Monday, March 30, 2009

Whatchagottado

Dinner tonight? For the family: chicken nuggets, cooked carrots, and dirty rice. For Mom: baked potato with cheese, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, chow mein, and Ranch...with a Dr. Pepper too! A reward for completing Day 1 of 3 Day Potty Training!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Grasshopper Torte

Beautiful and delicious!

Grasshopper Torte

15 Oreos, plus some for garnish (can use low fat!)
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 jar marshmallow creme
1 Tablespoon milk
3 cups softened vanilla non-fat yogurt
8 ounces light cool whip, thawed
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 drops of green food coloring

Chop 15 Oreos finely, add butter.
Press crumb mixture into bottom of a spring form pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Combine marshmallow creme and milk. Add frozen yogurt. Fold in cool whip, extract, and food coloring.
Pour over crust. Cover and freeze 8 hours.
Before serving, garnish with chopped Oreos.

This makes a beautiful green dessert. For Christmas, use red food coloring and garnish with chopped candy canes.

Lasagna

This is also from Mama Loyd. I live by this recipe. Yes, Stouffer's lasagna is great...but it's hard to beat homemade lasagna! It is easy to divide the recipe into two, leaving one to freeze for later! I kept many of these in the freezer for when both Eli and Abi were born.

Lasagna

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sausage (deer sausage is great too)
32 ounce thick spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup water (less for a thicker sauce)
15 ounce Ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese, reserve 1 cup to top lasagna
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounce oven ready lasagna
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Brown beef and sausage, drain.
Add spaghetti sauce and water, simmer about 10 minutes.
In mixing bowl, beat eggs and rest of ingredients, except lasagna.
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass dish.
Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in dish. Layer 3 or 4 pieces of lasagna. Noodles will expand to fill empty spaces.
Cover with 1 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce. Spread half of cheese filling over sauce.
Layer again: lasagna, sauce, and cheese mixture. Top with lasagna, sauce, and remaining cheese.
Cover with foil. Cook for 55 to 60 minutes.

Mama Loyd's Salad (Olive Garden Salad)

Mama Loyd is the dear mother of my dear friend Tara Loyd Kear. Tara made this salad and lasagna for one of our suite get-togethers. Love ya Tara!

Mama Loyd's Salad

Salad:
Leaf lettuce
1 red onion, cut into thin rings
Green and black olives
Parmesan cheese
Croutons

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 package zesty Italian dressing mix

Combine and add to salad.

Spicy Crackers

This has been a big hit to take to get-togethers. You can make them as hot or mild as you like.

Spicy Crackers

1 box saltine crackers
1 package Ranch mix
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 to 4 Tablespoons red pepper flakes

Line crackers in a plastic container.
Mix all other ingredients and pour over crackers.
Turn every 15 minutes until mixture is absorbed.

***Using oyster crackers:
2 packages oyster crackers
2 packages Ranch mix
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups canola oil
1 3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 to 6 Tablespoons red pepper flakes

Follow directions above.

Mexican Cornbread

This is a family staple!

Mexican Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal (regular)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 can cream style corn
1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound ground beef (I usually double this)
1 large onion, chopped
jalapenos (or green chilis)

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a large iron skillet with a little oil and place in oven to heat.
Brown beef and onion. Drain.
Mix cornmeal, milk, salt, oil, soda, corn, and eggs.
Pour half of batter in skillet.
Add meat, onion, peppers, and cheese.
Top with rest of cornmeal mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes or until brown.

Pesto

I have wanted to make homemade pesto for a long time now, and I'm not going to lie. This recipe is A-MAZING! It will not disappoint! I got the recipe from Chef Curtis Stone.

Pesto
1 1/2 bunches fresh basil leaves
4 oz toasted pine nuts (I didn't toast mine)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Grind the basil, nuts, and cheese with morter and pestil, or food processor, until smooth paste forms.
Slowly add olive oil. Continue to blend until incorporated.

With pasta
Add to any type of pasta. Note: if the pasta is hot, it will melt the parmesan cheese in the pesto. Add fresh tomatoes for a great burst of flavor and color.

With tilapia
Season 4 filets with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heate a large saute pan over med-high heat. Add 1 T olive oil and cook fish 1 to 2 minutes on flesh side. Flip over and spoon the pesto generously over the filets.
Transfer the pan to the broiler. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Remove fish and allow to rest on a plate before serving.

With chicken
Dredge chicken breasts in an egg and water wash. Coat with panko bread crumbs. Cook in skillet over medium-high heat. Dice and add on top of pesto pasta.

***You can also use the pesto for brushetta.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Beefy Pizza Casserole

Yeah for the first recipe! I made this tonight with my sous chef, Eli. It was a hit!

















Beefy Pizza Casserole
Makes 8 servings


2 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (13.8 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Cook first 3 ingredients and 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning in a large skillet over med-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to skillet.
Add 1/4 cup flour, stirring until blended. Stir in pasta sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups cheese.
Unroll pizza crust, and place on top of cheese. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.


My way:
I didn't have a refrigerated pizza crust, so I made my own with Bisquick. The recipe is 1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick and 1/3 cup very hot water. Mix well, roll to size.

Welcome!

Welcome to Miss Kitty Cooks! This blog is in honor of Miss Kitty and Mr. EP McDaniel. My grandparents. In our family, Grannie was famous for making delicious family sized meals. Legend has it that when they were first married and had their first guests over to eat, there were no leftovers. My PaPaw told my Grannie to always be sure there was enough food - you never knew how much your guests would really want to eat! So, there have been leftovers at our home ever since! One of my most treasured momentos from PaPaw is a Seasoned with Love cookbook from the Tangipahoa Baptist Church Women on Mission. Although I don't think I've used a recipe in it, it's the inscription that is so valuable:
"Christmas 1997
To Kitty Marie -
My prayer is that you grow to be a happy Christian lady - as you cook for your children - you will remember your Paw Paw that loves you so much.
Love,
Paw Paw"
This is the purpose of this blog. To share recipes that I enjoy cooking for my children, family, and friends. I often make alterations to recipes and welcome your suggestions as well!
Happy cooking!