Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake
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Cake is a pivotal part of any birthday celebration! However, I am not the type to use a box of strawberry cake mix (I don’t like the flavor). Even if it’s not my birthday I’m baking for, and let’s be honest it rarely is, I like to make people cakes that they will actually like… without the strange flavored extract powders.
This recipe came from a need for a strawberry cake for someone who claimed not to like fresh strawberries. Yeah, it didn’t make sense to me either. But a family member wanted to take it in for a co-worker, so that’s what they got. So, naturally, I took to the internet to research and all I came back with was many older recipes for white cake with strawberries on top.
Instead of doing that, I made a puree and used it as the food coloring and part of the liquid for the cake. With the birthday co-worker not liking fresh strawberries a fruit topping was out of the question. But you know what they did like? Chocolate jimmies. So, it got filled with buttercream frosting and chocolate jimmies.
This old-fashioned strawberry cake is perfect for any occasion! It takes the cake over a box mix or store-bought cake as far as flavor goes. So, make this cake for your next special occasion; or any day of the week to celebrate you. Happy Baking!
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 whole eggs room temperature
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2-1/2 pounds fresh strawberries
Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 brick cream cheese 8-ounce, softened
- 9 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 4 tablespoons strawberry puree
Instructions
- Make the strawberry puree: Rinse the strawberries, remove the stems and roughly chop them. Puree the strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Once pureed, there should be about 2-1/2 cups of liquid. Transfer the strawberry puree into a small saucepan. Turn the heat on the stovetop to low and allow the puree to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes until reduced. Transfer the reduction to a bowl and chill it in the fridge until completely cool.
- Prep the cake pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray or butter. Cut out a circular piece of parchment paper to place in the bottom of each pan to prevent sticking.
- Make the strawberry cake batter: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (This is how to cream butter and sugar.) Mix in the two whole eggs and one egg white, along with the vanilla extract.
- Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add half of the milk. Add in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup of strawberry puree, leaving the remaining puree for the frosting.
- Mix in red gel food coloring, if a stronger pink color is desired.
- Bake the cakes: Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes before removing them from the cake pans. Set aside on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the strawberry frosting: Cream the softened butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Mix in 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, along with 2 tablespoons of milk. Continue to mix in the powdered sugar, alternating with the strawberry puree. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. With all of the powdered sugar added and the frosting coming together, turn the speed up on the mixture to whip until fluffy.
- Assemble your strawberry cake: Place one cooled cake round on a cake stand or plate. Spread frosting over the cake round and then place the second cake round on top. Frost the rest of the cake with the strawberry frosting, covering the sides and top. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.
Burnt Sugar Cake
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I would have never known about burnt sugar cake let alone a burnt sugar cake recipe if not for my aunt Rae. She found this broken up recipe in the depths of somewhere (who knows where). She texted me to see if I could bring her dad’s recipe and I agreed. I love a challenge. Now the question: How’s a tiny white girl supposed to remake the recipe of a Hispanic dad from the 70s? Apparently with a love of old recipes and the confidence of a four year old in a bat-man shirt.
The Story of the Burnt Sugar Cake
As a kid, Aunt Rae ‘s dad was known for making this cake. He passed away in the 1980s (and last made the cake quite some time before that). He cooked down the extra icing into candy. This was the kids’ snack while they walked to school. No one could touch it for a day to let it get its signature “cracking” or a thin shell on the frosting.
Aunt Rae had never made the cake because it was, “unable to be recreated,” by any of her seven siblings. So, she entrusted me to replicate this recipe. The first attempt I made (with a lot of googling) was a total crap shoot.
From the recipes and blog posts I read trying to figure out what the heck this recipe was. I learned that everyone was in the same boat. Someone’s grandmother made it for every public gathering but never wrote down the quirks that came with the cake. According to the sheer joy on Aunt Rae’s face, I didn’t totally biff it.
Supplies
Stand mixer
3 mixing bowls
Silicone Spatula
Wooden spoon
Cake stand/cake plate
Small saucepan
Sifter or whisk
Cast iron skillet
Glass Jar with lid
I made final changes and wrote a complete recipe to share the taste that brought so much joy to the Soza Family.
