Chocolate Cobbler

 

 Are you a chocolate lover?? And do you like ooey gooey decadence? Well, if you are, and you do,  then I think I've found the perfect dessert for you! I think this dessert is possibly the ooiest and gooiest thing I've ever tasted. Not even kidding! Pretend chocolate pudding and a brownie had a baby. THAT's how fudge-tastic this is. SO GOOD!

 Now, I must confess that as much as I love chocolate, sometimes the chocolate dessert isn't always my first choice. Most times I would choose the hot apple pie with caramel....or the carrot cake with cream cheese icing... or the strawberry cheesecake. But sometimes.. well.. what can I say...sometimes, you know you just have to have something chocolate. I'm pretty sure that THIS is the dessert that will hit that spot. The recipe is from Southern Living, and it's absolutely delicious. Simple too!!

 So the next time you're feeling like you need a little rich chewy ooey gooey chocolateness in your life, give this recipe a try. BOOM.

  

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter 

1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup AP flour, plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, divided 

1 cup granulated sugar, divided 

7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, divided 

1/2 cup whole milk 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups boiling water

 Vanilla ice cream 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Place butter in an 11- x 7-inch (2 qt) baking dish. Place dish in oven (the oven does not need to be fully preheated). Heat until butter melts, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. 

 Stir together flour, chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa in a medium bowl. Stir in milk and vanilla until batter is smooth. Pour batter evenly over melted butter in baking dish (do not stir). 

 Stir together remaining 5 tablespoons cocoa, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over batter in baking dish (do not stir). 

Gently pour boiling water over mixture in dish (do not stir). 

Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown and mixture is set on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let it cool for a bit so it will set. Serve cobbler warm with vanilla ice cream. 

Tips:

 OK, so.....when you make this recipe as directed, I KNOW you're gonna be saying "wait, I'm supposed to do what?" Pour the mixture over melted butter without stirring? Is this too much butter? And now boiling water over everything??? But just trust the process. I promise you! It will all work! When you take it out of the oven, it will be very bubbly and boiling and liquid-y. Just let it cool for a bit so it will set.

And yes, that is the correct amount of butter! But don't worry, you're not eating it every day, are you?

 Btw.. a few things... I think next time I might add more chocolate chips, but that's just me. And I may do half boiling water and half coffee next time. Coffee always makes chocolate taste more chocolatey-er.

And finally.... a last minute sub... When I made it...I only had the 2 tbs of cocoa to make the batter, but didn't have the other required 5 tbs..... so I added a box of instant chocolate pudding powder instead, and then backed off the sugar a little . It worked out great, but the cocoa powder, I'm sure, would have given a richer flavor!

 

Joey's Brunswick Stew

 

Have you ever heard of Brunswick Stew? 

Basically, it's a very thick tomato based stew, with lots of beans and vegetables, and usually several different kinds of meat. It's a very Southern BBQ type of thing, and back in the day, it was a way to use up leftover smoked meats, briskets, and such. The taste is a perfect combination of smokey, spicy, and just a little bit sweet.

 Most recipes claiming authenticity call for squirrel or rabbit meat, but chicken, pork, and beef are also common ingredients. (personally, I think I'll skip the squirrel and rabbit. ) A debate currently exists as to whether Brunswick Stew was actually originally made near the town of Brunswick, Georgia, or in Brunswick County in southern Virginia. The main difference between the Georgia and Virginia versions has been the types of meat used. The Virginia version tends to favor chicken as the primary meat, while the Georgia version tends to favor pork and beef. As there is no "official" recipe, some variations have chicken, pork, beef, and other types of meat, all in the same recipe. Pretty much everyone makes it the way they like it. So there are probably as many recipes for Brunswick Stew as there are recipes for Italian Sunday Gravy. Every house makes it the way they like it, using whatever they have on hand. 

