The Ranch Kitchen's Egg Roll Bowl

Tonight I wanted to cook something a little different, yet use what I had at my house.  I tend to have a little problem with the grocery store and usually impulse buy a little too much of certain things.  But thankfully it's good to overstock the pantry and fridge when you live in the country.

My motto should be to 'don't go shopping hungry'. Yesterday I bought two bags of 50% off Valentines candy that I certainly did not need. However, I did already have the cabbage, soy sauce and brown sugar because I always buy those in excess.  And as for the chocolate...it was put to good use. 

The Eggroll Bowl I prepared tonight was an easy dish that called for most of the ingredients I use in my Granny's Wilted Cabbage recipe.  Adding soy sauce and brown sugar along with the sliced ham steak was a great addition and made this a meal in itself. 

Thanks goodness for the pork we raise on our ranch from my daughter's FFA project.  It was put to good use in this fantastic recipe. 

We served this pork dish over white rice, but I also think it would be excellent over pasta.  This recipe will be easy to reheat and a treat for my lunch tomorrow.

Click here for The Ranch Kitchen's Eggroll Bowls



So if you need a relatively low calorie dish that is full of flavor and just a little different from the meals you normally serve each night, this is your recipe.

Enjoy!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers!

 

Sometimes genius hits!  This week after realizing I was almost out of brown sugar, one of the quickest and easiest desserts was created in under fifteen minutes. The results were delicious and as our staff at school said simply addicting.  These Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers are one of my newest dessert creations that will be at every holiday meal from now on.

The secret ingredient to these little gems are the Heath Toffee Bits - Bit 'O Brickel Toffee Bits that top off the saltine crackers.  Just recently my husband and I have discovered Heath Bars and we love them and especially in the snack size bars.  Adding these little sugary bits made specifically for baking to the crackers truly took them over the top in flavor!

 



I used unsalted butter for the best results, but you could substitute with margarine instead.  The combination of brown and white sugars worked as well along with the vanilla to flavor them.  And for the saltine crackers the cheapest costing brand worked just fine.

These crackers will keep up to two weeks covered in an airtight container and would be perfect for the holidays ahead.

So the next time you are needing a delicious, quick and easy dessert to take to a party or just make for yourself or family, here is the perfect recipe.  I literally threw this together before taking my daughter to school in fifteen minutes. You can't get any easier than that. The extra cooking time in the oven with the heat turned off was a result of her needing to be at school and using the oven timer to stop the cooking as I drove away. 

Did I tell you how much I love my cooking timer on my oven? It's a must for busy cooks and times that take you away from your kitchen. 

Click here for the recipe for The Ranch Kitchen's

Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers!

It's like I said...you never know when genius will hit.  Sometimes it's because you are a last minute, late to school mom who needs a dessert for a potluck at school and whammo you've created something wonderful! 

This was my genius for the week.  It doesn't happen often! 

Enjoy!

Alise

 

Sure Champs November Post 'Recipes from the Ranch' - Holiday Must Haves!

 

Thanksgiving is almost here and most of us will be thinking toward what recipes to fix for our holiday meals.  For this month's Sure Champ's Recipes from the Ranch we shared some of my families favorite side dishes that have now become a tradition at our house.

It's a cook greatest wish to impress her family and friends and these recipes are always highly requested and loved.

Each of these recipes are easy to prepare the day before, cook the day of or add the dressing to right before serving.  Served here are my Sure Champ Blue Ribbon Green Beans and The Ranch Kitchen's Winter Salad. 

 

Check out the November Blog post below at the link or by clicking on the picture.  You'll find both recipes on the Sure Champ site and also on my recipe tab on The Ranch Kitchen Blog and Recipe Site.

 

 

You can read the blog post here at -
Sure Champ Recipes from the Ranch November Must Have Blog Post.

What are your favorite recipes?  I'd love for you to share them on my The Ranch Kitchen blog.  It's easy to create a login and post your recipes so that your famly and friends can easily access your family favorites for generations to come!

Happy holidays a little early and enjoy the cool, crisp weather ahead!