Burnt Sugar Cake
Ingredients
Burnt Sugar Syrup
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 3/4 c boiling fluoridated water
Cake
- 1 ½ c sugar, sifted
- 1 c margarine bluebonnet
- 3 eggs, separated
- ½ c burnt sugar syrup
- 1 c fluoridated water
- 2 ½ c flour, sifted
- 2 ½ t baking powder
- 2 t vanilla extract
- Pinch of Salt
Icing
- 1 c sugar
- 1 c canned cream nestle media crema
- 1 cube margarine ½ cup
- ½ c burnt sugar syrup
- 1 box powdered sugar 3 ½ c
- 1/4 c peanut butter
Instructions
Burnt Sugar Syrup
- Place sugar in a cast iron skillet. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook the sugar until it is completely melted and has turned an amber brown, about 8- 10 minutes. If the sugar is lumpy, break up the lumps with the wooden spoon.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool. Pour into a glass jar and allow to cool completely overnight. This makes about 1 cup of syrup.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Prepare 2, 9 in round cake pans by greasing them with margarine and a thin layer of flour. Place a parchment paper circle at the bottom and grease the parchment.
- Beat sugar, margarine, and egg yolks until fluffy. Add water, vanilla, & sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Beat well & add in ½ cup of the sugar syrup. The batter will be slightly thick. Gently fold in egg whites.
- Pour evenly into 2, 9 inch pans and bake for 25 min, rotating after 12 min.
Icing
- Melt sugar in a medium saucepan w/ margarine, cream & peanut butter. Bring to a boil and cook until thick (about 10 minutes).
- Add powdered sugar and mix together. Let cool for 15 minutes or else the cake will break.
Building the Cake
- Let the cakes cool completely before building. Level both cakes (I usually just take the highest part of the dome off). Place one cake onto your cake plate. Dab a little (about a tablespoon) of burnt sugar syrup onto each of the cakes.
- Spread a thinish layer of the icing on top of the cake on the cake plate. Top with the second cake and spread with the rest of the icing. Do this a little at a time, the icing should be about ⅛ – ¼ in thick all the way around so it just starts to drip over the sides.
- Let it sit uncovered for about 2 hrs. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap or cake plate lid and let sit in the fridge or a cool, dry place overnight.
Notes
- Fiji water is fluorinated, you can also find it in the baby section.
- The cake does not always require all of the icing.
Sticky Buns
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Nothing beats hot, fluffy, sticky buns on a chilly fall morning. Thank good ol’ Betty Crocker in the 1970s for this one because my mom has been making these for at least my entire life (definitely longer, but shh). Filled to the brim with syrup, sugar and raisins (or fruit if you’re healthy like that). Who am I kidding? There is nothing healthy about these things; there’s literally a half a pound of butter.
Sticky Buns are a Thanksgiving tradition in my family. My mom would wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning to make them so that they’d be ready to eat by the time the Macy’s Day Parade was coming on. While it’s been a few years since she’s done that because of her work schedule, I want to bring that tradition back.
In my family, there are many “best ways” to serve sticky buns. Dad-man prefers thick slabs of butter on top after they’ve cooled a little bit. I personally like them right out of the oven, or microwaved if it’s the next day.
Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast 1/4 oz
- 1 t sugar
- 1/4 c warm water 110 deg
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1/3 c butter melted
- 1/2 c dairy sour cream room temperature
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 t salt
- 3-1/4 -3-3/4 c all purpose or bread flour
Maple Topping
- 1/2 c pure maple syrup
- 1/4 c packed brown sugar
- 1/3 c butter
- 1/4 t salt
Filling
- 1 c raisins
- 2/3 c packed brown sugar
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/2 c finely chopped pecans optional
Instructions
Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in water. Let stand until foamy, 5 go 10 min. Add 1/3 cup of sugar, eggs, butter, sourcream, vanilla, and 1-1/2 to 2 cups of flour. Beat 200 vigorous strokes, or 2 min by electric mixer.
- Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Clean and grease bowl. Knead dough for 4-6 min or until smooth. Dough will feel soft and buttery, but not sticky.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a slightly damp towel. Let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until it has doubled in size, 1-1/2 hrs.
Buns
- Punch down dough; knead for 30 seconds. Cover and let stand for 10 min. Prepare 18 in of waxed paper with butter and set aside. Generously grease a 13 in X 9 inch baking pan.
