Momo Burns' Salad

Pardon my blogging hiatus, aside from starting a new job with an AMAZING company full of awesome people and partying for a week straight in February while the Super Bowl was in town, my family had a minor set back and I really haven't been in the kitchen for months.  Thank goodness Indy is full of great restaurants and I have an amazing cook for a boyfriend!

Starting about a month ago, my Father had a crazy case of high blood sugar that not only got him a fancy ride on a helicopter, but also landed him in a medically induced coma in the ICU for 8 days, followed by another week of recovery in the hospital. He's made a good recovery, but it was sure scary to watch. Luckily we have large and loyal family who was there every step of the way making sure he was getting the best care possible.  We also have a very loyal extended family of Cousins and an Aunt who drove many hours just to get my Mom and I out of the hospital for a relaxing lunch.  To top it off, we have many great family friends who took good care of my Mom (and I while when I was in town.) 

One of the families (who is made up of awesome cooks!) invited Mom and I over to dinner one of the weekends I was home to spend with Dad at the hospital.  The Burns family has been like a second family to me since I was a kid.  I've spent countless hours on road trips with various members of the family, and they are good people! "Momo" Burns, as she is known to her adoring grand kids, has a knack with making healthy food taste so good, you crave it.  Mom and I had a wonderful dinner with the Burns family and were able to relax and get our mind off of the hospital while eating Momo Burns' delicious meal.  She served a salad that I've now made 3 times since having it.  It is THAT good. It is super easy to throw together, and gets better after sitting in the fridge. (Assuming you don't stand at the counter and eat it with a spoon straight out of the mixing bowl) You can also add or remove any ingredient you like. I would normally add nuts and cranberries, but didn't have any on hand.)

Without further ado, I introduce you to Momo Burns' Salad...

Momo Burns' Salad

4 vine ripened tomatoes (seeded & chopped)

1 large cucumber (seeded & chopped)

1/2 of a medium red onion (thinly sliced & chopped)

1 can chickpeas (drained & rinsed)

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/3 cup bacon crumbles

2 Tbs. chopped walnuts (not shown)

2 Tbs. dried cranberries (not shown)

Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette Dressing  http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/flavors/french-vinaigrette.html

Mix together in a large bowl and enjoy!  

Friday Night Dinner

Tonight I made two more recipes I had ear marked in Cooking Light.  Blake liked them both, they were right up his alley.  I thought they were both okay.  I'm pretty picky about mashed potatoes, and really only like them with noodles, so I'm biased.  The meat with sauce was good, but very rich.  So if you like rich sauces, meats and potatoes, this recipe is for you! Not to mention it is actually pretty low-cal and low-fat for such a filling dish.

Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound boneless top sirloin steak (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consommé
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

Combine the presliced mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove the steak from bag, reserving marinade. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook for 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning after 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Combine the onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.

Cut the beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on a serving platter. Spoon the mushroom sauce over beef. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Rosemary-Roasted Mashed Potatoes

8 cups baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 Cooking spray
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; toss well to coat. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until tender.

Combine water and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add potato mixture. Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

One last week...

I received some wonderful news last week, I was offered a new job by a company with an outstanding reputation as a great place to work.  I'm thrilled to be starting my new adventure on Monday, so I'm trying to make the most of my last few days of my 5 month vacation. 
Since it is the start of the new year, and everyone is on a health kick, I picked a few recipes from Cooking Light to try out.  This one was great, and a very quick dinner to put together because it called for pre-cooked chicken.  I think the next time I make it I'll add some mushrooms, asparagus, or maybe a can of diced tomatoes.  Don't get me wrong, it is delicious just the way the recipe goes, but it would be easy to add extra veggies and make it even more filling and nutritious.

The only major change I made was using 10 oz. of fresh spinach instead of the frozen spinach the recipe called for.  I've never been a huge fan of frozen spinach, but if you like it, by all means.  Otherwise, just add the fresh spinach and let it cook down. 

