Here's a great one for a fast easy dessert that Ann from Michigan sent me.
Hi Melody,
This is an all time favorite around here. A great do-ahead recipe. People love it and it is easy. What else could it offer--oh, it's delicious!
Buttermilk Velvet (stop~--even if you hate buttermilk--keep reading)
1 3 oz. pkg of Instant Jello Pudding (we like to use cheesecake or French Vanilla if adding fruit)
1 cup liquid buttermilk
1 regular size container of Cool Whip, thawed
Dump the Cool Whip into a medium size bowl. Pour the buttermilk over it. Sprinkle the dry pudding mix over everything. Using a spatula, (FOLD--do not whip, beat, or otherwise abuse this concoction) in the dry powder. You are not trying to make all the dry powder disappear and mix perfectly with the Cool Whip and buttermilk--just mix it up a bit. If you use a clear glass bowl, you can see if you have any big clumps of dry stuff which need your attention. Then, let it stand a minute or two. It will begin to set up--trust me.
Now, if you are wanting to be fancy, put it in a graham cracker crust. Or, put it in a 9 x 13 baking dish and put blueberries and/or stawberries on top. Or, if your frig. is cramped for space, put it in a 9 x 5 x 4 bread pan. You can mix blueberries right in (I use frozen if I don't have fresh.)
Then, just let it set up. You can make this a half hour before serving or the previous day. It is one fantastic recipe.
Now--think chocolate, coconut cream, banana cream, the variations are endless. You can use sugar free or "full sugar" pudding.
We just polished off the last of the Cheesecake/with frozen blueberries, today. I'm getting hungry--gotta go.
Ann Sandberg
Chassell, MI
Hi Melody,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great little finger food that always gets raves.
Asparagus with Wasabi Dip.
Blanched asparagus (I like the skinny ones best but any will do).
Dip
1 cup mayo
4 t. Soy sauce
1 1/2 t. Sugar
2 t. Lemon Juice
2 t. Wasabi Paste
Yum!
Of course, it can all be done ahead.
P.S. Continuing with redecorating around Full Sails...I'm having a wall-to-wall cabinet built at the other end of the room and having it painted a mustardy yellow! Then I want to get new arm chairs.
Baked Texas Ranger Beans, so easy, spicy, great change from baked beans.
ReplyDelete1 28 oz can pork n beans
1 med onion, diced
4 links spicy pork sausage, cut into chunks
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp vinegar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
1 dash cayenne pepper (opt.)
Preheat oven to 350F. In Dutch oven, combine ingredients. Cover and bake for one hour in the preheated oven.
Everyone loves it, and asks for the recipe. You can use milder sausage and omit or lessen the spices.
Enjoy!
What about cooking something in a crockpot/slow cooker? You can start it up in the morning and have it ready for when you arrive.
ReplyDelete~RBC
Here are two that I LOVE, both VERY easy and can be done ahead.
ReplyDeleteThe first I just call my mom's meatballs, but I think she called them Sweet & Sour.
1 bag frozen prepared meatballs, plain - not italian (no need to thaw first)
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 C brown sugar
Chopped garlic - 2 cloves or as much as you can handle
Chopped shallot
Salt to taste
Combine all in a crock pot and cook until sauce has melted together and stuck to the meatballs. 4 hours on medium is plenty.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
2 pkgs cream cheese - room temp
1/4 C mayo
1/4 C grated parmesan (or more if you like)
1 box of frozen spinach - thawed and drained well
1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped (not the kind that comes in a marinade or brine)
LOTS of garlic. Seriously, 4 cloves or more. Original recipe probably called for one clove but it just does not taste good with less than 3
Additionally, some lemon zest is good and I’ve also added crab meat and that was really good.
Mix all ingredients together and smooth into a 9 by 13 baking dish or round pie plate. Bake at 350 until bubbly and golden on top. Serve with pita bread, crostini, tortilla chips, crackers (my favorite are Wheat Thins) or anything you like.
For make-ahead you can do all the measuring and mixing and get it into the baking dish, you can even freeze it at this point. It usually takes about 45 min to an hour to bake, but it depends on what size dish you use and how thick the dip is in the dish.
You will be disappointed by most restaurant appetizer versions after making this one.
Also, I had this tapenade at a friend's party and it was amazing! also VERY easy. http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/artichoke-olive-crostini/
These must 'sit' at least 12 hours before serving.
ReplyDeleteMuffaletta sandwiches
Start with:
One round loaf of bread- sourdough, whole grain, sesame etc. Slice in half horizontally.
On bottom of loaf, place sliced ham, salami, pepperoni, and perhaps mortadella- at least 3 slices per person. Meat should overhang edge of bread slightly.
Mix together:
one jar of muffaletta salad (olives, peppers, etc. in oil)- drain but save all the oil/brine
2-3 cups grated cheese assorted (provolone or mild cheddar)
fresh garlic cloves, 2, finely minced
fresh oregano, parsley, thyme to taste
Combine filling ingredients, adding enough oil to make a moist filling. Pile on top of meat, add top of loaf, and wrap tightly in foil. Put on plate, firmly squash the sandwich together, turn so meat side is uppermost and put in refrigerator overnight. Serve in wedges or sideways slices.
