The Queen B

Weekend Wonderfulness

I have to tell you that I've never made this.

But Nannie sent it to me. And this is what she wrote beside it:

Everyone who ate some of this said it was wonderful.

And really. You just can't not try it.

Because everyone who ate some said it was wonderful.

Pizza Rigatoni

1 1/2 lbs. bulk sausage
3 cups rigatoni, lightly cooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion, sliced
15 oz. can pizza sauce
3 1/2 oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni
6 oz. can sliced ripe olives

Cook and drain sausage. Place half in slow coooker. Layer half of pasta, cheese, soup, onion, pizza sauce, pepperoni and olives over the sausage. Repeat layers.

Cover. Cook on low for 4 hours.

So try it.

Let me know if everyone can be trusted.

Weekend Wonderfulness

I'm Back.

It has been awhile.

Which has been great since I needed to do some serious recipe organizing.

I found a recipe that would be great for a Memorial Day Shindig.

If you are having one.

If not, you should be.

Chocolate Sundae Dessert

Melt 1 stick of butter and mix with a 1 pound bag of Oreos that have been crushed.

Spread the mixture into 2 9x13 pans and freeze.

Soften 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream and spread it over the cookie mix. Freeze again.

Mix:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup Eagle Brand
2 oz. cocoa

Cook this mixture in the microwave until melted, stirring often. It usually takes about 5 minutes.
Cool.

Spread this on ice cream. Spread a large Cool Whip over the cocoa mixture. Sprinkle pecans over the Cool Whip if you want.

This is really tasty. Keep it in the freezer. Sneak downstairs after everyone else is asleep and grab a fork and go to town.

I've heard that is fun.

Not that I'd know.

I don't have any dessert issues.

Happy Memorial Day.

Weekend Wonderfulness

Another weekend, another recipe...

These cookies are pretty tasty. I made them today, in fact.

The King walked through the door and took down 4 cookies before I even got a hello.

White Chocolate Pecan Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix (4 serving size)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 pkg. white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the flour and baking soda and set aside. Mix the butter, both sugars and pudding mix with your mixer until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix some more. Then add the flour mixture and mix a little more. Stir in the white chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop on a cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes.

I am not a huge fan of the white chocolate chip. Because it is not really chocolate. But I do like the occasional white chocolate chip cookie. And The King thinks these are so good we should set up a cookie stand by our mailbox and sell them.

I'll get right on that.

Weekend Wonderfulness

So remember how I mentioned that The Queen Mother was going to give me a recipe to post?

Well. She's hasn't. She's busy preparing for vacation and I didn't want to bug her again.

So. I went through all my recipe cards to find the set of cards that one of her friends gave me when I got married. Her friend gave me all of the original recipe cards that my mom had ever given her.

That made sense, right?

I searched until I found the recipe that she was supposed to give me. This recipe card is probably, like 23 years old. I hope it still translates into today's convenience products.

Strawberry Crisp

1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter (1985 QM referred to oleo)
1 large package frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 egg whites
1 tub cool whip (No idea what size. 1985 QM doesn't specify.)

Combine first flour ingredients. Press in pan. (I'm guessing 9x13. 1985 QM doesn't specify.) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Stir a little bit after it starts browning. (2008 QM: If you are reading, please explain this step in the comments.) Cool.

Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, egg whites and beat on high until light and fluffy. Fold in Cool Whip. Reserve 1/3 of crumbs and leave the rest in the pan. Spread out. Pour strawberry mixture over crumbs. Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on top. Freeze. Do not have to thaw to serve.

This is super yummy. Which is why I asked QM for it. And she may have modified it over the years. I'm not really sure. Check the comments. She'll be sure to let us know.

Happy Weekend.

Weekend Wonderfulness

After a day at the Statewide Competition de Mathematics and the road trip home, I'd like to share with you what I threw together for supper.

Pizza.

Searching for a recipe to share while eating take-out pizza seems ironic, don't you think?

I'm looking through lots of recipes. Nothing is really sounding so good. Probably because of the pizza that has settled in my belly. And is burning a teensy bit.

So I'm going to flip through my recipe book and share the next one that I turn to...nope. Pumpkin Spice Cake seems a little to fall-friendly.

Once again....ok. This will do.

