Hashbrown Casserole

Anytime we go to Cracker Barrel, when they ask me what sides I want, Hashbrown casserole is always one of the choices.  So good!!!

It may be because I'm obsessed with potatoes and could eat them every day, any way, without getting sick.  Or it could be that I just love casseroles, and this one is yummy and creamy and perfect for a breakfast get together, or a breakfast for dinner, or heck even as a side dish for  a weekday dinner. 

Whatever you decide, just make it, you won't regret it.

Hashbrown Casserole

Source:  Will Cook for Smiles

30 oz frozen shredded hash brown potatoes thawed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
3 large garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk (can use reduced fat if needed)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup sour cream
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tbsp minced parsley (can use dried parsley if needed)
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese topping


Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 casserole baking dish. Preheat medium pot over medium heat on stove-top.

Add oil, heat it through and add onions. Saute onions until they start to brown. Smash and mince garlic and add it to the onions. Stir and saute until fragrant.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir well. Stir for a few seconds and start slowly pouring in chicken stock, while stirring. Pour in milk after that while stirring as well.

Let the mixture heat through and start to thicken.

Stir in sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture cook and thicken as the cheese melts. Taste to make sure you have enough seasoning. Stir in parsley.

Mix hash browns and cheese sauce in a large bowl and spread the mixture in the prepared casserole dish. Make sure it's all spread evenly throughout.

Spread some more cheese on top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until casserole browned and bubbles around the edges.
 

Cuca de Banana - Banana Streusel Cake

When people ask me where I'm from, I often wonder how to explain, because I was born in Mozambique which was a Portuguese colony at the time, but it is an African country so I'm African but Portuguese, lived until I was 10 in Portugal, then moved to South Africa and lived there for 14 years.

We are of French descent, and my grandfather's parents were from Brazil.

Are you confused yet?  Hahah

Anyway, that means that when it comes to food I love all kinds but I have a special affinity for Portugese and Brazilian.

With that in mind, I thought I would come in and share a cake recipe that is very well known in Brazil, it is a banana cake with a yummy streusel topping.  There's absolutely nothing to it, it's quick to put together, using ingredients you no doubt already have in your pantry.

Cuca de Banana - Banana Streusel Cake

For the cake:
150 grams sugar (1 cup)
150 grams of cold butter (6 tablespoons)
2 medium eggs
150 grams of self rising flour (if you don't have it, you can use one cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a half teaspoon of salt)
4 ripe bananas, sliced

For the streusel topping:
6 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of butter


In a stand mixer, beat the cold butter with the sugar for about 5 minutes, until soft and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, until well combined.

Start adding the flour, a little at a time, beating on low speed, once the flour is incorporated, turn the speed up to medium and beat well for 2 minutes.

Grease a springform pan with butter and flour, pour in the batter, and then lay the sliced bananas on top.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Do NOT open the oven door during the first 20 minutes.  After 30 minutes, check to see if cake is cooked all the way by inserting a toothpick near the center, if it comes out dry, it is done.

Remove from oven.

Make the streusel topping by mixing all the ingredients together, then crumble over the baked cake, return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. 

You can also place the streusel on the cake before baking in the oven, but I prefer to do it this way because I find the topping gets nice and crunch and doesn't mix into the batter.

Let cool  and serve.

3 Ingredient Ice Cream

As the weather starts to warm up, my mind immediately goes to summer time, hot temperatures and afternoon treats.

Usually we stock up on Braum's Ice Cream, and that's fine as we love all the different flavors, but it can become a bit expensive at $6 a gallon.

As always, it is cheaper to make at home, but, is it worth it? 

For me, it is.  It is certainly cheaper to make and I can use whatever flavor I choose, which gives me endless possibilities. 

3 Ingredient Ice Cream

1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 3 oz. box Jello, flavor of your choice (I used Raspberry)


Make the jello as per directions on the box.  In a blender, add the jello mixture, the condensed milk and the evaporated milk.  Beat for 2 or 3 minutes until well incorporated.

Pour into a freezer safe tub, and freeze for 2 hours.

After two hours, pull out of freezer and transfer the mixture into a kitchenaid mixer, or a big bowl that you can use with a handheld mixer.

Mix on medium for 10 minutes.  It will get really well blended and will also increase in volume.

