corn bread casserole thing

I am going to credit my mother with this one she started making it many many years ago I want to say probably more than 15 years ago maybe. I have no idea where she picked it up from but at this point the recipe is all over the place these days. She generally just makes it for the holidays but a few years ago I started making it all of the time and it became a standard at most functions at our house from the summer bbq to Easter dinner and even Superbowl Sunday with pinto beans!

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 8.5 oz can creamed corn
1 8.5 oz kernel corn drained
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter(margarine works fine but go with the butter)

-preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray down an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray of your choice
-put all of the corn into the dish and mix.
-add the eggs and sour cream and mix
-add the cornbread mix & melted butter mix into blended
-pop it into the oven for around 45 minutes
-let it cool some and serve either still warm or cooled down completely

this is also way easy to double just make it in the 9x13 baking dish

thin mints meet the oreo

Newman-O's hint of mint have been a big hit around the homestead

now that is a spicy meatball

normally as far as appetizer meat type things I usually prefer mini-hotdogs but for some reason this New Year's Eve is was drawn to the meatballs. I'd love to say I made them from scratch like my mother but after working all day and trying to make a quick run to the grocery before fetching the kid & going home to clean & prepare for the evening's festivities I bought the frozen meatballs. I am a convenience cook so shoot me....

Using the standard grape jelly & bbq sauce mixture I was looking for something interesting in the bbq sauce department. And interesting I found! The most excellent habanero bbq sauce from Sticky Fingers! I can also recommend the restaurant having eaten at one in Chattanooga many many moons ago. It gave the meatballs a nice spicy bite and had me back at the grocery store the next day picking up a couple of bottles of bbq sauce. I look forward to using it in my jerk chicken later this week.

cucumber dip

found this in a junior league cookbook I picked up at a used bookstore it's yummy and easy and was given the 4 star rating by my husband. you do need to start prep a day in advance

2 large unpeeled cucumbers
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup mayo
dill to taste
pepper to taste

-grate cucumber and mix with vinegar, salt & garlic powder refrigerate overnight
-drain off the liquid and put cucumbers in a sieve press out as much liquid as possible
-mix together cream cheese, mayo, pepper & dill to taste
-add cucumbers
-serve with fresh vegetables or crackers appetizer

due to overwhelming demand

okay only Jenni was looking for it but here is the famous rum cake recipe-as with most stuff on this blog it is incredibly easy!!!

1 box yellow cake mix
1box vanilla pudding I prefer french vanilla
1/3 cup rum and more
3 eggs
1/2 milk
1/4 cup oil
grease bundt pan preheat oven to 325
mix everything(handheld mixer maybe a minute or two) I usually add a splash or two more of rum just because the mix will be fairly dense Put in pan and bake for about 50 minutes
let cool in pan about hour then move to a rack. Once completely cool poke some holes into the cake and pour a bit of rum over the top of the cake then just let it sit we prefer overnight. Then we add the icing which is
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup of water
1/2 cup of white sugar
boil then add 1/4 cup rum
pour this over the cake
and voila rum cake easy and you can use generic mixes even cheapo rum so it is not an expensive treat.

rum cake time

nope no recipe here sorry family secret!

Several years ago David decided he wanted to re-create his mother's rum cake which I suppose she made when they were younger it's not one of those things that had become her dish to make or bring in fact in the 13 years I have been around she has never made one. Anyhoo he got the recipe and re-create he did but come on seriously how can you screw up something with that much rum. Although I believe the addition of more rum is David's doing. The rum cakes have become semi-famous in our own heads anyway and they are made for work functions and friends around the holidays. The garbage men also get one too so be careful on Thursday if you see a garbage truck driving erratically. At this point the cakes have become a joint effort with me doing the baking and David doing the rumming after it has cooled. It is a good system and it works well, I occasionally get to do the rumming like this morning because I am up so frickin' early and will leave for work probably before David gets out of bed.

The cakes are smelling pretty yummy this morning even if I do say so myself

beef & beans

sort of a chili but not it is very tasty stuff

1lb dry pinto beans
2 lbs stew meat
chunk of salt pork
1 cup of water
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper
salt to taste

-prepare the beans everyone has there own method, soak them over night, quick soak whatever you heart desires
-when ready to cook throw everything in the crock pot
-stir cook on high for 5-8 hours
I must admit I probably did add more liquid I usually add a can of beer, cheapest you can find however it was a morning that I put this together so I can not remember if I did this or not