 So guess what I did? The same thing I always do! I looked at several different recipes, decided what I liked from each one, and then made my own! I noticed that all the recipes seemed to have tomatoes, corn, and lima beans in them, and many have BBQ sauce or ketchup and a little shot of hot sauce too. It all sounds wonderful to me, so I was sure to include them. 

 Originally, I was thinking this would be the perfect thing to warm you up if you're out in the subfreezing weather, but then I thought this would also be a great thing to make for a Super Bowl Party or Olympics Watch Party, or any other choose your own TV Event party. How perfect is that? Instead of doing a pot of chili, how 'bout this instead? Bake up some corn bread muffins, or some buttermilk biscuits and you're good to go!  Oh, one more thing.. If you're a novice cook, this recipe is for you! All you do is dump everything into the pot and let it cook! Easy peasy! Hope you like it!

 

 

 

4 slices bacon, cut into lardons 

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 large cans crushed or diced tomatoes

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1 cup of any favorite BBQ sauce 

1 tbs hot sauce, or to taste

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cans cream style corn

2 cups whole kernel corn, yellow and/or white, fresh, canned, or frozen

2 cups lima beans, canned or frozen

2 cups diced carrots, fresh, canned, or frozen

2 cups peas, fresh, canned, or frozen

4 cups of stock, chicken, beef, vegetable, whatever you have

your choice of cooked meat, diced or shredded, as much as you like

Place bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Slowly let the fat render for a good 5 minutes, giving it a stir every so often. Add the diced onion to the bacon. Saute until the onions begin to soften. Now add all the remaining ingredients. If you're using canned vegetables, no need to drain them. Just pour it all in. That's all there is to it! Increase the heat and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat down to a simmer. Let it simmer for about an hour. Serve it with corn bread, buttermilk biscuits, or poured over a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes.

Tips/Options:

This is one of those stews that can go in any direction. Use whatever kinds of veggies you like, and add as much or little as you like of each kind. Instead of doing individual veggies like I did, you can just add a couple bags of mixed frozen veggies and call it a day. I just happened to have my own home canned veggies, so that's how I roll. Just be sure to include corn, lima beans, and tomatoes. They're the classics!

You can add diced potatoes, if you like, but I like the idea of serving it over a starch, like biscuits or mashed potatoes, but you do you! 

The one thing that makes this specifically a Brunswick Stew and not just any regular vegetable stew is the addition of BBQ sauce. It adds that hit of sweet smokiness that gives you a nice BBQ flavor. Basically all the other ingredients are negotiable.

Want to pump up the heat? Add crushed red pepper flakes, or a diced hot pepper of choice. 

Want to make it vegetarian? (Yes, that's actually a thing) Just leave the meat out and use a veggie stock.

Want it to be a little more smokey? Add a smoked ham hock or smoked meat of your choice. Or you could even just add a few drops of liquid smoke. 

This makes quite a pot of stew. Have fewer mouths to feed? Cut everything in half. Or just freeze half of it in containers! Giant crowd to feed? Double everything!

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Casserole

 

 

  Lately with all the sub-freezing temperatures, I've been thinking that I'd like to have some sort of casserole. Maybe something saucy on the bottom and bread on the top. I remember the chili bread casserole I did about a million years ago which had chili on the bottom and then corn bread baked right on top of it. Hmm... possibly. And then after a brief browse through the fridge and pantry, I saw that I have a can of Pillsbury biscuits and a few cans of Sloppy Joe sauce. oooooh NOW we're talking. Sloppy Joe on the bottom and biscuits on the top? Yes please! What's not to love?

 So I did a quick google search to see what similar ideas were out there. I immediately found a recipe on a blog called This Is Not Diet Food. Ok then! That'll work!

 So, the original recipe made the sauce from scratch, adding ketchup and brown sugar, etc. I opted to use my home canned Sloppy Joe sauce, since I happened to have it, but I'm sure the results are similar. You could even use your favorite store bought sauce like Manwich, and it'll be perfect. The basic recipe is still there. Tweak it however you like, and use what you have on hand. I'm sure it will still turn out great! It's definitely just the thing to have after you come in from being out in the cold!

