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.

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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.

Shelly's Spinach Salad

 This recipe is always requested at family gatherings.

I got this recipe from my Aunt Sally, but then I made it so often that it became known as Shelly's Spinach Salad.  Aunt Sally didn't appreciate the name change.

INGREDIENTS

Large head of lettuce, chopped  (or 2 small)
1 Large bag of spinach, chopped and stems cut off
1 package 16 oz. Frozen Peas, thawed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
8  hard boiled eggs
3/4 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbles

2 cups real mayonnaise - (Hellman'a is great)
1 cup sour cream
1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Dry Dressing Mix, 4 oz.

DIRECTIONS

Mix together lettuce and spinach in a large bowl.
Add layers in the order listed.

Mix together mayo, sour cream and Hidden Valley Ranch mix.  Spread on top of salad.
Cover and refrigerate.

Mix just before serving

NOTES 
Best made the night before.
Sometimes I add another small bag of spinach.

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. 

 

Jeanne's Potato Casserole

This has always been a favorite side dish for any large gathering

.

INGREDIENTS

1 30-oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns, about 10 cups (Use Mr. Dell's if you can)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup  

1/2 cup chopped green onions  (I added these.  Jeanne doesn't eat anything green)
12 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 Cups grated  cheese, your choice  (I like sharp, pre-shredded in a bag)
1 cup crushed corn flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 340 degrees (weird temperature)
Mix soup, sour, cream, milk, green onions in a bowl and set aside.
Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into a 9 x 13 dish.
Add half the package of hash browns.
Pour half the soup/sour cream mixture over the potatoes.  Spread evenly. 
Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar on top of that.

Add remainder of the hash browns and then the rest of the soup mixture.
Sprinkle on remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Then cover with crushed corn flakes.
Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and drizzle on top of the corn flakes.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour till hot and bubbly.

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

The Best Baby Back Ribs

I LOVE good ribs.

And they are on sale this week,

Nov 6 - 12, 2024

This recipe is easy, because it's all done in the oven.

Give it a try.

Ingredients

1 rack of pork baby back ribs.

Dry rub (you can use whatever spices you like, but definitely don't leave out the brown sugar)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon or less of cayenne pepper (unless you

like it HOT)

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

mix it all up.

Preparation

Prep the ribs:  On the back of the ribs will be a very thin but very tough membrane that you must remove. You can't really see it well, but trust me that it's there. I usually use a knife to pry up a corner of the membrane, then I just pull it down the entire length of the ribs. A paper towel may help to grab and hold on to the membrane.  Sometimes it tears and you have to try a few times, but you definitely don't want to skip this step. 

Once the membrane is removed, put the dry rub all over the ribs (both sides) and rub it in. The meat will take on some of the colors in the dry rub and look a little reddish.

Wrap the ribs in some heavy duty tin foil and let them hang out in the fridge till you're ready to cook them.

Cook the ribs: At 250 degrees, place the ribs wrapped securely in tin foil onto a cookie sheet (sometimes juice/fat can escape the tin foil) and place them in the oven. cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, pull them out and open the tin foil to take a look. At this point you can add a little apple juice on top of them, but that's not really necessary. Re-wrap them, and put them back in for another 1/2 hour. Pull them out again and open the tin foil completely.

At this point you can brush some BBQ sauce on them, or leave them the way they are. Crank up the heat to 350 and put the ribs back in the oven with the tin foil open. After half an hour, they're done! You can always do this last part on a BBQ, but watch the ribs and make sure they don't burn from the sugar.

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!

Logan County Hamburgers (AKA Hamburger Grilled Cheese)

Ingredients

1.25 pounds Harter House Ground Chuck

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 slices of white bread (Also great with Rye Bread)

Unsalted butter

American cheese or Velveeta  ( I like Velveeta)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine your egg, minced garlic, onion powder. garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hamburger.  Form into thin patties.

Cook on the grill or skillet until the hamburger is done.and place on paper towels to absorb the grease.  Set aside.

Add your chopped onion to a medium skillet along with 1 tablespoon of butter and cook until the onion is translucent and tender.

Butter both sides of your bread and place them in a skillet and cook one side until it cooks a nice golden brown.  Flip the bread over and immediately place your cheese slices on it along with the cooked onion.  Once the remaining sides of bread are golden and the cheese has melted, add your hamburger and assemble your sandwich.

If your cheese hasn't completely, you can place your bread pieces on a baking sheet under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to completely melt your cheese.

From:  The Best Blog Recipes

Lemon Sheet Cake

 

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

FOR THE GLAZE

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease a rimmed 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan with softened butter

In a large pot set over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the water and the lemon juice, increase the heat, and bring to a boil.  Remove pot from the heat and allow to cool at least 5 minutes.  Then briskly stir in the flour until smooth, followed by the sugar, sour cream and lemon zest.  Stir in the eggs until fully incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla and lemon extract.  Then sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the top of the batter.  (Make sure there are no lumps) and stir them in until all ingredients are well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Cool the cake completely before glazing.

FOR THE GLAZE, measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice until completely smooth.  Add a bit more lemon juice if the glaze is too thick. or a little more powdered sugar if it is too thin.  Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately spread a thin, even layer.  

Chill uncovered for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze to set before slicing.  Cover tightly and refrigerate any leftovers.