Real Southern Banana Pudding

This is a traditional Southern dessert.  When we first moved to North Carolina and someone asked if we liked banana pudding, I said "No!" because I thought they meant banana-flavored pudding, which is disgusting.  Real banana pudding is basically a trifle and uses actual bananas and vanilla-flavored pudding.  I make this to take to potlucks a lot, or to send to work with Cowboy when they have some shindig or other.  I got this basic recipe from the Salem Hospitality Cookbook, though I've tweaked it a bit.

Real Southern Banana Pudding

2 (3oz) pkgs cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
8 oz sour cream (lite is fine)
9 oz Cool Whip (lite is fine)
1 box vanilla wafers
6-8 bananas – slice them as you go

Mix dry vanilla pudding mix, sour cream, and Cool Whip with a spoon or spatula. Line bottom of a large serving bowl or trifle dish with vanilla wafers. Add a layer of pudding mix, top with slices of bananas. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of pudding mix.

Baked Cabbage

An easy side that is super tasty without being super complicated.

Baked Cabbage

1 medium Cabbage - chopped
1/3 cup Butter - melted
1/4 cup Onion - chopped
1/2 tsp. Garlic salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Mix cabbage and onions in a 2 quart casserole. Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with spices. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Artichoke Chicken Saute

When I was little, I loved rereading favorite stories in my Highlights magazines.  One of them was about a little girl named Darcy who went to a dinner with her parents where the hosts served artichokes.  She had never had them and didn't know how to eat them.  I thought they sounded and looked delicious, but it wasn't until I was grown and married that I actually got to eat them.  These are canned, not fresh like in that story, but still tasty!

Artichoke Chicken Saute

1 small Onion – sliced
1 medium Red pepper – julienned
2 tbsp. Butter
2 cups Chicken pieces
1 can Artichoke hearts – drained and quartered
8 oz. Sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2  cup White wine
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 tbsp. Cornstarch
1 cup Whipping cream – divided
4 cups Egg noodles – cooked according to package

In a large skillet, sauté onions and red pepper in butter for 3 minutes. Add chicken pieces, artichokes, mushrooms, wine, Italian seasoning, bouillon granules, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup whipping cream; stir into skillet. Add remaining cream. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Serve over noodles.

Chipotle Deviled Eggs

The great thing about these is you can make them a little spicier or less spicy, depending on how much chipotle powder you sprinkle on.  Great for families like ours, where we grownups like stuff with a little kick, but our kids don't like anything spicier than mustard.

Chipotle Deviled Eggs

8 Hardboiled eggs – halved lengthwise
1/3 cup Mayo
2 tsp. Capers
2 tsp. Brown mustard
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
Chipotle powder
Parsley

Pop yolks out of eggs. Place in a resealable bag and add mayo, capers, mustard, salt, and pepper. Seal bag and mash and mix yolks. Snip off a corner of the bag and pipe into egg whites. Sprinkle with parsley and chipotle powder to taste.

Moroccan Lifdowish

This looks rather odd on paper, but it's amazingly tasty in a sweet, simple way.  Every time we make it, I say a line from the movie Sabrina (1995):  "It was Moroccan.  On the floor, with lots of cinnamon."

Moroccan Lifdowish

7 cups Water
6 tbsp. Butter
1/2 cup Onion – chopped
3 tsp.Dried parsley
1/2  tsp. Pepper
1 1/2  tsp. Salt
1 lb. Fine spaghetti
1 cup Honey
1 tbsp. Cinnamon

Bring first six ingredients to boil in a large pot. Add spaghetti and cook until tender. Drain. Pour spaghetti onto a platter. Drizzle with honey and dust with cinnamon. Serve.

Armenian Eggplant Casserole

This recipe says "casserole," but it's more like a cooked salad.  It's fantastic both hot and cold, and I love to make it the day before a picnic and then take it along cold.  Unusual and addictive -- a big favorite here.  I've taken it to several potlucks too, and had it be a big hit there.  You can eat it with rye bread as your main dish (the rye is awesome for sopping up the juices, you see), or let it be a side dish.

Armenian Eggplant Casserole

1 large Eggplant – diced
4 medium Tomatoes – diced
1 medium Onion – sliced
1 Green pepper – diced
½ tsp. Pepper
1 ½ tsp. Salt
¼ cup Oil
1 clove Garlic – minced
½ tsp. Basil
Rye bread (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions, green pepper, garlic and eggplant. Stir over medium heat until eggplant is soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Season with basil. Put in a 3-quart casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with rye bread either hot or cold.

