Cherry pickin!

Ah, the end of spring. Birds chirping, flowers blooming, fresh veggies and black berries on their way! But remember those beautiful cherry trees that have stopped blooming? They've started ripening up and are perfect right now! At least, they are in Bell Buckle TN at 640 Pepper Hill where we used to live.
My son and I went there a few days ago to get a few last items from the house. I noticed all the red berries covering my tree that I love so much but have to leave behind. James and I got to work! He got a pan and I got a bowl and we didnt stop picking cherries until our containers were full. It was so much fun and he really loved it. Great family past time and there are all kinds of farms around for strawberries, blueberries, cherries, you name it. So go out and take the kids! Then come home and let them help with this awesome kid friendly desert! SO easy....OMG so easy, lol

(I made a cream cheese icing, but later decided it was too much sugar for me. Grayson and James loved the icing though. I just think overall it's a bit much. To make it, mix 8oz soft cream cheese, 5 tbs butter, 2 cups powdered sugar. Add the sugar in slowly so it blends well. Spread over dish while still hot)

You need:
Fresh fruit, pitted/seeded/sliced how you like it. 2-3 cups more or less, just whatever you like.
Pancake mix and needed ingrediants (mine was simply mix and water, I made two batches)
1/2 cup sugar
Baking dish, again I used glass. It was small, like 5x7 in?
Ice cold milk

Here's how ya make it!
1. Pre those fruits! Wash 'em, slice em, pit em, whatever. I just pitted my cherries and used them hole
2. Make two batches of pancake mix (this may vary...remember to always improvise ;)
3. Spray your dish with cooking oil or something. Go with butter flavored and avoid Olive oil and such. Just taste better and the spray has next to zero calories regardless of the flavor anyways
4...Oops, forgot to preheat the oven! Go with 350, my no fail temp
5. Pour about half of the batter into your dish, layer in your fruit of choice, sprinkle on the sugar paying attention to make it evenly dispersed.
6. Slowly pour the remaining batter on top. Start in the middle and work out so the under layers arent disturbed.
7. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
8. Add the icing if you want it, and serve HOT with super cold milk :).

It's almost like a cobbler, so hot sweet and mushy, lol. And so freakin easy! You'll love it. Perfect for teachers and student to make in class after a field trip to the blue berry farm...if they have a convection oven.

Ya want some tuna?

So, over the weekend, moving into my new apartment we discovered that our stove wasnt working. I had planned an awesome stove top meal but couldnt cook it so I had to either nuke something in the microwave OR use my handy dandy convectional oven. I always get a little weird about baking. It's not my favorite but I tried and it turned out nice. First I had to raid my barely stocked cubord for ANYTHING that I could some how make into a meal. This is truly one of those, "OMG, it's dinner, the world is coming to an end, just throw this crap in the oven" kinda deals...but it was soooo yummy. Remember, this was totally made up and mixed up so I expect you to do the same!

You need:
can of biscuits
instant rice
water
can of creamed corn, cream of mushroom/chicken/whateva flava ya like
two cans of tuna
can of mixed veggies (or, again, whatever you like, IMPROVISE!)

Okay....Pre heat the oven to 350-400 and drain all the cans of veggies and tuna.
Mix the rice and appropriate amount of water (I did what the box said for 3 servings) in a baking dish. I use glass.
Add the drained veggies, tuna, and creamed corn (I would have used cream of mushroom, but all I had was corn...still came out great!).
Stir everything together and add in a dash of thyme, salt, and pepper. This dish needed more salt when I was done, so heads up. Remember, it's always easier to add more later! Dont go over board with the thyme. It's really strong.
Open your biscuits and arrange them on top of your dish. Dont push them into the mix, just place on top.
Cook for about 30-45 minutes. Check it at the time that the biscuits should be done. They'll be cooked on top, but not the bottom so go ahead and spray the tops with some PAM and cover loosely with tin foil for the remaining time. The biscuits should be textured like dumplings but crunchy on top.

I set this dish on the counter before leaving for a friends house who lives down the road. By the time I got back, my handsome man had eaten half of it, haha. I was later blamed for the bulging stomach and his inablility to lift a finger :)

Mushroom Swiss Burgers

When I was pregnant I worked at the Dairy Queen in Inverness, AL making ice cream cakes. It was lots of fun but also slow so I poked my head all around the restaurant, especially the grill. It was then that I became obsessed with the mushroom swiss burger. Not long after I had my son and had left my job at the Dairy Queen I was really craving a mushroom swiss burger so I decided to make it myself. It's really easy and very yummy :).

What you need:
Buns, I love the roasted onion burger buns...be sure to get UNBLEACHED flour buns
1-2lbs beef...keep it lean!
2 packs of brown gravy mix
1-2 packs of sliced fresh mushroom
1 onion
1 pack of sliced Swiss cheese
mayo

Here's whatchya do:
-Dice your onions and mix them in with the ground beef, go ahead and make your patties. Sometimes I'll add a dash of Dale's sauce to the mix...it doesnt take much!
-Cook your burgers on the grill, in the oven, or in a skillet, however you prefer
-Put swiss cheese on top of your burgers just before or just after taking them off the grill
-While cooking your paties, start cooking your mushrooms over medium heat, toss them around every few minutes so they dont stick
-When the mushrooms are done, add the water and powder for your gravy and heat it all up together
-Toast your buns in the oven if you would like
-Once it's all cooked, put some mayo on one bun, add the patty, pour on the gravy with lots of mushrooms, and add the top bun.
-Viola! Amazing burgers to impress every one!

Mexican Cornbread

Every year for my birthday, my mother would ask me what I want for dinner. It could be anything. I always asked for Mexican Cornbread.

She made it for me every year until I turned 20. That year, she called me up a week before I was supposed to go back home to ask what I would like for my birthday dinner. Her words exactly, "You can have anything you want, little Sara, but NOT mexican cornbread!" I ended up asking for my second favorite, country fried steak....yumm.

After 20 years, I actually wore my family out with the spicy, sweet, meaty, cheesey, hispanic dish. So, since they had enough, I figured out the recipe and make it whenever I want. I made it last night for Grayson and he loved it. As a matter of fact, every one I've made it for has loved it and some of my pals have tried it themselves. The best part about this recipe (or all of MY recipes for that matter) is you can totally improvise and its always easy. So, for you and yours please enjoy my recipe.

1 lb meat
corn bread mix
taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel
1 can of refried beans.
1.5 cups cubed Velveta (more or less to liking)

1. Cook your meat...use any meat you wish and season it with the taco seasoning. I usually use ground beef....LEAN, dont go cheap guys!
2. Mix your corn bread per the instructions (some times I like to add half a can of creamed corn).
3. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 of your corn bread batter onto your pan (~8-10"). Then layer your meat, the refried beans, the Rotel, and your Velveta. Top it of with the rest of your corn bread batter.
4. Cook per instructions on corn bread mix....However! Please note, I've discovered that layering these ingredients with the batter sometimes slows the cooking of it. You may have to cook a little longer. Butter the top of the bread when it starts to harden and then put loose tin foil over it to prevent it from burning.
5. Slice and serve with sour cream and salsa when it's ready. Careful, it's messy!