Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

Green Fluff Salad for St Patrick's Day

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

In honor of Sping in general, and St Patrick's Day in particular, I'm repeating a recipe I've previously posted for Pistachio Salad, aka Green Fluff and/or Watergate Salad

Did you know that are just about as many different ways to make Pistachio fluff as there are folks who make it? I've had Pistachio Fluff on the brain ever since I had so many comments about it on my Pretty in Pink fruit salad post, so I decided to make that delectable dish known variably as "Pistachio Fluff", "Watergate Salad" and simply "that green stuff".

Back in the "olden days" of the 70's, different versions of this were all the rage. Some made it with cottage cheese, similar to the Pretty in Pink salad, some made it with miniature marshmallows, some topped theirs with chopped nuts; I've even seen it put in a pie crust. In my family, we made a very simple version, and that's the one I decided to re-create this week.

Ingredients:

1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg Pistachio pudding mix
1 container Cool Whip or other whipped topping

Pour the drained pineapple into a medium sized mixing bowl, top with dry Pistachio pudding mix

Mix the pineapple and pudding mix together until it turns this lovely(!) shade of green

Add cool whip and stir until well blended

When you finish, it should look something like this.

At this point, it will taste like a mouth full of SWEET and not much else. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. The mixture will "set" slightly and the flavors will develop until it tastes like a mouth full of sweet, refreshing goodness.

I had forgotten how good this is--I took some to my mom and dad, and we decided we need to revive this one from the annals of family food traditions.

It doesn't make all that much compared to the pink one, that may be one reason why many add the cottage cheese and mini-marshmallows. I like the cottage cheese in the pink one, and may try it in this one, too, but it's good just the way it is, and would super simple to double or even triple to take to a church dinner or family gathering.

I guarantee anyone old enough to remember the 70's will remember it, and anyone not old enough to remember it will like it anyway.

This post is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Until next time, good (un-)cooking, and good eating!

Quick and Easy White Chicken Pizza

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:29:00 +0000

This last year I made a personal food "discovery"--my favoirte pizza of all time is made with chicken. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would like a pizza made with chicken. But chicken, alfredo sauce, and white cheese---oh, yeah, it's like nectar and ambrosia.

Not long ago, a lovely lady we know gifted us with an assortment of homemade yeast breads, one of which was a pre-baked pizza crust. I toyed with the idea of making a traditional red-sauce pizza, but when I found a jar of Alfredo pasta sauce in the food cabinet, I knew I was set.

For that first white chicken pizza, I used some frozen chicken breast tenderloins, which I cooked in a little chicken broth, then diced. One thing I've learned from making pizza in the past is that it always takes less sauce than you might think, so I very lightly sauced the top, then loaded it up with diced, cooked chicken, and covered it liberally (very liberally) with white cheese. I used what I had on hand, probably a mix of mozzarella, provolone, or Italian blend.

It was a huge success!

And now my delima--I'm a yeast bread wienie, unless I have my bread machine, which is in Georgia while I'm home in Louisiana for a while. I looked at packaged pre-baked crust in the store, but they seemed a little, ahem, shall we say steep for a big piece of round flat bread?

So I decided to recreate it this time using my old tried and true refrigerated pizza dough from a tube. Found next to the "canned" biscuits. Certainly you could make your own.

Ingredients:

pizza crust
Alfredo suace
diced, pre-cooked chicken
white cheese of your choice--mozarella, provolone, Italian blend

I started off my lightly greasing my cookie sheet, then sprinkling just a couple of pinches of cornmeal on the pan. I think that's to keep the crust from sticking, like when you grease and flour a cake pan, but I'm not really sure. They do it at pizza places, and I read it in a recipe once, so I do it, too.

The crust I had stated (33% more free), so I used a large pan, 15 1/2 x 10 1/2.

Pre-bake according to package directions. I baked this at around 400-425 for probably 10 minutes. Next time around I would not let it brown quite this much.

Spread alfredo sauce, from a jar or your own, very sparingly over the crust. The first time I used maybe a 1/3 c or less, but for one this size it took at least 1/2 c, maybe a little more. (tune in later this week to see what I made using the leftover sauce)

Cover with diced, cooked chicken. First time, I cooked some frozen chicken breast pieces, this time I used a bag of pre-cooked, seasoned chicken strips (the kind that look like chicken fajita strips). I heated them in the microwave just to thaw them and take the chill off, maybe 3-5 minutes. These were good, and certainly easy, but I think I liked the one with the regular cooked chicken breast better--this would be an good use of leftover cooked chicken of any sort, actually.

Cover liberally with white cheese. I used some parmesan, some Italian blend, and even some monterray jack this time around. Last time I think I used provolone and mozzarella.

Bake at 400-425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and the tops of the little chicken pieces start to slightly brown.

The two of these that I've made were distinctly different, but both were successes. This a definite keeper, so much so that I may attempt an even more home-made version--the refrigerated pizza dough will have to do until I get back to my bread machine, but I will pre-cook some chicken, and I think I'm going to make the alfredo sauce and see how it goes.

For myself personally, I would to try this mushrooms added; for those who like it, certainly onions and/or peppers could make a pretty addition (can you imagine some chopped purple onion--would that make a "lavender" pizza instead of a white pizza??) What toppings does your family like on pizza?

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Recipe Swap at the Grocery Chart Challenge

Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Giveaway Winner--Mossy Bayou Foods

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:11:00 +0000

A big "Thank you!" to everyone who entered the Mossy Bayou Foods giveaway.

Chosen by random integer generator at http://www.random.org/, the winner is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

14

Timestamp: 2010-03-08 00:07:36 UTC

And #14 on my Google Docs spreadsheet is:

Sharon A.

I'll be sending Sharon an email tonight.

Even if you didn't win, you can still enjoy any of the Mossy Bayou Foods products by visiting their website at http://www.mossybayou.com/, and placing an order. (Note: for the chow chow and pepper jelly, click on "Links" subheading on their right sidebar and follow the links to a third party site that sells some of their products.) The more I use the hot sauce and the seasoning blend, the more I like them!

Please come back later this week for more recipes and food fun.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Swamp Scum, Bayou Blend Seasoning, and a Mossy Bayou Giveaway!