Apricot Beef Stir Fry

The apricots punch this up from your run-of-the-mill stir fry into something interesting.

Apricot Beef Stir Fry

1 can Apricot halves – halved
2 tbsp. Corn starch
3/4 cup Beef broth
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 lb. Steak – stir fry cut
1 tbsp. Oil
1 bunch Broccoli – cut into florets
1 small Onion – stir fry cut
2 Roma tomatoes – chunked
 Egg noodles – cooked according to package

 Drain apricots and reserve 1/4 cup juice. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, juice, broth, and soy sauce; set aside. In a large skillet, stir fry beef in oil until done. Add broccoli and onion, cover and cook 2 min. Add sauce, bring to boil, and stir 2 minutes. Add apricots and tomatoes and heat through.

Apple Turkey Curry

Another recipe from Cowboy's childhood.  It's a great way to use up leftover turkey or chicken pieces.  And you can use white rice instead, if you'd rather, but then don't start cooking it so early.  Brown rice takes a really long time to cook, but white rice is more like 15 minutes.

Apple Turkey Curry

1/3 cup Oil
1/2 cup Onion – chopped
4 medium Apples – chopped
2 cups Turkey (or chicken) pieces
4 tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Curry
1 cup Milk
1 cup Chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Brown rice

Start cooking brown rice according to package before doing prep work. Sauté onion and apple in the oil for 5 minutes. Add turkey and heat through. Remove from heat. Add flour, salt, milk, broth, and curry. Stir. Cook until thickened. Set turkey mixture over a pan of hot water, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Asparagus, Bacon, and Cream Cheese Pizza

We had this for the first time about a week ago, and oh my goodness!  So savory and tasty!

Asparagus, Bacon, and Cream Cheese Pizza

1 Pizza crust
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 1/2 cups Shredded mozzarella
1/2 bunch Asparagus - trimmed and cut 1" long
4 strips Bacon - cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup Chive and onion cream cheese
1/4 tsp. Crushed red peppers

 Brush pizza crust with olive oil. Top with mozzarella, asparagus, and bacon. Drop teaspoonfulls of cream cheese over pizza. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until done.

Green Enchiladas

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes.  I love moist, nearly soggy tortillas, I love cheese, I love sour cream -- yum yum!  Cowboy doesn't really care for these, but he very sweetly keeps the recipe around so we can have them once every year or two, usually on or around my birthday.  

Green Enchiladas

1 cup Sour Cream
1 jar Green salsa
6 medium Tortillas
2 cups Chicken pieces
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack

Whisk sour cream into salsa in a large bowl. Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. Place 1/3 cup chicken into each tortilla; roll up. Place seam-side down in a 2-quart casserole. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Cranberry Lime Punch

This is great for Christmas parties!  I don't know if you could replace the white wine with a sparkling white grape juice for a non-alcoholic version, but you could try.

Cranberry Lime Punch

1 cup Fresh cranberries – rinsed
2 cups Water
1 bottle White wine
1 can Limeade concentrate
1 Apple – diced
1 Orange – peeled and diced
1 Lime – peeled and diced
2 liters Lemon-lime soda

Refill
1 bottle White wine
1 can Limeade concentrate
2 liters Lemon –lime soda

 Cook cranberries in water until berries pop. Drain water. Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl and stir to combine. To refill punch bowl, add refill ingredients only.

Hot and Spicy Chex Mix

This definitely has a kick to it!  Not little-kid-friendly.  So if you have little kids who routinely gobble all your Chex Mix before you can eat it, this is a good way to stop that from happening.

Hot and Spicy Chex Mix

3 cups Corn chex
3 cups Rice chex
2 cups Wheat chex
1 cup Pretzels
1 cup Mixed Nuts
1 cup Cheese crackers
6 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Tabasco
1 tsp. Seasonall
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Mix first six ingredients in a microwavable bowl. Melt butter and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over chex mix and toss to coat. Microwave two minutes, stir, two more minutes, stir, and one final minute.

Apple and Cheese Quesadillas

These are so quick and tasty!  I made them when we had a bunch of friends over one day last year, and all the kids kept asking for more and more. 

