Sweet Corn Cake ****

This is probably the boys' favorite thing that I make.  Out of everything.  It helps that I only make it once a year, though, lol.  I typically make it to serve with our annual New Year's Day Hoppin' John meal.  It's ridiculously good, but with the creamed corn and the sugar, what's not to love?  I do usually back off the sugar amount a bit.  I double the recipe, but I only use about 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar total, depending on my mood.  I also use the baking Stevia instead of regular white sugar.  You can't tell a difference in this at all, and it makes me feel just a tad bit better about serving such a sweet item with our regular meal.  Better than nothing, right?  Ha!

SWEET CORN CAKE
(Chandra ~ chaneden ~ adapted from AllRecipes)

1 (8oz) pkg Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1 (8oz) can creamed corn
1/2 cup white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. (A smaller pan will make a thicker cake which is preferred over a thinner one.)
2. Place cornbread mix in bowl. Stir in milk and egg. Mix in creamed corn and sugar. Pour into greased pan.
3. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (I look for the edges to turn a little brown and pull away from the sides.)
* Chandra's Notes: I usually multiply this by three, then divide into two pans to make a thicker cake.
** luckymommy/Amy's notes: I doubled it and put it in a 9 x 13 glass baking pan.

Hoppin' John ****

Being born to a family with Southern roots, black-eyed peas are a staple on New Year's Day.  That, along with putting quarters in the windows and not doing laundry are a must in our family.  My grandmother just passed this last summer, and up until her very last New Year's, she would call around the night before and remind everyone not to do laundry.  It's the only way in which she was superstitious.  Every other fiber of her being was rooted in what is stable and reliable.  So for the remainder of my years on this Earth, I will be enjoying black-eyed peas with my quartered windows and dirty laundry on New Year's Day.  And I will be missing her the entire time.

That said, this is the only way my hubby will eat black-eyed peas, which is odd, considering that he was born and raised in the South, while I was born and raised further to the North.  So many of our first years of dating and marriage were spent with me trying to force-feed him a spoonful of black-eyed peas once a year.  Thanks to GatorGrrl, though, we've been enjoying this one together for the past 6 years.  I always serve it with Sweet Corn Cake (also from the BBC CFYF board).  Both recipes are typically only a once-a-year thing for us, which makes them a special treat.  Our kids love it as much as we do, which is a blessing in itself.  I've made a few changes over the years (mainly using green chilies for the jalapeno and cubed ham for the ham hock), but all in all, we stick pretty firmly to the recipe.  Why fix it if it ain't broke?  ;-)

HOPPIN' JOHN
(Sharon --GatorGrrrl)

4 cans black eyed peas
2 pieces of chopped up bacon
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno (take the seeds out to cut the spice)
1 large smoked ham hock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1-2 cups water
Cooked white rice

Saute 2 pieces of chopped up bacon.  Use the bacon drippings to saute a large onion, garlic, and a jalapeno. Then add big smoked ham hock, 4 cans of black eye peas, a tsp each of thyme, parsley and oregano.  Add just enough water to make it soupy, about 2 cups.
Let it simmer for at least an hour, but the longer the better.  At a certain point, take the ham hock out and let it cool and chop up the ham and stir it back in.
Serve over white rice.
*Amy's notes: I use a can of chilies in place of the jalapenos and cubed ham steak in place of the ham hock.  I also stir 3-4 servings of white rice directly into the peas before serving.

Past Reviews:
1/2/11 ~ Oh man, oh man, oh man. This was wonderful! I made very few changes to the recipe, because it was the first time I've ever attempted Hoppin' John. Although I live in the South (transplant though I may be), I am sad to admit that I'd never even heard of Hoppin' John until last New Year's. My family had always done black-eyed peas and ham for luck on NYD, but dh hates black-eyed peas with a passion. He says they smell like stinky feet and taste about as good as they smell. :) He eats one bite, just for me, every year, but he detests even that much. After my boss described Hoppin' John to me last year, I decided to give it a shot, just to see if I could find a way of making them that dh could tolerate. He actually enjoyed this. For one thing, canned peas don't have that "dirt" flavor to them that fresh do, and he definitely liked that aspect of this recipe. That's why I chose this one in particular. That and the fact that I didn't want to slave away all day on some big fancy pea recipe, just to have him turn his nose up at it, lol.
We all loved this. The only big change I made was to use an 7-oz can of chilies instead of the jalapeno. My kids aren't much on spice, so this was the right decision for us. At the end, I just put 2 servings of white rice directly into the peas. I also used an extra hamhock, with the hopes that I might get some more meat off of it. Instead, I have come to the conclusion that unless you get a much better hock than I did, there is very little usable meat on it. I'm grossed out by eating the fat or skin off of it, so after sawing on those hocks for ages in search of meat, I eventually chunked them. However, I adore the smoky flavor that the ham hocks give it. I've decided that next year, I'll put the one ham hock in there, add chopped ham, and then just let someone's dog have the hock when we're done. Other than that, I am SOLD on this sucker! :)
I served it with Sweet Corn Cake, which gave the perfect mix of sweet and spicy.

