Nov 30, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
Looks deelicious, doesn’t it? That thar’ cover is an honest photo, taken in the test kitchens for New Inklings Press. Okay, not really. It was taken by my brother, but he is a professional photographer, and he did format the cookbook for me way back when. So, kudos to realycreative.com for some amazing work, yah?
I was thumbing through the Cookbook tonight and realized I haven’t posted a recipe for a while. So, in Nippers’ commentary fashion, I give you our feature story, the Hot Dog Casserole.
The Unemployment Cookbook: Hot Dog Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pkg hot dogs, sliced into “coins”. I prefer gold, but you can't always eat that.
- 1 can (16 oz) green beans, drained. If you feel like traveling but don't have your passport, use French cut.
- 1 can (16 oz) Cream of Mushroom soup, undiluted. That means don't add anything to it but love.
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire or soy sauce. Or 1/4 tsp of each.
- 1 can (2.8 oz) French fried onions. Did you know they make them with a cheesy flavor now?
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded. You can use a pre-shredded mix-Cheese blend for a variety.
Instructions
- Combine hot dogs, green beans, 1/2 can of French fried onions, 1/2 cup cheese.
- Add in soup and worcestershire/soy sauce. Mix thoroughly. You want the flavors to play well together.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven.
- Top with remaining French fried onions and cheese.
- Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
3.1
http://franklymydearmojo.com/2017/11/30/the-unemployment-cookbook-hot-dog-casserole/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
Best served with bread. Or a salad. Or a glass of wine. Or all of the above. But not frog legs. Just sayin.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
With a wave of the fork and a fake French accent,
Bon appetit!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 25, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Favorite Cookbooks
Pretend this is real paper and you’re reading my scribble: As I’m prepping this blog post, my Mississippi Bestie Cara Pearson called and gushed about the great cookbooks she picked up at a used bookstore for about five cents each. And then she has the nerve to ask if I’ve ever seen the movie Julie & Julia. Please, girl. You know that’s what started me on my blog journey. Now I love her and all, but that’s just rubbing it in, dontcha think? Rub. Dry rub. That’s right! We’re talking about cookbooks today. Grab your go-juice and read on:
Hey, y’all. I’m so excited to be planning a big shopping trip to WinCo. Just another joy I have when cooking, baking, and blogging. But dangnabbit, it always makes me hungry! (Note to self: Eat before shopping. And bring your coffee tumbler.)
This trip will be a dash different than the norm. I’m starting a new job career [insert happy dance here, y’all!] next week and since I don’t know what the break room or lunch schedule is like yet, and because it’s just plain high time I did so, I’m changing up my dietary habits to include more health-friendly grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches, along with prep-easy, autumn-friendly dinners, and of course, snackage. I’m gonna learn and relearn great protein smoothies, bento lunches, and one-pot dinners.
Mmm. I can hardly wait: I’m also gonna try my hand at a red lentil soup, reminiscent of my trip to Seattle and lunch at Mamnoon’s.
Oh, sorry. I drifted into food memories for a moment. What were we talking about? Ah, yes. Food. Glorious food.
Y’all are familiar with my Stock That PDF List, yes? Of course that’s coming to the store with me. Now, like oh-so-many people I don’t have an endless budget when it comes to food buying. That’s one of the reasons I love WinCo. I can take my food allowance and make it stretch. And this time, I’m allowing myself a tiny (and by tiny I mean one meal’s worth) of funds for food experimenting. I want to develop my palate, y’all! But how can I do that if I keep buying the same foods?
So, in search of some new flavors, I looked at my cookbook shelf and, well, you guessed it. Say hello to this week’s #FiveThingsFriday.
- The Unemployment Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
Like sweet tea, this is a given, so let’s just get it out of the way. A labor of love and hard work, I created and/or compiled these family favorite recipes when Dot was in grade school. She wanted to have friends over, and I didn’t want to say she couldn’t, so I had to come up with some recipes that were affordable and delicious. And get this: Her friends’ parents were asking me for the recipes. Me! I couldn’t believe it. I had something to offer society after all. Naturally, I ran with it and the Cookbook idea was born. My Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut recipe was the start of it all, and it’s been so long since I’ve made it. Thanks. Y’all just helped me decide what’s on my plate next week! [Feel free to click on the photo above to order your copy.]
