Hash Brown Potato Casserole AKA Funeral Potatoes

I've mentioned before my brother-in-law is a chef.  He has worked in some award winning restaurants in both the Denver and New Orleans area.  He is very talented and never ceases to amaze us with his cooking knowledge and abilities.  When he came home for Thanksgiving dinner, Mr. Devilish Dish was all excited to have a professional in the kitchen to help out, because he wanted to make Robuchon Potatoes.  A signature dish of the highly acclaimed French chef Joel Robuchon.  This decadent recipe is sometimes called 50/50 potatoes as in all potato and butter.  It requires some technique and Mr. Devilish Dish was  fired up to make it when my brother-in-law declared, "I just want Mom's Hash Brown Potato Casserole." Which tells you that it's darned good when the chef chooses it over a Michelin star recipe.  It's so good and this recipe has been around so long I can't believe I'm just now sharing it with you.  It features frozen hash browns and cheesy goodness baked into a delicious, comforting casserole.  Of all of the incredible food we had for our Thanksgiving meal, these potatoes were the most memorable.  There were no leftovers.  In fact I had to make them again just to take pictures for you.  The best part is some recipes, especially family recipes still taste the best of all, no matter how acclaimed you are in the kitchen.

A family favorite, of regular cooks 
and chefs alike!

Just a handful of ingredients
for this comforting casserole dish.

To crush the cornflake cereal:
Place the cereal in a plastic bag
and crush with a meat mallet or 
rolling pin.

Place your hash brown ingredients
in a greased, oven-safe baking dish.

Combine the crushed cornflake cereal
with melted butter.

Top the hash brown mixture
 with the cornflake mixture and bake.

It will come out golden brown, cheesy 
and bubbly delicious.

Such a tasty side dish.  Perfect with any meal.
Not only at the holidays, but we love it in
the summer with barbecue too.

Fun Fact: This casserole is sometimes
known as Funeral Potatoes because
it is a hearty, crowd-pleasing dish
historically seen at post-funeral
gatherings and church pot lucks.

HASH BROWN POTATO CASSEROLE 

32 ounces frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces American or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste

TOPPING:

2 cups corn flake cereal, crushed
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.  In a large bowl, stir together the hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, shredded cheese, melted butter, and diced onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread mixture into prepared dish.  

In a small bowl combine the crushed cornflake cereal with melted butter.  Sprinkle this evenly over the hash brown mixture and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Deviled Eggs - It's National Deviled Egg Day!

Don't worry, there is NO PUMPKIN in this recipe.  The only pumpkin involved here are these cute little pumpkin-themed deviled eggs!  A while back, my BFF Barb sent me a picture of some deviled eggs piped to look like little pumpkins.  She said, "You have to make these." So of course I did.  They turned out super cute and would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal or Fall charcuterie board.  I simply made my deviled eggs the usual way I prepare them, but instead of "sprinkling" paprika over the top, I used it to make the egg yolk mixture look orange.  I liked how it looked because it gave it a truly natural looking pumpkin color.  You could certainly add food coloring, but I didn't want to hassle with the mess.  I just made a very small batch of deviled eggs for Mr. DD and I.  Mainly because I wanted Barb to know how cute I thought her idea was, and that I tackled them myself.  One word of warning, I would not make these too far in advance.  You could certainly boil and peel your eggs, and prepare the filling ahead of time.  I just would not pipe them until serving time, because you want the filling to look fresh and perfect and not dried out.  I know yours will look even more adorable as my piping skills are no bueno, especially since my hand surgery.  I just cannot tackle things that require fine motor skills yet.  That being said, if I can make these, so can you - and you should because they are just too cute.

A holiday twist on a classic.

Boil your eggs. 
See below - I use 
Anthony Bourdain's method.

I keep my filling very simple.
That way it is easy to pipe.

Anthony Bourdain's method for hard boiling
eggs always results in a perfectly yellow yolk.

Finely mash the yolks with a fork 
or potato masher.

Add the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.
Then add enough paprika to get a natural
pumpkin color.

Add green onion pieces as a stem.
Garnish with more paprika if desired.

Happy Fall and Happy 
National Deviled Egg Day!

Aren't these just the cutest for Thanksgiving?
Thanks Barb for the idea!

PUMPKIN DEVILED EGGS

Hard boiled eggs
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Mustard or Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
Green onions for stems

Hard boil your eggs.  I use Anthony Bourdain's method which is: Place the eggs in a pan of cold water. (I also add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to make the shells easier to peel.)  Bring to a boil.  Once they are boiling, turn off the heat and cover with a lid.  Let the pan sit on the stove 10 minutes.  Then drain and place the eggs into an ice bath to stop the cooking and cool them.  This will result in a beautiful bright yellow yolk without that grey looking ring around it.

