Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

This is one of my favorite side dishes.  This recipe yields 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

8 slices bacon      

5  (15-oz.) cans corn kernels, drained      

1 c. milk                              

1 tbsp. sugar                       

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 oz. (8-oz.) block cream cheese, quartered  

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into tablespoons

Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish              

Directions

1. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, 8 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, then crumble. 
2. In a slow cooker, add corn, 3/4 of the cooked bacon, milk, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined, then top with cream cheese and butter.
3. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 6 hours, stirring well after 1 hour.
4. Garnish with remaining 1/4 of cooked bacon and green onions before serving.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Sweet Potato Casserole

Let Harter House Supermarkets help you with everything you need for a wonderful Holiday Meal.

If you have ever been to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, you may have experienced their signature Sweet Potato Casserole. It is awesome. When you want something really special and maybe to impress your guests at Thanksgiving, this is the recipe!

Serves 4

CRUST MIXTURE

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)

1/4 cup melted butter

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 eggs -- well beaten

¼ cup melted butter

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl

in the order listed. Mix thoroughly.

Pour sweet potato mixture into buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

*******************************

Of course, my very good friends Maureen Hays, offered this alternative recipe for a healthier choice!

Sweet Potato Soufflé

5-6 Sweet Potatoes baked & peeled

1 stick butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 Cup shredded Coconut (Raw & unsweetened)

Whip all the ingredients above on high and place in a buttered baking dish.

TOPPING:

2 Tbls Maple Syrup or Molasses

1½ Cup pecans chopped

½ stick of butter

Combine above and pour over top of sweet potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

Tastes like a dessert and a favorite for just anytime.

Sweet and Savory Green Beans

Another GREAT side dish.

You can  make this with fresh green beans also!  

 

INGREDIENTS

30 oz. Green beans, Drained  
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter melted
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBL soy sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Pour drained green beans in a 9 ×13 baking dish.

3. In skillet, fry bacon pieces until just done, but not crispy.

4. Drain grease from bacon and pour pieces over green beans.

5. In medium saucepan, melt butter.

6. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic to melted butter.

7. Pour butter mixture over green beans and bacon.

8. Lightly toss with spoon to coat beans.

9. Bake for 30 minutes, or until beans are bubbly and bacon is crisp.

 

NOTE

Be careful not to cook the bacon until crispy, because it will be too dry after baking in the oven. 

 

Goat Cheese stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon

 

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese 

– a simple 3-ingredient appetizer that will blow you away! 

Enjoy with a crowd of friends!

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon (I find that thin bacon works better)
• 16 dates
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• toothpicks

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove the pit.
3. Using a spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese into the cavity of each date and press the sides together to close.
4. Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
5. Arrange evenly on a baking sheet with raised edges (otherwise grease will get everywhere) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dates and use the toothpick to turn each one so it’s laying on its side. Bake for another 5-8 minutes, until browned to your liking, and turn the dates to the other side and repeat. Remove from the oven, place on a paper towel lined plate, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Take these to the next level by putting a little honey bourbon glaze on top. Just mix about 1/4 cup of honey with 1 tablespoon of bourbon and brush the mixture on the dates when they come right out of the oven. 

For crispier, browned bacon, set the oven temperature at 375. For crispier bacon, bake longer. Usually my bacon pieces wrap around the dates 1.5 times. If it’s wrapping more than twice around the date, trim your bacon slices so they’re a little shorter. If that bacon layer is too thick, it won’t cook. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

From:  Pinchofyum.com

Easy Hummus

I love hummus and recently made this version.  It turned out great. 
I found it on Inspiredtaste.net website.
Check out the website for other hummus ideas  ~Shelly

Makes 6 servings or about 1 1/2 cups

You Will Need

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)

1/4 cup well-stirred tahini, 

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Dash ground paprika or sumac, for serving

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.
Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended. Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.
Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until you reach the perfect consistency.
Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.      


Enjoy!