Easy but always gets raves:
ReplyDelete1 can of beer (any kind)
1 small pkg brown sugar
3 or 4 pkgs kolbaska
Put all of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low all day or on high for approx. 4 hours. Stir occasionally if you’re around. The kolbaska will turn very dark and tender when ready.
-Janet
I got this recipe over 25 years ago for brisket and it is wonderful:
ReplyDeleteRoast Brisket
6 lb. brisket (layer of fat only on top, get front end, rather than tip)
Season with salt, pepper and garlic.
Place in ½ inch of water in a pan.
Slice 3 onions and place on top of the fat, then top with 2 bay leaves.
Put in oven at 400 degrees without lid and let brown for 30 – 45 minutes.
Sauce:
2/3 cup ketchup
1 T flour
1 T worchestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
2 T wine vinegar (red wine vinegar by Regina)
1 t salt
1/3 t pepper
1 t dry mustard
1 t kitchen bouquet (gravy seasoning)
Mix all ingredients with a whisk and spread on top of brisket (don’t add more water). Cover, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Test for doneness with fork.
Remove brisket from sauce and put sauce in separate container. Slice brisket for serving. Both sauce and brisket freeze well and make excellent dishes quick from the freezer.
Kristin F. in SC
I love this meal and it's amazingly easy when company is coming: Marinate salmon filets overnight in the frig in a ziplock bag with teriaki sauce. A half hour before you plan to eat, put the salmon and the teriaki sauce into a glass baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. At the same time you put the fish in the oven, put some yellow rice in a rice cooker and start it. I then choose a very easy vegetable (like lima beans, or black beans and corn) to heat up. Enjoy! There is about 5 minutes of prep time, and a half hour later you have an amazingly delicious meal!
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ReplyDeleteGoogle Broccoli Salad. I made the one listed by Paula Deen. It is delicious and much asked after.
ReplyDeleteHi Melody, the one I always fall back on is Cold Tuna Pasta Salad
ReplyDeleteCook huge pot of Tube or Shell Pasta shapes. Drain. Mix as many cans of tuna (at least 2) with large spoonfuls of Mayonnaise and a can or two of sweetcorn. Add the mixture to the pot of pasta and stir well. (Add more mayonnaise if you think it needs it). Put in a bowl - a sprinkle of paprika over the top is nice but not essential - then put in the fridge. Always goes down well at parties with a french loaf cut and buttered - especially good for breakfast straight from the bowl the morning after to help with that hangover - not that I'd know about that!!cough!
Ok finger food - this one is really aimed at children but adults like them too! -
ReplyDeleteHam 'lollies'
You need sliced ham, cream cheese and a packet of bread sticks (the kind that sits in a jar on the table in a restaurant!)
Take a slice of ham, spread the cheese over one side and roll up around the bread stick leaving a portion of 'stick' out of the bottom to hold onto - so it looks like a lolly (icecream) on a stick!
What about making up a selection of savoury crepes the day before - Ordinary crepes with a variety of fillings that can just be heated in the oven when you get in - cheese, creamed mushroom, ham, chicken etc.
Our favourite at Christmas was a Jamie Oliver recipe - we served it with a variety of cheeses on a platter but we love it best with cream cheese - people were a bit cautious but once they tried it the plate was empty!
Use as many figs as you need and you can substitute oranges for clementines. I also have a bowl of walnuts on the platter - the combination is yummy.
Figs in honey -
• 24 figs, halved
• 2 clementines
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 large jar runny honey
Preheat your oven to 110ºC/ 225ºF/ gas ¼. Lay your figs, cut-side up, in a baking tray. Using a fine grater, zest your clementines over the figs then dust the figs with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar.
Pop the figs in the oven to bake for 4 hours, checking on them every hour or so. When they come out of the oven you’ll have semi-dehydrated figs, which will be a bit like wine gums.
Jamie says -
"A really nice way of using them at Christmas is to turn them into a bit of a gift by popping a stack of them in a sterilised jar, covering them completely with honey then sealing the jar with an airtight lid. They’ll be beautiful as part of a cheese platter, baked in a tart, a sticky toffee pud, or even thrown into a roasting tray with some pork or other meat for a bit of added sweetness."
Hi Melody,
ReplyDeleteA quilting friend made this for a recent gathering and we loved it.
Regina
Redneck or Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients
2 cans black eyed peas, drained
2 cans shoe peg (white) corn, drained
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
2 lg bell peppers, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
12 sm. green onions, chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp parsley flakes
16 oz bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
Directions
Mix peas, beans, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes with garlic salt, garlic powder, parsley flakes and Italian dressing.
Refrigerate overnight before serving. Serve with Frito or Tostitos Scoops.
