Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This recipe comes from the folks over at Kraft. What a wonderful Hash Brown Casserole recipe!
One thing I love about Kraft is that they always include tips and such with their recipes. Check out their website for many other recipes.
For an extra twist on this casserole, Kraft suggests crushing 30 RITZ Crackers and mixing them with 2 tablespoons melted margarine. Just sprinkle it over the top of the casserole before baking. Yum!
 
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
 
4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pkg. (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
1-1/4 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided
 
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK bacon, onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. or just until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large bowl.
ADD hash browns, soup, sour cream and 1 cup cheese; mix lightly. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining cheese.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until heated through.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The pumpkin patch at our church is filled with pumpkins of all sizes. It’s just another sign that fall is in the air. The kids absolutely love it and it’s just so much fun to watch them picking out their special pumpkins. Because they’re so affordable, parents can purchase a larger one for decorating and cooking and each child can get a smaller one for as low as 50 cents per pumpkin.
This recipe is perfect for days like this. Instead of walnuts, I would use pecans. Of course, I’ve spent two days picking up pecans and I’m all about using what you have. This recipe comes from the October 1990 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. Yeah. I have seriously kept it that long. Give it a try.
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups salad oil
3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 16-oz. can solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, measure all ingredients except walnuts and frosting. With mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until just mixed. Increase speed to high and beat 5 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in walnuts. Pour batter into 10-inch tube pan.

Bake cake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool cake completely on the rack. Frost cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Refrigerate.

Makes 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 3-oz. packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

In small bow, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese and vanilla flavoring just until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk until it has a thick spreading consistency.

Fudge Brownie Pie

This recipe comes from HERSHEY’S and EAGLE BRAND. It was one of those magazine tear-out recipes that found its way into my stash.
In this part of the country, nuts always means pecans. Okay. You’re right. We grow peanuts as well. But for baking, we use pecans. Peanuts are for peanut brittle.
Another tip is to melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave instead of on the stove. Put the chocolate and butter into a microwave safe dish for 30 seconds on HIGH. Stir. Then repeat until melted. It’s really important to stir after each 30 second period because chocolate made be melted more than you realize. I’ve found the microwave is the best way to melt chocolate.
Fudge Brownie Pie

9-inch unbaked pastry shell
1 cup HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 (14-oz) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
½ cup all-purpose biscuit baking mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pastry shell 10 minutes, remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

In saucepan over very low heat, melt chips with butter. In large mixer bowl, beat chocolate mixture with remaining ingredients except nuts until smooth. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pastry shell.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream, if desired.

Double-Corn Spoonbread

This recipe comes from the November 2012 recipe of Good Housekeeping magazine. It’s perfect for those holiday gatherings coming up or for those days when you’d like to try something different. The magazine also thoughtfully included variations for 12 servings and for 20 servings. Check it out.
Double-Corn Spoonbread

1 ½ cups water
Salt
Pepper
1 ½ cups whole milk
¾ cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 ½ tablespoons margarine or butter
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 ½ cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease shallow 1 ½-quart casserole.

In 4-quart saucepan, heat water, ½ teaspoon salt, and half of milk to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk cornmeal in slow, steady stream. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is very thick and pasty, whisking frequently.

Remove from heat and whisk in margarine until melted. Continue whisking and add remaining milk in slow, steady stream. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, then baking powder.

Stir in green onions, corn, Parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until mixed. Transfer to prepared dish and spread in smooth, even layer. (Casserole can be cooled, then covered and refrigerated, up to 4 hours before baking.)

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Garnish with green onions.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix

There are few things as wonderful as Chex Mix, especially when you're watching football. There's something about crunching on that mix when your team is fighting for a win. Now, they've got another way to mix it all up. Sounds wonderful to me! Oh, and if you like nuts, add a cup of mixed or regular nuts. Just another expert tip from the folks over at Pillsbury!
 
Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix
 
9  cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex® or Wheat Chex® cereal (or combination)
2  cups bite-size pretzel twists
2  cups bite-size cheese crackers
3  tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1  package (1 oz) ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and crackers. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated. Stir in dressing mix and cheese until evenly coated.
 
Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.
Go ahead and add some peanuts or mixed nuts to the mix--about 1 cup would be just enough!

Chocolate Lime Pie

Love the mixture of chocolate and lime. It’s wonderful! This is from another newspaper clipping. I can’t wait to give it a try!
Chocolate Lime Pie

One 12-oz. can evaporated milk
One 3-oz. package lime gelatin
½ cup boiling water
¼ cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
Chocolate wafer crust

Chill can of evaporated milk, then whip until thick.

Blend gelatin with boiling water; add lemon juice and sugar. Let chill until firm. Beat mixture, then add to whipped milk. Whip again and pour into pie crusts. Top with reserved chocolate crumbs.

Chill before serving.
Chocolate Cookie Crust

2 cups crushed chocolate wafers
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

Mix wafers and butter. Pat into two 8-inch pie plates, reserving some crumbs for topping. Chill.

Fred MacMurray's Pumpkin Pie

Found this clipping and was intrigued by it -- again. I’ve tried many Pumpkin Pie recipes but never one with rum or coconut. This recipe has both. And it is that time of year for Pumpkin Pie.
Fred MacMurray’s Pumpkin Pie

1 2/3 cups gingersnap crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup rum
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup flake coconut

Combine crumbs with butter in 9-inch pie plate. Press firmly on bottom and around sides.

Thoroughly mix brown sugar, gelatin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in heavy saucepan. Stir in milk, egg yolks and pumpkin, blending well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble and gelatin is completely dissolved.

Let mixture cool at room temperature, then stir in rum. Chill until mixture thickens enough to mound slightly when dropped from spoon.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat in sugar, small amount at a time, then beat until smooth. Fold egg whites into pumpkin mixture. Ladle into prepared crust and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, spread coconut on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Stir once or twice to brown evenly. Sprinkle toasted coconut over pie.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.