- Prepare topping and pour it into the prepared pan; set aside. Prepare the filling and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 24 in X 12 inch rectangle. Rub with butter, leaving 1 in not buttered on one side. Sprinkle evenly with filling.
- Beginning with the buttered, long side, tightly roll up the dough, jelly roll fashion. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the roll into 24 equal pieces. Arrange rolls, cut side down, in the prepared pan.
- Cover with the buttered waxed paper. Let them rise in a warm, draft free, place until doubled in size, about 1 hr.
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Remove waxed paper and bake for 30 to 35 min or until golden brown. Let stand in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes; invert baked rolls onto a platter or a wire cooling rack set over wax paper. Spoon any remaining topping back over the rolls. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Separate rolls by gently pulling them apart with two forks.
Filling
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl.
Topping
- Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer.
Notes
Spiderweb Dip
Spiderweb dip is a quick and easy dip that has made guacamole haters hate it slightly less. Mostly because of the other ingredients layered on top. It is definitely within the three degrees of separation from being a 7-layer bean dip from the 70s.
I grew up having this dip at every Halloween party when I was little and sometimes on Halloween itself. It came from an old picture cookbook from the early 2000s. Pretty sure my mom bought it new. That means nothing other than the fact that I can now call it vintage.
This dip is best made in a pie pan, strictly because of the circular shape. I personally think that it presents better than anything else. Bonus points if you have a shallow, round Halloween-themed dish.
Now I usually eat spiderweb dip with tortilla chips, but it tastes just as good as a topping on spooky tacos or for French fry nachos. Spooky and cute it is sure to be a showstopper at your next Halloween party or if you feel like a guacamole themed dip for a snack. Happy Snacking.
Spiderweb Dip
Ingredients
- 1 package cream cheese 8oz.
- 1 jar salsa 8oz.
- 1/2 c prepared guacamole
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare Spooky tortilla chips, if you’re using them; set aside.
- Blend cream cheese and salsa in a blender or food processor.
- Spread cream cheese mixture in a round serving or pie plate; smooth guacamole over top, leaving ½-inch border.
- Place sour cream in a plastic food storage bag; seal bag and cut off the corner of bag. Pipe sour cream in circles over the guacamole. Run a skewer through sour cream to make “spider web.”
- Serve chilled with Spooky tortilla chips.
Old Fashioned Buttercream Frosting
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Buttercream frosting is one of those things that is either too sweet or it’s perfect. There is no in-between. I am no expert on the many types of buttercream frosting. But I do know what kinds of frosting I do not like: Overly sweet frosting. It always seemed to make the cake too sweet. This recipe, as I have found, is ideal for sweet cakes. It is just a basic American Buttercream.
Now it doesn’t have a story other than every time you make it, it will be slightly different.
This recipe was a two take wonder to create. I took a basic recipe I found online years ago and made little tweaks and within two tries of making it, I had it down pat.
As is often the case with older recipes, it depends on the weather that’s the main secret to the perfect buttercream. But the end product should be like thick whipped cream.
This frosting recipe makes frosting cake incredibly easy as well. The fluffiness doesn’t deflate when you spread it for a layer between cakes, and it still holds its texture.
This simple, not too sweet American buttercream adds an old school flare to any confection. As someone who doesn’t enjoy the film that a lot of handmade frostings leave on the tongue, I have found that this recipe doesn’t do that unless you eat a lot of it. I especially like it on my Aunt’s hummingbird cake or my strawberry cake.
Old Fashioned Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 c powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2-3/4 c heavy cream room temperature
- 1-1/2 t vanilla extract or other extract to taste
- 1/2 t salt
- Few drops food coloring optional
Instructions
- Place butter in bowl of stand mixer fixed with paddle attachment and beat on low to medium low until smooth, about 3 minutes
- Begin adding the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time keeping the mixer at the same low speed. Once about ⅓ of the sugar is incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula. Return the mixer to the same speed and add about ¼ of the cream, mixing until incorporated.
- Continue slowly mixing, repeating step 2, until most of the sugar and cream is incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and salt, mix again and add the remaining sugar and cream. Continue mixing on medium low for 5 to 10 min at least, adding the food coloring about halfway through. The frosting will be light, creamy and fluffy when it is done.