Easy Sweet 'n Tangy Crockpot Meatballs ****

I know there's really no need to post a recipe for this one.  Pretty much everyone has tried either this version or the grape jelly and BBQ sauce one at some point in their lives.  But even so, it was the first time I've made any of them myself.  The grape jelly one is usually just too sweet for my tastes, so I decided to give this one a go instead.  We loved it.  I doubled the recipe for our family Christmas party, and it was almost completely gone by the time we left.  I'll definitely be making them again!

EASY SWEET 'N TANGY CROCKPOT MEATBALLS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheFrugalGirls)

26oz fully-cooked frozen meatballs (homemade or store-bought)
1 (14oz) can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 (12oz) bottle of Heinz chili sauce

Combine cranberry jelly and chili sauce in a bowl, then stir.
Based upon your preferences, you can alter the proportions of cranberry jelly {sweet} and chili sauce {tangy}.
Add frozen meatballs to crockpot and cover with sauce mixture.
Heat on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Once they're nice and hot, let simmer on LOW or WARM setting. ENJOY!

Dill Pickle Roll-Em-Ups ****

This is an old family favorite, but I keep forgetting to take a picture of it. I'll have to make them this weekend, just so that I can get one. Then I'll have to force myself to eat them so that they don't go to waste. Darn. ;-)
This is the easiest recipe ever, but it's always gone first at any get-together. The kids love them too, so they're popular all around.

DILL PICKLE ROLL-EM-UPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

Pack of sliced ham
8 oz container cream cheese
Jar of dill pickle spears (I like to cut the spears in half lengthwise, to get more rolls out of them)

Spread slice of ham with cream cheese. Place pickle on it lengthwise, and roll up. Slice roll into about 5-6 pieces, and place a toothpick in each piece.
Repeat with each slice of ham
*Can also sub roast beef for the ham

Easy Chicken Enchilada Tortellini Bake **

We were a house divided on this one.  Hubby and one of the kids loved it.  The other kid and I thought it was just so-so.  Honestly, to me, the enchilada taste is just overpowering.  Combining it with the Rotel makes the sauce way too runny.  If I made it again (which I won't), I would probably use a drained can of stewed tomatoes and a can of green chilies.  To give it a bit more bulk.  I'd also mix a little cheese into it before adding it to the tortellini.  I did add a drained can of corn and a drained can of black olives, just to give it some taste other than the enchilada sauce, and I think that's all that saved it for us.  Oh!  It actually might be better if you just used one can of the enchilada sauce and added a carton of sour cream.  That could be pretty good.  Might have to try that one now!

EASY CHICKEN ENCHILADA TORTELLINI BAKE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ ThisGalCooks)

2-1/2 cups of cooked chicken breast. I've included instructions below for slow cooking but you could use a rotisserie chicken, too.

2 (9oz) packages of refrigerated tortellini. I used Butoni Roasted Garlic and Cheese.

1 (14.5oz) can of spicy red pepper diced tomatoes

1 (15oz) can of all natural enchilada sauce. I used this brand.

1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese (you can also used shredded cheddar)

1. To Slow Cook the Chicken: If slow cooking the chicken, spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Place two split chicken breasts (with the bones and skin - keeps it tender) in the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt, pepper and ground chipotle pepper, if desired. Place ½ C chicken broth in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove from the bones, remove the skin and shred.

For using Rotisserie Chicken: Remove the skin from the rotisserie chicken. Pull the chicken breasts from the bones and shred with a fork.

2. Preheat oven to 400.

3. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Once done cooking, drain and return to the pot.

4. Prepare the sauce. Place the enchilada sauce and the diced tomatoes into a blender and blend. You can also place these two items into a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender.

