Corn for a Crowd

English: Award-winning stalks of corn or maize (Zea mays) at the Olmsted County Fair in Rochester, Minnesota. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)On October 18, 2011 I posted a method on how to cook corn on the cob, in the microwave without leaving any :"silk" on the corn.  With corn season here, revisit that post.  You will be glad to did.

Now...if you are having a party and need a couple of dozen corn for your guests, try the following "Corn for a Crowd" tip.

Shuck corn and place in a clean insulated picnic cooler.
Pour boiling water over the top of  the corn (about 2 quarts per dozen); close the lid and let sit for 30 minutes.
Drain the cooler and keep the lid closed.  The corn will stay warm for about 2 hours.

Enjoy
The Old Guy

Dilled Green Beans

green beans (Photo credit: Chasqui (Luis Tamayo))Serve these beans as a "go with" when grilling.  They are really tasty and simple to prepare.

Dilled Green Beans

2 quarts water
2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (or less if you don't want em too hot)
1 teaspoon dill seed
4 cloves of gatlic, minced
2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups water

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add green beans and boil for 5 minutes or until beans are just tender.  Plunge the beans into cold water to set their color; drain well.
In a large bowl, combine salt, mustard seed, dill weed, pepper flakes, dill seed and garlic.  Mix.  Add cooked beans to the bowl and stir well.
In a small saucepan bring 2 cups water, vinegar, sugar and salt (to taste) to boil.  Pour this mixture over the beans and spices.  Mix well.
Chill the beans in an airtight container at least overnight before eating.  The beans are best if given a week to marinate refrigerated before eating.

Enjoy
The Old Guy

Zucchini Onion Pie

Two typical Zucchini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"The Zucchini are coming, the Zucchini are coming"  I used to live in a neighborhood where everybody had a garden, and everybody planted zucchini. When the zucchini became ready to pick, and we all know zucchini is as prolific as a pair of mating rabbits, if you did not lock your car at night, in the morning your front seat was filled with zucchini.
If that happens to you, use the following recipe to use up some zucchini.

Zucchini Onion Pie

3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan chewese
1/2 cup
Canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sliced zucchiini
1 cup biscuit/baking mix such as Bisquick
1 small onion chopped.

In a large bowl, whisk the first 7 (seven) ingredients.  Stir in the zucchini, baking mix and onion.  Pour into a greased 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until lightlybrowned.
Serves six.

Enjoy
The Old Guy

Mexican Skillet Rice

Enchilada, rice, and beans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Found this recipe in the 2012 Taste of Home Annual Recipes edition

I made it and it is really good as a side dish to tacos, enchiladas of any other of your Mexican favorites, and it only take 30 minutes to make.

Mexican Skillet Rice

1 large egg, beaten
1 pound chicken tenderloins, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups cooked Jasmine or long grain rice
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn, drained
1 jar (7ounces) roasted sweet red peppers, drained and sliced
1 jar (8 ounces) taco sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir egg over medium heat until set.  Remove and set aside.
In the same skillet, stir fry chicken and onion in oil until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic; cook i minute longer.  Stir in rice, beans, Mixicorn, peppers, taco sauce and green onions; heat through.  Stir in reserved egg.  Sprinkle with Cilantro.

Enjoy.
The Old Guy

How hot was it in Michigan today????

Creamy Chicken Casserole, and "Homemade" Breakfast Sausage

English: Egg noodles Source: Self Copyright: None (Photo credit: Wikipedia)I love cassseroles!!  This chicken casserole recipe is simple and tastes great.  The "Homemade" Breakfast Sausage recipe come the the blog of my friend Beth.  Her blog can be found at bethsfavoriterecipes.blogspot.com.  Check it out.  She has some really good stuff.
 
