Pimiento Cheese

I was looking for a "southern" appetizer to go with my Soul Food theme for a dinner party I was having and I found this recipe.  It is so yummy!  I've made it several times since then, and it is always gobbled down by guests.

I prefer to make it with finely shredded cheese.  And I didn't want to grate an onion just for 1 tsp., so I used dried onion instead.

Click here for the original recipe on the Southern Living website.

Basic Pimiento Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. finely grated onion
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheese. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

I love biscuits and gravy, so I decided to try this recipe for our New Year's brunch.  It was fabulous!  It makes a bit more than two people can eat, however, and it's not possible to cut it in half unless you waste half of the biscuits.

I served it with Cranberry Orange Bread and Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns.  Perfect combination!

Click here for the original link to the blog Lemon Sugar.

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 can large, flaky biscuits (such as Grands)

½ pound ground breakfast sausage

3 Tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 and ½ cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

Prepare a small casserole dish (approximately 7x10) with cooking spray. Set aside.

Open biscuits, and cut biscuits into quarters.

Layer half of the quarters in prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare gravy.

In a heavy skillet, brown the ground breakfast sausage over medium high heat until fully cooked.

Sprinkle the cooked sausage with 3 Tablespoons of flour.

Use a wooden spoon to stir flour into sausage until completely absorbed.

Lower heat to medium, and cook flour/sausage mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add milk, and stir to combine.

Add salt and black pepper.

Stir frequently until mixture comes to a slight boil.

Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. (I usually add more black pepper)

If the gravy is too thick, add a bit more milk. You want the gravy to be thickened but not too thick, not "globby," it should still be slightly runny.

Pour gravy over the cooked biscuits.

Layer the remaining uncooked, quartered biscuits over the gravy.

Place casserole dish on a baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If they start to over-brown, you can cover with foil for the last 10 minutes or so.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Seafood Lasagna

This recipe is AMAZING.

My husband was worried that the sauce would be too "fishy" with an entire bottle of clam juice, but it was PERFECT.  I made it for a special New Year's dinner.  With all the seafood, it is a bit pricey to make, but SO worth it.

I bought small, bite-sized scallops, and I cut each shrimp into three pieces.

Click here for the original link on the Taste of Home website.

Seafood Lasagna

Ingredients

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup butter, divided

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

1 pound bay scallops

1 pound uncooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, chopped

1/4 teaspoon white pepper, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

Directions

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil and 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in broth and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add scallops, shrimp, crab and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, stirring gently. Drain, reserving cooking liquid; set seafood mixture aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter; stir in flour until smooth. Combine milk and reserved cooking liquid; gradually add to the saucepan. Add salt and remaining pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from the heat; stir in cream and 1/4 cup cheese. Stir 3/4 cup white sauce into the seafood mixture.

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread 1/2 cup white sauce in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles; spread with half of the seafood mixture and 1-1/4 cups sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Cranberry Orange Bread

For our New Year's brunch this year, I wanted to serve something sweet to go with Biscuits and Gravy Casserole and Caramelized Ham and Cheese Buns.  I searched my Pinterest boards and found this really delicious cranberry orange bread.

Click here for the original link on the blog Taste and Tell.

Cranberry Orange Bread

Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

grated zest of 1 large orange

⅔ cup fresh orange juice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1¼ cups fresh cranberries

½ cup nuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the orange juice, eggs and vegetable oil. Stir gently, just until almost combined. Fold in the cranberries and nuts, making sure you don’t over mix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

This recipe is super easy and very, very good.  It has become our favorite recipe for pork chops!

Click here for the original link on the Taste of Home website.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper blend

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

4 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup flour, mustard, garlic pepper and seasoned salt. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil on both sides.

Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Place remaining flour in a small bowl; whisk in broth until smooth. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove pork to a serving plate and keep warm. Whisk cooking liquid until smooth; serve with pork. Yield: 4 servings.

Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

I've made Julia's version, and you know what?  This is just as good and WAY EASIER!

Click here for the original recipe on the Taste of Home website.

Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients

3 pounds beef stew meat

1-3/4 cups dry red wine

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 bacon strips, chopped

1 pound whole fresh mushrooms, quartered

24 pearl onions, peeled (about 2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Hot cooked whole wheat egg noodles, optional

Directions

Place beef in a large resealable plastic bag; add wine, oil and seasonings. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan.

Add mushrooms and onions to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Drain beef, reserving marinade; transfer beef to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle beef with flour and salt; toss to coat. Top with bacon and mushroom mixture. Add reserved marinade.

Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours or until beef is tender. Remove bay leaf. If desired, serve stew with noodles. Yield: 12 servings (2/3 cup each).

Chocolate Chip Pie

I recently discovered this recipe on Pinterest and Chris has already made it twice!

He prepared it as written, but baked it a few minutes less in our oven to avoid over browning the crust.  He warms leftover pieces for a few seconds in the microwave.  YUM!!

Click here for the original link to the recipe on the blog The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie pastry

2 large eggs

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar

1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed

3⁄4 cup butter, softened

1 cup Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy and pale in color. Beat in flour, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in butter until combined.

Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell. The mixture will be thick.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. You may want to make a foil tent over the pie towards the end so the crust doesn't brown too much. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts

Recently I went to a Penzeys store and bought a bunch of new spice blends to try.  While sifting through my ridiculously huge Pinterest food boards, I found this recipe, which called for lemon pepper.  I used Florida seasoning for the first time, and it was FANTASTIC!  I also used Meyers lemons, because they were the freebie at Giant Eagle last week. :-)

I served it with roasted baby potatoes and asparagus sauteed in olive oil and Penzeys Mural of Flavor.

This recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens.  Click here for the original link.

Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

6 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning

1/3 cup butter

2 lemons, sliced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Hot cooked rice or pilaf (optional)

Directions

Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly into a rectangle about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and salt. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture. Sprinkle chicken breasts with lemon pepper.

In a 12-inch skillet cook the chicken breasts in the hot butter, half at a time, over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown and no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet. Add lemon slices to skillet; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Return all of the chicken to the skillet, overlapping chicken breasts slightly. Drizzle lemon juice over the chicken breasts. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until pan juices are slightly reduced. Serve chicken, lemon slices, and pan juices over hot cooked rice or pilaf, if desired. Makes 6 servings.