This is my variation of a Paula Deen recipe. This pimento cheese dip would be great even without the crab if you aren't a fan of seafood, but the crab adds a nice touch. Serve it hot with crackers.
Hot Pimento Cheese Crab Dip
1/4 cup (2 oz) brie
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 lb lump crab meat, chopped small
1/2 small onion, grated and drained
1/4 cup pimentos, undrained
dash of salt and pepper
In a food processor, mix cream cheese, brie, grated onion, mayonnaise, salt/pepper, and hot sauce until well blended. Add 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup pepper jack, pimentos, and crab to food processor and mix well. Remove from food processor and place in medium bowl, stir in rest of cheddar and pepper jack. Place in well greased shallow baking dish (I used a pie plate). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers.
This is another great pumpkin recipe for the fall. Serve these warm or cold with coffee!
Pumpkin Pie Bars
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can pumpkin
3/4 c cold butter
1 1/3 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c sugar
1 c oats
1/2 c pecans, chopped
3 eggs
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 350. Line 13x9 pan with foil, grease foil lining with cooking spray. Mix flour, brown sugar, 1/4 c sugar in bowl. Cut in cold butter until coarse crumbs appear. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserving 1 c of oat mixture, press remaining in pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 c sugar, pumpkin, and spice in bowl with hand mixer until smooth. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake 25 minutes. Cool completely then remove foil from pan to cut into bars. Refrigerate left-overs.
I experimented on Saturday morning and came up with a delicious pumpkin waffle recipe. It is great for the fall!
Pumpkin Waffles
2 c "just add water" pancake/waffle mix
1/2 c pumpkin
1/3 c oil
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
real maple syrup
Heat waffle iron. Mix waffle mix according to package directions. Add pumpkin, stir well. Add in spices, stir until combined. Allow mix to sit 5 minutes while waffle iron is preheating. Spray waffle iron with cooking spray, cook waffles until steam stops coming out of iron and waffles are no longer sticking to the iron. Top with butter and real maple syrup. Makes 8 waffles.
I always wanted to attempt a shrimp and grits recipe, but I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. I tried out this Paula Deen recipe and it turned out pretty good. I'll definitely make a few changes next time and I've put a few changes from the original recipe in here, so if you try it out and have some ideas, please comment and let me know what you did differently!
Shrimp and Grits
1 c stone ground grits
salt and pepper
1/4 c butter
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces
4 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley
1 c green onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Cook grits according to package directions, adding salt and pepper to taste. When done, remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheddar until melted. Keep covered until ready to serve.
Fry the bacon until brown and crispy, then drain. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
Add shrimp to 1 cup of bacon grease and saute over medium heat until they just turn pink, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the shrimp! Remove from heat and immediately add the lemon juice, parsley, green onion, and garlic.
Pour the grits into a serving bowl. Top with shrimp mixture (I spooned out the shrimp and then just added a little of the liquid) and sprinkle with bacon.
I found this recipe online and it exceeded my expectations after a few changes by me of course! It is a great, quick, and easy chicken dish. It has a little kick to it, so beware if you aren't a fan of spicy. It is also my first time having couscous and it went very well with this dish.
Mediterranean Chicken with Parmesan Couscous
1/3 c grated romano cheese
1/4 c panko bread crumbs
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 chicken breasts
1/4 c Greek nonfat yogurt
1 pkg parmesan couscous
Mix first 6 ingredients in medium sized bowl. Place yogurt in another medium sized bowl. Dip chicken in yogurt, turning to coat. Then dip chicken in bread crumb mixture, turning to coat. Place a small amount of olive oil in a skillet (enough to cover the bottom) and turn heat to medium. Cook chicken in skillet until no longer pink inside, about 7-10 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package instructions. Serve over couscous with a vegetable of your choice. Serves 4.
These make a great sweet treat or breakfast pastry! I've even cut them smaller and shaped them to look like little diapers before for a baby shower. They are even delicious left-over out of the refrigerator.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Rolls
1 pkg crescent rolls
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 c blueberries
Preheat over to 375 degrees. Unroll dough into 4 rectangles. Combine cream cheese and sugar, spread onto rectangles. Top with blueberries. Fold over and press corners together to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheet, bake 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm then refrigerate left-overs.
I made this Chocolate Pie for my sister-in-law's birthday. It is rich, but so delicious! It requires you to make your own whipped cream...but don't be frightened away by that. It was a lot easier than I expected it to be, and it ended up being very good!
Chocolate Pie
5 Hershey's chocolate bars
8 squares caramel
5 marshmellows
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 prepared chocolate cookie pie crust
In microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate, caramel, marshmellows, and 1/3 c whipping cream. Microwave on high about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Allow chocolate mixture to cool. In medium bowl, add 2/3 c whipping cream. Place bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice water. With cold mixer whisks, beat cream on low 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium once you see bubbles, beat 30 seconds. Increase speed to high until cream is whipped and peaks begin to form. Keep whipped cream cold until ready to use. Once chocolate mixture is cool, fold in whipped cream. Mix until smooth, pour into crust. Refrigerate overnight. Whip remaining 1 c cream for topping, add sugar to taste.
