Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes serves 6

6 Med Potatoes 4 TBL butter 1/3 to 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 teas salt 1 teas pepper

Place butter, 1/3 cup whipping cream, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.   Peel and quarter the potatoes.  Place potatoes in a large pot,  add water.  Water level should be 2 inches above potatoes.  Cover, on high heat,  cook 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Drain. Add potatoes to mixing bowl.  Beat with mixer on low, until well blended.  Beat on high for 1 minute or until fluffy. Add more cream, if needed, for desired thickness.

Beef Bacon Stew

Beef Bacon Stew serves 8 to 10

8 oz bacon, chopped, divided 3 TBL flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 3 lbs stew meat or beef chuck cut into pieces 3/4 lbs cremini mushroons, halved 4-5 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces or 3/4 lb baby carrots 1 med yellow onion, chopped  3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup beef broth  2 TBL tomatoe paste 1 TBL fresh rosemary 
In a large frying pan on meduim heat cook the bacon, stir ocasionally, until crisp 5-7 minutes.  Transfer bacon to a paper towel.  Leave half the dripping in the pan.  Pour other half of drippings in a small heatproof bowl.  Set aside bacon and drippings and pan. In a resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper.  Place beef in bag, seal bag, and shake to evenly coat with flour mixture.  Return the frying pan to med-high heat.  When dripping are hot, add half the beef and cook, turning once, until well browned, about 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a slow cooker.  Repeat with the remaining beef, add reserved drippings if needed.   Scatter mushrooms, carrots, onions, and garlic on top of beef. Return pan to med-high heat and add the wine, broth, and tomatoe paste.  Mix well, bring to boil, stir to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of pan.  Pour over the veggies and beef.  Cook on high for 4 hours or 8 hours on low.  Stir in the half of the bacon and rosemary.  Cook, uncovered, on high heat setting for 10 minutes longer to thicken the sauce slightly.  With reserved bacon, garnish stew by scattering a teaspoon of bacon over the top of stew before serving.  *I serve over mashed potatoes.  See recipe box for mashed potatoes recipe.  *I put remaining tomatoe paste in a plastic freezer bag.  Freeze and use later.

Mini Cheesecake Supreme

Mini Cheesecake Supreme Makes 4 individual  or 1 10-inch cheesecake

Crust 9 graham crackers, chrushed into fine crumbs 1/2 cup brown sugar 6 TBL butter, melted
Filling 2  8 oz cream cheese 3/4 cup sugar 5 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract
Topping  1 1/2 cups sour cream 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into 4 individual or 1 10-inch springform pan.  Bake for 12 minutes. Beat cream cheese well, gradually beating in sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and almond extracts.  Pour into crust and bake for 22-25 minutes for the idividuals or 32-35 for the 10 inch.  Middle shouldn't be liquid but will jiggle a little.  Remove from oven. Mix topping and spread on cakes.  Bake 5 minutes longer.  Cool 10 minutes then run knife around edges of spring pan.  Then cool completely and chill.   * For Valentine's I put heart shaped cherries on top.  You could use chrushed graham crackers and sprinke on top to garnish.  

*I like to make 4 idividual cheesecakes and freeze a few for later.  Freeze on cookie sheet then transfer to a freezer ziploc bag.  *I like to give them to friends on special plate with few kisses around the edges for their birthdays.  

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo serves 6

3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 TBL minced green onions 1 tsp fresh garlic, minced 1 lb fettucine, cooked al dente 6 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated 2 tsp fresh parlsey, minced  3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper In large skillet, melt butter and saute shrimp, green onions and garlic over med heat for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are firm and opaque.  Remove pan from heat. Stir warm fettucine into shrimp mixture.  In medium bowl, beat egg yolks, half and half and parmesan.  Add egg mixture to shrimp mixture and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.  Do not boil.  Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.  

Devilish Turtle Bars

Devilish Turtle Bars Makes 20 bars

1  Devil's food cake mix 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 3/4 cups quick or old fashioned oats 1 14 oz bag of caramels, unwrapped 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.   In a large bowl, beat cake mix, oats, butter and egg with mixer on low speed until well mixed.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of cake mixture.  Press remaining mixture in the bottom of pan.  If too sticky use plastic wrap with cooking spray on it to press mixture to bottom of pan.  

In meduim sized microwaveable bowl, heat caramels and milk together for 1 minute in microwave. Stir.  Continue to cook in microwave in 30 second intervals until carmels are melted.  Stir caramel mixture until well blended.  Pour over chocolate layer in pan.  

Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips and pecans. 

Crumble remaining cake mixture with fingers. Sprinkle over pecan and chocolate chip layer.  

Bake for 20- 22 minutes or until caramel bubbles along edges.  Do not overbake.  Run knife along sides of pan to loosen bars.  Cool twenty minutes before cutting.  Serve warm for ooey gooey bars or cool completely for firmer bars.  Great either way!

Creamy Sausage Pastry

Creamy Sausage Pastry

1 pastry puff sheet, thawed  1 lb of Jimmy Dean sage recipe sausage  4 green onions, thinly sliced 1 egg  1 TBL water Take out one frozen Pastry Puff sheet.  Place on a cookie sheet for 40 minutes or until easy to handle. Unfold and roll out to about a 9X12 inch rectangle.  You do not have to roll to much it is almost that size to begin with.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large skillet brown the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the green onions continue to cook until sausage is no longer pink.  Lower the heat, add the cream cheese, stir until cream cheese is melted and mix in throughly.   Place the sausage cream cheese mixture in center of puff.  

Fold sides up and over.  

Pinch to seal.  Pinch ends to seals.  If needed wet finger tip and place between layers then pinch.

Beat egg and water to make egg wash.  Brush with pastry brush.  This helps it to look beautiful.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until golden brown.  

Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.  Slice and serve warm.

*Very good for parties.  Easy and fast.         

Jalapeño Artichoke Dip

Jalapeño Artichoke Dip

1 cup sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup finely chopped artichoke hearts 1 4 oz can chopped jalapeños Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use 3/4 of the jalapeños from can. Mix jalapeños with all the remaining ingredients together in a 8 or 9 inch ovenproof dish.  I use a pie plate.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Watch it disappear. *If using marinated artichokes rinse the artichokes first. Otherwise it will leave a layer of oil on top of dip. *A party favorite and so easy to make. *I have been making this dip for twenty years and it is always a hit.  It is my most requested recipe.  I bring it to parties and it is always gone first.