Apple and Cheese Quesadillas

5 large Tortillas
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
3 cups Apples – sliced thin
3 1/2 cups Shredded cheddar
Non-stick cooking spray

In a large bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. Spray large skillet with cooking spray, cook apples on medium until tender. Add apples to bowl and mix until coated. Clean skillet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place 1 tortillas in skillet and top with cheese to within 1/2" of edge. Top with 1/5 of apple mix. Heat for 2 minutes on medium. Carefully fold tortilla in half and remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining tortillas, spraying skillet between tortillas.

Apricot Almond Sandwiches

These are ridiculously good.  Especially on fresh bread.  You can use fresh apricots instead if they're in season, but they need to be very, very ripe so they're soft enough to mash up nicely.

Apricot Almond Sandwiches

1 (15 oz.) can Apricots – drained

1/4 cup Almonds – chopped

Bread

Mash apricots with a fork or in a blender.  Stir in almonds.  Spread on bread.  Devour.

Apple-Spice Cake

I got this recipe from a book called something like 101 Things To Do With a Cake Mix.  I've only made this once, but it was yummy!

Apple-Spice Cake

1 spice cake mix
3 small apples—peeled, sliced, cored, and cut into small pieces
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix batter according to the package directions. Stir apple pieces into batter, then pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake 28-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and lemon juice. Take cake from oven and spread sour cream mixutre over top of cake. Return to oven; bake 8-10 minutes longer, or until done. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cajun Deviled Eggs

We took these to the Easter breakfast at church yesterday.  They have a nice little kick to them, but aren't too spicy.

Cajun Deviled Eggs

6 Hardboiled eggs
3 Tbsp. Mayo
1 tsp. Mustard
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning -- plus a little more to taste

Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Pop yolks out and place in a Ziplock sandwich bag. Add remaining ingredients to bag. Seal bag and mix yolks into a paste. Snip off a corner of the bag and pipe yolk mix into egg whites.  Sprinkle more Cajun seasoning on top if desired.

Aloha Burgers

Oh my goodness, are these ever tasty!  We love to make these when we have company over for lunch -- they look impressive and are such a unique combination of flavors.

Aloha Burgers

4 slices canned pineapple – reserve juice
3/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 lb. Ground beef
1 medium Onion – sliced in rings
4 large Hamburger buns
8 slices Block swiss cheese
4 slices Bacon – fried

Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl. Add teriyaki sauce. Place 1/4 cup sauce in a plastic, sealable container with pineapple slices. Turn to coat and set aside. Shape beef into 4 patties, place in skillet and pour remaining teriyaki mix over patties. Marinate 10 minutes, turning once. Fry hamburgers in sauce until no longer pink and remove from skillet. Fry onion in same pan – when almost done add pineapple and heat through. At this point, toast the tops of the buns and layer cheese over the bottoms and nuke for 30 seconds until warm and slightly melted. Top with burgers, pineapple, bacon, and onions.

Almost Meat Loaf

Cowboy thinks meat loaf is boring.  I love it.  We compromise by him finding unusual meat loaf recipes.  This one happens to be meatless -- but it's quite tasty!

Almost Meat Loaf

16 oz. Small Curd Cottage Cheese
4 Eggs - beaten
1/4 cup Oil
1 envelope Onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1 cup Walnuts - chopped
2 cups Corn flakes

 Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Three Rice Recipes

We like our rice kind of clumpy, not loose and dry. But not sticky like at an Oriental restaurant either.  Here are all three of our rice recipes -- mostly we make the combo of white rice and barley, as barley has 5 times as much fiber and some additional nutrients.

Hot Buttered White Rice and Barley

3/4 cup medium white rice (not long grain)
1/4 cup barley
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 1/3 cups water

Put all ingredients in a pot over high heat.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and holes appear between the grains of rice.


Hot Buttered White Rice

1 cup medium white rice (not long grain)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 cups water

Put all ingredients in a pot over high heat.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and holes appear between the grains of rice.


Hot Buttered Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 1/3 cups water

Put all ingredients in a pot over high heat.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and holes appear between the grains of rice.

Dutch Almond Bars

My Dutch grandma made these all the time -- one of my fondest memories of staying with her and Grandpa every summer is snack time, when Grandma would pull the Tupperware container of these bars out of its storage place in the oven and share them out among all involved.  Yeah, she stored cookies and bars in her oven, so you had to be sure you took stuff out of it before you preheated it when you were ready to bake.  Limited counter space in their little kitchen, you see.

