A Super Dessert for the Super Bowl

Here is a super quick recipe for a yummy dessert for your Super Bowl party (or for anything really). It takes less than 5 minutes to put together, has only 4 ingredients, and needs no measuring. 

Granny Annie's Cherry Stuff 

(make up a fancier name if you want but "Cherry Stuff" works for me)

1 large can (15 oz?) Crushed pineapple

1 can Cherry pie filling

1 box Yellow cake mix

1 stick of Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350* F

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with Pam or similar vegetable cooking oil spray

Spread crushed pineapple evenly in bottom of pan

Spread cherry pie filling evenly on top of the pineapple

Pour cake mix evenly over fruit, leave lumpy, DO NOT smooth it out

Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix. 

Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes

Can be served warm or cool. Goes great with ice cream.

Simple Shrimp and Broccoli Curry

Happy New Year.

I'm not sure when I became Martha freakin' Whatshername but I'm about to put another recipe up on my blog.

I made this tonight for the second time and it was just as easy and yummy as the first time. I cheat all the way through. So, if you are a real chef (or fancy yourself to be one) you probably don't want to read any further.  This takes about 20 minutes (maybe a little bit less) to make so is great in a pinch or while also trying to wrangle kids, do the laundry, and/or all the other things we all have to do at exactly the same time we need to prepare food.

I am listing the ingredients as I find them. Substitute any and all with what you can find at your local store.

2--12 oz boxes of Seapak frozen shrimp scampi (or other frozen shrimp)

1--12 oz jar Seeds of Change Madras simmer sauce (or other curry sauce)

1--12 oz steamer bag frozen broccoli florets 

cooked rice (again, I cheated and used Minute Rice ready to serve cups)

1 or 2 packages fresh Naan bread

In large skillet cook frozen shrimp scampi according to package directions. At the same time, cook the bag of broccoli according to package directions (5 min on high). Pre-heat the oven to 400 if you want to warm the bread. Once the butter sauce that was coating the shrimp has all melted, pour off most of it (about 3/4). Dump the whole jar of curry sauce in with the shrimp. Stir. If you are heating the bread, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little water. Watch the shrimp curl up into little circles of white goodness. Stir occasionally or in whatever manner makes you happy. Being mindful of the steam and it's ability to burn the crap out of you, open and pour the bag of broccoli in with the shrimp and sauce. Stir. Microwave the rice according to package directions (1 min ea on high). Turn everything off. Take the bread out of the oven. Serve. Particularly good with a cold beer.

It really is that simple.

Hope you enjoy.

Recipe for the B.E.S.T. Salad

This is from memory and amounts are approximate. I rarely measure when cooking. Baking is a different story. Anyway, go with your gut (literally) and use more or less depending on your preferences. Add something else, switch something out, make it your own. Cooking, like life, is an ongoing experiment...

B. E. S. T. Salad (Bacon or Beer or Both Essential Spicy Taters)

This makes a huge serving bowl full, enough for 16-20 people. Modify to suit the size of your crowd.

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-4 Tablespoons Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1/4 Cup Dried Minced Onion (or use a few onions coarsely chopped and cook with either green beans or potatoes)

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon White Pepper

1/4 Cup Salt

5 lbs Potatoes, washed, peeled, cut into 1" cubes

2 lbs Green Beans, washed and trimmed

1 lb Bacon

1/2 Cup Oil and Vinegar Salad dressing (whatever you prefer)

Additional Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil and spices

3. Spoon half of the oil and spice mix into a second large mixing bowl

4. Add the green beans to one bowl and the potatoes to the other

5. Using large baking sheets with sides (jelly roll pan) spread the potatoes and green beans in even layers and bake each for 40 min to an hour, scraping off the bottom of the baking pan and turning every 20 minutes until tender.

6. Allow to cool in pans

7. While veggies are cooling, cook bacon until crisp 

8. Crumble bacon and toss the bacon, potatoes, green beans and salad dressing together in a large serving bowl.

9. Salt to taste.

You might want to have a beer or other cold beverage handy when you start nibbling on this...it packs a KICK!

ENJOY!!!!