No post today!

Hey guys,

Sorry posting has been so sparse. I'm dealing with a sick animal and if it's anything like having a sick kid well then I really feel for all you parents out there. Sorry again.

Always,

Food Junkie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hey everyone,

I know I've been MIA and for that I am sorry. In my defense, I was getting ready for the new addition to our household, a very sweet, very loving cat named Kaci. We rescued her from our local Humane Society and it was so worth it. And yes, I may have named her after my best friend but honestly if you met her you'd say her name fits perfectly.  There she is on her first day at her new home she is wearing a cone. So prepping for Kaci to get here paired with the Thanksgiving festivities have kept me from posting regularly. But fear not! I will be bringing you dinner on Monday as usual.

Enjoy your time with your families and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Also, keep a look out for upcoming contests and prizes like gift cards to Williams-Sonoma or Sur-La-Table. Thanks a bunch everyone!!!

Always, 

Food Junkie

Josie's Pumpkin Crunch!

We have exactly 7 days left until Thanksgiving! I'm so excited and I can't wait to go down to southern Indiana with my husband and his family. A lot of you might be taking dishes or desserts to a family members house this year. But why not make a splash with Mamaw Josie's Pumpkin Crunch? It's delicious, not anywhere near nutritious and isn't that what we want during the holidays? Oh sure, you could call me a bad person for making you cheat on that diet but come on, you know a bite won't kill you.... go on... just a nibble...

You'll need:

2 cups pumpkin
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz evaporated milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter, sliced
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
Cool Whip or whipped cream


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and in a large bowl combine the first six ingredients and mix until there are no clumps or bumps. Next, grease a 9x13 cake pan and pour in the batter evenly and sprinkle the entire cake mix on top. Do not mix it in or anything but just sprinkle it on top. After that, sprinkle on the pecans and place pats of butter on top. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Take it out and let it cool. You can serve it warm or cooled off with Cool Whip or whipped cream.



This recipe was passed on to my mom from my sisters grandmother-in-law Mamaw Josie Carter and I had to share it with you all because it really is one of the best desserts I've ever had and is now a Thanksgiving staple for me and my family. Enjoy, gobble gobble and...









Happy Eating!

So-Long-Summer Shrimp Salad!

I'm back! And still not able to eat solid food (yay for me!) but my hubster is so he's got to eat and I've got to cook. Before I get into the dish for tonight I just want to give a big thank you to Ms. Kaci my trusty sidekick and second banana for sharing her wonderful Banoffee Pie with us and for checking on me even if she is 4 states away. You're the best Kaci and you flat out rock!!!! And to my sweet husband who took care of me and listened to my whining and whimpering until I felt well enough to not keep myself doped up on pain meds. I love you honey, thank you for being awesome and for your guest post it was delicious!

Now then, tomorrow there is a slight chance of snow in the forecast and I couldn't be more excited! So as a formal farewell to a sweltering summer I decided that a shrimp salad would be the best way to say goodbye. So here it is my so long summer shrimp salad, it's warm enough for winter but good enough to help you say goodbye.

You'll need:

1 lb. shrimp, raw and deveined
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
5 oz. baby arugula
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a large skillet eat the olive oil over medium high heat and roast the tomatoes until they start to blister. This should take about 2 minutes, next add the garlic until it's fragrant, about 30 seconds. You will want to stand back when the tomatoes roast as the little guys do tend to pop and sizzle a lot. And it hurts if you're in the crossfire.

Add the shrimp and cook it, stirring it often until the shrimp is almost opaque throughout. Add the arugula and season with salt and pepper and toss it until it's wilted. It will look like a lot of arugula when you put it in the skillet but trust me it WILL cook down.








Take it off the the heat and serve it immediately. You can serve it by itself like I did for my hubby tonight as I wasn't able to eat any of it or you can pair it with your favorite vegetables. It's easy, delicious and filling enough for the heartiest of appetites.











Happy Eating!

Guest Blog: Sidekick's Banoffee Pie

M is taking the day off, she is still recovering from dental work yesterday and is hopefully enjoying her pain pills.

I, her trusty sidekick.. will be your guest blogger for the evening (and she gave me free rein).

mwahaha....

It is fundraising season in C-city and as I am a sucker for kids selling sweets.. our house is full of sugar; tubs of cookie dough, fudge, krispe kreme. But I figure whats another sweet.

I discovered Banoffee pie the summer I spent in England.  It was wonderful. How could toffee and bananas not make a beautiful combination.

You only need 5 things:

• 2 cups canned sweetened condensed milk
• 1 - 9 inch pie crust
• 3 large bananas
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Pour condensed milk into pie plate and stir in a generous pinch of salt. Cover pie plate with foil and crimp foil tightly around rim. Put in a roasting pan, then add enough boiling-hot water to reach halfway up side of pie plate, making sure that foil is above water. 

Bake, refilling pan to halfway with water about every 40 minutes, until milk is thick and a deep golden caramel color, about 2 hours. Remove pie plate from water bath and transfer toffee to a bowl, then chill toffee, uncovered, until it is cold, about 1 hour.

While toffee is chilling, clean pie plate and bake piecrust in it according to package instructions. Cool piecrust completely in pan on a rack, about 20 minutes.

Spread toffee evenly in crust, and chill, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Cut bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices and pile over toffee.

Beat cream with brown sugar in a clean bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then mound over top of pie.

Viola! Easy and delicious.

and as M would say....

                                                          Happy Eating!

Guest Post: Hubby's Mom's Mac & Cheese & Chicken

Hello again, everyone.  The wife is taking the day off to recuperate from some minor dental work, so I volunteered to write today's post.  When my brothers and I were young, our mom would make us a quick macaroni and cheese dish that was really good.  She later explained that she had made it for our dad while they were living on campus.  It was the trifecta of homemade college food - quick, cheap and really good.


I made this for myself while at school and after school too.  While making it today, the wife had her doubts about how it would taste.  I told her to take a bite and see.  The next thing she did was to take the bowl and say, "This is mine."  I hope you like it as much as she does!  Here's what you need:

1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (original blue box)
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbs butter
1 can white chicken chunks (usually found by the canned tuna)
1 can cream of chicken soup

Heat 1 3/4 cups of water until just boiling, then empty into a microwave-safe bowl or dish (I prefer a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish).  Add the dry macaroni and microwave for 8-9 minutes, stirring every three minutes.  You'll know you're done when all the water is absorbed (this follows the original microwave recipe Kraft used to put on the blue box before Easy Mac came along.

Add the butter, milk and cheese powder from the box, just like you're making mac & cheese.  Stir thoroughly until all mixed.  The butter might not be completely melted but don't worry.







Now add the cream of chicken soup and chunk chicken.  Stir everything together until it's one monochromatic mess.  Stick it back in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Now stir it one last time and get all that goodness mixed together.  Serve in bowls and go to town!  This recipe will easily serve two people, three if you're careful.  It's also one of the best foods I've had reheated the next day, and is even good cold.

And as the wife says...


Happy Eating!

No Post Today!

iPhone cake made by Kaci!

Sorry Foodies and Junkettes! I'm out for the weekend. I'm going to spend the weekend enjoying food before a dental procedure then it's Jell-O and lukewarm soup for me for a few days. But don't fret! I'd never leave you hanging! Monday we are having a guest post by my wonderful hubster and Tuesday there will be another guest post by the amazing Kaci! You don't want to miss that folks because she's awesome. Enjoy your weekend!

Always,

Food Junkie

Happy Eating!