The Supermom Chef

I call this recipe Favorite Fruit Salad, because it’s just that…everyone’s favorite fruit salad. My husband is the only one that I know that has ever tasted this yummy treat and not liked it. But then again, he’s a little weird so that doesn’t surprise me. HA! Anyway, this is another simple dish that you can throw together in a hurry. It also makes quite a bit, so there’s always plenty to share. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember a single family gathering during the last 15 years when this HASN’T been on the table, sitting next to a stack of small pewter fruit bowls.

Favorite Fruit Salad

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

1 can peach pie filling

1 (10 oz) package frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

2 bananas, sliced*

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

*The bananas should only be added shortly before serving the salad to keep them from browning. If you are planning on having leftovers, reserve some salad to the side without bananas, and only add them when you serve the leftovers.

Did you guys miss me the last couple of weeks? Sorry for not posting, but at least I have a good excuse. I was in Boston with my little HERO (my son) while he underwent numerous procedures and his 17th surgery. We had access to a kitchen, but needless to say cooking was not high on my priority list while there. Not that we even had a way to cook much while we were there, but even if we did I am sure I still wouldn’t have gotten much cooking time. So I’m back now, at least for a while until we head back again for another surgery.

This recipe is about as old as dirt and there are about a million different variations of it out there, under about the same amount of names. I can remember seeing my mom make this for the first time and thinking, “My goodness that looks awful!” But as soon as I tasted it, I was completely sold! This is one of those recipes that just sounds disgusting when you read it, but when you taste it you want to kick yourself for never having made it before. And it makes a TON so it’s the perfect thing to make and take to a gathering where there will be lots of people. I made it for Easter and had so much of it I had to throw some away before heading out of town. It also stays good for quite a while so feel free to save any leftovers for snacks later in the week.

Mississippi Caviar

2 cans Bush’s blackeyed peas, drained

2 cans shoepeg corn, drained

1 can Rotel

3-4 green onions, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 (16 oz) bottle zesty Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients together; serve with corn chips. This dip gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to make it a couple days before you are ready to serve it.

Are you sick of dessert recipes yet? No???? Well, here’s another one then! We leave for Boston again in just a few short days and I’m trying to avoid going to the grocery store and leaving unused groceries here while when we head out, so I’m using up all the stuff in my freezer. Which means that I’m cooking recipes for dinner that are most likely already on the blog (or either not intricate enough to justify a blog post). So in case you were wondering if we live off of just chocolate and desserts here at our, we don’t…it only appears that way!

I’m not one of those people that just loves rice krispie treats, but my hubby is. So when I saw this recipe, I knew right away that he’d like them. He didn’t like them quite as much as I thought he would because he said they were too chocolately. The spazoid doesn’t like chocolate…what kind of freak doesn’t like chocolate? So next time I make them I’m going to half the ganache on top and only cover half of the krispies with them. I think they’d be his new favorite dessert if I did that. I didn’t get a single complaint from my three kids, or my parents and brother when I took them some today though. They all loved them, as did I!

Look at all these creamy, delicious layers! (A macro lens would really come in handy for shots like these…HINT, HINT, HONEY!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

3 cups miniature pretzel twists, coarsely crushed & divided

3 cups crisp rice cereal

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), divided

1 (10.5 oz) bag miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided

1 (10 oz) bag peanut butter morsels

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Set aside 1/3 cup of the crushed pretzels. Place remaining pretzels and cereal in a large mixing bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons butter; add marshmallows and stir until melted and combined. Add to cereal/pretzel mixture and stir again until combined. Spread crust ingredients into a 9×13″ baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and half of the corn syrup (1/4 cup) in a microwave safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 60-90 seconds or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter morsels; mix until melted (mixture will be stiff). Spread peanut butter mixture over crust.

For ganache, place remaining butter and corn syrup in the same microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 60-90 seconds or until melted. Stir in chocolate morsels; mix until smooth. Spread ganache evenly over peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and reserved pretzels. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes or until ganache is set. Cut into 24 squares; cut squares in half.

