Strawberry Pie

Take a 9in pie crust.  Brown according to directions and cool.
It should look a little something like this..(I did poke it with a fork a little bit).

Cook on stove top until thick:

1 C suar

1C water

3 T corn starch

Remove from heat and add 1 pkg strawberry jello (can be sugar free)

It takes about 10+ minutes if you do it right...don't want to burn it. You will feel like you're just stirring for fun, but I promise it thickens up eventually.

Pour gelatin, and strawberries into pie crust.

I promise I didn't steal this pic from a magazine...it really was made by me in my own kitchen, but dang that's a pretty yummy lookin pie..if I do say so myself :)

Place in frig to cool and set.  

Serve with cool whip (as pictured) and ENJOY!

Tasty Tuesday - Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This is a yummy soup for winter time.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter (I only use half of ONE stick)
• seasoning blend (I used about half the bag)
• 2 cans rotel tomatoes (mild)
• 2 cans cream corn
• 2 cans shoepeg corn
  
• 1 can water (rotel can)
• 2-3 potatoes cubed
  
• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp (add last)

Saute seasoning blend in the butter while potatoes are boiling in water (until soft). Drain water from potatoes. Combine all ingredients. Don't drain. Add shrimp last.

Here is a picture of the seasoning blend. It's found in the freezer section. You can cut up peppers and onions yourself if you want...but this will save you some time.


Just wanted to share my trick...I only had one can of cream corn. I did have a can of regular corn though...so I had to improvise. I threw the can of regular corn in the magic bullet with some half and half and a teenie bit of sugar...this is what I came out with.

Can you tell which one I made and which one came from the can? It tasted fine..just saying..you really can't mess this up :)

And here is what it looks like ready to serve.

We usually serve it with Texas Toast, but you can just eat it alone and it's very filling. It also freezes well. So unless you have a lot of mouths to feed...you're gonna need to freeze some :)

Tasty Tuesday - Baked Tilapia

I tried a new recipe this week..using up some things in our freezer.

Dip the tilapia in a mixture of olive oil with a little lemon juice. Cover the fish with a can of diced tomatoes (seasoned with basil, oregano and onion, drain mostly...I still left a little juice to help season the fish). Chop up some basil and sprinkle over it, then sprinkle the tilapia with parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake on 400 for 15-20 minutes.

It turned out really yummy...definitely worth a try and it used ingredients I already had (except for the fresh basil).

Tasty Tuesday - Peanut Butter Balls

Need a fun recipe for your holiday party...or just any party...goes great for football games too. Ingredients are:

1 C peanut butter
1 C graham cracker crumbs
1 box conf. sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
2 sticks of butter (softened)
chocolate bark

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients, except the chocolate (is so much easier if you have a mixer but it can be done by hand). The consistency will be really thick and look a little something like this...


Take out small amounts and roll into little balls. I put them on wax paper just because it's less messy and they don't stick to anything. Put in the frig and chill for 10-15 minutes.
Tip: I spray my hands with PAM and they roll much better.



Melt the chocolate according to directions on the package and drop the peanut butter balls in. Place them back in frig until ready to serve.


These are really yummy when they are chilled and even better when they come to room temperature and are soft. Make sure you have somebody to help you eat these b/c as you can see from the ingredients...NOT healthy...and VERY addicting. But a couple never hurt anybody :)

Tasty Tuesday - Corn Dip

This is a recipe that I always get requests for during football season and is SO EASY to make.

Ingredients:
two cans of corn (can be any kind, but I use white and gold), drained
1 can rotel (mild or your preference), drained
1 8oz cream cheese (cut into cubes and then place on top of the corn)
Lightly sprinkle with garlic salt

Heat in oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cream cheese is melted. Stir and serve warm with your choice of chips or crackers

Tasty Tuesday - Banana Pudding

One of the staple desserts in the south is definitely Banana Pudding. I wanted to share a recipe that I often get special requests to bring to functions, friends birthday parties, etc... I will give you a tip..in order to make this work out right, you gotta get yourself one of these bad boys (a KitchenAid mixer). My grandmother gave me this, and it makes a serious difference when you're cooking/baking recipes.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding
Paula Deen

1 12oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I have used an 8 oz and it tastes just as good)
1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 5 oz box instant vanilla pudding
2 C milk
6-8 bananas
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies

Line the bottom of a 13x9 dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top ( I usually can't get a whole bag on bottom)

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, (I prefer using the KitchenAid Mixer), combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. I have tried this recipe multiple times without the Mixer and it is very hard to get the cream cheese mixed without lumps by hand. Note: make sure the cream cheese is VERY SOFT or it won't mix well. And as much as I hate to say it...go ahead and use the real stuff, not fat free. It makes a difference in this recipe. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies (I always have a few cookies left over).

Your final project should look a little something like this:

Tip: I have used other fruit besides just bananas in this dish. I have added strawberries and blueberries and it was really yummy.

Tasty Tuesday - Taziki's Salad

This is one of my favorite dishes at a Greek restaurant here in Birmingham. My sweet friend Celeste somehow found the recipe and sent it my way. I've already made it once...there are a good many ingredients, but once you've made it...you can leave the salad dressing mixed up in a container to use later. It's a yummy meal and very filling. This recipe makes a ton so you could probably cut it in half.

Taziki's Salad

3 T fresh thyme, chopped
1 T shallot
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
Juice from one lemon
1 T dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 C blended olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

6 C mixed lettuce
1 1/2 lb penne pasta, cooked
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
6 boneless skinless chicken breast (grilled & cubed)
3 tomatoes seeded & diced
1 handful fresh basil

vinaigrette:
Mix thyme, shallots, balsamic vinegar, lemon, sugar, mustard. Slowly whisk in oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: you can add a couple tsp of mayo and cut olive oil in half (makes it a little creamier and closer to the real taziki's dressing.

Place 1 C mixed lettuce on a plate. Toss cooked pasta and chicken with vinaigrette. Keep warm.
Spoon approximately 2-3 C pasta and chicken onto lettuce; top with diced tomato, feta and basil.

Tasty Tuesday - Meat Pie

I realized after I had posted last week...my Tasty Tuesday was actually on Wednesday...oops. Maybe I get a pass since I have a newborn and my days run together sometimes :)
So here is another recipe to share...

Meat Pie

1 lb ground beef (cook then drain)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 bag shredded cheddar cheese
Pie crust

Combine all together and season with your choice of seasoning. I use a blend of garlic powder, salt and pepper to season the mixture. You can saute some onions and peppers to add into the meat if desired. Line a pie tin/dish with the pie crust. Add the meat mixture. Cover with the other pie crust. I trim the edges of any crust hanging over the edge and you can even cut out a design in the top of the pie. Your final product should look a little something like this:

Tasty Tuesday - Nanny's Chicken

This is a recipe from my friend Debra's Nanny. It's an easy recipe to make.

2 lb cooked chicken, diced
1/4 C melted butter
1 C crumbled ritz crackers (1 sleeve)
1 C sour cream
1 C cream of chicken soup
1/4 C chicken broth

Combine butter/cracker. Spoon 1/2 in 2 qt dish. Top with chicken. Combine sour cream, soup and broth. Pour over chicken. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake 350 x 25 min

Note: I use rotisserie chickens from Walmart and pull the chicken off the bone then chop it up. Makes for good flavor.

Should look a little something like this