- My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner
Don’t get your fireflies in a trap, this definitely counts as a cookbook. Like my Unemployment Cookbook, my Recipe/Meal Planner holds great hand-crafted recipes, cooking tips, meal plans, and coordinating grocery lists. Thanks, Hobbes, for the meatloaf inspiration. Plus, it’s like scrapbooking! Stickers, colored pens, washi tape. How could this amazing tool not be in my top five?
- Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Deceptively Delicious Cookbook
I picked this up on the discount shelf of a local book store when I moved into Bedford Manor. Folks, can I just say, ain’t no way this book is geared just to kids! With some amazing recipes and helpful hints (like how to equip your kitchen and making coffee cake with butternut squash), this is a great do-to idea guide when you’re not sure what to do with what’s in your pantry or fridge.
- KitchenAid Recipe Collection.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : KitchenAid Recipe Collection
Who can forget the day I ordered my beautiful Isabella? [Oh, please. Like you don’t name your inanimate objects. So just, shush, my brother.] The special collection included a few attachments, the warranty, and this beauty. Chock full of cooking tips, detailed recipes and coordinating photographs, I recommend this book like I recommend blackened seasonings. It’s that good, girlfriend!
- Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
I think everyone has some version of this cookbook on their shelf. That familiar pattern, the familiar title. It’s comfort cooking at its best. This was the first cookbook that was my own, a gift from my Momma (hi, Momma! Thank you!) when I moved into my first apartment. My first recipe used? The sugar cookies cut-outs (Page 200, if you have your own cookbook).
I don’t know ’bout all of you, but I’m ready for some home cooking and baking.
What are some of your favorite cookbook recipes?
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite #cookbook recipes? @RealMojo68 #FiveThingsFriday #amcooking @WinCoFoods
TWEET THIS:
With a wooden spoon and hungry eyes,
Happy cooking!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Aug 14, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What’s on My Plate?
What’s on my plate this week? Well, y’all voted and results are 2-to-1 in favor of Andouille Jambalaya.
Just kidding! You already know what’s on my plate, because you voted for potato chip casserole!
Now, the original version is found in The Unemployment Cookbook, but as you can probably tell by the photo above, BEE The Zebra is not about to let Nippers have all the redoux fun.
Potato Chip Casserole: Five Ingredients
BEE likes to get crazy creative in the kitchen (say that five times fast!), and he also likes to add some sass to everything he touches. Of course he does, he’s a dazzling Zebra, after all.
So of course regular chips and regular meat wouldn’t do for his culinary contribution. Why, he practically leapt out of my bag at the store when he saw these on the shelves:
BEE spicy and sassy!
Hulloh! Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue chips and buffalo sauce chicken? It’s a match made south of the Mason-Dixon Line, yes? Oh, honey, I cannot begin to tell you the mouth watering that happened before we even started cooking.
What’s that? You want the full recipe? Say no more. BEE, if you please:
The Unemployment Cookbook: Potato Chip Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 bag (8 to 12 oz.) potato chips, crushed like little nuts under your hoof
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted. That means don't add anything to it.
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted. Nothing but 100% strength, here.
- 1/2 soup can full of moo juice. That's milk, remember?
- 1 can (10 to 12 oz.) tuna or chicken, drained.
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together like a herd in a stampede. Just not so vigorously it spills over.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
3.1
http://franklymydearmojo.com/2017/08/14/the-unemployment-cookbook-potato-chip-casserole/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
A few helpful tips for y’all:
- If you buy a smaller bag of chips, use a smaller can of meat and only one can of soup.
- BEE likes to get the combo soup- chicken and mushroom in one can. Hey, works for me!
- I mix in a larger bowl then transfer to a smaller baking dish.
- You can sprinkle with cheese or jalepenos. Or both!
The next recipe poll will post next week, so be sure to follow Molly Jo Realy on Facebook for your chance to vote!
How do you change up your family favorite recipes?
TWEET THIS: BEE the Zebra presents Buffalo Chicken Potato Chip Casserole. @RealMojo68 #recipe #amcooking #unemploymentcookbook
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Buffalo Chicken Potato Chip Casserole
With a hungry zebra and a tasty buffalo,
Happy eating!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jul 27, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Nippers in the Kitchen
So, there’s this cookbook on my shelf and a poll on Facebook . . .
Last week y’all voted, and Hamburger Pie won the election!