Spicy Chicken Pasta

1 (9-ounce) package angel hair pasta

Cooking spray

1 cup vertically sliced onion

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 (6-ounce) package chicken breast cuts (pre-cooked)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

While pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 minute. Combine half-and-half, sour cream, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid and half-and-half mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Stir in salt, black pepper, chicken, and spinach; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, and cook 1 for minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.

What out Chipotle!

Who doesn't love a ginormous burrito, or a bowl full of burrito filling?  If you are a fan of Chipotle - then you will LOVE this recipe.  I gotta say it is just as good, if not better than the real thing.  If you've never had Chipotle, then make this and let me know what you think.

I like the burrito bowl, which is basically a naked burrito.  Feel free to make actual burritos with these fillings if you prefer. 

First I shall introduce you to the main characters...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Black Beans

Barbacoa (yummy beef!)

Supporting Roles...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Basmati Rice (or any you like)

1 lime

cilantro (as much or little as you like)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

Add olive oil to sauce pan, add rice, salt and the juice of one lime.  Add water as directed depending on what your rice calls for.  After cooking, fluff the rice and add the cilantro.

Black Beans

1 can of black beans

Open can, put beans in bowl, cover bowl, microwave for a few minutes.  : )

Barbacoa

5 lb chuck roast

8 cloves garlic, minced (I used a food processor)

1/4 cup ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

3 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

Place roast in crock pot, mix all other ingedients together and the pore over the meat.  Cook on high for 6 hours.

Now, layer up all the goodies and toppings you'd like in a bowl and Voila!

Muffins for your Pumpkin

I've become obsessed with the website www.pinterest.com.  Don't click it, it will suck you in and consume a lot of your time!  I came across a recipe for a cake that only takes 2 ingredients, both of which I happened to have on hand, so of course I had to try it!

I decided to make mini muffins with glaze, instead of a cake or cupcakes.  They came out great and were so yummy!

Pumpkin Mini-Muffins with Maple Glaze

Muffins

1 box yellow cakes mix

1 can pumpkin

Bake as directed on cake box.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

4 TBS maple syrup

4 TBS milk

Stuff it!

I'm not a fan of raw peppers, but I really like them cooked.  I had basically everything to make these on hand, and they were pretty good.  Very easy to assemble ahead of time and bake just before dinner. 

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 medium green bell peppers

1/2 pound ground bee

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided

1/4 cup uncooked instant rice (I used brown rice)

3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. In a bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoons of cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg; mix well. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.               

Kickin' It up Cajun Style

If you live in Indianapolis, I'm sure you've at least heard of Yats, and if you haven't ever been there, you should go.  Right now.  This post can wait.  Go ahead...

Ok, so now that you are back, I will share with you the recipe for their delicious Chili Cheese Etouffe... the owner was awesome and shared it once in Indianapolis Monthly magazine, and it is pretty darn close to the kind you have at his restaurant.  Don't let the massive list of ingredients scare you away, you have most of them on hand, I promise...

Yats Chili Cheese Etouffee

1 stick butter

½ cup flour

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced bell peppers

1 cup diced onions

2 tsp minced garlic

1 can Rotel Original diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried thyme

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp white pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups shredded aged cheddar

8 oz. half and half or heavy cream

1 tsp. chili powder

Pinch ground coriander

Pinch ground cumin

Pinch ground cloves

Dash Leas and Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Dash Tabasco sauce

1 lb cooked crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken (I used chicken)

Cooked white rice

Make a roux by heating the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat then blending in the flour, consistently stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the roux is golden color.

Add the green onions, celery, bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes and cook until the onions have browned.

Add the thyme, tomato paste, basil and peppers (black, white, and cayenne).

Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture becomes thick

.

Add the cheese, half and half, chili powder, coriander, cumin, cloves, Lea and Perrins and Tabasco and stir until the cheese and half and half are blended in well.

Gently stir in the crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken and serve with white rice.

Strudel, Just like Mom used to make!

Ok, so not my Mom, she never made strudel, but perhaps yours did?

Every year, my boyfriend and his friends host a small Oktoberfest.  The boys make vats of potato salad, sauerkraut, and sausages.  My contribution is strudel.  I made 3 different kinds today, the possibilities are endless on flavor.