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef’s Season’s Best Recipe Collection, Spring/Summer 2011

I won’t deny it. I’m wholeheartedly a chewy cookie person! Don’t give some crunchy dry cookie! Give me the real deal…a chewy, thick bakery style cookie that is melty and gooey! If you fall into the same category as me, you’ll love these little squares. The other day I was in a hurry and was really craving some chocolate chip cookies but didn’t have time to make a batch and take the time baking different sheets of them and scooping them out and such. So I got the bright idea to mix up the dough, dump it all into a dish and just walk away while it baked. The result was a delicious bar cookie type creation that was right up my alley! I feel sure you’ll enjoy them just as much as I did!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 sticks butter, softened (don’t insult me and substitute margarine, please and thank you!)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter with sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, slowly, until completely incorporated. Make sure to stop a few times and scrape down the side of the mixing bowl. Add chocolate chips and stir, by hand, until equally incorporated into dough. Pour into a 9×13″ baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until the top is golden brown and the dough is set. Serve warm, if desired, with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup.

In this photo once again, you’ll see those yummy Louisiana strawberries. Can you tell I’m a bit obsessed? All winter long I went without eating my favorite fruit because they were so dang expensive, and now that the local farmer’s market has had them I just can’t get enough! When I was doing Weight Watchers a few years ago, I ate strawberries two or three times a day…and not just one or two at the time either! Honestly I don’t see a reason not to, because they are sweet, tart, and just plain yummy all in one bite!

This recipe comes from another friend. Actually, this friend was once my next-door neighbor. When my hubby and I bought our first house 9 years ago this month our neighbors were the sweetest couple. We ended up having our sons about 9 months apart, and they became good friends. When our son was just over two years old, we bought a new house but have remained friends all this time and hope to forever do so. Nessa, I know you say you don’t cook but what few recipes you’ve shared with me have been delicious so you better keep sharing them!

Creamy Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Whip cream cheese on medium speed until creamy; whip in milk. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

This yummy recipe comes to you from yet another friend…I love it when friends are willing to share their recipes! This is one super easy, delicious cake. I happened to have fresh Louisiana strawberries on hand so I sliced those little babies up and topped them with some sugar, and left them to macerate. They make their own “juice” that way, but you knew that, right? So by the time the cake was done, the strawberries were all juicy and ready to be served. Only thing that could make it even better was some whipped cream. Mmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 butter recipe cake mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, water, sugar, oilk, and eggs. Add cream cheese and margarine/butter. Stir all to combine well. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan or two loaf pans until the cake tests done with a toothpick. A bundt pan should take about 45 minutes, but the loaf pans won’t take that long.

I know this isn’t so much a “recipe” as it is an idea, but it still qualifies to be posted here in my humble opinion. This is one of those all-time favorite Southern appetizers that can be found on almost any buffet table, wedding reception, birthday party, pretty much any gathering you can imagine. I know I personally never throw a birthday party for one of my kids without this being on the table. You are wide open as far as toppings go. Pepper jellies are delicious with the spice from the jelly combined with the cool, creamy cheese. My personal favorite is a crawfish pepper jelly (pictured here) that I always pick up at our local flea market, but the supermarket kinds are really delicious too. The sky is truly the limit here! I always serve my appetizer with Wheat Thins, only because I can usually find them pretty inexpensively and they are good with just about anything but feel free to use whatever cracker-type item you’d like. I promise I won’t judge. Oh, and I find it’s always easier to let the jelly sit out on the kitchen counter for a few hours before serving if it’s been in the refrigerator. It’s not so clumpy when you do so, and spreads much more easily than if it were chilled.

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened

1/2-3/4 cup pepper jelly, room temperature

In a small serving dish, place the block of cream cheese, leaving it as-is (whole block). Spread the pepper jelly on the top. Serve with Wheat Thins or your favorite cracker.

Catchy name, right? My smart little brain came up with that one all by myself because the title of this recipe says it all…one bite of this delicious, crunchy, ranchy (yes, that’s a word…at least in my world) snack mix and you’ll be forever unable to stop yourself from grabbing “just one more” handful. My mom shared this recipe with me, and OHMYGOODNESS I’m still mad at her for doing so. Yes, it’s a delicious recipe but dangit I just cannot stop from eating it once I start! Now it’s your choice whether to heed my warning or not. I vote you pay no attention to it, make it anyway, and find yourself in my shoes, unable to stop!