 

 

 

2 lbs lean ground beef 

1 cup yellow onion, diced 

1 bell pepper, any color, diced

2 cups homemade or store bought sloppy joe sauce

1 cup French fried onion rings

2 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend 

12 oz Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits

 

 

Heat oven to 375ºF. 

Place ground beef in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and peppers to the pan with the ground beef. Crumble the ground beef well as it cooks. When the ground beef is completely cooked, turn off the heat and drain the excess grease from the pan. Add sloppy joe sauce to the beef mixture. Add the French fried onions. Stir well until everything is coated in sauce. Pour the sloppy joe mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Open the package of biscuits and cut each one into 6 pieces. Place the biscuit pieces on top of the cheese, spacing them out as evenly as possible. Place the dish in the oven and bake the casserole until the biscuits are nicely browned. 22-25 minutes. Serve with a nice salad or veggie on the side and enjoy!

 

 

Tips:

Sometimes I like to mix things up by doing a pound of ground beef and a pound of bulk sausage.  Want to add some heat to it? Add a diced jalapeno pepper. Want it to be a little sweeter? Add 1/4 cup each of brown sugar and ketchup. Want it to be more savory? Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Don't have ketchup? Use canned tomato sauce. Make it however you like it!

 

 

Joey's Spicy Sausage Mac and Cheese

 

 

 Many years ago, I went to my family's Pollyanna Christmas Party. As you can imagine, there was a ton of food ranging from appetizers to entrees to desserts. That's just what we do! Anyway, this one particular year, my nephew Dan, aka Daniel Boone, brought a small crock full of warm sausage dip, and it was a HUGE hit. When I asked him for the recipe, he said it was super easy, only had a couple ingredients, and that he'll text it to me. Perfect!

 A few days later, I sent him a text, reminding him to send me the recipe. His return text was simply a picture of a pound of sausage, a can of Rotel tomatoes w/ chilis, and a block of cream cheese. That was it. Just a picture. He said "here's the recipe." LOL Well, I guess you can't get any simpler than that!

 Over the years, I kind of forgot about it, and never did get around to posting it. But then recently, as I was thinking of holiday party dips to post, that recipe came to mind again and I thought, OH! That sausage dip! I need to do that! So I browsed my pantry to see if I had any of the ingredients on hand.

And then the A-HA moment happened! 

I thought, hmmm... I bet this would make a SLAMMIN' pasta sauce. As I was browsing my pantry, I noticed, instead of Rotel tomatoes w/ chilis, I had a big jar of salsa. Instead of a block of cream cheese, I had a big block of Velveeta processed cheese. And of course, I had lots of pasta choices. 

Ok, so I could do a mac and cheese, kind of like Queso when you melt cheese with salsa, but then add sausage to it... YES! Let's do this!!! OMG it turned out so good! I couldn't believe it.

 So, instead of a picture, I'll tell you the easiest way to remember this recipe. You don't even have to write it down. It's as easy as 1-2-3: 1 lb Velveeta, 2 lbs sausage, 3 cups salsa! That's all there is to it!!! Who knew that something so simple could be so delish?? It makes the perfect cheesy ooey gooey mac and cheese, and you can throw it together in less than 30 minutes for an easy week night dinner. Cool, huh? 

So if you're a fan of spicy things, sausage, and/or mac and cheese, this one's for you. 

Thanx again, Daniel Boone, for sending me that recipe! 

Maybe sometime, give MY version a try!

1 lb Velveeta cheese

2 lbs mild Italian bulk sausage (or removed from link casings)

3 cups homemade or purchased mild salsa

1 lb large elbow pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in another large heavy pot, over medium heat, cook sausage until brown, breaking up large chunks as you go. Spoon away some of the excess fat, if needed. Add salsa and chunked Velveeta cheese. Stir well until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes ooey gooey. Add cooked pasta to your cheese mixture. Toss well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese , if desired, and serve.