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

(Giveaway Now Closed)

I recently had the opportunity to try some of the products available from Mossy Bayou Foods. They sent me a bottle of their award winning Swamp Scum hot sauce, their Bayou Blend seasoning blend, and a package of their Cajun Fried Pecans. Being a Louisiana gal myself, I was eager to receive these products and give them a try.

First up was the Bayou Blend seasoning mix. I first applied the sniff test, and it smelled strongly of chili powder, so I was a bit apprehensive about it--I like Cajun seasoning and I use it almost everything, but I'm not a big fan of hot just for the sake of hot. Once I used it, this stuff put my fears to rest. I used it in every kind of savory dish imaginable, from vegetables to meat to gravy, just as I would any good seasoning blend. It's spicy without being too hot--Mossy Bayou's website describes it as "a special blend of Cajun spices, with an added Mexican accent". It has no salt, which surprised me, and no MSG.

The next product that I tried was the mysterious Swamp Scum hot sauce. This is not your typical hot sauce--for one thing, it looks black in the bottle, and when you use it the color is sort of greeny-black. Not a pretty sauce. But the smell--ahh, the smell is wonderful! It has the most delicious sweet/spicy/smoky smell. Even though I'm from Louisiana, I'm particular about the hot sauce I use. As I mentioned above, I don't like "hot" just for the sake of heat, I like flavor with my spice, and this one also did not disappoint. I used this on chicken fajitas, and as a seasoning on a Cajun spiced pot roast that came out melting-in-your-mouth good. It may not look pretty, but it's a definite keeper for me.

And last but not least, the Cajun Fried Pecans--I love roasted pecans, and these were a tasty change from the usual sweet pecans I enjoy when I can.

And now, for the fun part--Mossy Bayou is sponsoring a giveaway package for one lucky reader, comprised of :

Swamp Scum hot sauce
Bayou Blend seasoning
Louisiana popcorn rice
Original Cajun Chow Chow
Pepper Fiesta Pepper Jelly

This could help you feast on good old Cajun food for some time to come!

The giveaways is now closed--thanks for your interest!

To enter, leave your name, email address, and comment on the giveaway form telling me which Mossy Bayou product you'd most like to try. The giveaway will be open until next Sunday, March 7, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. central time.

As always, your information will not be shared, and will be used for the purposes of this giveaway only.

(Disclosure: I received the products listed above for review and promotional purposes only, and did not receive any other compensation for doing the review or the giveaway, and the opinions expressed are those of my own.)

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

My Quick and Easy Hamantaschen

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:01:00 +0000

I had hoped to get this post up a little earlier, but while I'm at home in Louisiana I'm on dial-up internet most of the time, so posts come much slower!

Sunday is Purim, the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the enemy as told in the book of Esther. I thought I'd share this quick and easy version of hamentaschen, or Haman's hats, that I came up with a few years ago. (hiss, hiss, stomp, clap) (In order to obliviate the very name of Haman, who schemed to destroy God's people, when the story of Esther is read or told, the audience must hiss or stomp or use noisemakers anytime his name is mentioned--thus the "hiss, hiss, stomp, clap"!)

Ingredients:

pie crust--for this I want a smooth, even crust, so I use my old faithful ready-made crusts
pie filling of your choice--I like cinnamon spice apple, or blueberry
powdered sugar to sift over the finished product

You need a pie filling with small "bits", so when I do this with apple filling, I use my pastry cutter to smash the pieces so that I have smaller pieces of fruit.

Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut as many circles as you can get from your pie crust. You can take the bits that are left and re-roll and cut again, if you like.

Place a small amount of the filling on each circle--I used a heaping tablespoon, and almost overfilled some of mine.

Fold the sides up into the traditional three-cornered hat shape.

It's been a couple of years since I made these, and the first batch I did started coming apart at the corners when they started baking, so I really pinched the corners together on the next batch.

Bake at 400-450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling tray. (This was the first batch--see how they started coming apart? Still tasted good, though!)

Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

These are so good--I'm not usually a big fan of fruit pies, especially apple, but these just the right proportion of crust to filling--and big dollop of whipped cream on top doesn't hurt any, either! (I suspect they would be good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too, but they never seem to last long enough for me to get to try that.)

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Meatless Mondays at Sweet and Savory

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Sour Cream Pound Cake--Made From a Mix!

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:34:00 +0000

I've been in a food rut. Again. Since the holidays I've been cooking less in general, and not much that's been new or different or blog-worthy in particular.

This weekend I decided to jump back into the kitchen by making an old stand-by--what I call sour cream pound cake. It's a beautiful basic cake that can be eaten plain, warm from the oven, dripping in strawberries and whipped cream, or frosted. I usually make this in an angel food style tube pan, but I've also made it in a bundt pan, as a sheet cake, in loaf pans, and even as cupcakes.

It's a cake that starts from a mix but becomes so much more by the addition of a few key ingredients.

Ingredients:

Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden cake mix
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cooking oil
8 oz container sour cream
4 eggs

Mix all ingredients until blended, then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into a cooking sprayed pan. For a tube pan, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. At the end of 50 minutes, I turn the oven off, and leave the pan in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

If I use a removal center tube pan (like an angel food cake pan), I remove the outside ring and allow the cake to cool on the inner ring. (If you try to take it off the ring too soon, it will probably fall apart, or at least crack). When I use a bundt pan, I cool for about 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to finish cooling.

This time, I left it completely plain--sometimes I sift powdered sugar over the top.

This is one of those cakes that's delicious eaten plain, warm from the oven, but it also gets better and better the longer it sits--just be sure to cover it well.

I love this cake--so easy to make, but it tastes like you really did something special. I make it often in two loaf pans to give as a gifts, and nearly always get a recipe request.

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Until next time--good cooking, and good eating!

Quick and Easy Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0000

One of the early recipes I posted here was for a quick bread my home-ec teacher (a millions years ago!) used to call "bachelor rolls" . The short-and-sweet version of this is 1 c flour, 1/2 c milk, and 1/4 c mayonnaise. Mix it all together, put in a muffin tin, and bake a 450 for 10-15 minutes.