Mexican Cornbread Salad

1 16 oz. pkg. dry cornbread mix
1 4 oz. chopped green chiles
2 cans pinto beans, drained
1 8 oz. bottle Ranch dressing
2 cans corn, drained
2 tomatoes
1 can bacon bits
8 oz. cheddar cheese
1 green onion (I really never actually add this.)

Prepare cornbread ADDING GREEN CHILES (I forget this step. Quite often. Try not to do that.) Set aside and allow to cool. Crumble and place half of the cornbread (WITH CHILES INCLUDED) in the bottom of a large bowl.

Evenly layer one can beans, 1 cup dressing, 1 can corn, 1/2 chopped tomato, 1/2 jar bacon bits, 1/2 package cheese, 1/2 green onion. Repeat the layers in the same order, beginning with the cornbread (WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE THE CHILES).

Cover. Refrigerator 2 hours and serve chilled.

This is quite tasty. It makes a lot. I serve this to company. Really, I only serve this to company. My family is worth a lot of trouble. But we cannot possibly eat all of this dish. By the time we ate all of this, we would be hating it. But you have to remember that there are only 3 of us. Maybe we should half it or something...

Enjoy your weekend.

Weekend Wonderfulness

Happy Weekend.

I was going to post Queen Mother's recipe. But she forgot to give it to me. And she left for a mini-vacation.

I know. I can't believe she doesn't carry them with her, either.

So I've scrambled. In between reading the fashion posts.

And I must say that the flip-flop and jeans industries have found their target market right here in ole bloggyland.

Anyway. Back to food.

This recipe is not going to make you do flips. But it is good. Always. Consistently. Never fails.

Kind of like a great pair of jeans or flip-flops.

(Y'all. That took talent to tie that all together. Or not.)

Coconut Chicken

4 chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper
Canola Oil
1/3 cup fine dry plain breadcrumbs
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup butter, melted

Sprinkle the chicken with salt & pepper. Rub oil on the chicken.

Mix the breadcrumbs and coconut together. Roll the chicken in the coconut mixture.

Place your chicken in a lightly sprayed baking plan and drizzle it with the butter.

Bake at 350 for 40 - 50 minutes...until your chicken is done.

I often place a sheet of foil over my pan for the first half of the baking so the coconut doesn't get too brown. Just watch it and do what you want. You might like brown coconut.

This is really moist and delicious. I serve it with a big baked sweet potato and green beans.

This is good. You should try it. You will like it.

Weekend Wonderfulness

I feel as if I should begin this weekend's recipe post with a refresher on the cooking of a hot dog. Just in case a certain theater concession manager or two might be reading...

1. Take out of package.
2. Stick in bun.
3. Wrap in paper towel.
4. Cook in microwave for 42 seconds.

Voila. A hot dog.

Thank you for obliging me.

Now. For the recipe.

Spring break has put a serious hurt on my recipe search. So, on the way back from the thing that we did yesterday that I will tell you about on Monday, we stopped off at Nannie's.

Because Nannie knows the yummy.

It was a total score, because Nannie pulled out several cookbooks AND her own personal recipe collection.

Which is incredibly rare.

Like, I don't exactly know where she keeps it.

Because if I did, I would have been pilfering.

Which is maybe why she hides it.

I did ask her if she would put my name on it for the inheriting. I told her that I would hate to have to take down an aunt, cousin or mother for it...but I'll do it if necessary.

I'm pretty sure she rolled her eyes.

She suggested that I post her banana bread recipe.

It is really good. She was asked to make several loaves for her church's Easter breakfast, in fact.

Which was a little difficult since her housekeeper "borrowed" her ripe bananas. Trust me, that is another post for another day.

Nannie's Banana Bread

1 c. sugar
3 over ripe bananas
1 c oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 c nuts (optional, I'm guessing)
1/2 t cinnamon
1 box instant banana pudding (the small box. she said you could use vanilla if desperate. but i don't think it would make her happy.)
1 t vanilla

Combine all that stuff. Put it in a lightly sprayed loaf pan. Bake at 350 for an hour or until done.

You should maybe pray over your bananas to get them to brown faster so you can make this as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend.

Weekend Wonderfulness

I feel like I owe you a really spectacular recipe.

You have been awfully nice to support my incessant rambling and whining this week.

I've been holding out a few recipes that are, if I do say so myself, pretty incredible.

