Hamburger Corn Casserole

Hamburger Corn Casserole
from: Jessi Nickelson

This is a very easy and delicious casserole. It's a whole meal in itself!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. onion, chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
6 oz. egg noodles
1 c. sour cream
bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Brown the meat and onion.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, onion, corn, soups, sour cream, and noodles.
4. Pour all the ingredients in a baking dish and top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Heartwarming Pizza

We made daddy (and ourselves) a Valentines pizza! What's that saying again??..."A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." haha


Check out this kneading action!! "Go Sawyer go, Go Sawyer go!"




Heartwarming Pizza

A fun food idea from FamilyFun magazine! My Valentines sure did enjoy it!

Perfect Pizza Dough


Kids can push, pull and twist this basic pizza dough all they want--the more you handle it, the better. Use it for pizza, breadsticks, calzones and even focaccia.

Ingredients

* 1 cup warm water
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1 1/4-oz. packet active dry yeast
* 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for coating
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
* 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Place 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water. Let the yeast float there for 1 minute, then stir it into the water. Let the yeast "proof" for 10 minutes. It should bubble a bit; if it doesn't, the yeast is outdated and inactive.
2. Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl, then stir in the remaining water, and add the olive oil, flour and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix the dough until it forms a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

Coat the inside of a large glass or ceramic bowl with olive oil. Press the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl, then flip the dough over so the oiled side is on top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough.

Now to construct the pizza.

Ingredients

Perfect Pizza Dough (the recipe above)
olive oil for coating or cornmeal for dusting
1 c. homemade or store-bought tomato pizza sauce
3 c. cheese (of your choice)

Directions

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Punch down the risen dough, knead it a few times to remove all the air, and divide it in two. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll one portion into a 12-inch round. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and shape into a heart. Take some more dough in your hands and roll the dough in a snake shape to make the crust around the edges.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the crust--not too much, or else your pizza will become soggy. (A word on sauce: if you don't have time for homemade, spruce up a 14-ounce jar of store-bought by adding garlic and dried oregano.)

Top your pizza with cheese and your choice of any additional toppings. Bake 12 to 15 minutes; subtract a few minutes if you're using a pizza stone. When done, the crust will be golden underneath. Makes two 12-inch pizzas.

Valentine Brownie Cupcakes

Valentine Brownie Cupcakes


You'll make yourself and your Valentine very happy with these!

Make the pan of brownies ahead of time so that they can thoroughly cool.
Best Brownies
Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. Allow these to cool thoroughly, preferably until the next day.
5. Take a small heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out the hearts.

Next, bake your cupcakes. The cupcake recipe is from Kelly Eason. She substitutes margarine and soy milk, instead of butter and regular milk, to make this recipe work for her lactose intolerant child.
Cupcakes
Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 3/4 c. butter, softened
* 1 3/4 c. sugar
* 3 large eggs, room temperature
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
* 1 1/4 c. milk
* 1 container of Pillsbury Valentine's Funfetti Frosting (sprinkles included)
* 1 bag of Jet-Puffed HeartMallows (Marshmallows)Strawberry Flavored


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. Mix until smooth. Bake until slightly brown on top.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, add frosting. Then with a butter knife, cut a small indention in the top and add a brownie heart standing up. Add sprinkles or sugar crystals if desired.

Enjoy!

Lasagna

Lasagna
by: Ronna Corsini & Katie Corsini Reid

This delicious recipe is from our pastor's wife, Katie. She watched her mom make it this way growing up. Katie said, "You can choose to leave out the olives. Sometimes I use Ricotta instead of Cottage Cheese and you can use any combination of ground beef and/or Italian sausage. I also add more or less tomato sauce if it seems dry. Enjoy!"

I personally love this recipe! We had the whole Boyd Family over and there wasn't a bite left! I can't wait to make it again!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 of a medium sized onion
1 box lasagna noodles
1 jar or can of pre-made spaghetti sauce
1 small can of sliced olives
garlic to taste (powder, minced, or fresh)
2 c. of cottage cheese
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Chop the onion and cook it while browning the ground beef.
2. Boil the noodles if you have the regular kind. I use the "oven ready" noodles that you don't have to boil.
3. Once the meat is cooked, drain off the fat and return it to the stove on low heat.
4. Add the spaghetti sauce, olives, garlic, and cottage cheese. Mix all of this together while cooking on low heat.
5. Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan with 3 noodles. Top it with meat/sauce mixture and then sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Repeat these layers: noodles, meat/sauce mixture, cheese, until you've used up your ingredients.
6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Buckeyes

Buckeyes

"The term Buckeye Balls is code for delicious chocolate, peanut butter candy goodies." ~ Southern Living magazine

Beware-- slightly addicting:) :)

Ingredients
• 1 (16-ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 2 tablespoons shortening

Preparation
Beat peanut butter and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until blended.
Shape into 1-inch balls; chill 10 minutes or until firm.
Microwave chocolate and shortening in a 2-quart glass bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring twice.
Dip each ball in chocolate mixture until partially coated; place on wax paper to harden. Store in an airtight container.

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2000