I made these not long ago for the first time in a long time, and they're really more like a rough biscuit instead of a roll. The texture reminded me a lot of some cheesy garlic drop biscuits I made last year from a Martha White mix, so I decided to see if I could tweak it just a bit and make my own garlic cheese biscuits--and from scratch, yet, can you believe it? I looked at some recipes on-line just to see what kind of proportions of cheese-and-garlic to other ingredients to use, and came up with this version--quick and easy always, made from common, on-hand-for-most-of-us ingredients, and delicious, to boot:

Ingredients:

1 c self-rising flour
1/2 c milk
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 t garlic powder

In a small mixing bowl, stir the garlic powder into the flour. Add the mayo and milk, stirring to combine, then stir in the cheese. Divide into a cooking-sprayed or lightly greased muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are browned.

I want to make this one again, but I need to tweak it just a bit. My husband thought the cheese was too strong--I used mostly cheddar cheese with just a bit of Mexican blend. I don't think it was the cheese, though. I think it was the mayo that was a bit too strong--to be honest, I was throwing this together and I may have been just a bit heavy-handed with the mayo. And to top it all off, I was at the bottom of my garlic powder and I don't think the garlic was fresh and strong enough.

In conclusion--a keeper, but I'm going to try these again with fresh garlic powder and maybe only 3 tablespoons of mayo and see how they turn out.

This post is linked to:

Meatless Monday at Sweet and Savory

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tempt my TummyTuesday at Blessed with Grace

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Super Bowl Party Foods and Snacks

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:54:00 +0000

Anybody ever heard of a big ol' football game called the Super Bowl? I've vaguely heard of it, how about you? All this Louisiana gal can say about it is:

WHO DAT?

I have a confession to make--if the Saints weren't playing, I probably wouldn't even watch. I come from a family of sports fans, but I never really caught the bug, myself. Although I do have gleeful memories of the year my sister and I picked the World Series winning team--based on the color of their uniforms and the cuteness of the players. My brother almost died when our team won, too!

The best part of the Big Game, in my opinion, is the food. Any excuse for a party, right?

You can't have a party without chips and dip...

Rotel Cheese Dip

Layered crab dip/spread

Favorite crab salad/spread

One of my new favorite quick and easy "un-recipes"...

Party Pinwheels

Gotta have some cocktail sausages...

Lit'l Smokies and cheese platter

Cocktail smokies in sauce

Pigs in a blanket

How about Meatballs with cheese inside

And if you want something yummy but just a bit more "solid", there's always...

Tamale Bake

Stuffed Bread

Mexican Cornbread

And one of my favorites (definitely a make-ahead) BBQ brisket sandwiches made from Slow-Cooked Oven Baked Brisket

What goodies are you cooking up this football weekend?

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life with Mom

Until next time, good cooking and good eating!

Giveaway Winner for Alouette Cheese Coupons

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. Even with only one entry per person this time, there were close to 200 entries!

And now, chosen by Random.org, the winner is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

113

Timestamp: 2010-02-01 01:28:26 UTC

#113 is Jennifer from Jennai's Corner of the World!

I'll be notifying Jennifer by email and getting her coupons to her--hopefully just in time for Super Bowl snacking!

Thanks again to everyone who entered, I appreciate the interest!

Until next time, good cooking and good eating!

Alouette Cheese Review and Giveaway

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Giveaway is now closed!

I love cheese.

All kinds of cheese from American and Provolone slices for sandwiches, to feta crumbles on a cracker smeared with hummus, to fresh mozzarella stringing from a slice of pizza or steaming plate of pasta bake.

I remember talking with a sweet lady at a women's ministry social over our plates of finger foods and telling her that I'd never met a cheese I didn't like (this to her bemused observation at some cheese tidbits that "her daughters like all kinds of cheeses that she'd never heard of, but she usually just bought the sliced yellow kind".)

I'm not a gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, so I know there are cheese's out there that I might turn up my nose and oh-so-uneducated-palate at, but so far we have not been introduced.

So, when I got a chance to try some of Alouette spreadable cheeses, I jumped at the chance.

I received a box with several packages of their new Sweet & Spicy Pepper Medley, and their seasonal Berries & Cream flavor.

The first thing I did was grab two packages and head to my mother's house (we were home in Louisiana at the time) and we broke out one of each of these and tried them spread on crackers. Oh, my. Really good. Really, really good. In my opinion, one of the tests of a really good tasting cheese is how it tastes all by itself, and how it tastes served very simply, like on a cracker. (or on your finger. Shhhh.)

I later tried some of the Berries & Cream as a spread on toast--it would be excellent to spread on a toasted bagel, or a rice cake. Or on a piece of cardboard. What amazes me about this is that the main "berry" in this is raspberry, which I am normally not a big fan of, but it's mixed with cranberries and with blueberry juice, and it has just the right taste and texture. My only complaint is that it's not available year-round, but is considered seasonal.

The Sweet & Savory Pepper Medley I ate on crackers, and I confess, about half a container I scooped out and ate all by myself with corn chips. I used some of this in a quesadilla I made for lunch one day, as well as some party pinwheels. I liked this flavor every way I used it.

In the information packet I received some coupons good for several varieties of FREE Alouette cheese, some to keep for myself and some to share--for their Baby Brie, Spreadable Cheese, and Cheese Crumbles. Now, so far I haven't been able to find the cheese crumbles, but I've only looked at two stores so far, and it's quite possible I overlooked them--I found some of their cheeses in the deli area, and some also in the dairy section at Publix, so look both places.

I chose the Garlic & Herbs and the Sundried Tomato & Basil to try on my own.

The Sundried Tomato & Basil was, once again, wonderful--good on a cracker, and good also in the party pinwheels I made. This kind would be good on a toasted bagel crisp, or those little toasted bread rounds that are served with bruschetta.

The Garlic & Herb I was eager to try after I found a recipe at the Alouette site for garlic bread. I have to say, we were disappointed in this--I'm not sure what I expected, and maybe I spread the cheese on too thick, but it was hot and kind of gunky, and not that garlic-y, if you know what I mean. I ended up stirring the rest of this into some pasta sauce where it added a nice creaminess, but I probably won't be buying this one again.

My conclusion--Alouette cheeses are definitely well worth the try--it all depends on the variety and on your personal taste.

Berries & Cream, Sundried Tomato & Basil, and Sweet & Savory Pepper Medley are definite keepers. ~~Garlic & Herbs, not so much.~~ Okay, I've been told in a couple of the giveaway comments that the problem may have been that I bought the Light Garlic & Herbs, but that the regular is delicious--so I'll keep an open mind on that one!

