Cherry Jubilee Cheesecake bars

This is one of my favorite and quick desserts. The recipe used to be on the back of the Betty Crocker cherry chip cake mix box. They recently changed the design of the box and it sadly does not have the recipe anymore. Luckily I saved the recipe and I am going to share it with you.

You will need:

1 box of Betty Crocker cherry chip cake mix

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter-softened 

2 8 oz boxes of cream cheese

1 can of rich and creamy cherry frosting

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Beat cake mix and butter together with an electric mixer until crumbling.

Reserve one cup of mix and press the remaining mix into the bottom of a ungreased 9x13 pan

In the same bowl beat together cream cheese and frosting until smooth. Then beat in eggs.

Spread the frosting mix on top of the cake mix.

Now sprinkle the reserved cake mix on top.

Bake at 325 for 45 min. The let cool and refrigerate for at least  2 hours. Keep refrigerated.

Here is a stock photo of the bars because the lighting was bad in my kitchen and my photo doesn't look as yummy 

Turkey in roaster

This year we had all of our Holiday parties before Christmas. Our last party was my moms family party and 2 of my poor children had the flu. My husband stayed home with them but they were feeling all better on Christmas Day. I had a turkey that I had gotten for free that I decided to make for them on Christmas with all the fixings now that they could enjoy it.

I was pretty burnt out by Christmas so the sides were pretty basic we had mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dressing and corn.

But I am here to tell you about this amaIng turkey.

You will need:

A turkey (mine was around 14 pounds but you may use the size to fit your need and just adjust the cooking time)

1 stick of butter 

4 cloves or 4 tablespoons of minced garlic

3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons horseradish

2 teaspoons of dried basil

2 teaspoons of dried thyme

1-4 onions quartered

Salt and pepper

1 cup chicken broth

I used a roaster to make my turkey so that my oven was free for the sides but this can easily be made in the oven.

Preheat oven or roaster to 350 degrees.

I do not have a fancy rack for my pan for the turkey to sit on so I place 3 quartered onions in my pan for the turkey to sit on.

Remove the neck and gizzards fr the turkey cavity. Place turkey in pan. Generously sprinkle the inside cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and 2 cloves of garlic. Place 1 quartered onion into the cavity.

In a sauce pan melt the butter and then mix in 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard, horseradish, thyme, basil and some salt and pepper.

Pour the butter mixture over the turkey and rub it in so that the spices are evenly spread.

 You can skip the next step and just baste the turkey and leave in oven for 2-1/2 hours or longer if needed depending on size. I think the next step makes the perfect flavorful and moist turkey. Mix chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard in a bowl. After turkey has roasted about 1 hour inject the broth in several areas of the turkey consent rating on the top of the breast. Make sure to get a little in the legs.

Now continue to roast another 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

You will have a delish and juice bird.

Pumpkin pie.

For desert my daughter made us this pumpkin pie.

We have in the past made homemade pie crust but it is often time easier and faster to just buy a refrigerated crust.

You will need: 

One 9 inch refrigerated pie crust

1-15 oz can pumpkin

1-12 oz can evaporated milk

3/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Press crust into a pie pan. In a mixing bowl mix together all other ingredients.

Pour mix into crust.

To prevent the edges of the crust from burning we used aluminum foil just around the edges.

Bake at 425 for 15 min and then lower the temperature to 350. Bake pie for 20 min and then remove foil. Bake an additional 20-30 min or until you can insert a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

  My father also made this desert:

Caramel Apple Trifle

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/colossal-caramel-apple-trifle

It was delish and I high recommend the Trifle recipe

Prime Rib

#4 on our Christmas Favorite is Prime Rib

The only thing that doesn't like prime rib in our house is my pocket book, so this recipe is reserved for holidays (and occasionally milestone Birthday)

Prime rib is a ribeye roast. Prime rib is just the best cut you can buy. Our grocer sells them in Prime, Choice or Reserve cuts. Prime is the best cut but is extremely pricy. Choice is a step down the price is a a little better and if prepared properly no one will notice. Reserve is the next step down in cut. reserve (often labeled Holiday Roasts) is the cheapest of the 3 and you can usually tell it is. With choose there is less marbling in the meat and often has a large amount of fat on the top.

Also to consider is that you can buy them with bones in or boneless. I use boneless it is just easier to cut and serve in the end.

For this recipe I used a Choice cut boneless ribeye roast.

You will need:

7-8 ribeye roast

1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt (I used Himalayan pink salt but plain table salt works too)

1/4 cup of cracked pepper

1tablespoon dried rosemary

1tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 cup minced garlic

6tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. While oven is heating in a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat and brown  both sides of roast (about 4 min a side).

Browning before putting it in the oven helps give it that nice color.

Place meat aside and make the run in a small bowl. Mix salt, pepper, Rosemary, thyme and garlic together.

Rub the remaining oil onto the roast and then rub the seasoning on both sides of the roast. 

Place roast fat side up in a pan and roast at 500 degrees uncovered for 30 min. Then lower temperature to 300 degrees and roast 20 to 40 min. Times very based on size of roast and oven. Cook until meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees when place in center of roast. Do not over cook. Once it reaches 125 degrees remove roast from oven and pan. Wrap in aluminum foil and let it rest for around 20 min.