Bake them in disposable pans if you are taking them somewhere, otherwise, a cookie sheet will be just fine!

Cream Cheese Strudel

Apple Strudel (I'll glaze it in a bit, it is fresh out of the oven)

Cherry Strudel

Cream Cheese Strudel Filling

16 oz cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 TBS lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together. This amount will make 2 strudels.

Fruit Flavored Fillings

1 can of desired flavor pie filling

Drizzle Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 TBS milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together and drizzle on top of cooled Strudel.

Crust 

Puff pastry sheets, from your grocer's freezer!

1 egg - beaten

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place one thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface.  Use a rolling pin to roll out a bit thinner, making it about an inch wider and two inches longer.  Spread your filling across 2/3rds of the sheet of puff pastry (long-ways).  Roll the puff pastry up with the seam on the bottom and place onto your baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife, cut slits about an inch apart all the way down the strudel.  Brush with the beaten egg, bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow to cool and drizzle with glaze.



Soggy Foggy Soup Day

I'm up early, considering I have no where to be... I'm confined to the house until Direct TV shows up to re-install their services and I can kick Brighthouse to the curb.  Special thanks to Frank in Customer (Dis) Service at Brighthouse for making this such an easy choice!

After watching 2 episodes of Law & Order (Duhn-Duhn) I got bored.  And hungry...

I whipped up a pot of delicious soup!

Easy-Cheezy Smoked Sausage & Potato Soup

1 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups diced celery

8 cups Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup half & half

6 smoked sausage links, chopped (I used Ekrich Cheddar Smoked Sausage)

Heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.  Add onion and celery and cook until tender.  Next add potatoes and chicken stock.  Over low heat, allow to come to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and half and half.  Add smoked sausage and let soup simmer for a few more minutes.

Yum!



Make this for your Honey!

My boyfriend domestic partner (in the eyes of the insurance company) Blake loves biscuits and gravy.  Anytime we try a new breakfast or brunch type restaurant and they have B & G on the menu, Blake orders some.  I'm determined that he is on a quest to find a restaurant that makes better gravy than the one I serve.  The good news is that he's yet to find a gravy he likes better than this recipe below.

I bet you have almost all of these ingredients in your pantry, so what are you waiting for? 

Sausage Gravy

1 lb breakfast sausage (I used Spicy)

2 TBS Butter

6 TBS Flour

3 1/2 Cups of Milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high.  Next add the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour.  Add the seasonings and the milk and stir until mixed well.  Bring the gravy to a boil and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the gravy has reached your desired consistency.

Serve over your favorite biscuits.  I used canned because I had them on hand and am lazy.  :) 

Oh My Cod.

Since I'm unemployed, I'm trying to conserve money.  This is tricky because I have a pretty good shopping habit.  I've been doing pretty well all things considered.  I've been trying to use up frozen and pantry foods and avoid running to the store for just a few things.  This meal was made from all things I had in the house already, and it turned out to be very yummy.  Especially the Cod!  The rice is just one of those 90 second heat and serve bags, and the green beans were just canned green beans cooked with some chopped onion and real bacon bits I had in the fridge.

Crispy Crunchy Cod

2 cod filets (I used frozen filets that I thawed)
1 egg
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbs dry ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
vegetable oil

Pre-heat oven to 400.  On the stove top, heat just enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet over medium-high heat.  Mix the bread crumbs, ranch mix, and crushed crackers in a shallow dish.  Wisk the egg and pour on another shallow dish.  Dip the filets until covered in the egg and then coat with the dry mix.  Pan fry on both sides until brown, just a minute or so on each side.   If your filets are thick, like mine were, bake them in the oven until finished through. (I baked at 400 for about 5 additional minutes)

Homemade Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs sweet pickle relish
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and allow to chill in the fridge until serving.

Aunt Marge's Delicious Tomatoes...and other stories.