There are lots of really good sounding recipes as their site, http://www.alouettecheese.com/ several of which I'm looking forward to making. The Baby Brie in puff pastry or baked with brown sugar and nuts, along with the stuffed mushroom caps all look like something I'd like to try.

And now for the giveaway--are you ready?

The prize is a simple one, one winner will receive five coupons for FREE Alouette Cheese--1 for Baby Brie, and 2 each for Soft Spreadable cheese and cheese Crumbles, any flavor or variety.

To enter, just leave your name, email address, and comment on the giveaway form. This giveaway will be open until Sunday night, January 31st at 6:00 pm Eastern Time.

Just one entry per person this time, please!

The Giveaway is now closed!

(Disclosure: I received 6 tubs of spreadable cheese and 5 coupons for free cheese so that I could taste and review the product. I did not receive any further compensation for doing the review or the giveaway, and the opinions stated are those of my own.)

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Party Pinwheels

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

As part of a review I was doing for Alouette Cheese, I decided to make these quick and easy pinwheels for us to munch on one rainy afternoon.

I used Alouette Pepper Medley and Tomato & Basil spreadable cheeses and flour tortillas.

I spread one of the cheeses over a flour tortilla, all the way to the edges. You could also add a slice or two of thin sliced ham or smoked turkey or other deli meat.

Starting at one edge, roll fairly tightly

I thought I would need to use toothpicks to hold it closed, and I probably would have if I'd added meat or anything else inside, but with just the cheese inside I didn't need them. Roll in waxed paper or foil and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Slice anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick slices. I should have refrigerated mine a bit longer, they flattened a bit as I sliced them--an easy fix to reshape slightly, though, if I were serving these to someone else. (I don't think they would have "squished" so easily if I'd had deli meat or chopped fresh vegetables or any additional ingredients inside.)

These were a big hit! My husband liked the pepper medley flavor, not so much the tomato basil, I think because I spread the cheese a bit too thick on that one for his taste, but I absolutely loved both of these!

I could so see adding some thin sliced salami or other Italian deli meat to the ones with the tomato basil flavor, and ham or turkey to the pepper medley, but as far as I'm concerned, these will be a keeper for me, with or without the added ingredients.

If you'd like to try these or other Alouette cheese, be sure to enter the giveaway I'm running this week for coupons for free Alouette cheese.

This post is linked to:

Tempty My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

(Disclosure--I received the cheese I used in this recipe for free as part of a review I did for Alouette cheese, however I received addiontal compensation and the opinion stated is that of my own.)

Until next time, good (un)cooking, and good eating!

Hillshire Farms Giveaway Winners

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:16:00 +0000

Wow, what a response! Ya'll like your Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies, there were 300 entries in this giveaway! I appreciate each and everyone who entered, tweeted, followed, fanned on facebook, and commented.

And without further ado, the three winners are:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

168 172 49

Timestamp: 2010-01-24 23:23:14 UTC

#49 is Terri L

#168 is Tara

#172 is Susan B

I'll be notifying each winner by email.

If you weren't a winner, please stay tuned, I have another giveaway running this next week, starting as soon as I can get the post ready!

Hillshire Farms "Go Meat!" Review and Giveaway

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:53:00 +0000

This giveaway is now closed--the winners will be announed soon!

The PR company that handled my last review and giveaway contacted me to see it I wanted to do another one, this time for a new Hillshire Farms product, Turkey Lit'l Smokies.

In my review package, I received a package of the Turkey Lit'l Smokies, a bbq apron with the Hillshire Farms "Go Meat!" slogan on it, and a Hillshire Farms 75th Anniversary Cookbook. (I tried to get my husband to model the apron and hold up the cookbook and sausages, but he refused!) The cookbook is 64 pages of recipes and cooking tips, and covers everything from grilling to making kabobs, and has recipes for all kinds of dishes, from soup to pizza to pasta, all made with Hillshire Farms products.

Hillshire Farms is also sponsoring a giveaway in which three lucky readers will receive a prize package with the same items--Turkey Lit'l Smokies, apron, and cookbook.

I cooked these today, and we enjoyed them while watching tv on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Since it was just my husband and me, I asked him earlier how he'd like to try these, and he requested pigs-in-a-blanket and some done "plain"--he is not a big fan of the cocktail wieners in sauce that most of us know and love.

For the pigs-in-blanket, since it was just the two of us, I used one the small cans of crescent rolls, and cut each triangle in 4 pieces.

Wrapped the dough around the sausages...

...and baked at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. (The picture above is how they are supposed to look. I didn't take new pictures of the step-by-step because I knew I had some from when I'd posted this "recipe" before. I did intend to take a new "after" picture, but you will see in a moment what happens when you forget to turn your million-year-old oven down 50 degrees below the temperature you really want it. They were saved in the nick of time, but just barely)

When I was a little girl, I can remember my mother hosting a bridge party where cubes of Velveeta and chunks of pineapple on toothpicks featured heavily in the refreshments. I thought it was so sophisticated to watch these ladies play bridge and eat their bites of food oh-so-delicately from their party picks. Ever since then, anything on a toothpick has always seemed to be the ultimate in Sophisticated Party Food.

So when my husband requested that I do some "plain" (in other words, without the sauce that I usually use), I just knew that sausage-on-a-toothpick would be on our menu.

For the "plain" ones requested by husband, I took the rest of the package and put them on a plate and microwaved them for about 3 minutes, then spread them out on some paper towels to drain while I cut some sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses into little cubes, and made a simple party platter. I picked up a pack of party picks at the store to use with these, but you can just as well use pretzel sticks--then you could just eat the evidence of how many of these you've eaten.

We really enjoyed our snack--despite the almost accident with the pigs-in-a-blanket. (They were still delicious, just a tad brown.) My husband thought these were the best little smokies he's ever eaten, he said they weren't as greasy as most cocktail wieners. I would definitely buy these and fix again.

For information on other Hillshire Farm products you can go to http://www.gomeat.com/ , where you can find more recipes, and see how to get a cookbook of your own when you purchase three Hillshire Farms smoked sausage products.

And now to the fun part---remember, there will be three winners, and each will receive a package with the same items--Hillshire Farms Turkey Lit'l Smokies, apron, and cookbook.

To enter, leave your name and email address in my giveaway form--the information will go straight into a spreadsheet that's for my eyes only, and will not be used for any purpose other than this giveaway. The winners will be chosen at random, and notified by email. Once you receive your notification, you'll need to reply with your name and address, which will be passed to a Hillshire Farms representative for the sole purpose of shipping you your prize package.

