Pulled Sweet Pork

1 boneless pork roast
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Pepsi
1 cup salsa
1 cup roast juices

Cook roast in crock pot. Drain and save juice. Shred meat and put back in crock pot. Mix the other ingredients (amounts can be adjusted to the amount of meat you have) and add to the shredded roast. Reheat mixture and serve on buns, tortillas, nachos, or with anything that sounds good.

One Dish Chicken Bake

1 pkg stove top stuffing mix
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream or milk

Stir stuffing, 1 1/2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup butter (cut up) just until moistened. Set aside.
Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish.
Mix soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Top with stuffing.
Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Creamy Broccoli Chicken

1 can cream of broccoli soup
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 bag frozen broccoli
salt/pepper to taste

Place chicken in crock pot. Cover with frozen broccoli, soup, milk, season with salt and pepper. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Stuffing

4 chicken breast
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
2-3 cups stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted butter
salt/pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pour chicken broth over chicken. Put Swiss cheese on chicken. Combine both soups and milk. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over all. Drizzle melted butter on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shepherd's Pie

6 servings prepared instant potatoes
1 med onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cup cooked green beans
1 egg beaten
cheese

Brown beef and onion. Season. Drain off fat and put in casserole dish. Pour soup over hamburger, top with green beans and mound potatoes on top. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Add grated cheese for last 10 minutes.

Oven Fried Pork Chops

4 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick
2 Tbls melted butter
1 beaten egg
2 Tbls milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup stuffing mix, crushed

Trim fat from meat. Pour butter into 9x13 pan. Combine egg, milk, pepper. Dip chops in egg then coat in stuffing. Place in pan. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Turn chops. Bake 10 more minutes or until chops are done.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

CAKE:
1 (18 1/4-oz) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 Tbls butter, melted

FILLING:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 Tbls butter, melted
1 (16-oz) box powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations:
For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-oz can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Paula Deen's Hot Crab Dip

1 lb lump crab meat, picked free of any shells
1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onions, minced
5-6 roasted garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbls fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp hot pepper sauce or Tabasco
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients into a casserole and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot with cracker or toast points.

Paula Deen's Hot Cranberry Cider

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks (plus additional sticks to use as stirrers)
1 Tbls of whole cloves
8 cups cranberry juice
6 cups apple juice

Put the juices in the bottom of the percolator. Let the mixture perk as if making coffee. Serve with cinnamon sticks, if desired.

Caramels

2 cups butter
4 cups sugar
2 cups Karo
2 cans evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil butter, sugar and Karo at med-high heat. Turn heat to medium and slowly add evaporated milk. (About 1/2 can every 3 minutes.) Don't stop stirring. Cook until 232 degrees. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and pour into buttered cake pan.

Orange Pineapple Cake

CAKE:
whip 2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges-undrained
yellow cake mix

Mix together. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes in 8" cake pans.

TOPPING:
1 medium can crushed pineapple
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
12 oz Cool Whip

Stir pudding into pineapple. Whip into Cool Whip.

Cola Roast

3 lb roast ( or brisket)
20 oz. Coca Cola or Pepsi (cannot be diet)
1 packet of onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer in a crock pot for about 8 hours ( if roast is thawed out) and the meat will just fall apart. It is best to use the smallest crock pot possible so the meat is REALLY covered by the coke. YUMMY!

Baked Pears with Rum and Cream

So good!
4 firm ripe pears (peeled, halved and cored)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 cup whipping cream
vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange pears, cut side down, in a baking dish.

2. In small saucepan melt butter and stir in brown sugar and rum. Pour over pears, moving pears around to coat. Bake 40 minutes, basting frequently.

3. Remove from oven and pour cream over pears. Continue baking 15-20 minutes. Place in individual serving bowls and spoon hot sauce over pears. May be served with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Straw and Hay Pasta with Peas and Prosciutto

This is really good with the Filet Mignon with Blackberry Sauce.

1 Tbls kosher salt
1 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely minced onion
4 oz thinly sliced Prosciutto, cut into strips
1 cup heavy cream
salt and black pepper
pinch of red pepper (optional)
1 cup shelled peas
6 oz egg fettuccine
6 oz spinach fettuccine
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Fill a large pot with water and add the salt. Place the pot over hight heat and bring the water to a rapid boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the butter. When the butter has melted add the onion and saute, stirring continuously until it turns translucent but has not yet begun to brown (about 1 minute). Scatter in the prosciutto strips and cook 1 more minute, stirring continuously to keep the strips separate. Add the cream and simmer.
3. Continue simmering, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the sauce is just thick enough to lightly coat the back of the spoon (1-2 minutes). Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with a little salt and pepper if necessary. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Stir in the peas, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside.
4. Add the fettuccine to the boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente (tender but still slightly chewy). Return the sauce to medium heat. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the sauce. Toss well to coat the pasta thoroughly.
5. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with parmesan cheese and a generous grinding of black pepper.

Filet Mignon with Blackberries

I made this in a cooking class at ISU this week. It is some of the best steak I have ever had!

4-6 filet mignon steaks
salt and black pepper
2 Tbls olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
3 Tbls blackberry preserves
2 Tbls unsalted butter
fresh blackberries for garnish

1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Sear the steaks in the hot oil for 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer steaks to a serving plate, tent with foil and let rest.

2. Using the same skillet, saute the shallots for 1 minute. Add the red wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let wine boil until reduced by half. Add broth and blackberry preserves; return to boil and reduce by half. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the butter. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

3. To serve, drizzle the sauce over the steaks and scatter a few blackberries on the plate.