Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I have never made this kind of cake before but this recipe was yummy!!

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cups brown sugar
1 can pineapple (I used circles)
maraschino cherries (optional, I left them out)

Mix melted butter and sugar. Spread in 9x2 inch round pan (buttered). Lay pineapple in bottom and sides of pan. (If you use cherries put one in each pineapple).

Mix:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Then add eggs 1 at a time and add vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients. Then alternate dry mix with milk, starting and ending with the dry stuff. Pour batter over pineapples and bake 45 minutes at 350. Cool 15 minutes before flipping out of pan. You can top with whip cream or ice cream or just enjoy it plain!

I like this recipe because: It was just dang good!!

My least favorite thing is: I want to eat the whole thing in one day!

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 dup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix all ingredients and cook!

I like this recipe because: It's not overwhelmingly buttermilky tasting. These are light and taste fresh!

My least favorite thing about this recipe: I never have buttermilk around. If I do it ends up going bad before I use it (Use the extra to make Homemade Ranch)

Sour Cream Potatoes (aka Funeral Potatoes)

6 to 8 medium potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup margarine
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 16 ounce sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Wash the potatoes and boil them until done. Refridgerate the potatoes until they are cool to the touch. (Sometimes I skip this, poor planning!) When they have cooled, peel them and grate on a cheese grater.

Sautee onions in butter. Add sour cream and cheese. Salt and pepper potatoes. Mix sour cream with potatoes. Put in 9x13 inch pan and top with cheese. Bake 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

I like this recipe because: We've had it since I was a kid. The ingredients are every day stuff I have around the kitchen = no special trips to the store!

My least favorite thing about this recipe: It is not low fat at all!!

Roast Chicken (in the crock pot!)

1 whole chicken
3 lemons
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice (from lemons)
1 teaspoon each of Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Parsley, and Oregano

Cut the lemons in half and juice each one. Save juice for marinade. Stuff the chicken with the lemon rinds and half of the spice mixture. Place chicken in crock pot and cover with marinade and the rest of spice mixture. Roast chicken 1/2 to 2 hours on high.

I like this recipe because: It's super easy and has a lot of flavor with minimum ingredients.

My least favorite thing about this recipe: It is pretty much a Sunday recipe because of the cooking time.

Butternut Squash Soup

4 pounds butternut squash

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I use dried)

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (I use dried)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (I use black)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup mango chutney (I have NO idea what this is, so I leave it out)

Cut squash in half and seed. baek on greased sheet at 375 covered in foil for 45-60 minutes. Scrape out meat and discard peel. In large pot, melt butter. Add onions, bay leaves, and sugar. Cook until onions are golden (10 minutes). Add ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and cook for 1 minute. Puree squash and add to pot with chicken stock, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer and cook 30-45 minutes. Use handheld immersion blender to puree soup. Stir in cream and cook on low 5 minutes.

I like this recipe because: It is so fall-y! The spices just smell and taste like October.

My least favorite thing about this recipe: It takes a LOT of time to make. It has a very strong flavor so you can only eat a small bowl at a time but it sure is good!!!

Ranch Dressing (THE BEST!)

This is better than the resturaunt stuff.

2 cups mayo

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon accent

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon onion flakes

Whisk and chill before serving.

I like this recipe because: It is SO much better than store bought ranch!!

My least favorite thing about this recipe: I rarely have buttermilk lying around to make it.

Potato Ham Chowder

4 potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup green onions (I use what I have if no green)

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 12 ounce can corn

2 cups ham

parsley

Sautee onions in butter. Add potatoes, water, and spices. Simmer until potatoes are done. Make paste of flour and 1/3 cup water. Add to pot. Add milk and cook until thick. Stir in corn and ham and parsley.

I like this recipe because: It's good and I can use leftover ham to make it.

My least favorite thing about this recipe is: It takes a while for the potatoes to cook.