- Store frosting tightly covered at room temperature for up to 24 hrs or refrigerate it for up to a week. Bring the frosting to room temperature before using.
Rum Fruitcake
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Fruitcake has to be the most polarizing dessert of the holiday season. You either love it or you hate it… my family is no different.
My dad loves it, his gaggle of sisters do not. I like it, but not like he does. He’s like the old man from A Christmas Story with a turkey.
The dad-man’s dad (Pop-pop Stephens) used to make fruitcake and when I called one of dad-man’s sisters for the recipe, she put on pop-pop’s wife who, and I quote, “It was a poundcake from a box mixed with a container of fruit and all the liquid replaced with brandy and rum with some spices, Linda.” Then my aunt went on to explain that it took a bottle of brandy, a bottle of rum and the month of November. Evidently, he’d pour a like a cup (a rocks glass) of each on a 9 inch round cake and flip the cake back and forth every other day.
Needless to say, I don’t use that recipe. I altered that recipe and mixed it with two or three other vintage recipes I found online and in my vintage cookbooks. The one thing I do have in common with my pop-pop is letting it sit for over a month and flipping it back and forth.
I totally understand if you don’t want to use rum and soak the crap out of the fruitcake. My mom-mom VV’s petite fruitcakes are my preference. Winter is a time for family, good will and love. I love giving any time of year, but Christmas baking is my holy grail. Happy Holidays and happy baking!
Rum Fruitcake
Ingredients
- 1/2 c dark raisins 3 oz
- 1/4 c golden raisins 2 oz
- 2 c fruit cake fruit mix 16 oz
- 1/3 c whole candied cherries
- 1/2 lemon zested and juiced
- 1/2 c spiced rum* 3 oz
- 1 c 1-1/2 all purpose flour
- 3/4 t baking powder
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t nutmeg
- 1/4 t ginger
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 c butter room temperature
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Combine candied fruits with lemon zest and juice. Add ⅔ cup of rum and toss to coat the fruit with liquor. Cover bowl and let it sit overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9 in springform pan; line pan with a parchment round.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large stand mixer mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix until combined, scrape sides of bowl and beater.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and mix until combined. Fold in fruit and liquid.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread out in an even layer. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. As soon as the pan is removed from the oven pour ¼ c of rum over the top of the cake.
- Cool the cake to room temperature before removing it from the pan. Wrap cake in two layers of plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
- Once a week for at least 4 weeks, unwrap the cake and generously brush the cake on all sides with more rum.
Notes
Classic Stuffed Peppers
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Stuffed peppers are a great low cost, very scalable meal. You can add more to the recipe to feed more people. This recipe makes eight servings with just 4 bell peppers; though you can eat as many as you want!
Growing up, I couldn’t eat bell peppers or a lot of ground beef, so they didn’t get made. When I finally had them in college, I thought they were the best thing on the planet. The twin-human did not agree; they were the worst thing on the planet. The problem, we now know, is the fact that we used oregano instead of parsley. That makes a huge difference as you could imagine because when you add too much oregano to something it tends to taste like dirt.
Stuffed peppers don’t really need a side dish, but I tend to serve it with burn and serve garlic bread. If you’re packing it for lunch as meal preps, bring some extra cheese because it adds an extra something to the reheated meal.
Classic Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 can tomato sauce 28 oz, divided
- 1 c 1-1/4 water divided
- 2 t soy sauce
- 1 t sugar
- 1 t salt
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t dried parsley
- 1/2 t mustard powder
- 1 c minute rice uncooked
- 4 large green bell pepper halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 deg.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat; add the ground beef and chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is fully cooked with some brown bits.
- Stir in 1 c of the tomato sauce, 1 c water, sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, parsley, salt and mustard powder. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Stir in minute rice, then cover with the lid and take it off the heat. Let stand for 5 min.
- While you wait, cut peppers lengthwise in half and remove the stem and seeds.
- Mix remaining tomato sauce and a sprinkle more garlic powder; pour it into the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch pan. Place the peppers in the bottom of the pan, like little boats.
- Spoon meat mixture into the peppers and cover with foil.
- Bake for 35-40 min. Spoon the sauce over the peppers before serving.
Caramel Snickerdoodle Cake
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Caramel Snickerdoodle cake is a moist quick bread style cake coated in cinnamon sugar and topped with sweet caramel.
