Hash Brown Casserole

Hash Brown Casserole

8 eggs
3/4 cup milk (can sub rice milk for DF version)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
few dashes cayenne pepper
24 oz frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded Mexi blend or cheddar cheeese (or leave out for DF version)
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced green pepper
(or any veggie combination you like...mushrooms, zucchini, squash, etc)
1 pound pork and bacon sausage (or any other combination of meat you like, bacon, ham, regular sausage)

Cook meat and veggies til done.  Drain as needed.

 In large bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

 Add potatoes, cheese, meat, and veggies.  Combine.

 Pour into greased 8" x 11" pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 45 minutes or knife inserted  near center comes out clean.

Serve drizzled with ketchup.

Strawberries and Cream Trifle

Strawberries and Cream Trifle

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups milk
2 pkgs sugar-free pudding (cheesecake or white chocolate flavor)
8 oz tub sugar-free whipped topping
Ladyfingers
Fresh sliced strawberries
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add milk and pudding mixes and beat until thickened. 

Fold or mix in whipped topping. 

 These are the ladyfingers my HyVee carried.  They also come more crisp and cookie like (those need a little extra soaking.)

In separate bowl mix milk and vanilla. Dip lady fingers in milk mix and line trifle dish.  Top with almost half of the pudding mixture.

Then 1/2 of the fresh sliced strawberries.

Add more ladyfingers dipped in milk.

A little bit of the pudding just to coat ladyfingers.

 Strawberries...

Rest of the pudding...

Top it with the whipped topping.  You can also put it in a decorator bag to make the top fancier. Cover and put in fridge to set up.  Needs several hours for best results but if you can't wait you could dig in now.  ;-)

**I used a 6x9" baking dish here and only 1/2 of the recipe.

Veggie Pizza Cups

Veggie Pizza Cups

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
salt and pepper to taste
1 can crescent rolls (they make one with no seams but it's not light)
Various veggies and favorite toppings

Roll out crescent roll dough, press seams together if that is the type you purchased. Cut into 24 even squares.  Press lightly onto back of mini muffin tin. Make it look like a checker board leaving blanks in between or they will puff up and stick to each other.

Bake according to directions, maybe a little less. When they are golden brown they are done. Take them off and put them on a cooling rack. 

Mix rest of ingredients together. Taste and add more or less spices as you like it. You could also use some premixed Ranch dressing dry packets. Use disposable decorating bag and star tip and fill each one. Quick and easy!

Have a relish tray full of diced carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, bacon bits, cheese, green onions, whatever veggiess you like for guests to assemble their own. They are easy to pick up and eat and everyone can have the type of veggie pizza they like without having to pick off the stuff they don't!

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

My husband's mom made these for family.  It never took long for them to disappear!

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

2 packages graham crackers, crushed (3 cups)
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter (if you use chunky it takes a little more)
12 ounce bag milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together all but chocolate. 

 Press into bottom of 10x15" jelly roll pan.

 I found my Pampered Chef roller very handy!

 Nice and smooth.

 Place chocolate chips in a double boiler (or use two sauce pans with water in the bottom one and chips in the top) and melt.  This will keep your chocolate from burning.

 Spread onto peanut butter base and place in fridge for chocolate to harden.

 Remove from fridge and cut into pieces. Can be served cold or at  room temp.

Cheeseburger Rice

Cheeseburger Rice

1 pound ground beef
1/2 small onion diced or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2-1/2 cups water**
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Few cracks black pepper
3/4 cup INSTANT brown rice (if you want to use instant white use 1.5 cups each rice and water)
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese

This can be made two ways.  You can start with raw beef cooked with the onion and drained or here I had already precooked hamburger and used onion powder.  Add rest of ingredients except cheese and stir.

Bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes for brown rice.  Watch the water and add any if needed.  Test rice and cook until tender.  If you use white rice bring to boil and cover and let set for 5 minutes until rice is tender.

Turn off heat, sprinkle on cheese

 and place lid on top to melt cheese.

**Amount of water correlates with the directions on your box of rice.  I found out through a friend who made this dish that not all rices are created equal! Her rice required less water than mine and she had to cook it longer to get the liquid out.

Faux Tiramisu

Faux Tiramisu

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups milk
2 pkgs sugar-free instant pudding (cheesecake or white chocolate flavor)
8 oz tub sugar-free whipped topping
1 pkg lady fingers(24 cookies)
2 cups brewed coffee, cooled
2 Tablespoon Kahlua or Kahlua flavored syrup
cocoa powder for dusting



Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add milk and pudding mixes and beat until thickened. Fold or mix in whipped topping. In separate bowl mix coffee and Kahlua. Dip lady fingers in coffee mix and line trifle dish. Top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat with lady fingers and pudding. Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. When ready to serve dust with cocoa powder.

Can also be made into mini size (see video.)

** Can be made with regular instant pudding too.

Fruit Swirl Coffeecake

Fruit Swirl Coffeecake

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 can fruit pie filling, any flavor

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tablespoons milk

Add sugar, butter, shortening, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs to medium bowl.

Mix on low until blended.

Then on high for 3 minutes.

Add flour.

Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the batter into a greased 10x15" cookie sheet that has sides (also known as a jelly roll pan)

Dump on pie filling. My mom always makes cherry but I prefer apple!

Spread as best you can.

Drop remaining batter by tablespoons over top of filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake area comes out clean.  Cake should be golden brown.  Careful not to overcook!

Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  Start off with 1 tablespoon of milk and then add 1/2 tablespoon at a time until it is runny but not too runny. This particular day I only needed 1-1/2 T.

Drizzle over top of coffeecake while cake is still warm.  Cut and serve.  I prefer mine warm but it is definitely still good at room temp!

Strawberry filling is pretty delicious too!