funeral potatoes, huh?

what a cheerful name, huh? this is nothing more than a cheesy, creamy, calorie laden potato casserole. i guess it gets its name from being a common sight among the food at funeral gatherings. it is a new one on me. we are a fried chicken and potato salad clan. i guess too if you eat enough of this and eat it often, you could quite possibly make an early appearance at your own funeral. i am sure you can make the casserole lighter by using reduced fat products, but i didn't, so i am guessing my bowl shorten my visit here by at least a day. this was disgustingly good and a big hit in my house. leftovers tonight! enjoy.

funeral potatoes

preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and pam a 9x13 baking dish

in a big bowl mix the following:

1 32oz bag of frozen cubed hash browns
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar-i used medium
8 oz sour cream
2 green onions, sliced thin, white and green parts
dash of pepper
mix together and put into your baking dish

now melt two tbsp of butter and mix with 1.5 cups crumbled potato chips or corn flakes. bake 45 minutes until brown and bubbly. let it sit about ten minutes for digging in. you could also throw some cubed ham in for a complete meal. teehee, a complete meal, huh?

quick garlic cheddar drop biscuits

this are the easiest little biscuits to throw together. they are wonderful with just about anything, but especially vegetable beef stew, my favorite. you can buy little bags of mix at the store, but they taste so much better when you make them yourself and really, they are just as quick. the only thing i do that adds a little bit more time to the process, is to grate my own cheese. i just think that stuff in the bag is so dang dry. we all love these buttery little blobs, but my daughter, caroline, will eat everyone till gone.

garlic cheddar drop biscuits


preheat your oven to 400 degree fahrenheit

in a large bowl cut with a pastry blender till pea sized, 2.5 cups of biscuit mix(i use store brand), a half stick cold butter, 3/4 cup cold milk(i use 2%). now mix in by hand, 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar and a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. drop by big ole spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. bake about 15 minutes till lightly brown. meanwhile, melt two tbsp of butter and add another 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. mix and brush onto the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. keep brushing them, use it all up! at this point you can add more or less garlic powder as well as throwing in some dried parsley flakes for color. makes about a dozen, depending on size. enjoy!

pimento cheese and dorito sandwich-yummy

as a kid i have tried many sandwich combos and many failed. let's take the grape jelly and mayo-fail! peanut butter and pickles-fail! bologna and potato salad-fail, no wait, that was gooood. anyway, one of my all time faves is pimento cheese and nacho cheese doritos-excellent. it is even better when the pimento cheese is homemade. i had a whole bag of chips on the counter and to eat them by themselves, no thanks, so i whipped up a batch of the sandwich spread. i have posted before on my pimento cheese, but this time i made it a little different. it is not bad, not quite as tangy as i usually make. it is a good starter pimento cheese for those folks who don't have a clue what i am talking about. pimento cheese, huh? it's creamy and rather mild, not too mention pale. go easy when spreading it on your squishy white bread though, it is still very rich. hmmmmm, i wonder what cool ranch doritos would taste like, tasty too, i bet. enjoy.

beth's pimento cheese spread

with your mixer, blend the following

6 oz soften cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 4oz jar of chopped/diced pimentos, not drained
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1-2 dashes of hot sauce
pinch of sugar

whip till well blended. taste and adjust seasonings. some folks like a little onion powder in theirs, not me. put in the fridge to chill and let the flavors blossom(how cute). i like this on fresh, plain ole white bread, but it is great on crackers, too.

easy peasy blue cheesy .....salad dressing

so i have been craving a blue cheese lettuce wedge, but with a twist. i wanted to make a stellar blue cheese dressing, not the stuff from a jar or bottle. i did a little research and combined a few recipes and came up with what i believe to be a real keeper( maybe i should jar or bottle this stuff). the dressing, after sitting overnight, is chunky, cheesy, thick, creamy and flows nicely down the lettuce(note the blue cheese waterfall) wedge giving plenty of coverage. it is downright delicious, even big j, a ranch man, piled it on after a little sampling. i was shocked. i just put the ole hidden valley back on the fridge door. this simple salad only got better with the addition of diced locally grown tomatoes, one yellow and one red. i am always amazed how something so uncomplicated can be so unbelievably good. enjoy.

beth's easy peasey blue cheesy salad dressing

simply whisk to combine in a bowl and allow to refrigerate overnight, the following:

1 cup mayo-i use duke's
1 8oz sour cream-i use daisy light
1/2 cup buttermilk
one large spring onion, white only, that i grated on a small hand grater
one clove garlic, that i grated on a small hand grater
a heavy dash, like a tsp of worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 dashes of hot sauce
2 tsp of sugar
5 oz crumbled blue cheese(you can add more, but this was the size of the container i bought, for me it was perfect)

you must allow this dressing to sit overnight for the flavors to truly develop.

the blue cheese waterfall.....

