05

Jul

4th of July!

It’s been far too long! How was your 4th? Patriotic?

I got back from a middle school church camp yesterday so, needless to say, my energy wasn’t as high as usual to pack a deluxe picnic, pick out the best spot to see fireworks and stay up late with friends. So we had a low-key, super delicious 4th at home.

On the Menu:
Hot dogs and brats with wheat and potato buns
Pork ribs (for Matt)
5-ingredient corn casserole
Super easy baked beans
Mini cherry pies with whipped cream and blueberry sauce

I won’t add all of the recipes here because Matt did the grilling but these are the ones made inside in the air cond–we don’t have A/C, so I made the dishes that didn’t involve sweating. 🙂

5-ingredient Corn Casserole
Adapted from the apologetic Paula Deen    
$3 to make, serves 8

1 can whole kernal corn, drained (15 oz)
1 can cream corn (15 oz)
1 cup light sour cream
1 package of cornbread mix, like Jiffy (8 oz)
4 TB melted butter or margarine 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. (Add a dash of garlic powder if you like.)

In a ‘greased’ 9X13 baking dish, pour the batter. Spread out evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, or until middle is cooked through and edges are slightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. (Optional: drizzle top with melted butter or honey butter for sweetness.)

Super Easy Baked Beans
A super easy way to stretch baked beans ($$), combining seasoned beans with plain cuts down on sugar, calories and salt, while adding protein and ‘fillingness’ to your plate. No more puddles of syrupy goo taking over your plate anymore. 🙂
6 servings

1 can baked beans (flavor + size of your choice)
1 can kidney beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons mustard of your choice (optional; spicy, regular, dijon)

Combine both cans and mustard into a medium pot; stir. Cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot!

I hope you have taken a moment to be thankful for our freedoms as residents of the United States. More of the 4th of July recipes to come, including the mini cherry pies…yummm!

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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21

Jul

4th of July, China, and a Holey Indulgence


I know, I’m tardy on the 4th of July pics. Mom and Dad came to Waco for a visit, and so did my cousin Jeremy & his girlfriend, Lauren. We had mucho fun-o. So the one above is of chicken brats, burgers and chicken breasts…all on the grill, courtesy of Matt! Tasty stuff!

I’ve inherited my grandmother’s (Mama, mom’s mom) china cabinet. I can’t even tell you how much it means to have it in our house! We FINALLY got to unpack Dillard’s boxes and display most of our wedding china + crystal. (YES, we have more than 12 settings of crystal…NO, I am not a lush.) We have more china, but those didn’t make it into the pics, only the wine glasses! Haha But, in all seriousness, it’s pretty fun.

Incidentally, our china looks quite a bit like my grandparents’ wedding china. We didn’t plan that, but my grandmother decided that Matt & I had good taste, based solely on that, of course. 🙂 Ha. I think they’re classic.

And, on a bit of a lighter, more Americans-love-fried-indulgences note, I made donuts 2 nights ago!! It was the easiest and most fun thing! These donuts (doughnuts, whatever) are a bit crisp on the outside with a cinnamon sugar topping and soft and moist when you bite in.


RIDICULOUSLY EASY DONUTS
15 minutes, 8 donuts + 8 donut holes. Servings: 1 (4 if you share)

1 can giant biscuits
cinnamon sugar mixture in a bowl (1 cup or so)
2-3 cups oil (veg, olive, peanut, whatever you like)
1/2-1″ round cookie cutter OR top off a water bottle
medium-sized pot
plate lined with paper towels
tongs

1) Heat about 1 1/2″ of oil in a pot, keeping the temp around 160 degrees. (Making it too hot will bring splattering.)

2) Take each biscuit, smush it with your palm, and press cookie cutter/bottle lid in center to make hole in donut. Do this for all biscuits.

3) Frying one donut and donuthole at a time, place the pair in the pot. Use tongs to move around and flip once. Let donut reach a golden color on both sides and remove (2-3 minutes, usually). Place on plate with paper towels to blot.

4) Repeat process of frying donuts; while you’re waiting for the dough to cook, dip your warm/blotted donuts and donutholes in the cinnamon sugar, coating well.

5) Eat! Eat with a tall glass of cow’s milk, vanilla soymilk, or *the American way* a Diet Coke!! Great to enjoy with another guilty pleasure, a silly mystery book. 🙂

~Laurel~

16 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

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