Sunday Dinner

Sooo, last weekend I decided to make up for my serious lack of cooking/blogging by having a cooking extravaganza! I invited my parents over for one last meal before they move back to Florida and pulled out my trusty cookbook. The menu: Ham, pineapple stuffing, green bean cashew casserole, salad, and inside out chocolate bundt cake for dessert. All but the ham and salad can be found in 'Rebecca and Friends.'
Saturday night I baked the cake. Here is the recipe:
Inside Out Chocolate Bundt Cake
1 package Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix
1 package (4 1/2 oz.) Jello instant chocolate pudding
1 package (12 oz./2 cups) chocolate chips
1 3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with an extra tall glass of ice cold milk. Individually wrap left-over slices in tin foil and freeze. The cake tastes even better frozen.

Now, I have to say. I don't like to make bundt cakes. All the nooks and crannies in the bundt pan intimidate me. I can never, ever get it greased and floured properly and can never, ever get it clean. I wondered if I could use cooking spray. I checked my can . It clearly said 'use for cakes and cookies.' Okay! I sprayed, floured, baked and that cake slipped out of there better than any cake I have ever baked. One problem: it was leprous. Seriously. It had yellow, bubbly spots on it. I tried scraping it off but I just didn't have the patience. I finally decided to sprinkle it with cocoa before sprinkling it with powdered sugar. In the end, I thought the outside was a little dry and crispy but everyone else thought it was good. We ate it all week with various toppings: ice cream, whipped cream, but we never did try freezing it. When I make it again, I will probably try using the spray especially made for cakes OR I'll just bake it in a tube pan instead of a bundt pan. One question: Why is it called Inside Out Chocolate bundt cake? Kathy Fiola, if you are reading this, please answer.

Next up: Pineapple Stuffing. This is a favorite recipe of mine that I submitted to the book myself. I'm not sure where I got it. I've had it for years. The things I like about it are: It's super easy to make, it is sooo yummy - almost like a dessert, it makes a great leftover dish that can be eaten hot or cold. Here's the recipe:
Pineapple Stuffing
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
5 slices white bread (I use whatever I have. This time, soft wheat.), cubed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch baking pan (???? What the heck is a '9-inch baking pan'? I have no idea, but a 2-quart casserole dish is perfect.) In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add pineapple and the bread cubes. Spoon into pan. Bake for one hour. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

The final recipe was the green bean cashew casserole. It was submitted by Sally Bierman, who submitted lots of recipes for this book. This was probably the easiest one. Some of them go on for pages! I'm not even kidding!
Green Bean Cashew Casserole
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.
1 lb. fresh green beans or two 9 oz. pkg. frozen cut green beans
1 tbs. cooking oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/3 cup dry white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (I left this out because the cashews I used were salted)
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground white pepper
1/2 cup cashew halves
1/2 cup half and half or light cream (I used light cream, but will definitely increase the amount next time. We all thought the recipe was slightly dry. Dad suggested a can of cream of anything soup might help.)
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (Also, thought this was excessive. Definitely will just use about 1/4 cup next time.)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut fresh green beans into 1 inch pieces. Cook fresh or frozen beans covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 5 min. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion, uncovered, in hot oil for 4-5 min. or until golden brown. Slowly add wine or broth, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 min. or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add 1/4 cup of the cashews and the half and half or light cream. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 3 min.
2. Stir in cooked green beans. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining cashews. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 min. or until top browns and mixture is heated through. Makes six side-dish servings.

We all really enjoyed this dish and it is definitely something I will make again with the changes noted in the recipe.

The best part of having company and cooking a big meal (besides the fun we had that day!) is all the leftovers! I've been eating nothing but ham, pineapple stuffing, green bean casserole and of course, chocolate cake, all week! :-)