Would you like to have more than one chance to win?

For entry number one, just leave your name, email address, and a comment telling me which recipe you'd like to try, or what you think you might like to make with your prize package goodies.
For an additional entry, follow, or subscribe either by email or in a reader; then leave an additional entry telling me so in the comment section. If you already follow or subscribe, just tell me that in the 2nd entry comment.
Tweet about or mention this giveaway on your blog for a third entry--just be sure to leave a comment (on the form) telling me so.

This giveaway will be open until next Sunday night, January 24th, at 6:00 pm. If all goes well, you'll be able to get your package in time for Super Bowl snacking!

Are you ready?

Giveaway Now Closed

(Disclosure: I received the articles I listed above for free, but have not received any additional compensation for this review. The opinions stated are those of my own.)

Until next time...

Taco Soup

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:58:00 +0000

I've shared my basic recipe for taco soup before, but I didn't have any pictures with it the first go around, so I thought I'd post it again, this time with visual aids.

This is my favorite soup to make, to honest I make it year round, but with the recent cold weather, it was perfect.

I browned 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground meat--this is "homegrown" meat, so lean that most of the time I don't even have to drain it--just brown and go!

Once the meat is browned (and drained if needed), add the beans, corn, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. I wanted to make a big pot this time, so I used two of everything.

Bring to good bubble, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

You can serve this like traditional soup, with crackers, or with corn chips. Garnish it for sure with cheese, and if you like, add a dollop of sour cream. Have I mentioned how much I love this soup?

As always, you can vary the beans--I've used every kind of bean from pintos to red beans to ranch style to plain old pork and beans. I know a lot of people who use chunk tomatoes, as well. Once in a pinch I used a can of tomato soup and a can of cheddar cheese soup, and it was good then, too.

What's you favorite soup to make?

Note: Be sure to enter the Hillshire Farms prize package giveaway that I'm running this week

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:30:00 +0000

I already have a really good, simple recipe for peach cobbler that I love, but I was looking for something just a bit different to make, using ingredients I already had on hand. I came across a couple of different versions of peach cobbler made with cake mix and decided to give it a try.

Ingredients:

2 regular or 1 large can of peaches
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 c (1 stick) of butter or margarine, melted
chopped pecans
cinnamon

Grease or spray a baking dish--I didn't have a lot of peaches, so I used an 8 1/2 x 11 inch dish. Pour in the peaches, juice and all. Add the whole package of dry cake mix on top, smoothing to the edges and into the corners. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped nuts.

Pour melted butter all over the top. (some versions of this recipe state to cut the butter up and dot it all over. I chose melt and pour.)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Cool for just a bit, if you can stand to wait. It smells wonderful, and tastes just as good!

I'll be honest, I have a peach cobbler recipe that I love already, and I was a bit hesitant about the cinnamon and nuts, which I don't usually associate with peaches. But I have to say, the taste on this just blew me away. It's a whole different taste and texture from the one I usually make, but it's every bit as good. The nuts added texture and taste that set this apart from the ordinary.

I'll definitely be making this again--this one is a keeper!

This post is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Meatless Monday at Sweet and Savory

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Slow-cooked Oven Baked Brisket

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:03:00 +0000

This weekend I cooked what has to be one of, if not The Best Tasting hunks of meat I've ever made.

It was a 7 pound brisket and it was wonderful.

After all of the holiday goodies and sweets and snacks and chips, I was ready for some Regular Food. The last time we were home I had bought a brisket on sale and froze it when we ran out of time to grill/bbq/smoke it. I had intended to get it out this time and have my husband smoke it, but time and weather didn't co-operate (again) so I decided to do it in the oven.

Once I had it thawed, I put it in a cooking sprayed pan, fat side down. I stabbed it all over with a fork, then poured about 3/4 of a bottle of Italian salad dressing all over it. I used whatever is cheapest--brand name on sale and with a coupon, or store brand, it all works. I also sprinkled it lightly all over with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (any good season-all type of spice mix would do) and some Worchestershire sauce. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

When I got ready to cook it, I turned it over so that the fat side was up, and spooned a little of marinade from the pan over the top. Cover with foil, and put in the oven at about 325 degrees.

After a couple of hours, I sprinkled about a tablespoon of liquid smoke, re-covered with foil, turned the oven down to 275-300, and went shopping.

After a total of about 8 hours in the oven, this is what I had. It smelled so good, I only wish you could have been there to see it and smell it--and yes, taste it, too!

(A good general rule is 40 minutes per pound, but as long as it's well-covered and the oven is turned low, any extra time just makes it that much more tender.)

I let it rest in the pan juices for 20-30 minutes while it cooled enough to handle, but I couldn't resist forking just a bit off the end--doesn't this look good?

Once it cooled enough to handle well, we lifted it out onto the cutting board, and I cut away most of the fat, and scraped off the rest--I think I could have literally scraped it off with a butter knife, it was so soft.

Unfortunately, after it was sliced my hands were dirty and I forgot to take pictures after I washed them.

The first night, we chopped up some and heated it with a bbq sauce and a little of the pan juices and made bbq sandwiches.

The rest I put in a container and poured the pan juices over it and refrigerated it. The next day, I heated it all up in the juices, and we had sandwiches again--some with bbq sauce and some without.

By Sunday night it was falling apart and I scooped some up in a bowl and ate it with a spoon. Yes, it was that good.

Brisket makes the best bbq sandwiches; french dip style sandwiches; sliced bbq to eat with baked beans and potato salad; or eat it like a roast, with the juices over rice or mashed potatoes. It can be inexpensive if you catch one on sale--around home that's usually during bbq season, but they freeze well and can be cooked in other ways. I've even cooked a small one in the crock-pot, similar to the way I do slow cooker pot roast. I usually try to find the "market-trimmed" briskets, but you want the big slab of fat on one side, it makes the meat really tender and flavor-ful--and will make your puppy dog happy if you feed it the scraps!

What have you been cooking lately?

This post is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Welcome to Our Krazy Kitchen

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Coming and Going...

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:24:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that the holidays have come and (almost) gone.