“Consider Yourself Warned” Snack Mix

6 cups original Bugles

8 cups nacho cheese Bugles

4 cups Cheese Nips

2 cups miniature pretzels

1 (6 oz) package Goldfish crackers

2 cups Crispix cereal

2 cups lightly salted cashews

2 envelopes dry Ranch dressing mix

3/4 cup butter flavored popcorn oil

In a large bowl, combine Bugles, Cheese Nips, pretzels, Goldfish crackers, Crispix cereal, and cashews. In a separate small bowl, combine oil and dressing mix; pour over cracker mixture and toss with cracker mixture to coat. Transfer to three greased cookie sheets. Bake at 250 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Yum, Yum, Yum!

When I say that I have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks, I truly believe that even that comment is an understatement. I just love them, what can I say? I read them cover to cover just like other people read biographies or romance novels. Almost every single night I end my night lying in bed with a cookbook reading recipes. I am not really sure where my love of cookbooks came from, but I just can’t help it. I love them! They are literally overflowing…I have them in my closet, attic, garage, car, and around the entire top of my kitchen cabinets (in the space between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling).

You’d think that with all of these recipes in my possession I’d have seen every recipe know to man, but thank goodness that’s not the case. There are always new recipes to be found! I sometimes mark recipes that I’d like to try, or just try to remember them most of the time. Then again there are recipes like this one. One that as soon as I read it, I absolutely have to make it. Like literally if I don’t make it I feel like I’m going to self-destruct! It’s no surprise, given the recipes featured here on my blog, that I love the peanut butter/chocolate combination. Peanut butter and chocolate cooked together is probably the greatest love affair of all time, in my opinion. So when I saw this recipe I got the urge to immediately get into the kitchen and fire up my oven. Boy am I glad that I did because these little bar cookies are everything that I was hoping for and more! Now I’ll shut up and get to the recipe, because I’m sure after reading all that I’ve written today you’ll think I’m an insane head case that needs some serious work done to overcome her obsession with cooking, chocolate, and peanut butter.

These bars render me completely and utterly unable to resist their chewy, chocolately, peanut buttery goodness!

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

36 mini peanut butter cups

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and eggs until well blended. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut 12 peanut butter cups into quarters and gently stir into brownie batter along with the chocolate chips. Spread into baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out fairly clean. Remove from oven and imediately press remaining peanut butter cups into the top of the brownies in even rows. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Recipe from: www.bunsinmyoven.com

Does this photo entice you to look further? Yummy, cheesy goodness at it’s best is lying just ahead for you!

I’ve seen this dip in every single community cookbook I’ve ever purchased, and with good reason…it’s absolutely delicious and one of the easiest things to make! I first tried a similar version of this dip at a work party about 6 years ago, and was immediately blown away with how delicious it was. Then when I asked for the recipe, I was again blown away that it didn’t require more ingredients to make. My hubby doesn’t say much when it comes to food, but I can always tell if it’s something he likes because of the amount that he eats. The first time I made this, I think he ate almost the entire dish himself although I’m sure I couldn’t get him to agree with me on that if I asked him. You can serve this with whatever you choose, but I like to serve mine with Wheat Thins (we like the Reduced Fat variety) or bagel chips. I also use light mayonnaise and reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese in mine as well as it’s just as delicious as the real deal to me. Then again, serving bacon and cracker crumbs baked onto top of cheese, cheese, more cheese, and a little mayonnaise isn’t really healthy no matter what you substitute so you just feel free to use whatever you choose. I’ll stick to my light ingredients and make myself believe I’m cutting back on the calories, even though I can’t seem to stop myself from shoving more of this cheesy, ooey gooey goodness into my big mouth!

Cheesy Ritz Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablepoons finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

8 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, and green onions. Spread into baking dish (pie plate works well). Top with cracker crumbs and bacon. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with wheat crackers or bagel chips.