green bean casserole

Sorry ladies...especially Marlana for being so late to post this! Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

For the topping:

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 
  
• For beans and sauce:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved (i just used the frozen organic beans from costco that I always have in my freezer)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (i didn't have freshly ground nutmeg, so I just used the ground nutmeg)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring some water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an pot. Add the beans and blanch. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet (i just used a regular saute pan) set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

4 medium size white potatoes (i.e. russet)
2 long skinny yams
1 pt.whipping cream
milk
butter
salt and pepper
flour

Partially precook yams at 450. I cooked mine for about a 1/2 hour wrapped in aluminum foil. While they cool, peel the white potatoes. Spray your baking dish. Arrange a single layer of white potatoes. Cut up one Tbs of butter into small cubes and sprinkle over potatoes. Next, sprinkle flour over the potatoes and butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper over that. Next arrange a layer of yams over the white potatoes and repeat the process with the butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Then repeat again with a layer of white potatoes, butter, flour, salt and pepper. Do not over fill your baking dish! Pour the pint of cream over the potatoes, then cover with milk just to cover all of the potatoes. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until potatoes are soft and the top starts to golden.

cranberry almond wild rice pilaf

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1/4 wild rice (the black kind)
1& 1/2 teaspoon instant chicken, beef or veggie bouillon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a medium saucepan cook onion, celery, and garlic in hot butter until tender.

Stir in rice, bouillon, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and add cranberries, simmer covered until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Stir in almonds and serve.

Potato skins

6 Potatoes (baked)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
5 slices cooked bacon,diced
2 green onions, diced
sour cream

Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out the middle. Cut each slice in half again. Place on a baking sheet. Fill each potato with cheese, bacon and green onions. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Fill each one with a small scoop of sour cream.

7-Up Apple Juice Drink

32 oz bottle of 7-up type pop (I used Diet Twist-up - cheap Walmart brand)

1 can apple juice concentrate

Can also use ginger ale or white grape juice concentrate.

Juice concentrate should be slushy, and it's also good if you put the pop in the freezer to get it a bit slushy as well.

Parmesan Fondue

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker. Serve with bread cubes.

This could be a main dish if you served it with meat and vegetables.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

From Taste of Home

Taken from Perry's Plate (My friend Natalie's blog)

¾ c. shortening

¾ c. sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. salt

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ c. mini chocolate chips

Filling:

2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar and shortening. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and soda. Add to creamed mixture. Fold in chips. Set aside 1/3 of dough. Press the remaining 2/3 of dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake crust at 350 for 8 min.

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Spoon over crust. Place flattened discs of reserved cookie dough over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Cool. Store in fridge.