 

Note*- I didn't add ANY other seasonings. I didn't even salt the pasta water. There is already QUITE a bit of salt and other seasonings in the other ingredients. 

Tips:

The main thing about this recipe is that it's SPICY! Even if you choose mild salsa, and mild sausage, it still gets pretty spicy when it all cooks together. So just keep that in mind. If you don't want any heat at all, try using just diced tomatoes instead of salsa. The sausage will still flavor the rest of the dish. Or, if you don't like sausage, you could use ground beef. The salsa will still flavor the rest of the dish.

 On the flip side, if you want A LOT of heat, go as hot as you dare! Use Italian HOT sausage or HOT salsa, or both! How adventurous are you feeling?? You do you!

If the sauce gets too thick, just add a little milk until it's the right consistency. 

If you prefer a baked mac and cheese, pour the whole works into a large casserole dish, top with Parmesan cheese, or even some shredded Cheddar, then bake in a 350ºF oven until the top becomes golden brown.

 

Easy Slow Cooker Mushroom Pot Roast

 

 

 

 Full disclosure, I’m not really sure of where I found this recipe. There are similar versions of it bouncing around the interwebs with just a slight variation here or there. Some add wine, some add potatoes or carrots, etc.
 With mine, since I was going in a decidedly mushroom direction, I added a jar of my home canned mushrooms. I was originally gonna serve it with mashed potatoes, but I decided to just go with some roasted carrots, potatoes, asparagus, and some pickled beets (which I LOVE). There’s really no wrong way to do it, and it couldn’t be easier to do. If you can open a can of soup, you can make this recipe. It’s that easy!! And if you don’t own a slow cooker, this is the perfect reason to buy one! Your family will love you for it!!!

 

 

 

 

1 4-5 lb chuck roast

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

2 (10 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup

 

optional:

1 lb baby carrots

1 lb baby potatoes, halved

canned mushrooms, as much as you like

splash of red wine

Spray inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the pot roast in the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover. Cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. That's all there is to it!

Tips:

To make a thicker gravy, remove the cover for the last hour of cooking. 

Instead of adding potatoes to the crock, serve your roast over a pile of mashed potatoes. YUM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warm Butternut and Cheddar Dip

 

  

 OK, so here's a question for you. When you entertain, are you more likely to make the same reliable dishes to serve to your guests? Or are you more likely to try something new and different? For the most part, I think I fall into the latter category, but I do still enjoy some of the tried and true. 

 For instance, at my last get-together, I served a few party foods as my friends and I decorated my Christmas trees. We had the favorite Spinach Dip (only I like to use broken soft pretzels as dippers instead of hollowed out bread), and then I also made this dip, which was definitely something new and different.

 I found the recipe on a site called Serious Eats, and it has Fall/Winter Entertaining written all over it. It has that "warm and comforting" thing going on, and it has an amazing depth of flavor that is PERFECT for drinks with friends. 

 So here's the thing.. Even though I have it listed in its original form, I must confess I didn't do it exactly as directed. I know, I know, sometimes I can't be trusted with a recipe. In this case, though, I didn't change the recipe, I just took a couple shortcuts. Instead of fighting with a giant butternut squash, I just bought a couple packages of squash that were already peeled and diced. So much easier! And I didn't have any fresh sage, so I just added some dried sage to the mixture. I'm sure my little shortcuts didn't affect the final product TOO much, so I was willing to gamble. 

  Speaking of the final product, it was fabulous! Choose a strong hearty cracker for dipping, and your guests will devour it. So if you're thinking of stepping outside the usual recipes for your next party, give this one a try. It just might become a new favorite!