This has always been one of my favorite meals since I was young. It’s hearty, savory, and just look at all those mashed potatoes!
Now, you can use fresh ingredients if you want to. My schedule requires something just a little easier, so I opt for the ready-to-use product.
Hamburger Pie: Seven Easy Ingredients
Have I shared this with you before? Well, it’s worth another helping, dontcha think?
Seven ingredients. Six steps. One big serving of delicious!
And, look! You can even print the recipe!
The Unemployment Cookbook: Hamburger Pie
Ingredients
- 1 eye-watering medium onion, diced
- 1 lb ground cow
- 1 can (14 oz) French style cut green beans, drained. Because Arctic beans are just too cold.
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup. Chicken, now. Not peacock or other foul fowl.
- 1 soup can of cow juice (That would be milk).
- 1 box (8 servings) instant mashed potatoes. Abacadabra!
- 1 egg. Again, from a chicken. Nothing else.
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and onion together. They're in a heated relationship.
- Spoon into 2-qt baking dish. Time to get comfy!
- Cover with green beans. Layers are so stylish this time of year.
- Mix together soup and milk. Pour over green beans. Time to cool things down a little, folks!
- Prepare instant mashed potatoes per package instructions. Take out the day's frustrations and beat in an egg.
- Spread on top of casserole. Apologize to the potatoes for the egg beating and spread them nicely.
- Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
3.1
http://franklymydearmojo.com/2017/07/27/the-unemployment-cookbook-hamburger-pie-2/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
I like this meal best the next day after it’s firmed up a bit. Don’t get me wrong, hot and fresh is, well, hot and fresh. But warmed up stove top or in the microwave the next day, it still retains the flavor with less liquid.
The next recipe poll will be posted in a few days, so stay hungry. I mean, stay tuned!
What’s that? Y’all want more? Well come on home, honey. You know I’ve got food on the table for you.
You can find the basic version of this and many more table-tempting recipes in The Unemployment Cookbook, available through New Inklings Press. But for a healthy serving of snark, come on back to this table.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook: Hamburger Pie. @RealMojo68 #amcooking #unemploymentcookbook
Frankly, My Dear . . . Hamburger Pie
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jul 19, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Hey, peeps! I’m gonna try something a little fun and participatory.
The Unemployment Cookbook: What’s on your plate?
So, I’ve decided part of my new meal plan should include recipes from The Unemployment Cookbook so I can also do a foodie blog. I know, I know . . . DUH. But I guess I’ve been so focused on writing NOLA and keeping a clean house (insert sarcastic laughter here) that I didn’t give much thought to it.
And then it hit me. It hit me like a sweet tea on a humid day. Like a misty shade tree on a concrete jungle. Like, well, like an idea worth sharing. Are y’all ready?
I want you to decide what I make.
Yup. You read that right. The fate of my weekly meal is in your hands. That’s not to say I’m only eating once a week. More like, you’re responsible for the meal I make. A meal. “One of”. Not the “only”. Anyway, let’s continue . . .
Here’s how it works: Each week I’ll post three recipe choices on my Facebook Page and pin the photos to the top of the page. You get to hop on over and click “like” for the photo of the recipe you want me to make and blog about. Now, normally, I’ll try to have the selections available for you Monday through Wednesday. By 9pm Wednesday, the photo with the most “likes” will be the recipe I make. Depending on my schedule, the recipe blog will post no later than the following Monday, at which time a new recipe selection will be available. Once a recipe has been made, blogged, and eaten, it’s out of the running.
Now I know today’s already Wednesday, so I’ll give y’all until Friday noon to make your choices. ‘Cause when I leave work Friday, I’m going grocery shopping!
At this rate, it will take quite some time to get through all the recipes, but hey. We’ve got time, haven’t we? And hunger? And a budget? So I’m thinking this could totally be a win-win situation.
Oh, and don’t worry if you don’t have Facebook. You can also vote by leaving a comment on the blog posts.
So, you wanna give it a try?
Which recipe should I make this weekend? Tell me in the comments.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . .: What’s on my Plate? You decide! @RealMojo68 #franklymydearmojo #ameating #cookbook
The Unemployment Cookbook: Slow Cooker Ratatouille
The Unemployment Cookbook: Hamburger Pie
The Unemployment Cookbook: Hot Dog Casserole
With a Cookbook, a plan, and a tea in the desert,
Happy eating!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