Wow, it has been about two weeks since I last posted a recipe.  Who knew unemployment would keep me so busy?  I have been going non-stop, thank goodness I don't have a "real job" to tie me down!  I've gotten the chance to assist at my old sorority as school gets ready to begin and although it has been hard work, it has been very rewarding.  I've also been hitting the gym as much as possible to start pre-training (yeah, I need to train to train) for a mini-marathon next year. 

Last night I made Blake a nice home cooked meal complete with leftovers for tonight, since I knew I'd be in Bloomington at the Alpha Delta Pi house today.  PLITS!

The most important part of this recipe involves Aunt Marge's Tomatoes.  If you don't have an Aunt Marge who grows the most delicious tomatoes this side of the Mississippi, then I don't know what to tell you.  I guess you better scout out the farmer's market, but even then, I doubt they will come close.  Anyway, once you have procured the ripest, reddest, and most delicious tomatoes, then you may proceed.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Tomatoes

4 large tomatoes (Aunt Marge's is possible)  ;)
1 box Fettuccine Noodles
1 jar Alfredo sauce
fresh basil (or frozen cubes of basil, which are very handy!)
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 small onion, diced
1 lb chicken breast cutlets, sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

Step 1 - Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice tomatoes into rounds and place on greased baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 1 hour.

Step 2 - Cook fettuccine noodles as directed.

Step 3 - In a large skillet on medium-high heat, cook onion, mushrooms, and chicken until chicken is no longer pink.  Add the Alfredo sauce, roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and fresh basil.  Heat through.

Toss the pasta and sauce together and top with some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese.  Voila!

Now go hug your Aunt Marge.

Ma! the Meatloaf!!!

If there is anything better than cooking a yummy dinner, it is watching a funny movie.  If you don't understand the title of this blog, then you must go watch the movie Wedding Crashers before you can proceed with reading.

Ok, good, now that we're all on the same page, I shall commence with the meatloaf!

I've never been a big fan of meat in loaf form.  Or really anything that isn't bread, in loaf form.  But Blake requested meatloaf, so being the gracious non-breadwinner of the relationship, I will cook just about anything asked of me.

Alongside the meatloaf, I roasted some haricot verts and mushrooms in the oven.  I also reached in the Betty Crocker's bag-o-tricks and made some instant "loaded" mashed potatoes by tossing some crumpled bacon and shredded cheddar on top.

Ma! the Meatloaf!

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

6 slices white bread, cut into cubes

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided

1/2 cup ketchup, divided

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/4 cup ketchup.

Press the meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir together remaining mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; pour on top of the meat loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

recipe from Allrecipes.com

My psychic but fuzzy visions...and Pulled Pork of course!

I had no idea that when I created this blog earlier in the week and named it Crista's Fresh Start, that it was so prophetic.

On Tuesday, my job of over five years came to an end.  Of course the immediate response was shock and awe.  My company was a wonderful company to work for and it was a crushing experience to be told I no longer had a position. Many of my co-workers and the sales reps I supported and reached out and told me what a great asset I was and that I will be missed, and this makes me feel much better.

Alas, hind sight is 20/20.  While I loved my job, it was very much dead-end. I had often thought about trying something new or even going back to school.  This forces me to step out of my comfort zone and do just that. 

In the mean time, I will take at least a few days to enjoy the "real house-wives of Indianapolis" lifestyle.  Yeah, I know I'm not a wife, or a housewife, but neither was Bethany Frankel and look where she is now! 

So as I enjoyed my first day of as a lady-of-leisure, I whipped out the crock pot and made some delicious dinner.  Without further ado, I give you...

Delicious Pulled Pork

5 lb. Pork Shoulder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of water

Mix spices together and rub over the pork roast.  Place roast in a 5-6 qt. crock pot and add the cup of water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5.

Blake likes his with slaw and bbq sauce on top!  I like it just as it is.  There is no wrong way to eat this delicious meat!

Sweet Broccoli Slaw

My aunt Verlena makes a very tasty salad involving broccoli and cauliflower.  Her delicious salad is the inspiration for this recipe.

It is perfect for a quick side dish and takes less than 5 minutes to make.  I made it with ingredients I had on hand, but you can certainly change it up based on what you have in the fridge.