Anyway, I just made these tonight, and am taking them to the Easter breakfast at church tomorrow :-)

Dutch Almond Bars

Crust:

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar

Mix this together with a hand mixer or pastry mixer until crumbly.  Pat in the bottom of a 9"x13" pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Filling:

6 eggs -- beaten
2 cups sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
2 Tbsp. almond flavoring

Mix this together and spread over baked crust.  Return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and not gloppy in the middle.  Do not overbake.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Asparagus Wraps

Another of my favorite recipes!  If you don't have a microwave steamer, please get one -- they're soooooooo handy!  But you can use a stovetop steamer basket if that's what you have.

Asparagus Wraps

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour cream
1/4 cup Green Onions – chopped fine
1/2 tsp. Basil
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1/2  tsp. Salt
1 bunch Asparagus – ends snapped off
1 package 8" Tortillas
2 cups Chicken pieces
1 pint Grape tomatoes – cut in half

Steam asparagus in the microwave (or on the stove) for 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water until cool. Meanwhile, combine mayo, sour cream, green onions, basil, lemon juice, and salt. Spread sauce on tortillas and fill with remaining ingredients.

Backyard Red Potatoes

Okay, so grilling season isn't quite here.  But it won't be long!  So I'm posting this anyway.  And yeah, I have a deep dislike for potatoes, but these are really tasty.  Even I eat them without fussing!

Backyard Red Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs. Red potatoes - halved lengthwise
1 medium Onion - sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 cup Olive oil - divided
1 tsp. Salt - divided
1 tsp. Pepper - divided
3 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. Lemon juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Sugar
2 cloves Garlic - minced
1/4 tsp. Tarragon (originally 4 tsp.)

Cook potatoes in boiling water for ten minutes. Drain and cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange cut-side down on grill. Grill until lightly browned and tender. Chop onions. Return onions and potatoes to bowl. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes mix and toss to coat.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

This has a lot of ingredients, but that's because it's trying to be kinda healthy, what with the whole wheat flour and the wheat germ and stuff.  If you don't want to buy buttermilk, use the old trick of pouring a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup measure and then filling the rest of the cup measure up with milk, then letting it sit for just a couple minutes so it will sour.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

3/4 cup Flour
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Oat bran
1/4 cup Quick oats
1/4 cup Wheat germ
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup Blueberries
1 Banana
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla

 In a large bowl, combine first nine ingredients. Gently stir in blueberries. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Spoon into 12 muffin cups (muffins cup will be full). Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Asparagus and Chickpea Spaghetti

Yeah, we love asparagus.  I'm trying to post all our asparagus recipes yet this spring so you can use some of these while it's still in season.

Asparagus and Chickpea Spaghetti

1 lb. Spaghetti - cooked according to package
1 medium Onion - thinly sliced
1 bunch Asparagus - bias cut 1" long
4 oz. jar Sun dried tomatoes in oil - reserve oil
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
3 cloves Garlic - minced
1 can Chickpeas - drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tbsp. Basil
4 oz. Crumbled Feta

Toss onion and asparagus with 2 tbsp. oil from the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once. Place remaining oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic in oil for 30 seconds. Add all but feta and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Toss with spaghetti and top with feta.

Almond Beef Stir Fry

This is quick and tasty, great for when you don't have a lot of time or energy but want a nice mix of meat and veggies.

Almond Beef Stir Fry

1 cup Rice – cooked according to package
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 lb. Steak – stir fry cut
1 lb. San Francisco style vegetables -- thawed, if frozen
3 Tbsp. Soy sauce
1/2 cup Slivered almonds - toasted
1 Tbsp. Honey
Salt
Pepper

Heat oil in skillet. Add steak and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir fry over medium high. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve over rice.

Asparagus Berry Salad

This is one of our absolute favorite recipes.  Our family of 5 will eat the whole thing for a meal, no problem.  And our kids are only 2, 4, and 6!  We eat it several times every spring.  This is one of the tastiest salads I have ever had, and I love serving it to guests.  In fact, I was thinking we'd have it with our Easter meal this year.

Asparagus Berry Salad

1 lb. Asparagus - trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
3 tbsp. Olive oil - divided
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 bag Salad greens
1 lb. Strawberries - trimmed and quartered
1/4 small Onion - sliced thin
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts - toasted
2 tbsp. Sherry
2 tsp. Sugar

In a seal-able container, toss the asparagus with 1 tbsp. oil. Spread on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, mix greens, strawberries, onions, walnuts, and asparagus. In a small bowl, whisk sherry, sugar, and remaining oil. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.

