Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Dogs w/ Barbacue Sauce

Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Dogs w/ Barbecue Sauce

Need:
8 Jumbo Beef Franks (like Hebrew National Jumbo Beef Franks-come 4 in a pack, need 2 packages-best tasting hot dog, in my opinion!).
8 regular sliced, partially cooked bacon (the kind that you can cook crisp in a microwave-not thick cut).
Favorite barbecue sauce (I use "Sweet Baby Rays"-honey barbecue sauce)
8 hot dog buns

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven 425 F.
• Put a layer of tinfoil down onto cooking sheet with shallow sides.
• wrap bacon around each hot dog link and set on tin-foiled cooking sheet.
• cook in oven, middle rack, until bacon is crispy on one side then turning over the dogs so that the underside bacon gets crisp too (about 15 or more minutes per side).
• Take out of oven and brush on barbecue sauce on all sides; place back in oven to heat sauce until it gets bubbly and thick (about 3 minutes)
• Take out of oven, bun it and garnish to your liking-Enjoy!

Mini Upside Down Pineapple Cakes

I love Pineapple Upside down Cake; unfortunately my family doesn't. But I love to make it for Christmas anyway! (it looks so Christmassy!) So that I don't eat a whole cake by myself (which I could easily do). I make smaller versions to give some away and the rest I refrigerate in an air tight container or freeze in a freezer bag. I just pop one out of the fridge or freezer when I want a treat! 

Ingredients:
2 cans (20 oz. each) crushed pineapple for the bottom of your cupcake tin and to add to your cake batter- (Important!-save juice from cans-about 1 cup).
About 1/3 cup butter, melted (for bottom of tins)
About 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
24 maraschino cherries
1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix.
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup melted butter
6 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2-24 count dark metal cupcake/muffin tin
wax paper
2 cookie sheets

Directions:

• Drain crushed pineapple really well. I put the pineapple in a mesh sieve over a bowl and push down as much liquid as you can with a spatula; discard the juice. 
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of melted butter to each cupcake tin then sprinkle a packed 1/2 Tablespoon of brown sugar on top of the butter. Place a cherry in the middle of each tin and then add 1 heaped Tablespoon of crushed pineapple  around each cherry (any extra crushed pineapple will be added to the cake batter mix) .
• Add the cake mix to a mixing bowl and add in 1 cup of milk, 2/3 cup melted butter, 6 eggs and the vanilla, mix gently until moist then fold in reserved crushed pineapple. Using a 1/4 measuring cup pour batter into cupcake tins.
• Bake at 350 F. 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and/or the edges are a little golden.
• Place a wax paper lined cookie sheet on top of the cupcake pan. Using oven mitts grab both pans and flip over and let it cool in this position on top of a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before lifting the cupcake tin. To store, cool fully and then put in and air tight container in the refrigerator or freeze in a freezer bag.

Serve on its own warm or room temperature and/or with ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 24 servings

DIY Dessert/Appetizer Tier Stand

This is so easy! And you can reuse the candle sticks and plates by using a hair-blow dryer to reheat the welded glue sticks to take the tiers apart!!

You'll Need:

• 3 plates different sizes; ideally a large, medium and small. (the picture shows 2 medium plates and 1 small-because that's what I had on hand and they worked great).
• 2 candlestick holders
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:

1. Hot glue the top of the candle stick holder and place it upside down onto the center of your largest plate (gluing the smaller part of the candle holder to the plate-top-surface, gives more room on the plate for goodies!). Hot glue the upside-down bottom of candle stick holder and place the medium plate in the center on top of hot glue.
2. Follow the same steps as in direction 1 to glue second candle holder and small top plate tier.

If you glue the plates off center, just blow dry on high near glued area with a hair dryer to un-stick and start over.

Chicken Supreme

This is the ultimate comfort food!!  As a kid, I would ask my Mom to make it all the time for me. Now my kids beg me to make it all the time for them. It's creamy, flavor-full and the chestnuts add a little crunch. It makes your home smell so good when it's cooking in the oven.
This would also make a great meal after Thanksgiving with the left-over turkey meat! This is also a great dish to take to a sick neighbor or a family who has just brought a newborn baby home.

Ingredients:
1 whole roasted chicken; meat removed and torn into bite size pieces.
1 regular sized box chicken flavored Rice-a-Roni: Cook the Rice-a-Roni following the directions on box; set aside.
3/4 cup Best Foods Mayo
1-10 3/4 oz. can-cream of chicken soup *(don't throw away the can!).
Milk-*Using empty soup can (from above) fill with milk.
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup minced celery (about 1 1/2 large stalk)
1/2 cup minced white onion
1 can sliced water chestnuts; drained
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a large bowl add all above ingredients (for salt and pepper add about 1 generous pinch of salt and 6 grindings of black pepper); mix all ingredients together and transfer to a non-stick sprayed 9x13 inch, glass baking dish.
• Bake for 1 hour, uncovered.