white castle wannabes

when i saw this recipe over at the big red kitchen(a fun read, go check it out) i just knew i had to give these a try. i also just knew big j would love them, and he did. these super simple sliders were just that, super simple. let me take you through the steps, so hang on....
first, sprinkle dried onion all over a 9x13 pan, as many or as little as you would like. you see the naked side? that is for my four year old, little t. he won't eat the onions, no problem, mama hooked him up. next....
you need two pounds of ground chuck, don't go extra lean because you need the grease to soften up those onions and you want flavor, baby. i am sure they are called sliders for a reason, the grease helps them slide on down your gullet. anyway, pat your burger in your pan, pressing down firmly into the onions. now sprinkle with your favorite seasoned salt. i used adobo seasoning because, well, it was all i had. now cook about 25 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit , the meat will shrink and there will be a lot of grease. drain and pat the burger with a paper towel. now....
see how the meat has shrunk? also, i put my pan inside a larger one to prevent grease spillage overage. now the good stuff, place six pieces of sliced cheese, real cheese please, not that cheese food garbage on humongo the burger and pop back into the oven till melted, maybe two or three minutes. grab your pizza cutter and cut into nice little squares to fit these....
martin's potato party rolls, my personal favorite, split and ready to receive. you can use any size party or dinner roll you would like. top it off with a dill hamburger pickle chip....
and you got this!
white castle wannabes. enjoy, i know i did, so did big j, little t, lily the dog, but not so much c. i think she ate yogurt. she's no fun.

cauliflower cheese, good stuff, bad pic

gawd, that picture is crappy. wow, i am so sorry. i wasn't in the mood to take the hot dish outside to photograph in natural light and besides big j was hungry. he was standing there with spoon in hand to start eating once the lens cap was back in place. you will have to bare with me when i assure you how easy and oh so good this dish is. i don't know much about cooked cauliflower. i am use to eating the raw stuff with ranch dressing from those pre-made veggie trays. anyway, i bought a beautiful head yesterday and then rushed home to searched the net for ideas. i found this recipe, altered the units and got to it. man, i could have eaten the whole dish and came dang near close. give this a try and hey, don't forget to use a good sharp cheddar. make this and you won't have to be told twice to eat your vegetables. enjoy.

cauliflower cheese

one head of cauliflower cut in florets
1 1/3 cups milk
8 oz good sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup butter(half stick)
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
nutmeg, salt., pepper
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

preheat your over to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

boil your cauliflower in salted water till tender, about ten minutes. drain and place in a casserole dish. in a saucepan, whisk together the butter, flour, and milk over medium heat. whisk till thick, maybe 3 or 4 minutes. add in 3/4 of your cheese, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. taste to check your spices. pour this over your cauliflower. now mix the rest of your cheese with the bread crumbs, sprinkle this on top. bake for about 15-20 minutes till brown and bubbly. keep an eye on it. everybody's oven is different. it can burn quick.

simpleton's mac and cheese

i am the simpleton.

you see, i forgot to take pictures of my mac and cheese, before, after and during. i snapped one shot and was distracted. fin, it was all over. i do want to share the recipe though. it is from my favorite local cookbook virginia hospitality and it makes for a wonderfully creamy and cheesy dish. it is not, however, my all time favorite version or vision of macaroni and cheese, my brother roger makes that, macaroni, cheese and tomatoes-heavenly. here ya go.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

7 oz elbow macaroni
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
paprika

preheat the oven to 350. cook macaroni and drain well. combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt and pepper. add cheese and mix well. stir in cooked macaroni. pour into a greased 4 quart baking dish. sprinkle with paprika. bake for 45 minutes. serves 8-10

ok-now my two cents.

i simply use a small box of elbows, kosher salt, 4% milk fat large curd cottage cheese, light sour cream, grate my own cheddar and skip the paprika. i also start peeping in the oven around 35 minutes or so.

i hope you will give this mac and cheese a try. it's good stuff folks. enjoy.

bumpkin sandwich of love

a grilled pimento cheese. does it getter any better? i get hankerings for this stuff, so i whipped up a batch. it is insanely easy and just as delicious.

in your processor fitted with the grating blade, shred an 8 ounce block of good sharp cheese. don't go house brand on this, kraft is okay, cabot is good, tillamook is da bomb. pop the cheese into a bowl while you switch over to your steel blade. toss cheese back in and then add a small(4oz) jar of diced pimentos, juice and all. throw in a healthy dollop of good mayonnaise, duke's or hellman's are good choices. then hit it with a 1/2 teaspoon salt, dash of pepper and a pinch of sugar. pulse a few times to get the consistency you want. you might need to add more mayo. keep tasting and adjusting your seasonings as well. don't taste while you pulse, it's not a good idea. i like mine somewhat smooth, but still able to identify the pimentos. don't pulverize the mixture. transfer to a bowl, cover and keep cold. this neon orange love is great stuffed into celery, piled high on saltines, or grilled on buttered white bread till nice and melty. enjoy.