Apple Spice Dessert

This dessert is so easy and delicious!

• 2 cans apple pie filling
• 1 boxed spice cake mix
• 2 sticks butter

1. Spray the bottom of a large slow cooker with non-stick spray. 
2. Spread 2 cans of apple pie filling across the bottom. 
3. Sprinkle the dry spice cake mix across the apple pie filling. 
4. Put two sticks of butter on top. Cook in slow cooker on high for 2 ½ hours. It will be a soft dessert, rather than a crisp or cake texture.

Serve and enjoy. 

Jim and Ray Barbecue Beef Sandwich

• 1 cup leftover roast beef (chunked or pulled)
• ½ cup Sweet Baby 
• Ray's barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons Jim Beam Bourbon
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 slices bread or 2 buns
• olive oil spray
• minced garlic
• Kosher dill pickle spear

1. Reheat the chunked or pulled roast beef in a saucepan with the water.
2. Add the barbecue sauce.
3. Add the Jim Beam and stir.
4. Heat until warm.
5. Spray bread lightly with olive oil spray.
6. Rub with minced garlic.
7. Toast in oven at 400 degrees until both sides of the bread are brown.
8. Remove from the oven.
9. Add beef mixture.
10. Serve with a kosher dill pickle spear.

Makes 2 sandwiches.  

Chicken Salad Sandwich

•  ½ cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups white chicken, chopped in marble sized chunks
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• ½ halved seedless grapes
• ½ cup salted cashew halves
• fresh baby spinach leaves
• croissants

1. Mix the light mayonnaise, lemon juice, black pepper, and paprika
2. Add the chopped chicken, celery,  seedless grapes, and cashews and mix well.
3. Slice croissants in half to make a croissant type bun
4. Cover with baby spinach leaves.
5. Scoop chicken salad on to the lower part of the croissant, top with the croissant.
6. Serve and enjoy. 

Beverage Suggestion:  Homemade Lemonade

German Potato Salad

This is my favorite German Potato Salad recipe.  I get many requests for this for potlucks.   But you can now make it for yourself.  Serve this hot salad and there will be no leftovers!

5 large potatoes – peeled, sliced  in ¼ inch slices

12 slices of bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch  (do not use flour as a substitute)

1/3 cup cider vinegar (it must be cider vinegar)

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

In large saucepan, boil the potato slices in plenty of water.  (Don’t boil too long or it will turn to mush-probably no more than 9 minutes.)  Drain right away.  Do not let them sit in the hot water.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon from skillet.  

Brown chopped onion in the remaining bacon drippings.  Let get really brown.    

Add cornstarch and stir.  

Add sugar and stir.  

Add cider vinegar and stir.  

Add water and stir.  

Add salt and celery seed.  Stir sauce and cook for three minutes.  

Crumble bacon (reserve some for the top) and return to sauce.

Drain potatoes and gently stir into sauce.

Transfer to serving dish.  Sprinkle the reserved bacon over the top.

Serves 6.

Nancy's Simple Cheese Dip

• 8 oz. shredded Mexican Mix cheese
• ½  onion
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup lite mayonnaise 

1. Place all the ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend, stopping to stir to redistribute every 30 seconds.
3. Repeat this process for the next 4 minutes.
4. Scoop into a dish, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Chill for an hour.
6. Serve with crackers, chips, veggie crudités, or crunchy snacks  Enjoy.

Baked Vidalias with Morels

• 4 Vidalia onions
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package dried morels (rehydrated)
• 2 oz. white chardonnay
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½  teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ounces water

1. Spray four pieces of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Peel and wash the Vidalia onions.
3. Scoop a triangle from the top  to make a cavity for the morels.
4. Spray the onions with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Wrap each onion separately on one sheet of the cooking foil, shiny side touching the onion.
6. Bake in 450 degree onion for 35 minutes.
7. While baking the onions, make the morel mixture by sautéing the rehydrated morels in olive oil, stirring often. Towards the end of browning, the minced minced garlic (I used the kind  in a jar that is refrigerated).
8. When browned to your taste, add  two ounces white chardonnay and reduce, stirring frequently. 
9. When the wine has been reduced, add 4 tablespoons of butter to the mixture and stir until melted. 
10. Remove onions from the oven. 
11. Open the foil and brush the sugar water mixture on each onion. 
12. Place the onions, still on the foil, but not covered, on a pizza pan. 
13. Return to oven and start with browning for 10 minutes.  Check to see if you like the color, and return to oven if not quite brown enough suit you.  When the browning suits you, remove.
14. Divide the morel mixture that among the cavities of the four baked onions. 
15. Serve and enjoy!

Nancy's Crumbleburgers

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

1. In a Dutch oven or skillet, cook on high heat the ground chuck with the water, stirring constantly with a fork.  
2. After all the meat is cooked and finely separated (about 5 minutes), add the onion powder, bouillon powder, dill pickle juice and yellow mustard. 
3. Stir until well mixed. 
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes allowing the mixture to steam. 
5. Put the meat mixture on buns and serve with condiments.  Purists will tell you that the original sandwich is really never served with ketchup, and it is traditional to have chopped onions, pickles and mustard.  However, I now see that their menu has ketchup listed on its menu. Since this recipe is only my best guess of the original, purism is not really an issue.  
6. This is a good way to use up extra hot dog buns, too.

Nancy's Cowboy Casserole

• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 16 ounce pork and beans
• ¾ cup Sweet Baby Ray’s or other barbecue sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tube of Pillsbury Grand Buttermilk biscuits
• 8 oz. shredded taco cheese blend

1. Bake biscuits according to package instructions.
2. Stir and brown ground beef.
3. Add salt, onion powder, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and pork and beans.
4. Stir mixture well.
5. Place mixture in 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
6. Top with baked biscuits.
7. Top with cheese.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy.