Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Hot Fudge Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix without pudding
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare cake batter according to package directions right in your Bean Pot. Level out.

Stir together sugar, cocoa, hot water, and vanilla. Pour it over the batter (it will sink to the bottom).

DO NOT STIR. Put the lid on your Bean Pot and place in the microwave for 9-10 minutes, or until your pick comes out clean. (Bottom will be syrup). Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

**this recipe comes from another Designer so I haven't tried it myself yet but it's on my menu for tonight!

UPDATE*** I made this last night and OMG it was fabulous and so quick and easy! I see many more of these in my future!! :)

Broccoli Corn Bread

1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
1 pkg (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix
1/3 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using your 9" x 13" stoneware casserole dish, melt 1/2 cup butter in the oven. When melted, add 4 eggs and beat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread to level in the pan. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top (or when knife or toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean). Enjoy!

Chicken Rice

2 cans (approx. 10 oz each) chicken
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Mix
1 can cream mushroom soup
1/2 soup can milk

Mix all ingredients in your beanpot. Cover and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Stir. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Tropical Five Cup Fruit Salad

1 cup sour cream
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup mandarin orange slices, drained

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in your beanpot. Chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Enjoy!

**if you don't like one or more of the ingredients in this recipe, don't forget to "Play With Your Food" !!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Good Ole Baked Beans

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 cup catsup
2 (15 oz) cans pork and beans

Combine all ingredients in your bean pot. Cover. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!

**You can lay a few strips of bacon on the top if you like or add some cut up hot dogs or little smokies to make it a complete meal!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Caramel Apple Dip

1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Soften cream cheese and mix in brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Serve chilled with apple slices.

**this is great served in your Hospitality Set. Peel the outside leaves from a washed head of lettuce and lay out in the stoneware tray. Lay apple slices on top of the lettuce leaves. Put the cream cheese mix in the attached dip bowl. Enjoy!

**to keep apple slices from turning brown I put them in a zip lock bag and poured Sprite over the slices. When I was ready for them several hours later, I just drained them well and blotted with a paper towel. Looked like they were freshly sliced. I think any lemon/lime soda or ginger ale will work.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Strawberry Butter

Just because it's soooo good........and soooo easy!

1 package (10 oz) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Cover and process until completely blended and smooth. Serve with bagels, English muffins or toast. Enjoy!

**refrigerate any leftovers (yeah right!)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Mozzarella Bread Squares

2 tubes (8 count) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 cups - (2 - 8 oz bags) shredded mozzarella cheese

Line your stoneware Hostess Hospitality dish with the crescent rolls - the wide end in the middle and the points laying over the edges.

Brush with butter; sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese. Fold points up and over into the middle of the dish. Should resemble a braid.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes until top is golden brown. Slice into strips or squares. Enjoy!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Barbecue Muffins


1 (10 oz) tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 package frozen meatballs, any variety - thawed (or defrost in microwave)
1/4 - 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, your favorite
1 cup shredded cheese, your favorite flavor

Separate dough into biscuits; flatten into 5 inch circles. Press each into the bottom and up the sides of your ungreased stoneware Berry or Veranda (white) Muffin Baker.

Place one meatball in the biscuit lined muffin cup. Add small amount of BBQ sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from muffin baker. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Beer Cheese Dip

16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper powder
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Place all ingredients in your bean pot or large stoneware serving bowl. Cover and microwave on High for 3 minutes. Stir. Cover and microwave for an additional 2 minutes. Stir and serve. Enjoy!

**time for the second heating may vary slightly according to the wattage of your microwave. If you need additional time, heat in 1 to 1 1/2 minute increments.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Spinach Casserole

2 eggs
5 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat eggs and flour in your 8 x 8 baker until smooth. Stir in spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and salt. Mix well. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Bake

4 - 6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or your favorite cream soup)
16 oz sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Put chicken in bottom of bean pot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before serving over rice or egg noodles. Enjoy!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Yorkshire Pudding

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients in your 9 x 13 stoneware casserole dish. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes until it is solid.

English use this as a substitute for potato, pour gravy over and eat, or you can eat with butter or jam. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Grasshopper Cake

This is one of my favorites any time of year!

1 box white cake mix
1/3 cup Creme de Menthe ice cream topping
1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip
1 big jar of hot fudge topping
5 Tbsp. Creme de Menthe ice cream topping

Mix white cake mix as directed on box adding 1/3 cup Creme de Menthe topping to the batter. Bake according to package directions in your ungreased stoneware 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Read directions on hot fudge jar for microwave, heat and pour over cake using a spatula to spread hot fudge all over top of cake. Cool in refrigerator.

Mix Creme de Menthe (5 Tbsp) and Cool Whip. Frost cake with Cool Whip mixture and place in refrigerator. Serve cold. Enjoy!

**need more chocolate? Add chocolate chips or shaved chocolate curls to the top for decoration!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Best Ever Meatballs

1 bag frozen Italian style meatballs
1 small jar grape jelly
1 regular size bottle of barbecue sauce (your favorite brand)
1 can cream of mushroom soup.