Cut your boiled eggs in half.  Place the whites onto a platter or deviled egg plate.  Place the cooked yolks into a bowl and mash finely with a fork or potato masher.  Spoon in enough mayo and mustard to get a smooth texture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then season with enough paprika to get a natural looking orange hue.  You want this mixture to be about the consistency of a thick buttercream frosting.  Place into a piping bag with a decorative tip.  Pipe the filling into the deviled egg halves. I tried to pipe mine into little lines like the sections of a pumpkin, but you could certainly use a big star-shaped tip and pipe the mixture in more like a traditional deviled egg.  Use a small piece of green onion as a stem and sprinkle with more paprika for garnish if desired.

Eerie Eyeball Pasta Salad

Happy October!  Happy Halloween!  I hope you like your food staring back at you, because I've got a spooky side dish that should scare the appetite right into you.  I realized a few weeks ago that October was coming in hot and I had nothing new to share with you that was pumpkin spiced, scary, fall-ish, or remotely Halloween-themed.  Thankfully Mr. Devilish Dish is a good sport, and albeit reluctantly, spent an entire Saturday watching football and golf, being fed an assortment of tricks and treats.  I had the "eyeball idea" and couldn't decide between using it for a spaghetti & meatballs type dish (which would be super cute also) or a pasta salad.  I opted for the pasta salad, knowing it is something that could easily be made ahead and ready to eat before an evening of trick or treating, or Halloween partying.  I served this as a spooky side dish, but you could definitely add some additional ingredients like cubed salami or pepperoni, or even grilled chicken and serve it as a meal.  I kept the ingredients super simple, with just grape tomatoes and cucumbers, but feel free to add carrots, artichoke hearts, more olives, onions or anything else your Halloween heart desires.  Just don't forget the mozzarella "eyeballs" or it won't be eerie.

This turned out to be so much fun.

The ingredients.  Feel free to add your favorite
meats or veggies to create your favorite pasta
salad combination.

I used a tiny pumpkin cookie cutter to cut
my cucumber slices into tiny pumpkins.

Combine the halved tomatoes,
cucumber slices and the cooled cooked
pasta in a large bowl.

Add your favorite Italian salad dressing.
(You may not need the whole bottle)
Toss, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, toss the ingredients one
more time and scatter your mozzarella eyeballs
around the top of the salad.

So fun and cute!

I served my salad on the side of 
some Mummy Hot Dogs.

EERIE EYEBALL PASTA SALAD

1 (12 ounce) box Fusilli pasta (I got the tri-color so some would be orange and green)

1 container grape tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 bottle of your favorite Italian salad dressing

1 container Bocconcini (small Mozzarella cheese balls)
1 small can sliced black olives

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and cool.  Add the grape tomatoes, cucumbers and salad dressing.  (You may not need the entire bottle - just get a good coating.) Combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Prior to serving, drain the liquid from both the mozzarella balls, and the black olives.  Using the end of a wooden spoon, CAREFULLY make an indention into the mozzarella ball and insert a sliced black olive into the indention to create eyeball.  Continue until you've used all of your mozzarella balls.  Toss the pasta salad together one more time, and place the eyeballs all around the top of your pasta salad. Serve and enjoy.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Green Beans - It's Southern Food Heritage Day

 I'm going to be honest.  I've never tried the green beans at Texas Roadhouse.  So I cannot vouch if these are an authentic copycat or not.  Because I fill up on rolls and cinnamon honey butter and then I don't even want a side dish when I eat there.  I can say this is a very good green bean recipe, and I love that takes canned green beans and doctors them up.  Like my Macaroni & Cheese recipe, this one always gets compliments. It is one of my favorite side dishes, and if I need to transport it to a tailgate or other event, I simply keep those green beans warm in the crockpot.  Honestly the hardest part of the recipe is chopping up and separating the little pieces of bacon.  My complaint is probably based on the fact that I usually double, triple or even quadruple this recipe - especially if I'm making it at Thanksgiving or tailgate.  That's a lot of bacon to fiddle with.  But sometimes I pass those boring jobs off to Mr. Devilish Dish.  Regardless of who deals with the bacon, it is worth the effort for this recipe because aside from the fresh-snapped green beans at Grandmother's house from my childhood, this is my favorite green bean recipe to use now.  It's the perfect combination of sweet & tangy and they taste exactly like you'd expect a good 'ol Southern version of green beans to taste. 

These are a true Southern side dish!

I love that this recipe is just canned
green beans all doctored up with 
good flavors.

The bacon chopping and separating is 
the most tedious part.

Once your bacon is cooked and 
crispy, add the diced onions and 
get them softened.

Add all of the other ingredients and
simmer over low for 10 minutes.
So Easy.

