Mrs Happy Homemaker: Holidays

Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

August 30, 2012

My Perfect Squash Casserole

8/30/2012 07:00:00 AM Mrs Happy Homemaker

I absolutely love squash. It's my favorite vegetable by far. There are so many things you can do with it, and with the exception of straight up frying it - making into a casserole is my ~~favorite~~ 2nd favorite way to eat it.
When we first started gardening years ago, I experimented with several different recipes - none of which were bad, but none of which were perfect either. As with most of my other recipes, I dabbled around a bit in experimentations until I finally ended up with perfection.

Perfection ended up being simpler than I thought.

Follow along with me. It's really easy.
Here's what you need. In two parts. Because I forgot to add the 2 bowls of squash & onions to the first photo. Oh, and while the cheese crackers are mandatory for the recipe, the Angry Birds are optional. Well, unless you ask my 2 year old.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash (or how my PawPaw would say - 'squish') and the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and pour in some water, just enough to cover. Cover, & cook until the squash & onions are tender - about 5 minutes.

Drain it - and then set it aside in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, salt & pepper. In another bowl, mix together the cracker crumbs & cheese. Mix half of the crumb mixture with the squash, and then stir in the egg mixture. Pour into a 2 or 3 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle on the remaining crumb/cheese mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

My Perfect Squash Casserole

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Ingredients:

4 cups sliced yellow squash
1 cup sliced onion
2 cups cheese crackers, crushed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
enough water to cover

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place squash and onion in a large skillet & pour in enough water to cover. Turn the heat on medium-high, cover, & cook until tender - about 5 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, salt, & pepper. In another bowl, mix together the crumbled cheese crackers & the cheese. Stir half of the crumb mixture into the squash along with the egg mixture. Combine well. Pour into a 2 to 3 quart casserole dish, and top with the remaining cracker/cheese mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

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Honey Baked Ham

7/31/2012 07:00:00 AM Mrs Happy Homemaker

Every year around Easter time, I always buy a couple of hams. One to serve on for Easter dinner, and another to put in the freezer for the summer. I love having a big ol' ham in the summertime, but I don't like paying a fortune for it - which is why I buy it when I do because the price is lower.

Now, I don't know about you - but I like my hams sweet, and reminiscent of the expensive honey baked hams that cost a fortune. This, my friends, does not cost a fortune to prepare. Quite budget friendly actually, and even more frugal since after the initial ham dinner you are left with all that great leftover meat, not to mention the ham bone.

Honey Baked Ham
Ingredients:
1 bone-in spiral sliced ham 1/2 cup brown sugar2 cups honey2/3 cup butterpineapple rings & cherries (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, & butter on low heat. Keep glaze warm while baking ham.
Brush the glaze over the ham & use toothpicks to secure the ham & cherries if using. Bake for 75 minutes, making sure to baste every 15 minutes. During the last 3-5 minutes of baking, turn the broiler on to caramelize the top. Less if you like it less crispy, and more if you like the tops a little more crunchy.
Remove from the oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

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Patriotic Berry Trifle

5/26/2012 07:00:00 AM Mrs Happy Homemaker

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and the 4th of July is not too far down the road either. Time for outdoor barbecues, picnics, and pool time. I just love this time of year!!

I saw a recipe for a Patriotic Berry Trifle in Food Network Magazine a while back, and have made an adaptation of it several times since. It's perfect for the patriotic holidays, but there is no need to limit it just to that. With the fresh summer berries in season, I say whip this one up as often as you can. It comes together super fast, and doesn't heat up your kitchen either.

Patriotic Berry Trifle

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adapted from Sonny Anderson
Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 premade angel food cake
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups heavy cream
2 pints fresh blueberries
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced

Instructions:
Heat 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, & 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool. Beat the remaining 1 cup sugar & the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth & light. Add the heavy cream & beat on high speed until smooth & the consistency of whipped cream.
Cut the cake into 1 inch slices & brush each side with the lemon syrup. Cut into cubes. Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13 cup trifle dish, or large clear bowl. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries & gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, & top with the other half of the cream. Arrange the remaining blueberries & strawberries on top.
Cover & refrigerate 1 hour.

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Cinco de Mayo Recipe Ideas

5/03/2012 07:00:00 PM Mrs Happy Homemaker

Here's a little collection of recipes to get you started on planning a Cinco de Mayo menu!
Beverages
Horchatta

Cherry Limeade

Appetizers
Queso Fundido con Chorizo

Tamale Cups

Main Dishes
Spicy Pop Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Jalapeno-Cilantro Slaw

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Taco Skillet

Authentic Tamales (with your crockpot's help)

Queso Bacon Burgers with Avocado Salsa

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Simple Chicken Burritos

Authentic Steak Tacos

Chiles Rellenos

Side Dishes
Deviled Avocado

Avocado Onion Salad

Desserts
Homemade Creamsicles

Old Fashioned Coconut Custard Pie

I hope that these recipes have given you a little bit of inspiration!

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My Easter Menu

4/06/2012 01:19:00 PM Mrs Happy Homemaker

Easter is almost here, and I have finally gotten my Easter menu put together. Next step - grocery shopping for it all!
Here's what our Easter dinner is composed of this year.
Brown Sugar Bourbon HamPineapple Casserole