CHILI CHEESE DIP
ReplyDeleteSPEAD 8 OZ CREAM CHEESE ON BOTTOM OF GLASS PIE PLATE, TOP THIS WITH 1 CAN CHILI CON CARNE (I USE DENNISONS) SPRINKLE TOP WITH SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE. POP IN MICRO UNTIL CHEDDAR IS MELTED. SERVE WITH FRITO SCOOPS.
BEST SALAD EVER, FRESH BROCCOLI, RINSED AND CUT INTO BITE SIZE PIECES, FILL BOWL, ADD BACON BITS, RAISINS, SOME CHOPPED GREEN ONION, AND UNSALTED PEANUTS. ADD DRESSING OF 1 PART BROWN SUGAR TO 1 PART MAYO, STIR TILL SMOOTH AND CREAMY A BIT OF LEMON JUICE TO THIN IT OUT IS GOOD TOO. YUM. EASY PEASY AND GOOD. MEASURING DEPENDS ON HOW BIG A SALAD YOU MAKE.
USE LOW FAT, FAT FREE INGREDIENTS IF YOU DON'T WANT THE REAL DEAL. HOPE YOU HAVE A FUN WEEKEND.
My husband is the closet chef in our family. He loves to make "gourmet" casadillas with whole wheat tortillas. Besides the usual cheese (pepper jack is good for zing), he throws in spinach, broccoli, small chunks of ham or small shrimp. You can serve this with a guacamole dip.
ReplyDeleteDip:
2 avocados, mushed.
minced garlic
cumin to taste (very important!)
fresh tomatos, chopped small
onions, chopped small -- not too many
lemon juice (2 Tbsp?)
salt to taste
Sorry, I don't have the exact amounts. But, you can't go wrong if you remember to taste. Put in fridge ahead an hour or two ahead. The lemon will keep the avos from going brown.
enjoy!
Brown Rice Salad ith Soy Sauce dressing
ReplyDeleteBrown Rice Salad – a recipe from Gill in Gloucestershire
(serves 6)
6 oz brown rice
6 spring onions finely chopped
2 oz currants
I red pepper diced
2oz roasted cashew nuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
6 tbsp soy sauce dressing (recipe below)
3 tbsp parsley
Cook rice in boiling water for 30 mins rinse and drain well. Transfer to a bowl whilst still warm and add remaining ingredients.
Soy dressing
6 fl oz sunflower oil
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and pepper
Put all ingredients into a screw top jar and shake to mix.
Make sure you have copies of the recipe to hand ebcause someone always asks! A real winner....so much so that when I appear at any bring and share do, someone usually claps their hands and says "goody, that means rice salad!!" ;-)
I make a salad of a variety of things all canned. Drain them all. (you can change things if you don't like them but you do need the beans and the corn)
ReplyDeletewhole kernel corn
beans (black, cannellini, black eyed peas, your choice of one or several)rinse if needed
whole black olives
canned (or fresh) mushrooms
----
then if you have fresh tomatoes, chop some and toss it in too. Likewise you can add onion.
Top with any clear salad dressing, (vinegarette, italian, etc) toss and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Other options include adding pasta (like orzo or shells), couscous, rice -all as fillers so don't over do those.
Everytime I make this it gets all gone.
Great idea of asking for recipes.
ReplyDeleteHere are my three favorites.
Pistachio salad.
1 - 16oz can of crushed pineapple. pour in the bowl juice and all.
1 box of instant pistachio pudding. add to the pineapple and stir until disolved
1 cup of cottage cheese. stir into the above mix.
1 - 8 oz of cool whip - thaw and stir in last.
Dump cake.
9 x 13 " pan - there is no stirring on this on. just spread out each layer directly in to the baking pan
1 large can of cherry pie filling, "dump" spread out on the bottom of the pan.
1 - 16 oz crushed pineapple - "dump" spread out over the cherry pie filling.
1 - small can or bag of coconut - "dump" spread out over the above mix.
1 - one box of white or yellow cake mix. spread out over the above.
1 1/2 sticks of margarine or butter - melt and spread on top of the cake mix
crushed walnuts or pecans if you like on top.
Bake 45 min on 325 degree over
You can do this ahead and serve cold. It is really rich and goes a long way.
I'm not sure what this one is called. Take a pan and lay out ice cream bars...the kind with the vanilla on the inside and the chocolate cake on the out side.
You can cover with cherries or strawberries. Then cool whip and put cherries or strawberries on the top.
Enjoy Brenda
Hi Melody,
ReplyDeleteThis is the BEST banana pudding recipe ever! And it gets better if it sits a while before serving.
Banana Crunch Delight
1 stick butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
1/2 c. pecans
Spread above mixture onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min., stirring every 5 min. Cool.
1 large box vanilla pudding
12 oz. cool whip
4-5 bananas, sliced
2 c. milk
3 c. mini marshmellows
Mix pudding and milk until thick. Add rest of ingredients, including, cooled crunchy mixture. Refrigerate. (the longer it sits the more banana flavor comes through)
Enjoy
Very helpful info, much thanks for your post.
ReplyDelete