Southwest Stuffed Avocado

Ingredients
4 avocados, halved and pitted
3 (4.5 oz) cans tuna, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 tablespoon of Cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper
1. Scoop out some of the avocado from the pitted area to widen the "bowl" area. Place the scooped avocado into a medium-size mixing bowl. Mash it with a fork.
2. Add the tuna, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro to the mixing bowl. Pour lime juice over. Stir it all together until everything is well mixed.
3. Scoop the tuna into the avocado bowls. Season with salt and pepper.

The Best Green Bean Casserole

A healthier version of this classic  casserole and it tastes better, no more can beans and soup!

Ingredients:

2 -  pounds of fresh   French style  Green beans  from the produce  section

3 - cups Homemade Cream of Mushroom  soup. * recipe below

2.8 - ounces of French`s Fried Onions

pepper to taste


Directions:

* Cream of  Mushroom soup 


Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of finely minced onion
• 1/4 cup of finely minced celery
• 12 ounces of  fresh button  mushrooms cleaned and  chopped
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half

Directions :

Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion and celery over medium heat until tender but not browned. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and salt; cook and stir about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Increase heat to medium high and slowly add the broth a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Slowly stir in half and half. And set  aside

Next...Steam the green beans till  slightly tender, don`t over cook and drain.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

In a  large bowl measure out 3 cups of soup and place in the  bowl, add pepper and the  beans  and mix. Place in a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with  the fried onions and bake  for 30 min. or until  bubbly.   

* Extra soup can  be frozen, after it is frozen and you want to use use, thaw it at room temperature, then place in a  sauce  pan on low- med heat and stir often.

My favorite Christmas Cookie recipes

 

M&M  COOKIES  

1 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 c. butter, softened*

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 c. whole M&M'S  plain candies

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat sugars and butter in large bowl on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and eggs; beat in flour, salt and baking soda on low speed. Stir in candies. Drop dough by teaspoon about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with fork.

Bake until edges are light brown, 8 to 11 minutes. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

Cookies made with butter will flatten more and tend to be somewhat darker along the edges, but are more flavorful. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snowball cookies 

makes 36 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup Butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

 Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. raise the oven rack

Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar in bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 18-25 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iced Ginger cookies

2 cups of sugar

1-½ cups of coconut oil or softened butter

2 eggs

½ cup of molasses

31/2 cups of self rising flour

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Extra sugar

White chocolate Bark

In a bowl, combine sugar and oil, mix well and add the eggs. Stir in the molasses, combine all the dry ingredients and add in slowly until mixed well.  Roll into ¾ inch balls, roll in sugar and place on  a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes until just light golden on the bottom. Let cool  and place on wax paper and drizzle with melted white chocolate Bark.  I usually melt about 2 squares at time in the microwave  30  sec. a time  in a glass measuring cup till  melted.

Classic Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Makes 8 quarts.

This amazing yummy soup recipe was given to me years ago from a sweet lady in Kentucky!

Ingredients:
1 -  pound ground beef
1 - large yellow  onion  diced
1/2 -  head of  cabbage roughly chopped
2 - 28 oz. cans of diced potatoes drained
2 -  15 oz. cans sweet corn drained
2 - 14.5 oz. cans cut green beans drained
2 - 12 oz. bags  frozen peas and carrots
1 - 64 fl. oz. tomato juice
64 fl. oz. water
1/3 -  cup chopped  parsley
olive  Oil
salt and  pepper to taste

Directions:

In a 10 qt. stock  pot, over med. heat,  drizzle a teaspoon  of olive  oil in the pan and add the ground beef  crumbled up, when the meat is about halfway cooked, turn  the heat up a little and add the diced onion. Stirring  often till the meat is browned and the onions are soft. While this  is cooking be  opening the can  vegetables and drain off the water. 

Next add all of the canned vegetables and the frozen ones, all of the tomato juice, parsley, salt and pepper and start stirring and turn the heat up to high.  When mixed add the water, I  use the empty tomato juice can or bottle to fill up with water, then  add the cabbage and stir, Once this comes to a boil, turn  down to simmer  put a lid on cook for about  2 hours. After 2 hours do a taste to see if  it needs more salt and pepper, Cook longer if needed, when the cabbage in the soup is soft it is done.  Vegetable  soup is  always better the next day!

To Freeze:
When soup is completely cold, ladle it into freezer containers and it is  ready for the freezer. When your  ready to eat it, just  thaw  it out and dump into a  sauce pan and heat slowly on med./low  heat and serve.

Amish Apple Butter

I have  been making this little  recipe for years. Its very simple! It is a canning recipe.

You can also make applesauce with this recipe also by leaving out the allspice and cloves. I  dont  put  my apples through a sieve, I like my applesauce chunky.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda
1 box med pasta shells cooked and drained
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper   to taste                                                                  
BESCIAMELLA SAUCE:
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you loose the floury taste.
Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes until thick and will coat the back of spoon. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then add in your cheeses and stir until melted into the sauce. Stir in your cooked pasta and dumped into lightly greased baking dish 9x13 bake at 350 until bubbly and lightly brown around the edges.

Philly BBQ Brisket on Texas Toast Sandwich

Makes 4  sandwiches


Ingredients :
2 -  cups chopped cooked BBQ  Brisket  * See notes  below for Brisket recipe
8 -  slices of Texas toast
4  -  sliced Provolone cheese
1 - med. yellow  onion thinly sliced
1 -  green pepper thinly sliced
olive oil
butter

Directions:

  Preheat oven to 350*

In a med. skillet put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, sliced onion and sliced pepper  in and  sautee` till soft and remove from heat.

Butter the Texas  toast and place  the 8 slices on a baking sheet, put in oven till  golden on the bottom and take out of the  oven and flip them over , leave  them on the baking sheet,  put 1/2 cup of Brisket of 4 slices and  put the onion  and pepper mixture and  a dab of  butter on the other 4 slices and  place back in the oven for about 10 min. remove from oven, then put the Provolone cheese on the pepper and onions and Brisket  and put back in the  oven till cheese is slightly melted, Remove  from the oven put the top on the  sandwich and serve.

* Notes
http://homecookinrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/06/honey-barbecue-brisket.html