Friday, February 22, 2008

Frozen Fruit

My friend Heather in Real Moms always makes this when it's our turn to bring breakfast. It's SO awesome, I had to have the recipe. I made it for our scrapbooking weekend.

Ingredients:
6 mashed bananas
1 can crushed pineapple
2-10 oz. cartons frozen strawberries (sliced)
12 oz. frozen OJ
Blueberries (I used one carton of frozen)
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. water

Directions:
* Thaw frozen ingredients
* Combine all ingredients in a large freezable container
* Freeze overnight
* Set out 1 hour before serving

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd

Another dish I made for the birthday party. I did these the night before and just heated them up in the crock-pot, as the recipe suggests.
http://www.recipezaar.com/274058


10 lbs russet potatoes
1 lb butter, divided
16 ounces cream cheese
3 cups sour cream
1 bunch chives or green onions, chopped (optional garnish)

1. Butter and cream cheese should be allowed to soften at room temperature for ease of use. Leaving them on the counter while you peel the potatoes should be sufficient.

2. Peel potatoes, rinse, and cut into large chunks. Place in a large stockpot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes and boil till tender.

3. While potatoes boil, blend 1 1/3 cup butter with the cream cheese. (This is best done in a stand mixer.) Add sour cream and mix well. Set aside.

4. Chop green onions, and refrigerate in a ziplock bag till serving time.

5. Drain cooked potatoes and mash or whip to your liking (I like them super smooth, but some people prefer them lumpy.).

6. Add the dairy blend to the potatoes and mix well. You can either do this in your stock pot, or divide it up into more manageable portions.

7. Once it's all mixed, load it into your crockpot and whack it into the fridge.

8. On serving day, dot the top of the potatoes with the remaining butter. Put the crockpot on low setting for 2-3 hours or until heated thru, then turn down to 'keep warm' setting (if your crockpot has one) till dinner time.

9. Can be served directly from the crockpot for buffet, or divvied up into serving dishes for family style dining.

Servings: 20

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

I made this recipe (tripled) for Elise's birthday party and everyone said it was just like Boston Market!
http://www.recipezaar.com/236891


1 lb macaroni
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
pepper
4 cups milk (we use skim)
2 lbs Velveeta cheese, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in large sauce pan melt butter. Cook onion in butter till tender but not brown.

4. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook one minute.

5. Pour in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, be sure to scrape bottom as it cooks. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more.

6. Stir in cheese. Heat and stir until cheese is melted.

7. Stir in cooked macaroni. Pour into large 3 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Servings: 10