Summer Munchies

By Misty Harris

Although summer's winding down we have a few recipes that our WNED staffers shared with us that would go great in a backyard barbecue, picnic or Labor Day party! Need a few more ideas? Tune in to WNED-TV every Saturday for our great cooking shows (Lidia's Italy, New Scandinavian Cooking, Ciao Italia, etc.) to help bring out your inner chef!... So, what's on your menu?

No Cheese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
15 oz. canned pumpkin (or roasted butternut squash puree)
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
16 oz elbow macaroni (or shells)
Mix-ins of choice (e.g. kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds)

Preparation
Prepare the “cheese” sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add butter over low-medium heat and mix in the flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns a nutty color. Add in canned pumpkin, milk, nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk over low heat until thickened.

Cook your pasta according to package directions
Drain cooked pasta and mix in with the sauce.


Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
6 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
salt to taste

Preparation
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into slices.
Melt the butter or margarine in a heavy skillet and add the sliced sweet potatoes.
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cover the sweet potatoes with sugar mixture and stir.

Cover skillet, reduce heat to low and cook for about 1 hour or until potatoes are "candied". They should be tender but a little hard around the edges. Also the sauce will turn dark. You will need to stir occasionally during the cooking. Stir in the vanilla just before serving. Serve hot.


Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

4 ounces butter, softened

2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

2 cups granulated sugar

1 small can (5 ounces, about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon flavor

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 prepared pie shells, unbaked

Preparation

Mix butter, potatoes, sugar and evaporated milk until well blended. Add vanilla, eggs, and cinnamon; mix well. Pour into the prepared pie shells. Bake in a 350° oven for about 1 hour, until set.

Makes 2 pies.

 

Southern Style Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
1 lb box of elbow macaroni 
Salt, pepper
3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk or water
1 1/2 lbs. cheddar cheese (add combination of your favorite cheese with the cheddar)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Get enough water in a pot to boil, then add the whole box of macaroni noodles. Cook the noodles on high, but remove them from the heat right before they turn soft.

 

Drain the water from the noodles, and then pour the noodles into a large disposable aluminum pan.

 

Crack the eggs and beat them in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of pepper and salt in the pan with the noodles, and stir together. Pour the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of regular milk, and the beaten eggs into the noodles, and stir all of the ingredients together.

 

Put 1 1/2 handfuls of cheese into the macaroni and stir. Push most of the cheese below the surface of the noodles. Shake salt and pepper across the top of the noodles and top heavily with the rest of the cheese.

 

Bake the dish for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

 

 

Southern-Style Greens

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh greens (turnip, mustard, collards, kale)
1 1/2 gallons water
1 or 2 smoked ham hocks, neck bones, turkey
1 tablespoon salt
1 or 2 dried red pepper pods or ground cayenne, to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (optional)

Preparation
In a large pot, boil the water with the smoked ham hocks, neck bones, turkey and salt, plus seasonings. Clean greens thoroughly with several changes of water. Cut away tough stems and cut large leaves in strips. Add the greens to boiling water a little at a time. Cover and boil for about 1 hour.  Add kale and collards first.

 

 

Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake
(Tastes like scratch pound cake)

Ingredients
1 (18 ounce) box butter recipe cake mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temp
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation
Bring cream cheese to room temperature. (This will keep the batter from becoming lumpy).
Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Mix with electric mixer on low for one minute until all combined.
Mix at medium for two minutes.
Batter should look uniform and thick.