Layered Mexican Dip

I've found that some of the best recipes are given out by the people selling food products. Hidden Valley is no exception.

Hidden Valley Layered Mexican Dip

1 packet Original Ranch Dip Mix
1 pint sour cream
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can (2 1/4 oz) diced ripe olives, drained
chopped tomatoes
green onions

Spread refried beans in a serving dish. Mix dip mix with sour cream and place on top of refried beans.  Spread cheese on top. Spread olives on top of the cheese. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and green onions.

Pepperoni Pizza Spread

This recipe came from a magazine some time in the past. I just have the clipped out version. Do you have any of those lying around? Yeah. Most of us do. I thought I'd go ahead and post this so I won't lose it -- and you get to try it too!

Pepperoni Pizza Spread

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (don't use reduced fat mayo as a substitute)
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (6 oz.) ripe olives, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped stuffed olives
Crackers, breadsticks and/or French bread

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Spread evenly in a 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with crackers, breadsticks and/or French bread.

Makes six cups.

Peach Refrigerator Dessert

This recipe came from the folks at a peach stand up in Clanton.

Peach Refrigerator Dessert

1 small box vanilla wafers (20 to 30 wafers)
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 cup whipped cream
2 cups thickened peaches

Crush wafers and spread half on bottom of pan.

Cream butter, powdered sugar and eggs together until well mixed. Alternate layers of fruit, creamed mixture and whipped cream. Top with remainder of wafer crumbs.

Refrigerate for a few hours. Serve and enjoy.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9" pie plate.

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet until beef is brown. Drain. Stir in salt. Spread mixture in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

Use fork to stir milk, bisquick and eggs together until blended. Pour over beef mixture.

Bake pie for 25 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

1 cup (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (Land O'Lakes butter recommended)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons grated lemon peel (about 3 medium lemons)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

Melt morsels in medium, uncovered microwave-safe bowl on Medium High for 1 minute. Stir. If morsels aren't fully melted, microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds, stirring every 5 seconds, until morsels are fully melted. Don't overcook. Cool slightly.

Combine flour, baking power and salt in small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and melted morsels. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternating with buttermilk. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick insert in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cake with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cake. Let stand 5 minutes. Invert onto plate. Make holes in top of cake; pour remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely before serving.

Note: It's okay to substitute 3 bars (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Baking Bars for the morsels.

Frozen Peas

I spent the day shelling black-eyed peas. And I do mean the day. When they are ready, you truly have to get them off the vine. Fortunately, someone else was doing the picking. That's hard and sweaty work. We've got temperatures in the upper 90s. At least I got to sit in my recliner and watch TV in the air conditioned house.

Of course, once the peas are shelled they have to be "put up." That's Southern speak for saying we wash them, blanch them and put them in plastic bags. Then they go into the big chest freezer most of us in the Deep South seem to have.

This recipe is for those who have always wanted to put up their own fresh vegetables to eat throughout the year. And, yes, the taste is worth all the work.

Frozen Peas

Wash shelled peas until thoroughly clean. Be sure to check for imperfections in the peas. (Think bug marks.) Remove those.

Put peas into large container and add water. Bring to a rolling boil. Let the peas boil three to five minutes.

Remove peas from heat and let them cool. We put ice cubes in the water to hasten this process.

In the meantime, use a marker to write the date and type of peas on plastic freezer bags.

When the peas are cooled, place peas in the bags. Make sure to add a little water with the peas. Just remember that frozen water expands so don't fill the bags too full. We generally use a combination of pint and quart size bags. That way we've got everyday servings and company servings. Obviously, how many bags you have depends on how many peas you started with.

Place the bags of peas in the freezer until ready for use.

Crystallized Pickles

The cucumbers are ready which means it's time to make pickles. Crystallized Pickles are a sweet pickle that are perfect for things like Tuna Salad. You'll find them on many southern tables throughout the year. They're also good to eat straight out of the jar.

For those who think that pickles are something you buy in the grocery store, this may be a shock. Lots of people still make pickles the old-fashioned way. Why? Because nothing in the store comes close to the flavor of a home-canned pickle.

I should warn you that canning pickles takes a long time. Try four days. And I strongly recommend that you time it out right or you might be canning pickles at midnight. Of course, if you're a late night person that might be what you'd prefer.

Either way, these pickles are worth the effort.

Crystallized Pickles

First Day:     Wash and slice 7 lbs. of cucumbers. Discard the ends of the cucumbers. How thick you slice the cucumbers depends on your personal taste. I prefer to slice them about 1/4-inch thick. Soak the cucumbers in two gallons of water with three cups of lime for 24 hours. In the Deep South, lime is found in most non-chain grocery stores. Do not confuse this lime with the citrus lime you get in the fruit and vegetable section. The powdered lime you need is found in a container in the canning section of the grocery store.

During the 24 hours, be sure to stir the pickles frequently. The lime settles to the bottom of the pan and you want to stir it so that the lime circulates over the cucumbers. In our family, the general rule is that if you walk by the pan, you stir it.

Second Day:     Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Place in two gallons of water and soak for 24 hours.

Third Day:     Rinse cucumbers and again place in two gallons of water. Add 4 oz. powdered allum. McCormick's makes powdered allum. Remember to stir throughout the 24 hours.

Fourth Day:     Thoroughly wash cucumbers so that none of the powdered allum remains. Place cucumbers in two gallons of water with 2 oz. ground ginger for six hours.

Wash cucumbers. Separately, stir together 3 quarts vinegar, 5 lbs sugar and 1.5 oz. pickling spice. Again, McCormick's makes pickling spice. Place mixture on the stove and bring to a boil. Pour over cucumbers. Cover container with tin foil. Let stand four hours.

Uncover pan and put container on the stove. Cook one hour. Stir frequently and keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. Put pickles in jars. The jars should be sterilized. We use Ball (a brand name) jars. Put seals (also by Ball) on the jars and tighten the ring securely.

Set jars aside and cover them with a kitchen towel. You will hear a "pop" as the jars seal. For those of you uninitiated, the "pop" is literally a sound the seals make. When the jars are sealed, you can store them in the cabinet until you're ready for the pickles. Be sure to place opened jars in the refrigerator.