Hashbrown Casserole

Hashbrown casserole

1 bag of frozen hashbrowns

1 can of cream of whatever soup (we prefer chicken)

1 (8 oz.) container of sour cream

1 bag of shredded cheese (cheddar or colby)

1/2 of small onion, diced fine

2 T. butter

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Put the hashbrowns, cream of whatever soup, sour cream, seasonings, and cheese in a large bowl. Put diced onion and butter in a small bowl and microwave until the onion is soft. Add to bowl. Stir well. Pour over into your crockpot and cook on high for about 3-4 hours. You can cook this in a dutch oven or regular baking dish if you prefer (just be sure to spray your baking dish with non-stick spray).

Throw together onion cheese bread

Onion Cheese Bread

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I don't have a recipe with measurements but this is how I make it.

I take and dice an onion very fine and then I put it in a bowl with 2 tablespoon of butter or margarine and pop it in the microwave for a minute or two til the onion is soft and clear.

I pour some boxed baking mix (bisquick or jiffy baking mix), maybe a cup in a half or two cups in my mixing bowl  and I add the onion and butter

I toss in a handful of shredded cheese (colby or cheddar are faves here) and them I pour enough milk into it to make a thick batter

I pour it into a greased pan (I use my cast iron skillet) and put it in the oven on 350 deg. F. and bake til its done (til a fork in the middle comes out clean)

The kids love it hot straight from the oven. It also makes nice muffins. You can also use onion powder or minced onion in this...just toss it in with the cheese but make sure you don't forget to add the melted butter/margarine because you need that for it to make a good bread.

Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast Cookies? I know...it should be oreos and milk, right? Nope, these are good for you and actually do taste pretty good! I got them from a lady who teaches nutrition classes thru the local extension office so they actually are fairly healthy and don't really have anymore sugar in them than most of those fancy breakfast cereals. When I think of bacon in a cookie it sounds kind of gross, but honestly these are really really good! Even my pickiest eaters love these.

Breakfast Cookies

Cream together:

1/2 c. butter or margarine

3/4 c. sugar

Beat in:

1 egg (any size)

Add:

1 c. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Mix well.

Stir in:

10 strips of cooked bacon, cooled and crumbled

2 c. corn flakes

1/2 c. raisins

Drop by rounded teaspoonful 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 deg. F. for 15-18 min. or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 min. before removing from cookie sheet to wire racks. Store in refridgerator. Makes 2 dozen.

Now, I admit that I don't like raisins so I make a few without raisins for me and then add the raisins to the batter and make the rest of it for the kids. Go on, give it a try...don't be scared, you might be pleasantly surprised!!!!

Simple Chicken Salad

Simple Chicken Salad

shredded chicken

equal parts of mayonaise and salad dressing (generic miracle whip), enough for the chicken salad to be moist

salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all together and serve on bread, toast, crackers, biscuits, or whatever you prefer. This is simple and doesn't have alot of seasonings in it. This brings out the chicken flavor the best for my family. I know that most folks like to include things like boiled egg, relish, celery, etc...but like I said, its "simple".

Black Beans and Rice

Black Beans and Rice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 tsp. butter

2 tsp. minced garlic (I buy this in a jar at the grocery)

2 tsp. minced onion (I just mince a small chunk of onion)

a shake of salt and a shake of ground black pepper

Melt butter in a small skillet. Add onion and garlic and let cook until soft. Add beans, salt & pepper and stir. Cover with lid and let simmer for about 10 min., stirring occassionally.

Serve over white rice and top with some shredded cheese (I prefer a mexican blend of shredded cheese).

How to make easy white rice:

I don't know about y'all but I struggled for years with making decent white rice. I never could get it right. It was either too hard or just mush. I finally found the right way to make basic white rice with the generic bags of rice that I buy.

Using 2 parts water to 1 part rice, bring water to boil. Add rice, give it a quick stir and bring back to boil. When it returns to a boil, cover the pan and remove it from the heat and WALK AWAY for about 10-15 min. Then come back and lift the lid and you should have fluffy wonderful rice.

I learned that STEAM is the way to make the rice light and fluffy and thats why you cover it and walk away without peeking, so that the steam will cook and soften the rice.

Cat Head Biscuits

Cat Head Biscuits

2 c. flour (all purpose)

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baing soda

2 tsp. baking powder

5 Tbsp. lard (or veg. shortening)

1 c. buttermilk (i used regular milk)

Mix dry ingredients and cut in lard. Stir in the milk until it makes a soft batter. Lightly dust your hands with flour and pinch off a lemon size portion of the batter and pat into shape. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 deg. farenheit for 12-15 min (or until golden on top). Remove from oven and brush tops with butter.

These are the lightest, flakiest biscuits I have ever made or eaten!!

Hamburger/Hotdog buns

Hamburger and Hotdog Buns

2 c. warm water

5 Tbsp. of sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. of yeast

1 1/2 tsp. of salt

1/4 c. of oil (we use melted butter but any oil will work)

5-6 c. of bread flour

1 egg white and 1 Tbsp. of water, whisked together with a fork

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Let proof. Stir in the salt and the oil. Add the flour one cup at a time until its a nice bread dough that isn't sticky. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub oil in your bowl and give the dough a flip in the oil so all sides of it are coated. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and knead the air bubbles out.

Divide the dough into 12-15 balls for hamburger buns or 15 pieces for hot dog buns. Roll dough into shape. Place on greased baking sheet and let rise for about a half hour. (hot dog rolls should be squished together so they rise UP and not just out) Brush buns with the egg/water.

Bake at 400 deg. F. for approx. 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing buns from baking sheet to a cooling rack. Moving the buns to a cooling rack to finish cooling will prevent them from having soggy bottoms.