love hosting and cooking for holiday parties! Ever since I was a kid, I would help my mom, aunt, grandmother, or whoever prepare delicious meals and desserts for our family gatherings. I have such fond memories of those times!

My first time to host my own holiday party was my senior year of college. Since we had a big rivalry football game that day, I stayed at school on Thanksgiving to prepare a meal for my family who would visit that evening. I made everything homemade from the baked turkey, to cornbread dressing, to apple pie. That first Thanksgiving challenge took all day, but it was totally worth it in the end.

In the spirit of the holidays, I want to host a holiday blog-a-thon. EMAIL ME your favorite holiday recipes, tips, and decorating ideas. Don't feel limited to just one idea. Keep them coming!

Over the next several weeks I will post my favorite holiday recipes and ideas. Feel free to pass this site along to friends so we can get more ideas!

Happy holidays, and happy cooking!

Blog-A-Thon: Best Brownies Ever!

Thanks to everyone who supported this first-ever blog-a-thon for me! Notice the last two brownie recipes are below. Sorry it took so long to post them! I have been insanely busy at work, and try to stay OFF the computer at night!

More to come!

• Miriam's Magic Brownies
• Can't Miss Krissi's Brownies
• Gwen's Gooey Brownies
• April's Super Yummy Brownies
• Great-Great Grandma's Zebra Brownies
• Chocolate Guinness Brownies

Keep cooking!