Meal Planning with Connie

    Brown Sugar Bundt Cake Brown Sugar Bundt Cake This cake is very versatile! It’s great for dessert or brunch! Sprinkling the Bundt pan with sugar before adding the batter gives the cake a pretty crystallized look and forms a crispy crust. 1 (18-ounce) box yellow cake mix, divided use 1 (3½-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding and pie filling 1 cup brown sugar 4 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup water 1 cup chopped pecans, coated with reserved cake mix Glaze ingredients: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 tablespoon milk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan well with cooking spray. Sprinkle pan with granulated sugar. Reserve 3 tablespoons of dry cake mix. Pour remaining cake mix into the large mixing bowl of your electric mixer. Add pudding mix and brown sugar. Mix for about 1 minute to combine dry ingredients. Combine eggs, oil and water. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, beating on medi...

Let the people give thanks to you, O God. Let all the people give thanks to you. Psalm 67:5 I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen The holidays are upon us, and it’s time for two of my favorite activities, cooking and eating!  Some of my most treasured recipes are ones I’ve gathered from friends and relations at holiday get-togethers through the years.  Like most families, we have some long-standing food traditions when it comes to our holiday meals, and the festivities just wouldn’t be the same without these dishes.  However, I always try to throw in at least one or two new dishes each year, just to keep things interesting! Many of these new recipes often contain cranberries. Several years ago, our family fell in love with a book entitled Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry and Wende Devlin.  The Devlins eventually wrote an entire series about Magg...

This recipe is really easy and very good! It is the perfect size for our family of four.  Double for larger families or planned leftovers.   Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes 1/3 cup finely chopped onion (optional) 1 (5 ounce) can chopped lean ham (or 1 cup of chopped ham) 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup water Salt and pepper to taste 5 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more if you like) Combine the potatoes, onion, ham, broth and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until dissolved and smooth. Slowly stir in milk. Continue whisking over medium heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cheese.  Stir until melted. Add the milk mixture to potato mixture and heat through. To lighte...

I clipped this recipe several years ago from American Profile, which is a small magazine insert that come with our local newspaper, The Pontotoc Progress. It is yummy, yummy, yummy!  I love the story that accompanied the recipe and was delighted when a Google searched turned up the same article on the web! Larry took this to work, and he said it was a huge hit with everyone! Enjoy! Georgia Cornbread Cake Georgia Cornbread Cake   Recipe of Stella T. Thompson from American Profile "I am 86 years old and have been cooking since I was 9. This recipe has been in my family for many years. The ground pecans give it the texture of cornbread, but there isn’t any cornmeal in it." 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup vegetable oil 1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups pecans, chopped very fine Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stir together sugar, brown sugar, eggs and oil in a medium bowl un...

This is yummy, y'all!!  It is the perfect size for our family, but it can be easily doubled and baked in a 9x13 for larger families or planned leftovers.  I love that you don't have to boil the noodles - just dump them in the pan dry.  Do be sure to spray the baking dish well with cooking spray.  You can use any noodles you like.  The recipe calls for egg noodles. We like mini lasagna noodles. Just use what you have on hand.   You can also use spaghetti sauce instead of the pizza sauce if you like.  Or, make your own easy pizza sauce by combining: 2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasonings 1/2 tsp Garlic salt 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)   Easy Pizza Noodle Bake   Easy Pizza Noodle Bake 3 c. uncooked wide egg noodles 1 lb. ground beef, browned 1 (16 oz.) jar pizza sauce 1 c. water 3/4 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) "Toppings" of choice - pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, green peppers, on...

 This was really, really good.  It was quick and easy to prepare, too.   Everyone gave it a thumbs up! Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce 4 chicken breasts, pounded thin 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 tablespoons butter, divided 1 cup chicken broth, divided 2 tablespoons flour Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced Hot cooked rice In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken breast in oil and 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown and no pink remains; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine 3/4 cup chicken broth and flour; whisk until smooth.  Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper; heat through. Meanwhile, in another skillet, combine the remaining butter, chicken broth and mushrooms; cook for 10 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.Combine the cream sauce and sauteed mushrooms. Serve chicken breasts over rice; top with mushroom cream sauce. T...

The two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food, and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it. --Andy Rooney   Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,  is the true measure of our thanksgiving. --WT Purkiser  Meal Plan for  November 9th - 15th Monday - Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Parmesan-Bacon Romaine Salad and Crescent Rolls Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce 4 chicken breasts, pounded thin 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 tablespoons butter, divided 1 cup chicken broth, divided 2 tablespoons flour Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced Hot cooked rice In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken breast in oil and 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown and no pink remains; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine 3/4 cup chicken broth and flour; whisk until smooth...