Buffalo Chex Mix

Cowboy loves Chex mixes.  He experiments with them quite a bit. This one is supposed to mimic the taste of buffalo wings.

Buffalo Chex Mix

8 cups Mixed Chex cereals
2 cups Parmesan Cheez-Its
2 cups Pretzels
2 cups Unsalted peanuts
6 tbsp. Butter - melted
3 tbsp. Tabasco
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
2 tsp. Celery salt

Mix cereals, pretzels, and crackers in a large microwavable bowl. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over Chex mix. Stir. Microwave 2 minutes, stir, 2 more minutes, stir, one final minute, stir and allow to cool.

Apple Green Bean Saute

This is colorful and fun -- a big hit with kids who like green beans, but not so much with those who don't.

Apple Green Bean Saute

1 lb. Fresh green beans - trimmed and sliced bite-sized
1 large Apple - chopped
1 tbsp. Oil
1/2 cup Walnuts
1/2 cup Honey
2 tbsp. Sesame seeds - toasted

Saute green beans and apples in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in walnuts and honey and stir to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Banana Latte Smoothie

This is a bigger hit with grownups than kids because of the coffee flavor.  You could leave the coffee out and just have a banana smoothie with lots of protein.

Banana Latte Smoothie

1 cup Vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt)
1 cup Vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup Soft tofu
1 1/2 tsp. Instant coffee granules
2 Bananas

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Apple Pie Aunt Bea

I got this from an Andy Griffith Show recipe book years and years ago, hence the title.  You could totally use a premade pie crust for this if you want to save some time and effort.  It seems to make enough crusts for 2 pies, but I don't remember if it makes enough filling for 2 or not.  I do remember making 2 of these at a time, so I'm guessing it does.

Apple Pie Aunt Bea

Crust: 

1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup shortening
8 tsps water

In a mixing bowl, combine the salt and flour, and cut in the shortening. Add the water and mix well with the flour. Divide into parts (makes 2 double or 4 single crusts).

Filling: 

4 or 5 medium apples -- peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
cinnamon
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup butter
evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out 1 pie crust thin enough to fit in a 9-inch pie pan. Put apple slices in the pie shell allowing the apples to go past the rim. Sprinkle cinnamon liberally on top. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the flour and sprinkle on top of the apples. Melt the butter and pour on top of the sugar mixture. Roll out the top crust and cut a few slits in it for steam to escape. Put on the top crust. Crimp and flute the edges. Brush the top with evaporated milk. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Apple Bacon Cheese Waffles

This is one of Cowboy's favorites from when he was a kid.  You can make it with homemade waffles too, but they're often bigger than the frozen kind, so you'll need to adjust accordingly.

Apple Bacon Cheese Waffles

6 Frozen waffles
6 strips Bacon
1 large Apple – cored and sliced in 6 rings
8 oz. Velveeta – sliced

Fry bacon and toast waffles. Place waffles on a cookie sheet, and layer bacon, cheese, and apples on waffles. Broil waffles until cheese is melted and apples begin to soften.

Alien Heads with Hats (Brussels Sprouts with Orecchiette)

We eat this by itself as a main dish, but it would make a fine side dish beside some kind of tasty meat too.  We got the habit of calling Brussels sprouts "alien heads" back in college, and our kids think Orecchiette looks like little hats.  They fit perfectly on top of the Brussels sprouts, hence the alternative name of this recipe.

Alien Heads with Hats 
(Brussels Sprouts with Orecchiette)

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
5 tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Salt - divided
1 tsp. Pepper – divided
1 lb. Orecchiette – cooked (reserve 1 cup pasta water)
1 bunch Green onions – chopped
3 cloves Garlic – minced
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup White wine
4 oz. Cream cheese
1 tbsp. Parsley
Grated Parmesan

Trim Brussels sprouts and halve. (Quarter large ones and keep small ones whole for a consistent size.) Toss with 3 tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. On a cookie sheet, roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in butter until onions are wilted. Stir in wine and broth and simmer until reduced by half. Add salt, pepper, parsley, reserved pasta water, and cream cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add Brussels sprouts, pasta, and remaining oil. Serve with Parmesan.