December 10, 2008

If you're having a Christmas party, or attending one that you need to bring an appetizer to, I have a winning idea for you.  This is an extremely simple no-bake dish called Cheesecake Crunchy that works every time, and it looks fancy.  Plus it's deeelicious!  I've been making it for more than 20 years, and I have no idea of where I got the original recipe.  You'll want to start it early enough to allow plenty of chilling time.  I usually make it the day before I need it to make sure it's thoroughly chilled and set.

Cheesecake Crunchy

1/4 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup cheese crackers, crushed (I prefer CheezIts)
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups sour cream
1 pound cream cheese, softened (2 8-ounce blocks)
Dashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste
Extra cracker crumbs and olive halves for garnish, optional

Brush the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with the butter, and sprinkle the crushed crackers over it to form a crust.  Combine the remaining ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth.  Gently pour over the crust and spread evenly.  Garnish by sprinkling a few extra cracker crumbs over the top and arranging the olive halves, if you wish.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.  When ready to serve, remove the sides of the springform pan and place cheesecake on a serving platter.  Serve with more CheezIts or other crackers of your choice.

I wish I had a photo to show you, but I don't dare make this dish right now since I don't need to take it anywhere and I would eat the whole thing.  Seriously.  Give it a try and let me know how you like it!  If you don't make it at Christmas, keep it in mind for New Year's Eve!

~BigSis

November 29, 2008

Usually the day after Thanksgiving, we'll have turkey sandwiches, which we did.  Then, the remaining leftovers will be used in some basic turkey noodle soup. I'm really tired of that and didn't feel like doing it this year, so I was on a mission to find some different soup recipes. Here are my top three!

• I love Tortilla Soup and Chicken Enchilada Soup, so this Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup from The Recipe Girl is right up my alley!

Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup

• This Fiesta Turkey Soup from Southern Living looks great, too. You can also find this recipe in the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.

Fiesta Turkey Soup

• I have very fond childhood memories of SisMama's Chicken and Dumplings, so this Hearty Turkey Soup with Parsley Dumplings from AllRecipes also sounds really good to me, even though it requires a little more work.

Since BigSis is vegetarian, she doesn't have to worry about what to do with the leftover turkey. I, on the other hand, have leftovers from an 18 pound turkey, so I'll be making some soup this weekend.

~LilSis

November 23, 2008

Thanks for all the recipes, BigSis! I love the Spinach Artichoke Casserole recipe but since HayHay doesn't like artichokes, I'm going to do the Crumb-Topped Brocolli Bake for something different.  I might even use the french fried onions on top instead of the crackers. I love the different versions of the Green Bean Casserole, too. They all look yummy! For me, I would really like to have two “green veggie” sides, but I'm trying to simplify this year since it's only the four of us.

You're right BigSis, those Turkey Candy Corn Cookies are seriously cute! I love those! And no, I don't have any candy corn left from Halloween! Since I don't have SisMama here to make the pies, I'm going to make a couple ahead and freeze them. (My family will actually be in shock. They are so deprived when it comes to dessert.)

Since I've been reading some really great food blogs lately, I'm getting inspired to try more baking. I'm really going to make an effort to bake more homemade goodies for the guys!

Both of those desserts from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody look awesome! The Cranberry Streusel Cake from Amanda's Cookin' is definitely one that I'm going to try. I love cranberries and I don't like cakes with loads of frosting so this one looks like a winner to me.  Another from Amanda's Cookin' that looks amazing is the  Blushing Pom Holiday Cheescake. I'm really not a big “cake eater”, but man, oh man, cheesecake is another story!

Since I have to freeze my desserts this year, I'm going to try the Eagle Brand Basic Pumpkin Pie recipe that Cookie Madness has in her Thanksgiving Menu. She says it is easy enough for her daughter to make, so I thought it was a good choice for me, being a “novice baker”. And, for my first ever homemade pecan pie, I'm going to make the 2008 Thanksgiving Pecan Pie from Cookie Madness.  She says this recipe freezes well.

My pie baking day was supposed to be today, but HayHay won 2nd place in his surf contest yesterday morning, so now we have to be back down at the beach this morning for finals! I'll just have to survive on little sleep for the next two nights.

So, here is my Thanksgiving Day Menu.

• Roasted Turkey from Tip Top Meats

• Refrigerator Potatoes (Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes)

• Crumb-Topped Broccoli Bake

• All Recipes Creamed Corn Like No Other

• Canned Jellied Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce (I prefer homemade, but my family prefers canned)

• Eagle Brand Basic Pumpkin Pie

• 2008 Thanksgiving Pecan Pie

I know, I know; there's no stuffing on the menu.  If SirHoney wants stuffing, he's going to have to pick it up at TipTop when he picks up the turkey.  Not only do I not have time, but I can't make it the way his Mom does, so I don't even try anymore.

We'll have a big relish tray full of giant green olives, black olives, and sweet pickles.  And I'm sure I'll end up baking some “store bought rolls”.  No time for homemade rolls either!