5. Prepare the tortellini bake. Add the chicken to the pot with the tortellini. Mix well. Then add desired amount of sauce to the pot. I used about 3/4 of the sauce. The remaining sauce can be stored in an air tight container in a refrigerator for up to a week. Mix everything well and then pour into a 1.5 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the shredded Mexican cheese.

6. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. After baking, if desired, turn on the broiler to high and broil for about 5 minutes to brown the cheese.

Sue's Reuben Sandwich ***

The 12-year-old's very favorite food right now is Reubens.  I haven't made them in at least two years, but both he and the hubby have been begging for them lately.  I finally caved in over the weekend.  They were wonderful as usual.  I do always have to rinse my sauerkraut really well, though, just because hubby hates the flavor otherwise.  Truthfully, I don't really follow the amounts on the recipe.  I just use it as a guide to make sure I get everything on the sandwich in the right order.  I definitely need to make them more often, though, because they all loved them!

SUE'S REUBEN SANDWICH
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

4 ounces lean thinly sliced deli corned beef
2 (1 ounce) slices Swiss cheese
2 slices rye bread
1/3 cup sauerkraut, well drained
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons thousand island dressing (to taste)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pinch crushed juniper berries or 1 pinch caraway seed (optional)

Bring corned beef and Swiss cheese to room temperature.
Heat sauerkraut until it is warmed to about 120-140 degrees.
Prepare sandwich by first buttering one slice of bread on one side with 1 tbsp butter.
Place bread, butter side down, in a small skillet.
Follow with the following ingredients in this order: 1 slice of Swiss cheese, followed by 4 oz. corned beef, followed by 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp (to taste) of Thousand Island dressing, followed by well drained and warmed sauerkraut, followed by a pinch of either juniper berries or caraway, followed by the final piece of cheese.
Top the sandwich with the last piece of bread and spread the other tbsp of butter on the outside of the bread.
Heat the sandwich in the skillet on a med-low heat until the bottom side becomes golden; flip sandwich with spatula and lightly brown other side.
Remove to plate and slice in half before serving.
Serve with a dill spear and your favorite chips.

Previous Posts:
2/4/12 ~ I was completely astonished when hubby requested Reuben sandwiches this week, since he is vehemently anti-sauerkraut.  That being said, there are a handful of dishes that I can make with it, as long as I rinse the kraut really well.  That takes away some of the tartness of it, which is what he has the biggest problem with.  I don't like Thousand Island, but you really can't taste it in here.  It just adds the tiniest bit of sweetness to the sandwich.
I made these tonight, but I didn't follow recommendations for amounts or anything, just the order in which the ingredients were added.  I didn't bring my meat and cheese to room temp, but when I put them in the skillet, I put the lid on it, to warm the entire thing.  That worked just fine.  When I rinsed the kraut in the colander, I did it with warm water, so that warmed it enough that I didn't have to warm it separately.  Hubby asked for seconds, and both boys loved them too.  Definite winner for us.  :-)

Pumpkin Delight Dessert ***

This was delicious!  My grandma always made a cake she called a Robert Redford, which was basically a vanilla version of this.  Then my mom picked up and made a chocolate version, aptly named Chocolate Delight.  This one miraculously popped up on my Pinterest feed the very same day that my mom asked me to bring a dessert for a family get-together.  It was perfect!  I made it that morning, and it was good to go by the afternoon.  I will say, though, there were a couple pieces left over that the kids had for snack the next day, and it is so much better the second day.  I would probably make it the day before next time.  But however you look at it, this is a total winner for us!  I made it in a 9x13, and if you do that, be sure to follow her notes about increasing the crust amounts.  You don't want to skimp on that deliciousness!

PUMPKIN DELIGHT DESSERT
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ LilLuna)

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup Pecans, chopped
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Powdered sugar
3 cups Whipped topping, divided
2-1/2 cups Milk
3 small pkgs. White chocolate instant pudding mix (or vanilla) - 3.4 oz. boxes
1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin puree
1 tsp. Pumpkin spice

Layer 1: Mix flour, butter and 1/2 cup pecans together. Press into a sprayed 9x9 OR 9x13 pan. (For a 9x13 or if you would like more crust add an additional 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.) Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove and let cool.
Layer 2: Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar, add 1 cup of the whipped topping then spread over cooled crust.
Layer 3: Mix milk, pudding mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and 1 cup whipped topping until smooth. Spread over top of layer 2.
Layer 4: Spread remaining 1 cup of whipped topping and sprinkle pecans.
Let chill for 3 hours or until set.