Chicken Asian Salad with almonds and ramen croutons

 

Salad Ingredients:
2 small packages slivered almonds
1 bottle roasted sesame seeds-if you can't find roasted then you can roast them along with the almonds-(*see directions below).
2 packages ramen noodles; break up noodles in package and discard season packets.
2-bags coleslaw mix  (16 oz. each)
2 cups shredded carrots (if coleslaw mix doesn't come with carrots already)
1 bundle green onions; green and white parts chopped
1 large or 2 small roast chickens; meat removed from bone & torn into bite size pieces.
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Dressing Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup rice vinegar (murukan)
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon white sugar or honey
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce

Directions:

• Turn oven to broil; put almonds and *unroasted sesame seeds on shallow sided pan and broil until golden:  Don't put to close to the broiler and keep an eye on it while its under the broiler. Do the same with the broken ramen noodles, stirring and turning over during the broiling until most sides are toasted. Set aside toasted almonds, sesame seeds and ramen noodles to cool.
• In an extra large bowl add; coleslaw mix, shredded carrots, green onions, chicken meat, (cooled)roasted almonds, sesame seeds, ramen noodles and salt and pepper to taste (about 1 generous pinches of kosher salt, 8 "grindings" of pepper).
•  Shake in a mason jar or mix together in a medium size bowl, dressing ingredients; pour mixed dressing over salad and toss well, ready to serve.

Mormon "Funeral" Potatoes w/ ritz cracker topping

Popular Sour Cream and Cheddar Potato casserole usually served at Funerals.  

I changed the standard recipe to a better tasting casserole with different cream of soup flavors, real onions (not dehydrated), minced garlic and a Ritz cracker topping-which is so much better then the cornflake kind! We love these potatoes with Ham or Barbacued Ribs.

--The Best Tasting Funeral Potatoes!!

                         

 Ingredients:

extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion finely chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

2 lbs diced-cut(not shredded) frozen hashbrowns- I use Ore-Ida country style cubed cut hash browns. 

1 cube butter, melted (1/2 cup)

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 pint sour cream (2 cups)-don't use low-fat or nonfat.

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (recommend Tillamook brand)

1 tube package of Ritz crackers-finely crushed in a large ziplock bag with rolling pin or hands

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Heat olive oil in fry pan, add onions and saute until onions are almost translucent, add minced garlic to onions and stir until onions finish cooking-don't burn the garlic!  Set aside
• In a large mixing bowl add hashbrowns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken & celery soup, sour cream, salt, cheddar cheese and cooked onions & garlic; blend together and put in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Sprinkle the crushed Ritz crackers evenly over the top. (You can mix into the crushed crackers ziplock bag, 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter before adding them to the top of the casserole. But there is so much butter & cream in the potato mix that as it cooks, it bubbles up into the cracker topping. So I've never added melted butter to my crushed crackers and it always turns out great).
• Cover with tinfoil and bake in oven for 2 hours, yep, that's not a misprint=2 hours. Then uncover foil and cook until topping is golden (about 5-10 min.).
• Let set for 15 minutes before eating.
• Optional: Add chopped chives or parsley on top to garnish.  

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad w/ Bacon

This is a great salad to take to a Barbecue or Picnic. It's sweet, savory, crunchy, chewy and creamy-all the favorite "food" senses that I love.  It's also the only time my Husband will eat other vegetables, beside a potato, due to the power of BACON!!

Ingredients for dressing: (Important: you must let the dressing chill over night before you are to assemble this dish)

1/4 cup white onion finely minced
2 cups real mayo (like Best Foods)-not Miracle Whip
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Mix all above ingredients together; cover and chill overnight.

Salad ingredients:

1-pound of thick-cut Apple Wood Smoked Bacon; cook on a sheet pan covered with foil in a 425 degree oven until crispy (about 35-45 minutes); let cool on a paper toweled platter then crumble, and set aside.
1 head Cauliflower-cut into bite size pieces.
3-4 bunches Broccoli florets (enough to equal cauliflower) cut into bite size pieces.
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (opt.-save some to garnish the top of the salad).
Optional: 1/3 cup Golden Raisins
Instructions:

In large bowl mix prepared dressing with Cauliflower, Broccoli, crumbled Bacon, Mozzarella cheese and Golden Raisins.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish the top with reserved Mozzarella; cover and chill before serving.