COPYCAT TEXAS ROADHOUSE GREEN BEANS

6 sliced bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced white onion
2 (16 ounce) cans green beans, drained
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet that has a lid (or Dutch Oven if you are multiplying the recipe) add the chopped bacon to a hot pan and cook until the bacon is just starting to get crispy.  When the bacon is crisp, add the diced onion and cook until the onion is softened, approximately 5 minutes.  Once the onions have softened, add the drained green beans, chicken broth, garlic, butter, vinegar and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to combine and reduce the heat under the pan to low.  Cover with the lid and simmer until the green beans are hot and tender, approximately 10 minutes.  

The Best Macaroni & Cheese in the Slow Cooker! - It's National Noodle Day

I have worn this recipe out already this year.  I think I've made at least two double-batches in the last month or so.  I served it back in August for my Dad's Birthday FISH FRY, and I made it a couple of weeks ago for our BBQ-themed tailgate.  I made a double batch in my huge Kitchen Aid Slow Cooker.  And when I do that it is filled to the brim.  When I took this to tailgate I don't even think there was a single piece a macaroni stuck to the side.  When I say the entire double batch was absolutely demolished, I'm serious.  When I saw that today was National Noodle Day,  I figured this was the perfect time to share this recipe.  Macaroni is the original American noodle after all.  Just ask Yankee Doodle.  I'm not a fan of macaroni and cheese that is baked in a casserole dish and topped with bread crumbs.  I want an ooey-gooey cheesy mac and cheese and this one checks all the boxes.  It was hearty, creamy and very cheesy.  The bonus is the slow cooker does most of the work, making it the ideal side dish for any kind of get-together.

Our favorite Mac & Cheese Recipe.

 

The ingredients. 
It's easy because the crockpot
does most of the work.

Once your noodles are cooked 
and drained, you just start dumping
in the ingredients.

And when I say dump them in, 
I mean literally.

Now your slow cooker
does the work for you.

This is the best, and easiest side dish.
We love it with green beans and a protein,
and it's the hit of tailgate for those BBQ games! 

SLOW COOKER MACARONI & CHEESE

16 ounces small dried macaroni
1/2 cup pasta water, reserved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 jar Alfredo sauce (I just buy whatever is on sale - not a huge jar)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Colby-jack or cheddar cheese, or a mix of the two
8 ounces Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste


Boil the macaroni noodles for two minutes less than the package directions.  You want these to be on the hard side of al dente.  Be sure to save 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Drain the noodles and dump them into a greased crockpot.  Stir in butter while the noodles are hot to prevent them sticking together.  Add the pasta water, alfredo sauce, milk, sour cream, shredded cheese, Velveeta and spices.  Stir together and cook for 2-3 hours on the lowest setting, stirring every once in a while.  

NOTE: Keep an eye on your crockpot so it stays VERY LOW or this will dry out.  It's still good, but not as good as when it is cooked correctly and eaten timely.  I have even kept this on the warm setting, rather than low to keep it at its premium.

Blistered Shishito Peppers

 Last night for dinner, Mr. Devilish grilled a steak and we enjoyed a salad with HOMEGROWN lettuce AND tomatoes from our garden, AND HOMEGROWN Shishito Peppers.  He even made Homemade Ranch Dressing for our salad. Why the need for ALL CAPS? Why am I SHOUTING?  Well you should know I do not have a green thumb and I am super proud of our garden this year.  We have enjoyed BLT sandwiches with Cherokee Purple tomatoes at least twice a week for the last month.  I told him, "If you'd let me live in the country and have animals like I want we could have grown LITERALLY everything on this plate."  Which is a lie, if I had cows I would probably name them and love them like I love our dog Elli.  Anyway, I wanted the best preparation for the shishito pepper harvest so a quick consult with my brother-in-law who is a CHEF in New Orleans and I knew exactly what to do.  If you aren't familiar with shishito peppers, they are a small, slender green pepper, typically mild, and from East Asia.  Sometimes they have them in Asian restaurants as an appetizer.  Sometimes I see them at the grocery store, and definitely at the Asian Market.  They have a sweet, bright flavor and you just hold the stem and bite the whole pepper off and enjoy.  Most of the time they are not spicy, and I say MOST because once in a while you get a HOT one.  This experience is known as "Shishito Roulette" which has happened to me three times.  Shishitos are so delicious in flavor though, the risk of an occasional hot one is well worth it.  

Fresh from the garden and ready for Roulette.

Getting the wok "screaming hot"

Pour in the fresh peppers

They will sizzle like crazy.  BE CAREFUL
and wear an apron!

Stir constantly, keep them moving.
Remove to a bowl, toss with lemon juice 
and seasoings.

Enjoy! I'm so proud of our garden harvest.

BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS

Shishito Peppers
Oil for frying
Juice from half a lemon
Flaked Sea Salt to taste
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Preparation (According to Chef Jeff)

Place a small amount of oil in a wok.  "Get the wok SCREAMING HOT" Dump in your fresh shishito peppers and stir constantly until the skin starts to char and blister.  Place in a bowl and add lemon juice.  Toss and sprinkle with sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste.  Pour on to a platter and serve.