Letting the roast rest is crucial. The resting period lets the juice redistribute and makes every bite juicy.

Macaroni salad

#3 on the family favorite Christmas foods is Macaroni Salad. I can not remember where this recipe came from but I am so happy that it came into my life.

You will need:

16 oz box of macaroni noodles 

1 small jar of pimentos

1/2 cup chopped black olives

1/2 cup chopped bread and butter pickles (reserve the juice)

Green onions

1/2 cup mayo (I don't like Miracle Whip for this recipe it makes it too sweet)

1tablespoon vinegar

3 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

1/4 cup milk

First cook macaroni according to package directions.

While the noodles cook chop the olives (I buy whole and chop myself. I find that the chopped in a can ones to be chopped to fine for this recipe). Also chop the pickles and some green onions (I use about 3 green onions but this is a personal preference)

Then in a bowl mix together the sauce. Mix in the mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, milk and pickle juice ( I use around a tablespoon of juice this is also a personal preference.)

Mix the pimentos, pickles and olive into the sauce.

When the macaroni is done cooking drain it and then run cold water over it to cool it off.  Let it sit for a couple minutes to dry and then transfer to a large bowl.

Pour sauce (sauce will be runny but will soak into noodles as it sits) over the noodles and stir.

Cover and refrigerate salad for at least and hour or over night.

This salad is delish and I think it is a nice change from the heavy sauced macaroni salads.

Crack potatoes

Next up in my series of family Christmas favorite foods is Crack Potatoes. 

No we do not put any illegal drugs in them they are just so good they are addictive.

What you need:

2 pounds of frozen hash brown-thawed

3/4 cup of butter (1/2cup for potatoes and 1-4 for topping)

1teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 10-1/2 oz can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 pint sour cream 

10 oz cheddar cheese

2 Cups of crushed corn flakes

I use what I call misfit hash browns for this recipe. These are the odd ends left when making hash browns and are $2 for 2 pounds.

Mix the potatoes,1/2 cup melted butter, salt and pepper,soup,sour cream and cheese. Then spread into a 9x13 pan.

Mix corn flakes with 1/4 cup melted butter and the spread on top of potato mixture.

Bake uncover for 45 min at 350 degrees.

These are so simple to make but so very good.

Southern green beans

I have so many wonderful foods to share with you. I have been so busy cooking for parties I have had no time to tell you about them. My next few posts will be a series of foods I made for my family this last weekend. We are usually rushed on Christmas to to get everything done so we decided to celebrate early this year.

First up in this series is Southern style green beans.

You will need:

Fresh green beans

1 pound of bacon or more because who doesn't love bacon

1onion- chopped

3 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons of butter

Crushed red pepper to taste (I use about 1-1/2 tsp)

First cool the bacon. I ended up short a bit of bacon because of sneaky kids and grandpas.

Clean the beans and remove the ends.i cut them in half but you don't have to if you like your beans longer.

Then add beans, butter, broth, onion and crushed red peppers to pot. Crumble bacon and add to pot.

Now bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. I simmered them for close to 2 hours which gave me time to work on other dishes.

Now enjoy these delish beans. This is my absolute favorite green bean recipe.

Spaghetti Squash

This last summer we had great weather for gardening. The down side is I am still working on getting everything preserved. I am finally done! I saved the spaghetti squash and butternut squash for last. Both are winter squash and you can keep for a month or 2 after being picked if kept in a cool dry place. 

First I did the butternut squash. Many people say you have to cook and mash them before you freeze them. I do not do this. I never know how I am going to cook them thru out the year. Sometimes I like them in cubes with a little salt and pepper and sometimes I like to mash them. So I make this super easy and all I do is peel them, cube them and freeze them. 

Do not make preserving your veggies for the year harder then it needs to be. I am a firm believer that people make gardening and canning more complicated then it needs to be and then many people give up.

 

One very important step is to label and date everything! We other you are canning or freezing. My first year I was let's say lazy and naïve. I thought it would be ok and not label everything well then I was cleaning out the freezer and grab a bag and I can't tell what it even is anymore. And frozen beans look an awful lot like green peppers. Evening canning, you can usually tell what is in the jar but not how old it is. We had to toss A lot of green beans because we didn't know how old they were.

I finished with the spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash on the other hand does have to be cooked before you freeze it. So to start cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. 

Place them flesh down on a pan or cookie sheet. You can put olive oil and salt and pepper on the flesh before you bake. I only season themif I plan to eat them right away.

Now bake at 350 degrees for around 50 min. You will know they are ready when you can easily pierce with a fork.

Now allow them to cool until you can easily handle them. Then with a fork you "shred" them. In all reality they just kind of fall apart looking like spaghetti.

Now let them sit in the fridge until cool.

I cooked some of the squash for dinner and the rest I froze. Freezing is just as easy put in freezer bag squeeze out air and freeze. Don't forget to label.