After the 10 minutes, pour back into freezer tub or a bigger one if needed and freeze for 12 hours.

That is it, simple, quick and easy.  It does take a long time to freeze, and it most certainly needs the 12 hours in the freezer, so keep that in mind when making a batch for your family.

Best Beans Ever

I've been making beans for a very long time, and when I first started I would cook the beans with all the spices.  Although they turned out ok, they never really stood out or made anyone go "WOW that's good."

I soon realized the mistake I was making.

When you cook the beans with all the spices, including your onion and tomato etc., you basically have to eat the beans that very day, or the next one.  The longer it stays in the fridge the more sour they will become, or rather, they will go bad pretty quick.

What I do, is make a big batch of beans which I'll then divide into smaller portions and freeze.  When I want to serve them with that night's dinner, I take one of the portions out, and then place them in a saucepan to thaw and warm up, and at that point I'll add all the spices.  The result is super delicious beans.

Best Beans Ever

1 pound bag of dried beans, your choice (I usually do pinto beans or black beans)
Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
Chourico, Smoked Sausage or Bacon
Olive oil
Crushed Garlic
Finely diced onion
Cumin
Parsley, Cilantro and Green Onion Mixture 
Paprika


Soak your beans for the minimum of an hour, or overnight.  Some people don't soak their beans, I do because all of the indigestible sugars that cause flatulence, are contained on the skin.  Of course, you also want to make sure you sort your beans and remove any little pebbles, and the soaking will also give them a good wash.

Once your beans have been soaked, place them in a slow cooker, add enough water to cover them by about two inches and then add in the bay leaf and the meat you're using, whether it's chourico (I usually put it in whole, same with the smoked sausage), sausage or diced bacon.

Turn the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for about 5 to 6 hours until beans are tender.  Just a quick heads up, pinto beans take a LONG time to cook and sometimes I have them going all day long on high.

Once they are cooked.  Remove the meat and the bay leaf.  Spoon the beans into smaller portions and freeze.  If you are making some right away, then set aside however much you want to make and freeze the rest.

To season the beans......in a pot, add a little bit of olive oil, the diced onion and the crushed garlic.  I make my own crushed garlic, by peeling and then finely chopping up a few heads of garlic, then placing them in a mason jar and filling with olive oil to about an inch above the garlic.  Place the jar in the fridge and then use that whenever you're cooking.

For the beans, I add about a teaspoon and a half.

Once the onion is tender and translucent, add in the beans, then add back in the meat.  If you use chourico or smoked sausage, dice them up before adding.  Season with salt and pepper, cumin to taste, paprika to taste and add in about a 1/4 cup or so of the Parsley, Cilantro and Green Onion mixture.

Stir to combine well, and let cook for a few minutes for the flavors to blend.  Serve immediately.

We absolutely love beans and I'll usually serve them with whatever meat we are having for dinner, and some white rice.

Sheet Pan Pizza

I love recipes that I can stretch to feed more than just our family, although, when I make pizza I tend to make quite a lot, because it's a family favorite, and the boys especially enjoy having leftovers or munching on it throughout the day.

I already have a pizza dough recipe for you, here on the blog.  It's my honey pizza dough which I've been making since my teenage years, it always turns out just perfect, fluffy and rises beautifully.

But with that said, I'm always on the lookout for new dough recipes, so I'm bringing you a whole new pizza dough for a sheet pan pizza that can feed 12 and is made in a big sheet pan.  Obviously, you can play around with it, use whatever toppings you prefer, double or even triple the recipe depending on how many people you're serving and so on.

Sheet Pan Pizza

Source: The Baker Mama

2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 tablespoon garlic salt
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 cup pizza sauce
Pepperoni, Ham
Shredded Cheese
Italian seasoning



Coat an 18x13-inch sheet pan with ¼ cup olive oil and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water. Allow to proof about 10 minutes.

Add the flour and garlic salt and mix on low speed for a few minutes before slowly adding the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Mix until a smooth ball starts to form, about 5 minutes.
Press dough evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F. Once dough has risen to almost double in height, flatten the bottom and press the dough up the sides of the pan with your hands.

Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough. Add your toppings and then cover with the cheese of your liking.  Finish with some Italian seasoning.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust starts to brown and the cheese starts to bubble. Let set 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.