I can say that because it is not like I invented them or anything.

I've just made them for so long that I pretend like I invented them.

My brownies are in that select group of recipes.

My brownies are fantastic. BUT. And this is a very important but....they are not so good after the first day.

But that first day?

They rock.

After the first day?

They are a little dry.

Which is the perfect opportunity to serve them with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and my homemade chocolate sauce.

These brownies are SO good that The Princess is presently questioning whether or not I should divulge.

I think I will.

Just because I like you a lot.

My Incredible Brownies

1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
4 T. cocoa
1 t. salt
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 c. pecans (optional)

Lightly spray a 9x13.
Mix all the goods and bake at 350 for 32 minutes.

Did you get that? 32 minutes. For perfect brownies.

Oh. The homemade chocolate sauce? Can you handle the homemade chocolate sauce?

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

1/2 c. butter
12 T cocoa
3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
13 oz. can evaporated milk
2 T. white Karo syrup

Melt butter and cocoa in microwave.
Add the rest of the stuff, stirring with a whisk.
Whisk it really well.
Microwave about 2 more minutes and whisk.
Microwave 1 or 2 more minutes.

This sauce is great to keep in the refrigerator. For ice cream. Or milk. Or biscuits. Or whatever. Sometimes I eat it with a spoon.
Just sometimes.

Have a great weekend.

Eat some chocolate.

Weekend Wonderfulness

This has most definitely been a slow cooker week.

I feel like I've been running in 20 different directions every day.

There is nothing better than coming home after one of those days and having the yummy smells of dinner greet me at the door.

It kind of makes me want to do a happy dance.

This is a great recipe that I make every few weeks. We enjoy it on sandwiches, potatoes, pizza...

It comes from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes.

Cranberry BBQ Pulled Pork

1 3 to 4 pound pork shoulder roast (I've used different pork kinds of things for this.)
1 T Montreal steak seasoning, McCormick
1 1/2 large onions, sliced
1 18 oz. bottle of hickory flavored BBQ sauce
2 cans (16 oz. each) whole cranberry sauce

Sprinkle roast with steak seasoning, set aside.

Arrange onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with roast.

In a medium bowl, combine bbq sauce and cranberry sauce. Pour over roast.

Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Transfer roast from slow cooker to a cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil until cool enough to handle. Using tongs, transfer onions to a serving bowl. Pull or shred roast into bite sized pieces.

Serve on sandwich rolls with onions. Or not.

This is very tasty. Surprisingly tasty.

Go to the store to get the ingredients and make it tomorrow.

You can thank me later.

Weekend Wonderfulness

Happy Weekend!

Aren't you ready for spring?

We had a lovely day yesterday of sunny skies & upper 50s. It rocked.

It made me have a small craving for this recipe, so I thought I should post it.

That way you can crave it with me. I won't feel so alone in my cravings.

There is something about this combination of sweet, salty, crunchy and creamy that absolutely thrills me.

It is one of those where you stand at the cabinet with the pan and a fork. For a while. And then you roll to the couch. And regret that you just did that. But then, in about an hour or so, you go back for more.

Or maybe that's just me.

Pretzel Salad

2 c. finely crushed pretzels (finely is the operative word)
3 T. sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip (I use the light version)
1 c. sugar
1 large pkg. strawberry jello mix
2 c. boiling water
20 oz. frozed sliced strawberries with juice
1 small can crushed pineapple with juice (sometimes I use this and sometimes not)

Mix the crushed pretzels and 3 T. sugar. Add the melted butter. Press this into a very, very lightly greased 9x13. Bake at 400 for 7 minutes.

Let the cream cheese and Cool Whip come to room temperature. Cream the Cool Whip, cream cheese and cup of sugar. Pour over the cooled pretzel mixture. Make sure it spreads to all edges.

Dissolve the jello in the boiling water. When slightly cooled, add the strawberries and pineapple. Chill this mixture until it thickens. This is a little dicey. There is a point where it is too runny and a point where it is too thick. Err on the too thick side. I would say, maybe 20-30 minutes. Just check it often.

Pour the strawberry mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Keep it in the refrigerator.

This recipe has the maximum amount of steps in which I am willing to engage. But it is SO worth it. I make it every holiday to take to my in-laws. Wonderful. Fabulous. Delicious. Incredible. Need I say more?