1 bag of broccoli slaw mix
1 cup mayo
1 TBS splenda (or sugar)
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS freshly grated parmesean
1/4 cup bacon pieces
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix everything together and voila!

Hi, I'm Crista and I'm a Ranch-a-holic.

I love grilling out in the summer.  However, since Blake and I both arrived home in the midst of a monsoon, the grill was off limits tonight.

Did that stop the awesomeness that are the burgers that Blake makes?  Of course not!  When I walked in to the kitchen he was already pattying the ground beef that had been mixed with the secret ingredient.

Dry Ranch Dressing powder.  It's like a piece of heaven in dehydrated powdered form.

This recipe is quite simple.

2 TBS of dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 lb of ground beef

Mix.  Grill.  Eat.  Yummmm!

A Fresh Start...

Once upon a time...
I had a food blog.  I updated it frequently and loved to cook.  I cooked at home almost daily and posted anything that turned out semi-decent. 

Then life happened.  There were lots of changes, both positive and negative, and my posts became few and far between.  Well blogging world, I'm back! 

I will be moving stuff from my old blog over occasionally, so if something looks familiar, that is probably why.

Get excited!

Enchiladas...Es bueno!

Sticking to my more veggies theme, tonight I went meatless! But no worries, I got my protein from beans and veggie crumbles! I really liked it - es bueno!

Saucy Enchiladas

3/4 cup fat-free refried black beans

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

4 (8 in.) flour tortillas

1 cup frozen burger style vegetable crumbles (I used Morning Star)

3/4 cup enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

low-fat sour cream (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the beans with taco seasoning. Spread each tortilla with 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Sprinkle veggie crumbles down the center of each tortilla and roll up tortilla. Arrange, seam sides down , in an 8" square backing dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. or until bubbly.

Source: Cooking Light

On the side I served a salad of baby spinach, orange sections, chopped cashews, and raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!

New Year's Resolution...

This year's New Year's Resolution for me is to eat more fruits and veggies! So I cracked open my trusty Cooking Light Superfast Suppers Cookbook, which has very speedy, easy, and healthy recipes, and picked this one.

You could definitely kick it up by using pesto instead of the chopped basil, or maybe just adding some garlic or hot pepper flakes. I liked it just fine the was it was, and I think it will be great cold tomorrow for lunch!

Bust out your ugly sweaters and grab some Cream of Crap soup!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its that time of year...especially in the mid-west. The stores stock the shelves to the ceiling with all varieties of Cream of Crap soup. Mushroom, chicken, celery, etc...Cream of Crap can be incorporated into all kinds of otherwise healthy foods.

But first, to get in the spirit of making "White Trash Bash-worthy" casseroles, you must put on your Ugly Christmas Sweaters....

Alrighty then, now that you are properly dressed, bust out that can opener and prepare to cook a feast of crap for your friends....



Shown here are Green Bean Casserole, Tater-Tot Casserole and Mac N' Cheese with cocktail weenies. An amazing spread for any trashy holiday party.

Green Bean Casserole

2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
3/4 cup milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium casserole dish mix together green beans, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 of the can of onions.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tater-Tot Casserole

2 pounds tater tots, thawed
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
In a large mixing bowl combine tater tots, soup, onion, sour cream, cheese, garlic powder, seasoning salt and mix well. Transfer to casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese (use more or less according to your taste) and paprika.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned.

Mac N' Cheese with Weenies

1 2/3 cups (about 7 oz.) dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 package cocktail weenies, cut into thirds
Crushed potato chips

Prehead oven to 375° F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish.

Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1½ cups cheese until melted. Add in chopped cocktail weenies. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with crushed potato chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

And last, but certainly not least....

A dessert that uses Twinkies in the recipe. How great is that????

Strawberry Twinkie Dessert

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 (18.75 ounce) can ready-to-use strawberry glaze
8 Twinkies
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine strawberries and glaze in a small bowl.
Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise, and place in a single layer over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch dish. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Fold in whipped topping, and spread mixture over Twinkies. Spoon berries over cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill 30 minutes or more. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Allrecipes.com