Cheesey Green Bean Casserole

We are having some friends over for dinner tonight. They are bringing a rotisserie chicken and dessert. I needed a fruit and veggie. Since it is citrus season, I fixed grapefruit for our fruit. I had a hard time deciding what vegetable to make. I wanted something a little different. Then I remembered this recipe my mom gave me. It has been almost a year since I last made it. I really should make it more often, it is so good. It's a little more work than your traditional 'campbells' green bean casserole, but totally worth it.

This recipe has butter listed twice - that's because it is used at two different times during preparation.

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 (4 oz) cans sliced mushrooms - drained, but save the liquid
1 (5 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
2 pkgs. frozen French cut green beans, thawed
3 tblsp butter
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mushroom liquid (saved above)
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese (I think I used mild chedder - you could probably use Velveeta)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 can French fried onions

Saute raw onions, mushrooms and water chestnuts in 1/3 cup butter until onions are tender. Stir in beans and set aside.
Make cream sauce with the 3 tblsp butter, flour, spices and liquids. Add cheese and sauces. Stir till cheese melts. Put half of bean mixture in baking dish, cover with half of cream sauce, then add remaining beans and cover with remaining sauce. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle one can French fried onions at top and bake ten minutes longer.

Cheddar Biscuits

This afternoon I was making my part of the Thanksgiving dinner when I decided spur of the moment to try a new recipe. Well, I should have known better than to try something new with a toddler around. I didn't give the recipe my full attention as I should and ended up with 3x the amount of cheese as I should have! Well, I was not about to waste that much GOOD cheese (I had used the good, expensive cheese and hand shredded it rather than using cheap pre-shredded cheese that I probably bought on sale) so I headed to the store and bought more bisquick. The result was still excellent. I just ended up with 32 biscuits instead of 10. Oh well. I'm sure we can eat them! Especially since my 2 year old was already starting on them within 5 mins of them coming out of the oven. This recipe is a variation of Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup Cold Water
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together Bisquick, Water, and Shredded Cheese. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Cut into 10 biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, until tops are golden brown.

Melt butter and stir in seasonings. Brush on hot biscuits while still on cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack. Serve warm.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

Another reader requested recipe. And VERY simple. It also goes a very long way so you will have plenty of leftovers or can make this when you are expecting company.

2 cups Sour Cream
1 envelop dry Onion Soup mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (can also use Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken if you do not like mushroom)
6 Chicken Breast halves

Mix first three ingredients together until well blended in Crock Pot. Add Chicken Breast and stir to make sure chicken is covered. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours (high for 6). Shred chicken apart with fork. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

Liquid Apple Pie

I've had a few reader requests for this recipe. It is very tasty. We brought a small bottle to Thanksgiving last year to share with my husbands family and they all loved it. So much, in fact, that they requested we bring it again this year!

1-1/2 gallons Apple Cider
1/2 gallon Apple Juice
7 Cinnamon Sticks
1 c. Brown Sugar
3 c. White Sugar
1 liter bottle Everclear (We use 190 proof, but several states have outlawed anything over 150 proof. If that is the case, 150 would work as well, and wouldn't be quite as potent)

Mix together Apple Cider, Apple Juice, and Cinnamon sticks in a large pot (We use an industrial size crock pot that looks like a cauldron). Heat on low-medium until it reaches the boiling point. Stir in sugars until well dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add bottle of Everclear and mix well. Once it has cooled down to about room temperature, pour mixture into containers. We use the bottles the juices came in. Store in the refrigerator.

*This is also very tasty without the Everclear for a different take on Hot Apple Cider.

*Can be drank while it is still warm or after it is cold. (Even cold it will warm up your throat as it goes down) If you warm it up after it has been in the refrigerator, it will also cook out some of the alcohol.

*The hotter it is when the Everclear is added, the less potent it will be. Higher temps will cook out more of the alcohol.

*When made correctly, you can't even taste the alcohol. But be careful because it is potent! Be sure not to drink too much at a time.

Macaroni Corn Casserole

This is another favorite in our house. Our relatives request it every year at Thanksgiving. It is a nice spin-off of a Thanksgiving staple: Corn.

A lot of people are skeptical when they think of cheese and corn together, but it tastes awesome! It is also very simple to make.



1 can Cream Style corn
1 can Whole Kernel Corn, undrained
1 stick Butter, cut into small cubes
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup uncooked noodles (I prefer small shells for this)
Onion, Salt, and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into glass baking dish. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove foil, stir, put back in oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and noodles are tender.

Creamy Chicken Salad

We spent Halloween night with some friends of ours and went trick or treating in their neighborhood. When we got back to their house, we were all pretty hungry. My friend offered me some chicken salad and said she made the best! Well, I have never liked any chicken salad I have ever tried but I really was hungry so reluctantly, I tried some. She wasn't kidding, it was amazing! I immediately asked for the recipe. Since then, I have made it twice. One batch goes quite a long ways. I did make a few minor changes to the recipe. So what I am posting is my version of it.

1 - 8oz package Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp. Dried Minced Onion
1/2 tsp. Onion Salt
1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 - 10oz cans White Chunk Chicken, drained

Mix cream cheese and sour cream together until well blended and smooth. Add seasonings. Mix in Chicken using a fork to break up the chunks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

The original recipe calls for serving with Chicken in a Bisket crackers. It is good that way. Personally, I prefer a sandwich using Whole Grain bread and adding potato chips inside the sandwich.

To make a little bit healthier, you can use low-fat Cream cheese and sour cream.

Pumpkin Dip

This has been a Fall favorite of mine for about 4 years now. It is very very easy, and very tasty. I get compliments everywhere I take it.

1 can (15 oz) Solid Pumpkin
1 box (5 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tub (16 oz) Cool Whip

Mix first 3 ingredients together. Fold in Cool Whip. Chill overnight. Serve with Cinnamon Graham Sticks or Ginger Thins.

Like I said, very simple. Our Thanksgiving traditions involve a very large noon-time meal. But then we spend the afternoon and evening going through sale ads, planning Black Friday shopping and spending family time together. This is a perfect snack for that time.