Alise Nolan

 

Ham Steak and Brown Sugared Pineapple

One of my very favorite dishes to make as a young wife twenty five years back was ham steak and brown sugared pineapple because #1. I love brown sugar, #2. I love pineapple by itself, to drink, in a cake, or on ham, and #3. because and most importantly I can get this meal on the table in under thirty minutes flat! 

If you've read my blog you realize I love to cook, but most importantly my life does not revolve around cooking.  Cooking, yes is an outlet for me, but most importantly it's key that whatever I prepare has both ease and convenience. attached to it.  Because ultimately as much as I love to cook, I love spending quality time with my family even more.

To make this dish an easy clean up, make sure you foil line your casserole dish before you place your ham and brown sugared pineapple on it and then in to the oven to cook. 

For sides, I like to serve baked sweet potatoes with this main dish.  Along with a salad and rolls, dinner is a done deal in no time.


Ham and Brown Sugared Pineapple

Ham steaks (these are large thick slices of ham found in your deli or meat section of your grocery store)

16 ounce can of sliced round of pineapple, drained with juice reserved

1 cup of brown sugar, light or dark (I prefer light)

Place ham on top of foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil or Pam cooking spray.  Lay pineapple rounds on top of your ham.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and place in your oven uncovered.  Cook at 375 degrees until your ham begins to curl up on the ends and is slightly browned.  Use left over pineapple juice from the can  for my favorite dinner cocktail below and enjoy! 

Alise's 'Everything's Better on the Beach' Cocktail

1/4 cup of Bacardi Rum
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup strawberry ddaiquiri Mix (liquid), non alcoholic

Place Bacardi Rum in the bottom of your glass.  Add pineapple juice, stir.  Top with strawberry daiquiri mix.  You can either allow the strawberry daiquiri mixture to ooze down into the glass or stir it in to the Bacardi and pineapple mixture. 

***I like to make this times ten and in large pitchers for parties! 

Enjoy! 

Alise

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

I remember the first real cake I ever baked.  My mom let me do it all by myself and I added a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar.  It rose and looked gorgeous...but my little brother Brent's face said it all!  I've never made that mistake again and always think back to that each time I get out a cup of sugar! 

This cake I found on The Lady Behind the Curtain's blog and it has more sugar in it than any cake I've ever made.  Having made this cake last year at Thanksgiving for a seasonal celebration that is all about excess... I was thankful it only comes once a year!  

So, I didn't count the calories in this and especially after I poured caramel sauce over the top of it!  My mixer almost started to smoke from overload of pecans, Bit of Brick Toffee Bits candy and the 3 cups of white and cups of white and brown sugar (not joking), but it sure was worth it.  The crust is my favorite part and is to die for!  The sugar crystallizes on the outside and makes the cake get this beautiful crusted glow to it. I'm thinking maybe Mother's Day I'll bake this wonderful cake again!

I've followed this blog The Lady Behind the Curtain for a few years and her recipes are wonderful!  Her Brown Sugar Pound Cake is no exception and seems to be a favorite on her Pinterest site. Here's the link @

http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/brown-sugar-pound-cake/

The Lady Behind the Curtain's
Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 – 8 ounce bag of toffee bits
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 recipe caramel drizzle - recipe on her site

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

Place softened butter along with light brown and white granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. Begin to beat on a low speed.  Continue beating and add eggs, one at time.  Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a side bowl and set aside. Begin adding 1/2 cup flour with alternate 1/4 cup of milk to the sugar and egg mixture as you continue to mix with the blender.  End with flour.  Add 1 - 8 ounce bag of Bit of Brick Toffee Bits to mixture and blend. Then add pecans a little at a time and continue to blend. 

Cook on  325 for 75 to 85 minutes until the cake can take a toothpick poked thru the center of the cake and it comes out clean, without any cake sticking to it.  Allow it to cool completely and invert on to a cake dish with a deep side to it.  Spoon over store bought caramel sauce of make you own!  This is why you need to deep sided dish!

The Lady Behind the Curtain has a link on her site where she made homemade caramel sauce and it looks wonderful http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/easy-caramel-drizzle-sauce/.  I took the easy way out by purchasing the caramel sauce at the store.  I should have bought two containers instead of the one of the caramel sauce as it didn't seem to go far enough. 

Enjoy and hope you enjoy this as much as we did!