yes I am still here!!!

I haven't forgotten about this blog!    I plan to be posting to it very soon!   If there is anyone reading this still don't give up on me!

Grandma Bevie's Butterscotch Pie

This is my husband's very favorite pie in the whole world!   The only problem is that Grandma Bevie makes the best butterscotch pie and honestly I don't think any attempt I make at making this pie for him will come close to being as good as hers.  This year we are not with his family for Thanksgiving which means that it is my turn to try to make this pie.   I have faced the fact that mine will never be as good as hers and I am ok with that!   So here is my attempt at it!

1 frozen pie shell that you bake ahead of making this filling (follow the instructions on the pie shell bag or box to bake it.)

2 cups of milk hot ( that means put 2 cups of milk in a sauce pan and heat it up but keep stirring because you don't want to scald the milk- just heat it up)  I would say use medium heat for this project!!

In a separate bowl combine:

1 cup of brown sugar (You may need to add a little more- I think I added 1/4 c more.)
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
and 3 beaten egg yolks

Mix that together!

When the milk is hot, add the sugars, salt and egg mixture in to the sauce pan and keep stirring...never quit stirring!

Then add to the sauce pan still stirring:
1/2 C of flour
1 tablespoon of butter or margerine
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Still over medium heat keep stirring the mixture until everything is mixed in very well and watch for it to thicken.   You can feel that it is thickening.  Take this off the unit and set aside to let cool for a few minutes.   Then you pour the filling in to the baked pie shell and let it cool and set up.  Refrigerate and enjoy with whipped cream on it. 

Pork Carnitas

2 cans of rotel tomatoes (the ones with tomatoes and green chilies in it- you
can also use the generic- I found the generic at wal-mart)1 pound of
pork stew meat

Tablespoon of taco mix (you could put less in to make it less spicy)

Place this in your crockpot and cook for 7-8 hours on low

Use a fork or I used my mix and chop (pampered chef) to shred the meat.

Serve over rice or on tortillas.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream guacamole or whatever you would like.


I modified the original recipe I found
because it called for the stew meat and green chillies only and we thought it
was a little bland- the rotel tomatoes and the taco mix seemed to give it the
kick we thought it was missing.

Crockpot Applesauce

It gets the color from the cinnamon that you put in it.

Here is a great recipe that you can make with all of the apples that you may have sitting around!
This recipe will make 6 cups of applesauce or 3 quarts total.

10-15 apples- these could be any kind you like but a baking apple would be preferable. ( I used granny smith apples- I love the tartness of them!) These need to be peeled, cored and chopped up small.
1 cup of sugar (depending on the kind of apple you use- you may want to use less sugar.)
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine these ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about 11 hours.

When you are done you can freeze the applesauce (although I would wait to put your HOT applesauce in the freezer until it cools down. Or you can can it- you need to place your canned applesauce in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes- the water bath needs to completely cover your jars. After pull them out and place them in a spot with no draft to cool and listen for the lids to seal- you'll hear a little pop as they seal.

Enjoy! Applesauce can be used in many recipes as a subsitution for shortening or butter. Remember that using all applesauce in a recipe can make things chewy- subbing part of it will make them less chewy but save you the calories!

As a side- we figured out that a cup of this applesauce is about 8 points in weight watchers on their plus points program.

Mexican Potato Casserole

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound of ground turkey
2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped
8 scallions sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
3/4 cup nonfat cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and spray a 13X9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the ground turkey, bell peppers, and scallions; cook, stirring as needed until the turkey is browned and veggies are softened, 6-8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper and salt; cook stirring as needed, until the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.

Arrage alternate layers of the potatoes and the ground turkey mixture in the dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer.

Southwest Salsa aka "Cowboy Caviar"

This is a dip you need to try!

1 can whole corn drained
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
5 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (I leave this out because I don't like cilantro)
1 bottle zesty italian dressing
1 fresh lime
1 avocado, chopped

Instructions:
Combine corn, beans,onion,and cilantro, the juice of a lime and dressing.

Just before serving add avocado. Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Delicious!

Rosie's Rolls

These are named for a neighbor I had growing up in Boise, Idaho. I can remember going to her house for breakfast a few times and she fixed these for our family and hers. We loved them!!!!! Thank you Rosie!!!! These are addictive I will warn you! It must be the vanilla ice cream in it...imagine ice cream for breakfast! :)


Preheat your over to 400 degrees.

2 tubes of biscuit dough
1/2 margerine melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vanilla ice cream melty.... or I guess softened would be a good way to put it.

Cinnamon and sugar mixture (make this to roll your biscuits in.)

Directions:

Mix the sugars, margerine and vanilla ice cream together and set aside.


Lightly grease a 9 X 13 cake pan and then roll your biscuits in cinnamon and sugar and lay them in the pan. After all the biscuits are in the pan pour the sugar,ice cream margerine mixture over the top of the biscuits.

Bake for 20 minutes and then enjoy!