Now everyone talks about using spaghetti squash as a health alternative when making spaghetti (also make an amazing chicken Alfredo) but I love it as a side dish. 

What I use:

1 spaghetti squash -baked and shredded

3 tablespoons of butter(margarine is fine if that is what you have.)

Basil

Chopped garlic

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in large skillet and then add the squash and gently toss in butter to coat the squash. If using hot squash from the oven you can add the herbs right away. If you have refrigerated the squash continue over medium heat until squash is warm, around 3 min.  Add the herbs I don't measure them but it is about 2 cloves of garlic or 1 1/2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon of basil and slat and pepper to taste.

Super easy yet super yummy. I love making this as a side for some baked chicken.

Quick turtles

I made some jams and bread and butter pickles for gifts this year. Last minute I decided they needed candy so I threw together some Christmas turtles.

You need:

Pecan halves

Rolo candies

M&M's

The M&M's are just used to make them look like Christmas candy.

First preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Then place pecans on foil I did them in clusters of 2 which to me is the perfect amount of candy to nut. Then place a Rolo on top of the pecans.

 Then place in the oven for 3-5 min until the chocolate softens. Do Not leave in for more than 5 min. The chocolate will actually start to harden and become chalky in consistency if left in to long. 

Immediately press an M&M into the chocolate. Do not worry if a little caramel leaks out it will harden and be fine. If you do not want to add the M&M you can leave it as is or press the Rolo down with the back of a spoon.

So easy and everyone appreciates a homemade treat.

Petite Roast

This is my Absolute favorite roast recipe. The key is fresh cracked black pepper. The pepper really brings some great flavors out of the roast.

You will need:

1 tablespoon of thyme (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme if you prefer)

1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper

3 cloves minced garlic

3-4 pound beef top sirloin petite roast

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl mix the thyme, pepper and garlic. I buy minced garlic in a jar to save time. I clove of garlic is about 1 tablespoon of you chose to buy yours in a jar.

Now rub the herbs onto both sides of you roast. 

Place roast in pan (do not add water or cover) bake 1 hour and 45 min for medium rare or 2 hours and 15 min for medium. Tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 min and then carve and enjoy. 

I do not have a picture of the roast out of the oven. My daughter had violin lessons this day and we were starving when we got home and dove right in.

Breakfast pizza

My kids woke up the other morning wanting pizza so I made this super quick breakfast pizza. 

What you will need:

Refrigerated pizza crust (found by the biscuits and cinnamon rolls)

Sausage gravy (I bought a pre made gravy but you could make your own)

4 eggs

Bacon (cooked and broken into pieces)

Shredded cheese (could use cheddar we used Colby)

First scramble the eggs. While they cook roll out your crust onto a cookie sheet.

Top the crust with the gravy.

Now to with eggs,bacon and then cheese. 

 

Bake at 375 degrees for around 10-12 min.

This is super fast and easy and most importantly kids love it.

Pork tacos!

I have been gone for a week now because of Thanksgiving and my husband took a week of vacation to just hang out with me (and of course eat) I thought I would come back with amazing tasty recipe. Every good cook uses tips and recipes from other cooks. Some are hand me down recipie and some like this one are from your favorite tv host. This recipie is base on thepioneerwoman.com Spicy Dr Pepper Pork. I have been making these for years and they are a family favorite so I thought I would share.

You will need:

1whole large onion

1 pork shoulder (pork butt) 5-7 pounds

Salt and pepper

2 cans Dr Pepper

2 tbsp brown sugar

4oz green chilies diced

3-4 tbs adobo seasoning

Tortillas of your choice. ( I use small corn tortillas.)

Toppings of your choice (we use just lettuce and cheese and by request on this day we had sour cream)

The main difference between the way I make it and Ree (the Pioneer Woman) makes it is the chilies and adobo.

Her recipe uses 1-11oz can Chipotle Pepper in adobo sauce. My kids did not like the peppers. So I use the Chilies and Adobo seasoning but of course if you like the Chipotle pepper use them.  If you have some people that don't like spicy food you can leave out the Adobo seasoning or of course use less Adobo. Now that I have you thoroughly confused I will get to the recipe. 

On the day I made this recipe I started putting everything in the pan and realized I was out of Adobo seasoning. I used Creole seasoning on a whim because I didn't have time to run to the store. It was still amazing.

First you will cut the onion or onions if you like more into wedges and place in the bottom of pan (Ree's calls for a Dutch oven but I find it works fine in a cover pan as well).

Place the pork shoulder on top of the onions. Season with salt, pepper, seasoning and sugar. Pour the chilies on top.

Then add the Dr Pepper. I only had bottles my house so I used 1 bottle instead of 2 cans.

 

Now cover and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 6 hours. Turn the roast once or twice during the baking. After 6 hours it should pretty much fall apart when you touch it. If it doesn't fall apart you can bake it for another hour but I have never had it turn out not perfect after the 6.

Now you can shred the pork with 2 forks. I just leave it in the pan and shred it but you can shred it out of the pan and then just return it to the pan and toss it in all that amazing juice at the bottom of the pan.

Doesn't that delicious? Now ce the fun part. Put on some tortillas and topping and enjoy.