Thaw (defrost) meatballs. Mix rest of the ingredients together in bean pot. Add meatballs and cover. Bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

**Don't be afraid of the ingredients. Trust me, this is great!!!!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Candied Kielbasa

1 link of Kielbasa (sausage)
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar

Cut Kielbasa in pieces into your stoneware beanpot. Add ketchup and brown sugar and mix well. Cover and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Microwave Chicken and Noodles

This is great in the summer!

2 - 12 1/2 oz cans of chicken breast
4 cans water (empty chicken cans)
2 Tbsp chicken soup base or bouillon
2 - 1 oz envelopes of chicken gravy mix
1 lb bag of homemade style noodles (Reames)

Combine chicken, water and soup base in bean pot and stir. Cover and microwave 10 minutes on high. Remove from microwave and add both envelopes of gravy mix. Stir until dissolved. Add noodles in small amounts until bag is empty stirring as you add. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes on high. Remove lid and stir. Leave lid off and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand to thicken. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Jalapeno Quiche

This will definitely get you jump started in the morning, but I highly recommend it for brunch or dinner!

1/2 jar sliced jalapeno peppers, drained
2 lb cheddar cheese (four 8 oz bags)
8 eggs

Layer jalapeno's on bottom of stoneware 9 x 13 pan. Spread cheese over top of peppers. Beat eggs and pour over the top of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. making sure top is golden brown and eggs are set. Top with salsa if desired. Enjoy!

** you can cut this recipe in half for a smaller group. 1/4 jar sliced jalapenos, 1 lb (2 bags) cheese, 4 eggs

Friday, August 6, 2010

Cooking for Tom

It's fun to cook for Tom. Today I made angel food cake. The recipe said beat 12 eggs separately. The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.

Tom wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said serve without dressing. So I didn't dress. What a surprise when Tom brought a friend home for supper.

A good day for rice. The recipe said wash thoroughly before steaming the rice. It seemed kind of silly, but I took a bath anyway. I can't say it improved the rice any.

Today Tom asked for salad. I tried a new recipe. It said prepare ingredients; lay on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving. Tom asked me why I was rolling around in the garden.

I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said put the ingredients in a bowl and beat it. There must have been something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left.

Tom did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. I don't have any clothes that fit it, and for some reason Tom keeps counting to ten.

Tom's folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all I had was hamburger. Suddenly I had a flash of genius. I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.

GOOD NIGHT DEAR DIARY. This has been a very exciting week! I am eager for tomorrow to come so I can try out a new recipe on Tom. If I can talk Tom into buying a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with a chocolate moose.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Twinkie Cake

Well, since I gave you a recipe yesterday that was full of sugar, I thought today I'd go for a much lighter version - lighter on the calories that is, not the flavor! Thanks Madrene for sharing this great recipe!

1 Box low-fat Twinkies
1 large or 2 small packages of sugar-free strawberry Jello
1 large container fat-free Cool Whip

Place Twinkies in your stoneware 9x13 pan. Mix Jello according to box directions and pour over Twinkies. Refrigerate until Jello is set. Spread Cool Whip over top like frosting.

If you want, you can jazz it up by putting strawberry halves or blueberries on top of the Cool Whip. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Lemon Poke Cake


My family love, love, LOVES this cake! It's light, sugary and very refreshing!

1 box lemon cake mix, plus ingredients listed on box
1/3 cup lemon juice (bottle or plastic lemon is ok)
2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

Mix cake according to package directions directly in your stoneware 9 x 13 casserole dish - no need to grease and flour the pan! Bake according to times listed on the package in a preheated oven. Knife inserted into middle of the cake comes out clean when cake is done.

While cake is still warm, poke holes in top of cake using a fork - poke LOTS of holes! Mix lemon juice and confectioners sugar until well blended then pour over top of warm cake. Let cool. Cake will have a nice glaze and the mixture will have run down the holes filling the cake with more sugary goodness! If you want to get fancy, you can top each piece with whipped cream and a lemon slice. Enjoy!

**picture from www.allrecipes.com

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Chili Cheese Pie

YES I know it's too hot for chili, but this dish is sooo easy, it's hard to pass up when you're in a hurry!

2 (15 12/ oz) cans chili
1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 (16 oz) package cornbread mix

Pour chili into your 8 x 8 stoneware baker. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Stir water into cornbread mix and beat until smooth. Pour cornbread batter over chili. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Just received this message and thought I'd share it with you all. Lori tried something different with the ice cream cake. LOVE that she's confident enough now to "play" with her food! :)

Hey, just wanted to let you know I added chocolate syrup between the layers in the ice cream cake and didn't do the cherry pie filling (cuz you know my picky husband would not eat that) Anyway, it was delicious! Lori

Slow Cooked Brisket

Not only does this taste good, but the smell will draw visitors from miles around! OK, well maybe not with the windows closed this summer, but you get the idea.....:)

1 (3 pound) beef brisket
2 (12 oz) bottles chili sauce
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 tsp. minced garlic

Place the beef in your stoneware bean pot. Put the minced garlic on top of the brisket and with the back of a spoon, evenly distribute it. Shake the dry onion soup mix over brisket. Dump the two bottles of chili sauce evenly over all.

Cover and bake at 225 degrees for 6 - 8 hours. Slice the brisket against the grain. Enjoy!