It was my intent to do at least a couple more blog posts on easy gifts from the kitchen, but alas, life got in the way. We left Georgia on the 18th to come home to Louisiana; between packing, unpacking, shopping, decorating, and spending time with family and friends, I felt like I did a fair amount of cooking, but the majority of it was old favorites.

Our son had requested three things while I was home--lasagna, sweet potato casserole, and bean pie. I managed to do all three, plus three kinds of fudge--the two microwaved versions I shared in December, plus the one from the marshmallow creme jar; Ro-tel cheese dip, cocktail smokies in sauce, and pigs-in-a-blanket--even homemade biscuits one morning.

Today we had the traditional black eyed peas and cabbage (black-eyed peas for luck, and cabbage for wealth, or so "they" say!), as well as a family tradition of Mexican cornbread (just 'cause it goes good with peas and with cabbage, too!) and all of the little finger food leftovers from last night and goodies left from Christmas.

Tomorrow I'm cooking a brisket, and coming next week I'll have a yummy review and a giveaway from Alouette cheese.

I'm looking forward to getting back to some simple, basic, healthy eating, how about you?

Hoping you and yours had a wonderful holiday, and best wishes from more blessings to come in the New Year!

The Secret to Good Queso (Reprive)

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:52:00 +0000

The pictures are new, but the text is a repeat of a post from last December--Please enjoy!

I can remember the first time I tasted queso. It was at a family get-together, and I think my aunt brought it.

It was homemade, and we thought it was So Exotic.

We even called it by an exotic name--"Ro-tel cheese dip".

Back in the "olden days", Ro-tel tomatoes came two ways--with green chilies, or without. The recipe was so simple--one can of Ro-tel tomatoes to one pound of Velveeta. Which meant if you bought the big box of Velveeta, you needed two cans.

These days, you can buy untold varieties of Ro-tel tomatoes. I saw some the other day that were flavored with lime juice and cilantro. (Something about that sounds sooo good.)

They also come already diced, which is where the problem lies. Most people, these days, when they make ro-tel dip, just chunk up the Velveeta and pour the diced Ro-tel tomatoes over the top, then melt it all together in the microwave. Now, I have to say, it's not bad that way. But if you use the old recipe of two cans of diced Ro-tel to two pounds (the big box) of Velveeta, it's not the right consistency, and to me, it doesn't taste as good as the way we did it back in the "olden days".

And how did we do it "back in the day" before Ro-tel came already diced? We opened up the two cans of Ro-tel, dumped it into a blender or food processor, and more or less liquefied it. Then chunked up the Velveeta, poured the liquefied Ro-tel over the top, and melted it in a double boiler, or very carefully in a regular saucepan, on top of the stove.

Stay with me, now! I'm not advocating ditching the microwave!! Melted is melted, I don't care which way you do it! BUT--and this is the BIG SECRET--whether you buy the old fashioned, whole Ro-tel tomatoes, or whether you buy the diced ones---throw them in the blender and liquefy them all first.

You may not think it would make that much difference, but it does, TRUST me. The flavors of the tomatoes and the spices blend with the cheese so much better.

Microwave on about 80%, and stop and stir every few minutes or so.

Once it the Velveeta gets melted and you can really stir and blend it together, it looks disgusting, but persevere!

Continue to stir, and all of a sudden, it will go from weird looking mixture to

the Best Cheese Dip Ever.

Now you know I can't do a recipe without giving you some variations. Add one of the following stir-ins for something different:

cook and drain 1/2 lb to a pound of ground meat or pan sausage and stir into dip
add a small container of chopped or sliced black olives
for a creamier dip, use one can of Ro-tel, one pound of Velveeta, and after melting, add an 8 oz container of sour cream and a packet of ranch dressing mix.
add a large can of chili when you add the tomatoes; heat and stir all together

But my very favorite way to eat this dip is just plain, made from two cans of liquefied Ro-tel and the big box of Velveeta.

Pass the Ruffles, please.

Good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts From the Kitchen--Microwave Fudge, Part Deaux

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Earlier this week I shared a recipe for easy microwave fudge that turned out dark and rich and pretty good, but it wasn't the real old-fashioned fudge taste I've been craving. I'm not even talking about the lighter, creamier marshmallow fluff fudge that a lot of folks make--those are all good, but I've been wanting some good old fashioned cooked sugar fudge--the kind you make from basic kitchen ingredients, not these "new fangled" so-called fudges made with manufactured chocolate chips and marshmallows(!) I finally found a recipe I thought might be it, but it called for quite a bit of cooking in a heavy saucepan, and I wasn't sure the furnished pots here in our apartment would quite cut it, so I was waiting until I go home at the end of the week to my own kitchen to try to recreate the taste I was searching for.

Then I stumbled on this recipe, and I vaguely remembered making something similar when I first got a microwave 25 years ago. Yep, 25 years and counting, and believe it or not it still works. I've been wanting smaller, sleeker version for years, but the cheapskate in me won't get rid of perfectly good appliance. It's quit working three times, and every time my husband has been able to fix it. Sigh. But I digress...

This recipe is simple, easy, and uses common ingredients found in almost any pantry.

Ingredients:

1 box confectioners sugar (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
1/4 t salt
1/4 c milk
1/2 c (1 stick) butter

Put everything in a microwave safe bowl. Don't stir or mix or do anything to it.

Microwave for two minutes, then get it out and start stirring. You'll think it isn't going to work, but just keep stirring. At one point, everything was blended except for a few stubborn lumps of sugar, so I stuck it back in for another minute, then stirred again. A lot. At this point you can add nuts if you'd like. I decided to leave this batch plain.

Pour into a prepared (greased) pan--or better yet, line with foil and spray with cooking spray. Let cool--I stuck mine in the fridge and just left it for a couple of hours.

Turn out onto a cutting board, peel back the foil, and cut.

This is the best fudge I've made so far this year. It's wonderful. It's not smooth and creamy, it's firmer, sort of dry-ish and crumbly. It tastes like old fashioned sugar fudge.

I can't wait to do it again.

No pretty packaging for this, I packed it up in ziplock bowls to take back to Louisiana with us!

Tomorrow is a travel day, and I'll be settling in at home and getting ready for the week to come, but come back next week for more last goodies from the kitchen.

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts From the Kitchen--Candy Cane Reindeer

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:05:00 +0000

This is not strictly from the kitchen, but it's kind-of-sort-of food related!