  Creamy Chicken Casserole


4 cups uncooked medium wide egg noodles
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (if you are short on time, you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas and carrots
2 cups milk
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of celery soup
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Drain noodles; add to chicken mixture.
Transfer to two greased 8-inch square baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbling and heated through.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice, or use conventional oven set at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
*Tip....Line one 8-inch square baking dish with foil or plastic wrap with the edge of the foil or wrap hanging over the sides, before adding chicken mixture. Freeze overnight. Then in the morning, lift the frozen casserole from the pan and wrap for freezing. It gives you use of the pan instead of leaving it in the freezer. When ready to reheat, place in a microwave safe dish or the same 8 inch square pan to cook in conventional oven.

"Homemade" Breakfast Sausage

1 pound roll Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped to a paste
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine pork sausage, garlic, onion powder, sage, thyme and oil in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper./ Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Mixture can be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
Form the sausage mixture into 8 patties. Heat a large, nonstick pan over high heat and cook patties until golden brown on both sides and just cook through, about 5 minutes per side.


Enoy
The Old Guy


 

Potluck Lasagna and Pistachio Eclair Dessert

Raw Ground beef (Photo credit: Wikipedia)The following recipes came for a box I had marked 2005 recipes.  No matter the dates, these bothed tasted really good.

Potluck Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 can (14-1.2 ounces) Italian stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced parsley ( 2 tablespoons dry)
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cups small-curd cotttage cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and garlic; remove from heat.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, salt and pepper.  Layer three noodles in a greased 9-inch x 13-inch x 2-inch baking dish.  Top with half the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozarella cheese and half the meat sauce.  Repeat layers.

Cover and freeze up to 3 months. Or cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover; bake for 25-30 nminutes longer or until edges are bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
To cook frozen lasagna: Thaw in refrigeration overnight.  Bake as directed.

For Dessert: Pistachio Eclair Dessert                                       

Graham crackers (Photo credit: oskay)3 cups cold milk

1 package (3.4 ounce) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 package (3.4 ounce) instant french vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce carton) Cool Whip, thawed
1 package (14.4 ounce) graham crackers
1 can (16 ounces) ready to use chocolate frosting.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.  Fold in thawed Cool Whip.  In a 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch dish, layer a third of the graham crackers and half the pudding mix. Repeat layers. Top with remaining graham crackers.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Spoon frosting into a microwave safe bowl.  Cover and microwave on high for 15-20 seconds or until softened, stirring once.  Spread over graham crackers.  Chill for at least 20 minutes or until frosting is set.

Enjoy
The Old Guy

Summertime Cakes and Snickers Salad

Devil's food cake with vanilla bean icecream. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)I dug into the cigar box my Mom kept her recipes in and found the following desserts.

Chocolate Cherry Cake



1 box (9 x 13) size Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract (if ya haven't got it you can skip it)
1 can Cherry Pie filling mix
1 can ready to use chocolate frosting. (your favorite brand or flavor)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until well blended. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch x 2-inch baking pan with vegetable spray and dust with flour. Pour in cake mixture and bake about 25-30 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides and when a toothpick when inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost when cool.

Rhubarb Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

5 cups diced fresh rhubarb

1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Prepare cake according to package directions. Place in a 9-inch x 13-inch x 2-inch baked pan that has been sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Sprinkle rhubarb evenly over the top of cake mix. Sprinkle evenly with cup of sugar, and pour the heavy cream over all. Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 45-5t0 minutes for until when a toothpick inserted in center, comes out clean.

Snickers Salad                                                                                             

1 (10 ounce package) fun-size Snickers, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 (12 ounce carton) Cool Whip, thawed

A Granny Smith apple (Photo credit: Wikipedia)1 (8 ounce package) cream, cheese, softened

1 (3 ounce) Jello Instant cream cheese flavor pudding mix

2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped with the peels on

2 medium Gayla or Red Delicious apples , chopped with the peel on

1 cup dry roasted peanuts

Mix cream cheese and pudding together. Fold in Cool Whip and remaining ingredients. Chill several hours.

Crock Pot Brownie Pudding

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package (4 serving size) Instant chocolate pudding mix
1 pint sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup water
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Spray crock pot with vegetable cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into crock pot. Cook on low for 5 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream. This is a nice gooey dessert, and smells really good while cooking.

Enjoy
The Old Guy