Month: October 2012

Desserts · Fruit

Twinkie Dessert

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Unbelievable, I really cannot tell you how surprised I am that I actually found this recipe in a very good recipe book. But there it was in black and white. Randy use to tell me about this and how he and his roommates use to buy Twinkies and make this back in college. So that tells you how old this recipe is. He has informed me that I should try it, because he loved it. He  is thrilled that I have agreed to make it. So, here it is….Twinkies, I still cannot believe I am going to the store to buy Twinkies. Think I will go right before the store closes when no one is in there. I’m afraid that if people see me buying them, they will think, “poor lady, she obviously cannot control her eating habits and had to run into the store to stock up on sweets to get her through the night.” They will probably picture me, sitting in front of the TV, watching soap operas with unwrapped Twinkie packages all around me on the floor. But, anything for my man, so here it is.

1 large box Twinkies

1 can Eagle Brand

1 large box vanilla instant pudding

1 large Cool Whip

2 packages frozen strawberries

Cut Twinkies in half and put in a 9×13 inch dish. Slice strawberries on top. Mix pudding according to directions on box. Stir in Eagle Brand and Cool Whip. Spread on top and chill several hours before serving. (And please don’t tell your company or family where you got the recipe) Just tell them you saw this on-line and it sounded interesting…I owe you!

Daily Thoughts

Free Popcorn, Flat Tires & Fresh Coffee

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I thought an update might be appropriate since many of you have commented on the fun and cheap, (oops, I forgot, we are trying to be classy) I mean inexpensive Saturday that Randy and I had a couple of weekends ago.

We have now learned something else, very important. The more expensive the car dealership, the better the snacks you get. This past Saturday, we woke up to a flat tire which meant that we called AAA (the ones who come out to fix your car, no, we didn’t turn into alcoholics from just having a flat tire, that would have been AA) But back to the story. We had them put on the spare in order for us to get to the dealership where we were told it would only be a few minutes and they would have a new tire put on and we could just wait in the “lounge” until they called us. Well, I can tell you that I am headed back there next weekend after the grandkids leave. Not only were we treated to free cookies, free popcorn, free soda and free coffee, but oh this is good……they had  massage chairs that you see in the malls. So Randy and I just went on over, flopped down (yes, when you are as big as we are, you flop down), in the chairs, turned on the back roller, the up and down massager that makes you feel like a limp noodle and even had the leg massager that vibrates your legs. It was a wonderful morning. Having popcorn, coffee and watching TV all the while sitting in these glorious chairs.  We were so sorry when they called us that the car was ready. We weren’t through with our massage yet….but we paid for our new tire, which cheated me out of a new outfit the whole rest of the year, and headed out to other car dealerships, still trying to find Randy a car. We discovered that the AutoMall is not where we wanted to buy a car. They only had warm bottled water, no massage chair and a salesman that wore a really bad rug….(on his head, not one wrapped around him)…That did it. We decided that even if it were necessary to sell a couple of the grandkids (don’t think badly of me, we have plenty of them) to buy a car where you are treated like royalty, then that’s what we would do. So when you see “grandkids for sale” on Ebay, you will know that we have found just the perfect snack dealership, I mean, car for Randy. I’m asking Randy for a gift certificate to the Lexus Dealership Lounge for Christmas.

Casseroles · Chicken

Chicken & Dressing Casserole

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It is true what they say, if you wait long enough, things come back in style and they were right. (have you ever found out who “they” are?)

The popularity of casseroles is coming back. Maybe it is the time crunch everyone seems to have, or economics or just plain wanting something easy and fast. The following casserole was a great seller when we used to have Mistletoe Market at our house in October. It was a gathering of different ladies who would sell jewelry, purses, holiday goodies and frozen casseroles which I made. Here was one that was so easy to make and it keeps well in the freezer for company at holiday time.

1 chicken, cooked and deboned

2 tables butter (to sauté the onion/celery)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion (to make this easier, just buy the container of mixed chopped onions/celery mix in the fresh veggie section of your grocery store)

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1 package herb stuffing mix

1/4 cup butter

2 cups chicken broth.

Saute the onion, celery mixture in about 2 tables of butter until onion is clear and celery is tender (about 10 minutes). Set aside.

Place chicken in bottom of a 9×13 greased baking dish. Combine soups & milk. Pour over chicken. Add onion/celery mixture to dry stuffing mix and sprinkle this mixture over top of the soups. Melt butter in chicken broth. Pour over stuffing and bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Serve with green veggie and salad.

 

 

Casseroles · Starches

Zesty Corn Macaroni Casserole

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It was just so exciting to find this long loved recipe that I had been looking for the last 10 years. When Randy and I first married, we used to go to Colorado for a week and stay where his mom and dad would park their travel RV. It was always such fun to sit around the campfire with people that had been camping together for as long as 25 years. They had seen each others kids grow up. They had experienced marriages, divorces, deaths, but most of all, they experienced friendship that grew over camping together for many years. It was at one of these camp cookouts that one of my mother-in-laws friends brought this casserole. I couldn’t quit eating it. It was one of those foods that became a comfort food and when I lost it, I was so disappointed. This past week, while at my daughter’s house, I was looking through her cookbooks and found this cookbook that came from all the wonderful cooks there at the campground where my inlays used to go. Leafing through, I saw “the recipe”…..I cannot tell you how excited I was. So here it is and you won’t believe how easy it is to make. Great for those church dinners or a side dish to any meat.

1 cup macaroni(uncooked) (isn’t that awesome, you don’t even have to cook it before using it)

1 can Rotel Tomatoes with green chiles

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 can undrained whole kernel corn

1 can cream style corn

1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

Combine all ingredient6s and pour into a 9×13 inch greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 375. Remove the foil and bake 30 min longer uncovered to give the casserole a crusty topping.

Makes 8 servings