 

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and greasing

1 large butternut squash 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick (4 tbs) butter, plus more if needed

20 sage leaves (from about 3 sprigs)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Crackers or pita chips for dipping

 

 

 Preheat oven to 400°F. 

 Line a baking sheet with foil. Grease a small baking dish with olive oil and set aside. Peel, seed, and dice the squash into 1-inch cubes. Alternatively, use the microwave: Poke holes all over the squash with a fork or make shallow slits in the skin with a knife. Microwave squash for 3 minutes or until the skin and flesh have softened slightly. Peel squash and cut into cubes. Discard seeds. 

 Place squash cubes on the prepared sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast squash until fork-tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and fry in butter until lightly crisped and beginning to darken slightly. Remove pan from heat and remove sage leaves using a slotted spoon. Set aside. 

Return pan to heat, add onion, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion has caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add more butter if onion begins to stick to pan. Stir in garlic at the very end and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Place roasted squash, caramelized onion mixture, and about 2/3 of the crispy sage leaves into the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined. Add cream cheese and sour cream and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer squash mixture to prepared baking dish and mix in half of the cheddar cheese throughout. Top with remaining half of cheese. At this point, the dip can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking and serving. When ready to serve, bake dip at 400°F until cheese is entirely melted and browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining crispy sage leaves and serve warm with pita chips or crackers for dipping. 

 

 

 

Tips:

Be sure to use a SHARP Cheddar cheese, otherwise you won't really taste that fabuloius ooey gooey-ness. You definitely don't want your dip to be bland. And be generous with your sage, salt, and pepper. Just give it a little taste before you bake it, and then adjust accordingly. 

This makes quite a bit, so if you don't have a crowd to feed, you could easily cut the recipe in half. 

Cream Cheese Cookies

 

 There are some ingredients that I always like to have on hand. Of course you want to be well stocked with your basic baking ingredients... eggs, milk, sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, and butter. But then there are the extras like chocolate chips, and nuts, and pie fillings, flavored extracts, and sprinkles.. and definitely CREAM CHEESE. 

 So, when it comes to cream cheese, for some reason, whenever I'm doing my shopping, I always question how much I have at home and whether or not I need to get more. And as a result, I always wind up getting more.. and then I get home and realize I already have 4-6 pkgs, and didn't need any at all. This is also the same sort of thing that happens with poultry seasoning as I'm doing my Thanksgiving food shopping.... do I have enough? hmmm.. I better get more just in case... but that's another story..... anyway. My dear friend, Janet, recently told me of a cream cheese shortage.... um...I think it's all at my house. yeah, sorry about that!

 So I found myself with a bunch of cream cheese and nothing to do with it. I thought.. hmm.. maybe a dip? a cheese danish? a pound cake? But then I thought, well, it's the holiday season... how 'bout some cookies? Great! Did a quick search, found this recipe on a blog called Preppy Kitchen. Looked easy enough, so I went with it. They taste great!!! But here's the thing.... they bake up to be more cakey than cookie. Know what I mean? Delicious, but not exactly the cookie I was picturing. So here's what I'm thinking.. instead of having them with a tall glass of milk.. have them with a cup of tea instead. Perfect! I think that's a much better vibe. They're sweet with just a hint tang from the cream cheese. SO good! 

 Now I know what to do with all that extra cream cheese!

 

 

 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar  

1 egg room temperature 

2 tsp vanilla extract  

1 3/4 cups flour  

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt

 

 

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix one more time to combine. Add the dry mixture into the wet and mix on low until just combined. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and give the mixture one last mix then cover and chill for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Portion out roughly two tablespoon-sized pieces and roll into a ball. The dough will be sticky so it's best to dampen your hands a bit and just wash them when they get a bit covered. Place about two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and just turning golden.    Tips:Be sure to start with room temperature ingredients! It's makes a big difference!  I added a few sprinkles on top right before baking, just to make them a little more festive, but you do you!