Frog Eye Salad

When I used to spend Christmas Day feasting with my husband Steve's family, one of the extended family members always made Frog Eye Salad. Its fruity, sweet, fluffy, and just like dessert. Kids generally love it too. I've been making it the last few years for pot-lucks, etc, and finally decided to get the recipe up here as I'm making it for the family Thanksgiving get-together.

FROG EYE SALAD

1 (4-serving size) pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 of a 16 oz box acini de pepe
1 cup thawed Cool Whip
1 (15 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (16 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 jar Maraschino cherries without stems, drained


Mix pudding with 1 3/4 cups milk. Set aside. 
Cook acini de pepe. Drain and cool. 
Mix pudding and 1 cup Cool Whip together. 
Mix in the fruit and cherries, then the acini de pepe. 
Refrigerate; serve chilled. Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any.


NOTE: This makes a good sized bowl.

Super Easy Lazy Man's Tiramisu

I was having trouble finding an easy recipe for a quick Tiramisu-like (No Bake!!) desert to bring to work, so I cannibalized one recipe and made up the rest based on other recipes I had seen to make this. I used cream cheese instead of the traditional marscapone because I don't have that much experience with marscapone and was worried about it being less thick in texture than cream cheese. You could potentially do your own experimentation and let me know.

Lazy Man's Tiramisu

2 10oz frozen pound cakes, defrosted (I used Sara Lee)
2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
.5 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 16oz tub regular Cool Whip, thawed but chilled
4 oz strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
4 oz Kahlua
4 oz bar bittersweet chocolate (I used 60% cacao Ghirardelli bittersweet) chopped finely
1 cup chocolate syrup (or so- not sure as I just squirted from the bottle of Hershey's Double Chocolate Sundae Syrup)

NOTE: IF you prefer, you can skip the Kahlua and use all espresso, but I think the Kahlua adds a little more sweetness and keeps the coffee section from being too bitter.

Cut off the ends of each loaf and slice the remainder of each pound cake into 9 slices and place them lying down in a 13x9 pan. You may have to cut some pieces to fit around the edges. (I did not need the butt ends of the cake- score for me!) Mix the expresso with the kahlua and brush, drizzle, or pour the mixture over the poundcake. Drizzle about half the chocolate sauce over cake.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla. When creamy, fold in Cool Whip and crushed/chopped chocolate. Spread over cake. Drizzle with more chocolate syrup. Mmmmmm... chocolate syrup....

Chill overnight and enjoy.

Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole

Easy to make and feeds a crowd. Honestly, who has an 11x7 or 11x14 pan? I'm going to have to experiment with this one. UPDATE: I think I've just thrown it in a 13 x 9 and its fine.

Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole

2lbs frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion (or more)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz melted Velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Thaw hash browns in bowl, Make sure they are room temp. Add onion, salt, pepper and butter. Mix soup, sour cream and cheese well, pour over potatoes and stir. Place in 11x7 pan and bake at 350 for at least an hour. Can be frozen before baking. Serves 10-ish. Double this and bake in a 11x14 casserole to serve 20.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

This is always an easy and welcome casserole to bring to pot-luck Thanksgiving dinners. It is so easy to make and everyone seems to enjoy it. I want to experiment with adding some green chilis and/or crumbled bacon in the future.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained*
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
1 cup approx. Shredded cheddar cheese (split)**

Pre-heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except cheese**. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if desired. Bake in casserole dish or 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray for 30 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked in center and light golden brown (I prefer using the 9x13 so that I get more brown bits cuz I like that part best.)

*NOTE: The original recipe only called for one can of whole kernel corn, but I accidentally opened two cans and decided to use them both. I like it MUCH better this way.
**NOTE: I used grated cheddar on the top, and I also stirred about 1/2 cup into the casserole. Delish!