I also didn't include a gravy.  I LOVE SisMama's giblet gravy.  Again, I don't have time to make it, but my guys “drench” their potatoes with creamed corn anyway. They won't miss the gravy, but I'll sure miss it! Hey, SisMama, wanna freeze some and bring it with you to Vegas for me? (tee hee)

~LilSis

November 22, 2008

Since I've been vegetarian for over 14 years, you won't find any turkey tips here today.  I'll have to leave that up to LilSis or SisMama.  What you will find are a few quick links that might give you an idea for something a little out of the ordinary this Thanksgiving.  LilSis, these first 2 links and photos are for you and your candy corn obsession!  Do you have any left from Halloween?  No, I didn't think so.

Turkey Candy Corn Cookies from Pillsbury start with refrigerated sugar cookie dough and are seriously cute!

Thanksgiving Turkey Candy Corn Cookies

Turkey Pops from Bakerella are adorable and beyond imaginative!

Bakerella's Turkey Pops

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cake from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody looks scrumptious!

Mini Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecakes are also from Peabody…she's got this pumpkin thing DOWN!

Cranberry Streusel Cake from Amanda's Cookin' looks like a fabulous use of the berries.

Gramma's Woozie Cake from BetterRecipes is made with sweet potatoes in a cake instead of pie.  Grand Marnier puts the “Woozie” in the cake!

Chef's versions of Green Bean Casserole from DallasNews take a classic and add a twist.  The Green Bean Tempura with Cream of Mushroom Mousse and Fried Onion Praline from Anthony Bombaci at Nana sounds amazing!

~BigSis

November 21, 2008

LilSis, I hear that you put a call out for easy Thanksgiving recipes, and I have one for you.  I'm not a huge expert on what is freezable and what is not, so I can't make any promises about that.  I can tell you that this Spinach Artichoke Casserole is so so easy, that it's almost as quick as a made-ahead frozen dish.  The hardest part is cooking the onions, and I bet Big T will do that for you!  Most casseroles with these two vegetables have cream cheese, heavy cream and/or canned soup.  This one does have small amounts of Parmesan and sour cream, but I think it's lower in fat than the others, and the flavor is fantastic.  I've made this a couple of times.

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

2 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and halved
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter (or olive oil)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use more!)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Cook onions in butter or oil until tender.  Meanwhile, arrange artichokes in bottom of a greased casserole dish.  Drain spinach very thoroughly, pressing out as much water as you can.  I like to just pick up a handful with clean hands, and squeeze it completely dry.  To the cooked onions, add the spinach, sour cream, 1/4 cup Parmesan, salt and peppers.  Spoon spinach mixture over artichokes and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until completely heated throughout.

I also found a couple of recipes from AllRecipes that I thought sounded really good for Thanksgiving.  How about Carrot Broccoli Casserole with cheese, but without rice or canned soup? I love carrots and broccoli together, and cheese would just make the combo even tastier!  Crumb-Topped Broccoli Bake sounds delicious too.  Again, no rice since you have those scrumptious mashed potatoes for your starch.  It has crushed Ritz crackers on the top, and calls for a can of process cheese sauce.  I think that means Cheez Whiz! 😀

I hope you like one of those.  Maybe someone will have an idea we haven't thought of yet!

~BigSis

November 1, 2008

Does he look ticked off or what?

~LilSis

October 30, 2008

Okay, maybe I did get a little obsessed when I found out that it was National Candy Corn Day!

I was so happy when I got home from the store this evening.  I had just purchased my first bag of candy corn this Halloween season.

Then, HayHay walks in and proceeds to tell me that he doesn't know why, but he doesn't like candy corn. He goes on and on about how gross it is; this coming from a 15 year old that will eat almost anything. I just calmly looked at him and said “Don't hate on candy corn on National Candy Corn Day” .  He just looked at me and I could tell he was thinking “Are you kidding me?”

Pretty little morsel!

Oh well, I'm not going to let him rain on my parade. One final thought while it's still National Candy Corn Day…Can you eat just one?

~LilSis

October 30, 2008

I had no idea that there was a National Candy Corn Day until BigSis sent me a link about another candy corn inspired idea.  Who knew?

I never eat sweets and I really don't eat any sugar.  I don't crave anything sweet at all.  BUT, I LOVE CANDY CORN. Nothing but sugar, honey, and corn syrup!  It must be something from my childhood.

It's almost too cute to eat!

Tomorrow is Halloween and I haven't even bought my first bag of candy corn yet.  I resisted when at the store last week. I knew if I bought it too early, there wouldn't be any left for Halloween.  Today, I'm heading out to buy a few bags; one to eat and one to make this candle display I talked about earlier this week.

My very favorite type of candy corn is the Brachs Autumn Mix that has the regular candy corn, Indian corn (with the chocolate bottom), and the little pumpkins all mixed together in one bag.  I love the post on Candy Blog about this yummy candy! Apparently, this is hard to find this year. I'm on a mission to find me a bag!

I'm going to have to add this Candy Corn Bark from The Recipe Girl to my list of things to make for my “get together” tomorrow night.  It looks like something the kids would enjoy!

YUMMY!

Candy Corn and Oreos! I'll be binging off the walls if I eat it, but it just might be worth it! Thanks to Baking Bites for sharing the link to this recipe.

These cute little candy corn sugar cookies from Cookie Madness look really good, too!

Lovely Bite Size Little Cookies!

For more fun facts about candy corn, check out this Sweet Candy Corn blog. It may be the only known “all candy corn blog” out there.

~LilSis