Tortilla Casserole

2 1/4 lbs. Ground beef
1 medium yellow onion - chopped
1 16 oz jar of Salsa
4 oz of Sour Cream
1 can Rotel Tomatoes - drained
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Ranch Style Beans - drained
12 small Corn Tortillas - quartered
1 small can of sliced black olives
4 cups Mexican mixed cheese

Cook beef and onion together and drain. Add salsa and sour cream.
Mix cream of chicken soup and beans.

Layer a 9x13 casserole dish with half of the quartered corn tortillas and then layer with half of the following:

Beef mixture
Rotel tomatoes
Soup / bean mixture
Cheese

Repeat layer and top with sliced black olives.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve with extra salsa.

You can determine the spice level by your choice of Rotel and salsa.

Southern Plate

Everyone could use a little southern in their lives!

Look, I'm on Southern Plate's facebook page.

Christy's cookbook has been released. Stop by southernplate.com for the yummy details.

Peach Cobbler in the Winter

I put 10 pounds of peaches in the freezer. It gave me enough for 3 cobblers. I have more peaches coming in a week and half, so I will probably put more in the freezer after I make some peach jam. Yum!

Canning Labels

I've been playing with a design for canning labels. Not sure I'm done yet. Here are 2 examples:

Photo of the Week

Sweet Heat

This recipe was called "pepper butter" but I have a hard time seeing it as that. I prefer to call it pepper mustard. It is good on so many things; pretzels, pork, hamburgers, brats...you name it. Oh, I even had a little with fish one night. It called for all jalapenos [42], but I used part jalapeno and part anaheim. I think it made a perfect balance. I want heat but not to where you can't taste anything because of it.

I need to make another batch because most of these will be gifts between now and Christmas. One batch makes about 17 half pints.

Pepper Jelly

I used the same recipe, just used red bell pepper and red food coloring for one batch and green bell pepper and green food coloring for the other. The 4 ounce jars are the perfect amount for topping a block of cream cheese. I will be giving them away at Christmas time.

Dairy & Berries

A couple of years ago Clay gave Barry an ice cream maker. We haven't used it much until recently. And we don't know why! We have been making eggless ice cream. Yum. I think Strawberry is on the menu for this weekend with Clay being home for a visit from Afghanistan and family in town to see him.

Looking ragged...

...but still producing.

The weather is taking a toll on my tomato plants. I think my yellow plum bush is about done. I liked them and will plant again next year. The heat has slowed them down but they should bounce back producing when the temps are a little lower.

Bama White Sauce

Southern BBQ sauces are mustard based. This is a mayo based sauce. Alone it is tangy and tart and is great on grilled chicken. Adjust the vinegar level to your liking. You may want to start with just a little less than 1 ounce and see if you like it before adding all of it.

Cider Vinegar - 1 ounce [= 2T] or 2 1/2 T for more tart

Water - 2 ounces [=4T]

Mayo - 1 1/2 cups

1 t - Black Pepper

1/2 t - Garlic Powder

1/2 t - Onion Powder

1/4 t - Cayenne Pepper or 1/2 for more kick

1/2 t - Dry Mustard
1 t- Lemon Juice

Pour vinegar into a pint jar. Add other ingredients and shake well. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Use within a few days.

Pretty Salad

The red and yellow tomatoes from the garden make a pretty salad.

Homemade Pepper Sauce

I ran out of pepper sauce this past winter and was disappointed every time we had peas or greens. That won't be a problem this winter.

I added green tomatoes to it just like Mama did. They should be ready in a few weeks. Yum!

Home Stewed Tomatoes

At the rate we are eating the tomatoes from the garden I won't have any in the freezer for this winter. Today I picked 3 pounds and stewed them and put 3 cups in the freezer. That will taste good in a pot of chili when cold weather rolls around.

As I dipped my tomatoes in boiling water to peel them, I used my mama's big metal spoon that I brought home with me. I sure miss her. This reminded me of all the canning and freezing she would do from the garden and all the wonderful food we enjoyed in the winter.

Snack time

Which one doe I choose?

Peach Bread

Mashed down peaches through the sieve and used a banana bread recipe, substituting the peaches. Recipe called for 1 cup of mashed bananas so I used 1 cup of mashed peaches. Yummy!

Sweet Corn...Yum

Ready for winter!

Sand Hill Plums

Using the pulp to make bread. Altered the same recipe I used on the peach bread. Really good!

Small but mighty

2 years ago Barry dug out enough lawn so that I could plant a small [more like tiny] garden. I just gotta have my home grown tomatoes.

I think by next year we will have tilled the area behind our fence. It's our easement area but shouldn't be an issue in using it. Most of it will get some real grass in place of the weedy stuff there now. The rest will be an expansion of garden space. It backs up to a wheat field and the current access road is used by those that need behind our properties.

Here are my tomatoes for 2010. I always plant Jet Star and Juliets. This year I'm also trying Mr. Stripey and Yellow Pear tomatoes. I tried a yellow version last year and like them. I don't recall the name but it wasn't what I picked this year. In between the cages I also have green, yellow and red bell peppers along with some jalapenos. I may have to squeeze another cage in the adjoining flower bed and pop in a cucumber. I can remember the gardens Mama would have when I was a kid. Back then it was hard dirty work that a kid didn't enjoy. But when winter arrived and we enjoyed the harvest that Mama had canned or put in the freezer, it was worth it.

I can't wait until I have the first tomato straight from the vine!

Great recipe web site

I miss living in the south - especially the food. When I first moved here I tried to find someone that grew turnip greens. I was told of one farmer that did - but for his pigs. GASP! I guess many people don't eat them out this way. I can get them frozen and so I make do.

Not long ago I stumbled upon the Southern Plate web site. I'm so glad I did. Where else can you find fried bologna sandwiches and sweet tea! It's like a walk down memory lane. I sure miss my Mama and her wonderful cooking.

Drop by and pick a recipe for dinner. You'll be glad you did.

Kicked my addiction

At the end of 2009 I made A LOT of changes to my diet. One of those changes included reducing the number of Diet Coke's I consumed. While I won't confess that number let's just say it was WAY too much. There are a lot of opinions on the ingredient Aspartame and I'll just say that with anything... moderation... moderation. Having said that, I decided to give up the sodium, or at least the volume I could control. High blood pressure runs in both sides of my family and that was what I received the year I turned 40. It was a sad parting since my morning started with my old friend. I love the taste! I went through the caffeine withdrawal and have survived the change.

This lone can has been sitting in the garage for a while. I see it often and think I should drink it just to get rid of it. I think for now I'll leave it. Will I ever have another Diet Coke? Sure, from time to time - in moderation. I'm sure my body appreciates the volume of water it now gets but my taste buds sure miss our old friend.