I used to make these every year when my son was in elementary school for his class, but I've also made them to hand out at church and at work for "grown-ups", too. Over the years I've hung a few on the tree, and tied them to packages, too. They're so cute, they seem to bring a smile where every they are!

If you need a little something extra to add to your food gifts this year, check out my post on A Virtuous Woman about to how to make these Candy Cane Reindeer.

Until next time, good (un) cooking, and good eating...

Gifts From the Kitchen--Easy Microwave Fudge

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Number three in my installment of gifts from the kitchen is a variation of an old stand-by--rich chocolate-y fudge.

This particular recipe is by far one of the easiest recipes for quick fudge that I've ever run across.

The basic fudge has only three ingredients, but it lends itself to any number of variations.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz pkg chocolate chips
1 can sweetened , condensed milk
1 t vanilla

Grease a 9 x 9 pan--I lined my with foil and sprayed with cooking spray--you could probably use parchment paper, as well.

Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave 2-3 minutes, stirring after every minute, or until chocolate is melted and the milk is incorporated (this picture is after 1 minute) I stirred again at 2 minutes and cooked it an additional 30 seconds just for good measure. Add vanilla and stir well. At this point, I decided on an add-in and stirred in about 1/3 cup of chopped pecans. (Next time I'd probably go with 1/2 cup).

Pour into your prepared pan and chill for about two hours.

Turn out onto a cutting board, peel back the foil if you used it, and it's ready to cut.

This made a thin, dark, rich tasting fudge. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I think it would be good with milk-chocolate chips, and probably the peanut butter or butterscotch flavored chips as well. I'd love to a layered fudge with this, and may try that later in the week.

I packed some of it in this cute little mini-lunch box tin that I bought in the seasonal decorations at Dollar Tree.

Besides the ease of this recipe, I liked the fact that the ingredients are items you can keep on hand for anytime, not just during the holidays. Chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk may not be something you keep on hand in a really basic pantry, but I think most of us have them on hand or readily available during the holidays, at least.

Why not stock up while they're on sale everywhere and surprise your family with this luscious bite of rich chocolate later in the winter, when they aren't expecting it? Maybe you can make your own goodies for Valentine's Day, too, instead of buying "store-bought" candy.

Don't forget to come back every day this week for more quick and easy recipes that can be used for your family or for gifts, along with ideas for packaging your goodies for giving.

This post is linked to:

Holiday Treats Week at the Newlyweds

Christmas Post Link Up at Southern Domestic Goddess

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts from the Kitchen--Quick and Easy Coconut Macaroons

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:55:00 +0000

For my second installment in the Gifts from the Kitchen series, I chose a cookie that's unusual for me, especially in a homemade version.

Ya'll know that "quick and easy" is my middle name when it comes to recipes--this recipe is no exception, but I am so impressed with myself for making these--almost as much as when I made my first pie crust from scratch. I had no idea that coconut macaroons were so easy to make, and oh, my, are they wonderful. These are not those horrible hard ridged squares that passed for coconut macaroons in my childhood. Chewy in the middle, crunchy around the edges, they're like taking a bite of sweet goodness that I can't even describe.

The only thing about this recipe that I'll definitely do different is the baking sheets--the recipe stated greased, floured baking sheets. The only time I've ever read to grease and flour a pan is for some cakes, but I decided to oblige and do that here. Big mistake, but I learned my lesson, as you'll see.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz pkg sweetened flake coconut
2/3 c sugar
6 T flour
1/4 t salt
4 egg whites
1 t almond extract (I used vanilla)

The recipe I used stated to mix everything together in a bowl--I dumped in the coconut and just added everything else on top, then mixed it up with a big spoon--I was afraid at first that I wouldn't get the ingredients evenly distributed through the mixture, but I just kept on stirring till it all came together. The next time I make these (and there will definitely be a nest time) I'll mix the last five ingredients first, then add in the coconut.

Placing heaping spoonfuls on your prepared cookie sheets. The hardest part was trying the mounds all close to the same size.

Bake at 325 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

This is not really a batter, it has the texture of a wet pile of coconut--but it smells wonderful. And tastes pretty good, even uncooked. Warning--it's extremely sticky, even after you lick your fingers. Don't ask me how I know this.

At this point, they smell so very heavenly. Remove from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.

Can you see how the flour on the baking sheet starts to brown? When you take the cookies off, the spatula leaves big strokes of messed up flour. So you have to wash the cookie sheet before you can re-use it, but instead of greasing and flouring it again...

...come to your senses and use parchment paper instead.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

I can't wait to get home next week and make another batch for my family--my Dad, especially, loves coconut. I can see making these anytime, but wouldn't they be pretty in the springtime with just a drop or two of pastel coloring added?

I think they make a good addition to any goodie bags or boxes you're making up this holiday season. They're just enough different from the usual cookies and candy that we all make to be a welcome change.

This post is linked to:

Cookie Exchange at Hoosier Homemade

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Holiday Treats Week at the Newlyweds

Christmas Post Link Up at Southern Domestic Goddess

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Be sure to come back every day this week for more goodies from the kitchen, suitable for eating--and giving!

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts from the Kitchen--3 Jar Mixes

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Today I'm kicking off a week-long series on gifts from the kitchen, starting with these pretty layered mixes in a jar.

Right now everyone is getting inundated with goodies at every party and get-together--these ready-made mixes make a pretty gift, and will be appreciated one cold winter night when those New Years diet resolutions have worn off and the ready-made goodies they got at Christmas or Hanukkah are a dim memory.

All you need are the recipe ingredients and some quart jars with lids--wide mouth work better, but as you'll see, the smaller mouthed ones can work, as well. I got two of my recipes from Heart 4 Home's Gifts in a Jar, and used my own brownie recipe for the other. You can do this with just about any recipe, as long as the total volume doesn't exceed the size of your jar--in this case, a quart.

I gathered everything together this weekend for some major baking and "mixing" I had planned, and spread it all out with arm's length. Luckily I had a canning funnel to help fill the jars, but if you don't have one of these handy, you might want to make a loose funnel out of waxed paper for easy of filling with less spilling.

I started off planning to take pictures at each stage, but soon learned and handling "powdery" ingredients like flour and cocoa, and taking pictures don't really mix, so this is the only "during" picture that I ended up with.

The main thing to remember is that the ingredients need to be added with the finer textured ingredients at the bottom, the chunkier stuff at the top--if you start with chocolate chips and then pour flour over the top, for instance, the flour will sift down in between the chunks and mess your layers up.

