Saturday, July 28, 2012

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Most pimiento cheese sandwiches are just made with pimento, cheese and mayonnaise.  I like this recipe because it adds green peppers and onions.  Add your own favorite ingredients.  This recipe is very forgiving, so don't be afraid to experiment.  I recommending tasting it before adding the salt.  Then just add the amount you think it needs so that you don't over salt the dish.  Add bacon bits to make this a great dip!
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Ever thought of making a grilled pimiento cheese sandwich?  YUMMY!  Just use the filling in place of cheese slices.
PIMIENTO CHEESE SANDWICHES
Place in a bowl
One-half cup of grated cheddar cheese, and then add
One tablespoon of grated onion,
Two tablespoons of finely minced green peppers,
One-half teaspoon of salt, (or desired amount)
One teaspoon of paprika,
One-half teaspoon of mustard,
Six tablespoons of mayonnaise 
Mix thoroughly and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.  Spread on bread, toast, crackers.  Or, use as a dip.

*These little jars are so cute that I can't throw them away.  You can use them to store everything from screws to home-made hand scrubs.  They're also perfect for home-made candles.

HAND SCRUB - Mix 1/4 cup sugar with a tablespoon of olive oil and store in jar.  When ready to use, take a teaspoon out and scrub on your hands.  Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Dump Cake

Have you ever made a Dump Cake?  Basically you take a couple of cans of fruit, a boxed cake mix, butter, dump it all together and bake it.  This makes a quick and easy cobbler-like cake.  The recipe link I'm sharing uses cherry pie filling.  I've made this with peaches and also with apples.  I like to add just a bit of cinnamon to the cake mix to just bring out the flavors.  I even made a chocolate-cherry version once using chocolate cake mix along with cherry pie filling and chocolate chips.

Check out this link to the Pioneer Woman Cooks - Dump Cake.  Be sure to check out the great comments to her post.  There are some wonderful ideas for different versions of this cake.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Coleslaw with Green Peppers


This is a quick and easy slaw recipe with green peppers.  Perfect for Summer - Enjoy!
COLESLAW with GREEN PEPPERS
Shred a head of cabbage fine and place in salted water for one-half hour. Drain well and then add
Two green peppers, chopped fine,
One cup of mayonnaise,
One tablespoon of salt,
One tablespoon of paprika,
One-quarter cup of vinegar.
Mix and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Polenta with Leeks


I love this recipe because it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.  Using chicken broth in place of some of the water adds a nice flavor, but you will want to reduce the amount of salt.  I usually reduce it to half a teaspoon anyway, but that's because I try to reduce sodium in all dishes I make.  
You can serve this with a nice tomato sauce.  I usually just use a jar of Prego.  You can top it with the sauce and a little cheese.  Then put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Yummy!
POLENTA WITH LEEKS
Place in a saucepan
Two and one-half cups of boiling water,
One and one-half teaspoons of salt.
Now pour in very slowly
Three-quarters cup of yellow cornmeal.
Stir to prevent lumping and cook until very thick. Add
Three-quarters cup of shredded cheddar cheese
One onion, chopped fine,
One green pepper, chopped fine,
One leek, chopped fine,
One teaspoon of paprika.
Mix thoroughly and then pour into a large bowl to cool. Form into patties and then roll in flour and brown in hot oil. Serve with tomato sauce. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Irish Pancakes


We used to have pancakes on Sunday mornings.  Mom was always finding a use for leftover mashed potatoes.  Have you ever used them in pancakes?  It gives them a delicious flavor.  Try this recipe the next time you're looking for something different.  
IRISH PANCAKES
One cup mashed potatoes,
Two cups flour,
One teaspoon salt,
Three teaspoons baking powder,
Two eggs,
One cup milk,
Four tablespoon maple syrup (or corn syrup),
One and one-half teaspoons nutmeg.
Beat to thoroughly mix and then bake on a griddle. Spread with butter and sugar.

I've made pancakes so many times, I don't really think about all the steps involved in cooking them.  If you're new to this and need more directions, check out busycooks.com for step by step directions.

Check this out for tips on making perfect pancakes.