Step number two is to try to smooth each layer and pack it as tightly as you can. I used a spice bottle for that--guess what, you can't tamp down flour or cocoa very well, the bottle sinks(!) Recipes with oatmeal pack well--add the flour, then the oatmeal, then tamp it down to your heart's content!

Next add the sugars, and last the chunky stuff.

Don't these look pretty? These are for Homemade Brownies, Cranberry Hootycreeks, and Cowboy Cookies.

I added circles of Christmas fabric cut with pinking shears, tied with ribbon and garnished with a berry spray. My last step will be printing out the recipe directions (add butter, eggs, bake at 350, etc ) on some card stock, cutting with the pinking shears, and tying to the jars with the ribbon.

Change the fabric, or leave it off and tie the recipe card on with some raffia or other decorative ribbon, pair a couple of them with a kitchen gadget or two and a pretty dishtowel, and you have a perfect gift for a kitchen shower or housewarming party.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

1 c plus 2 T self-rising flour
1/2 c oatmeal
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped pecans

Layer in the order listed. Recipe instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl beat together 1/2 c softened butter, 1 egg and t teaspoon of vanilla. Add the entire contents of the jar, and mix together until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased or parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until the edges start to brown
Cool on baking sheet or wire rack
Makes 18 cookies

Easy Homemade Brownies

1 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
2 c sugar

Layer ingredients in the order listed ( I messed this up by putting the sugar first--when I tried to tamp the cocoa, it started mixing with the sugar. Oops

Recipe:

Pour entire contents of jar into a mixing bowl
Add 1 stick (1/2 c) of butter or margarine, melted; stir slightly; then add 4 eggs and 1 t vanilla
Pour into greased or cooking sprayed 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/3 c self-rising flour
1 1/3 c oatmeal
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c chopped nuts
1 c chocolate chips

Layer ingredients in order listed--tamp well after the oatmeal lay, and after the brown sugar layer. I made this one first, and did not "pack" everything tight enough, so the first one only held about 1/2 c of chocolate chips. I made another and figured out the best layers to tamp down and everything fit much better.

Recipe:

Empty entire contents of jar into a large mixing bowl, and thoroughly blend everything with your hands or a mixing spoon. Add 1 stick (1/2 c) of butter or margarine, melted; 1 slightly beaten egg, and 1 t vanilla. Mix until completely blended. This may require your hands! Shape into balls the size of walnuts, and place on greased or parchment lined cooking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then remove cookies to racks to finish cooling.
Makes about 30 cookies

I had a lot of fun making these--now that I've gotten the hang of it, I may be doing more of these. Be sure to check out the jar mix "recipes" at Heart 4 Home, or do an internet search for "jar mixes", there are tons of different recipes and sites out there with lots of ideas, from sweet to savory.

What pre-made mixes or jar mixes have you made, or would you like to receive?

This post is linked to:

Holly Jolly Christmas Bash, Homemade Gifts edition, hosted by Tatertots and Jello

Cookie Exchange at Hoosier Homemade

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Three or More at the Gypsy's Corner

DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Until next time, good (non)cooking and good eating (or mixing)

Bryan Foods Giveaway Winners

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Thanks first of all to everyone who participated in the giveaway--I had 173 entries in all, that's awesome for a first giveaway, especially on a small blog like mine. I can't wait to visit with everyone who left a blog address and twitter handle. I appreciate everyone who played along!

Much appreciation also to Bryan Foods for furnishing the two prize packages, and to Nicole with MWW Group for contacting me and putting this whole thing in motion.

And without further ado, the 2 winners, chosen by Random.org are:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

66 33

Timestamp: 2009-12-13 23:26:35 UTC

#66 is Robin

#33 is Sheila

I'll be notifying both winners by email.

Be sure to come back this week, I'll be sharing some holiday gifts from the kitchen, as well as several quick and easy recipes for fudge and holiday cookies and candies.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Bryan Foods Review, and a Giveaway!

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Giveaway Closed--stay tuned for the winners!

I was contacted recently and asked if I'd like to sample some of the products available from Bryan Foods, and offer a giveaway for my readers. (That's YOU!) They make a variety of meat products, from smoked sausage and breakfast sausage to cocktail wieners, hot dogs, corn dogs, hams, and lunch meats. You can see more about their products at their website, Bryanfoods.com. I love their slogan, "Bryan Foods, the Flavor of the South"!

Being a southern gal, myself, I'm already familiar with some of their products, and I know they're good, so I jumped at the chance.

I received a package with an insulated bag and ice packs with two from their line-up, smoked sausage and beef cocktail wieners, along with this cute apron.

Here's a better shot of the apron, it's an over-the-head apron with big pockets along the bottom (you can click the picture to see it up close, then hit your back arrow to return to the post) and the neck area is adjustable, too. Ladies, this would be a good apron for us, or even a good bbq apron for our honeys.

Being the frugal gal that I am, I wanted to try everything in as many different ways as I could. I ended up making three different cocktail sausage recipes, and two with the smoked sausage.

Recipe posts follow for:

Meanwhile, Bryan Foods is going to furnish prize packages for TWO of my lucky readers identical to the one I received!

All you have to do to enter is leave your name and email address in my giveaway form--the information will go straight into a spreadsheet that's for my eyes only, and will not be used for any purpose other than this giveaway. The winners will be chosen at random, and notified by email. Once you receive your notification, you'll need to reply with your name and address, which will be passed to a Bryan Foods representative for the sole purpose of shipping you your prize package.

Would you like to have more than one chance to win?

For entry number one, just leave your name, email address, and a comment telling me which recipe you'd like to try, or what you think you might like to make with your prize package goodies.
For an additional entry, follow, or subscribe either by email or in a reader; then leave an additional entry telling me so in the comment section. If you already follow or subscribe, just tell me that in the 2nd entry comment.
Tweet about or mention this giveaway on your blog for a third entry--just be sure to leave a comment (on the form) telling me so.

This giveaway will be open until ~~6:00 pm Friday, December 11th~~. I've decided to extend this until Sunday night, December 13th, at 6:00 pm. Looking around the "blogosphere", most giveaways seem to run Mon-Sun, so I'm going to go with the flow on that.

Are you ready?

Giveaway Closed

Good luck!