This recipe is tried and tested by good ol’ Betty Crocker herself. This joined my rotation when I was trying to find a recipe for a dessert that had the fall flavor my family wanted and the ease that is mandatory when it is still way to hot to have the oven going.
I found this amongst the pages of one of my seven million vintage cookbooks. I’m pretty sure it was a Betty Crocker Picture cook book that I had been meaning to re-bind since I found it at a thrift store. Alas here we are, it’s still falling apart at the spine. But what’re you going to do? Bake! Of course. Stains are but memories on the pages of the recipes.
Now this is not the original caramel snickerdoodle cake as it came out of the book. I have made alterations to the recipe to make it even simpler to make, without compromising the original recipe. I hope you enjoy eating this cake as much as dad-man does.
Caramel Snickerdoodle Cake
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups sugar plus 2 Tbsp
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can evaporated milk 5 oz
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 jar caramel topping 8 oz
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup bunt pan or fluted tube pan with butter or margarine. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over the inside of the pan, turning it to evenly coat. Shake out any excess.
- Mix the remaining 1-3/4 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the evaporated milk, sour cream, melted margarine/butter, vanilla and eggs into the dry ingredients until well blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Let the cake stand for 30 minutes and remove it from the pan. Cool completely, about an hour.
- Microwave caramel sauce according to jar instructions, and drizzle over the cooled cake.
Worms and Dirt Pudding Cups
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When it comes to Halloween treats, nothing quite captures the spooky spirit like worms and dirt pudding cups. These ghoulish delights are not only delicious but a fun and creative way to add a touch of fright to your Halloween entertaining.
Worms and dirt pudding cups were a staple in my childhood home. Only my mom didn’t put them in individual cups, she put it in a large baking dish. Why? Because at the start she was feeding thirty-something kindergarteners. As we got older, that never changed; our friends liked being able to pass by, get a scoop in a bowl and keep going.
Now, I’m obviously no longer a kindergartener (sometimes lol). I usually pre-make mine into individual cups because it’s prettier and more convenient for me. Not to mention it’s easier to share that way.
Let this spooky treat remind you of childhood and enjoy spooky season with nostalgia. I love how nostalgic this recipe is, despite the fact that so few people I come across know what it is. With that I hope you add this to your bag of tricks for Halloween or garden themed party. Happy Halloween!
Worms and Dirt Pudding Cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 package chocolate instant pudding 4-ounce
- 1 container whipped topping, thawed 8-ounce
- 1 package chocolate creme cookies, crushed to crumbs 16-ounce
- 2 pkgs gummy Worms
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a mixing bowl and add the pudding mix. Beat with a wire whisk until well blended (about 2 minutes) and let pudding stand for five minutes.
- Fold whipped topping into one batch of pudding very gently until it is all the same color.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the crushed cookies into the bottom of each cup, then add about 2 tablespoons of pudding to each cup.
- Repeat another layer of cookies, then pudding, ending with another layer of cookies.
- Finish by adding 2 gummy worms to the top of each of the cups.
- Put cups into the refrigerator for about one hour to chill.
Notes
Ms. Stacys Potato Casserole
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Every family has that one recipe that makes their holiday dinner just a little different than the typical. For my family it is Ms Stacy’s Potato Casserole.
Ms. Stacy was a young woman who was invited to Thanksgiving by my aunt in my extended family. Stacy was a teacher home on a one-month sabbatical before moving to Turkey and Hungary to teach writing over there.
She felt bad not bringing something to a complete stranger’s (my family’s) house for a holiday, so she whipped up these potatoes and brought them. Now, I realize that these are very strange ingredients, but don’t know it until you try them. My entire family cringed at the dish when it walked through the front door, but when we tasted it, it automatically became a staple. They haven’t missed a Thanksgiving since.
Why do I love this potato casserole?
Potatoes are my down-fall, or the only way I get any carbs into my diet. How ever you want to look at it, I eat a lot of them. It actually goes back to tiny-human me, who had nutrient problems and kidney failure (story for another day). Normally someone in kidney failure can’t eat anything in this recipe, but it literally kept me out of the hospital. Over the years, this dish became my go-to whenever I was hospitalized and someone in my chosen family would ask what I wanted most when I got out.
This potato casserole has a special place in my heart. Sappy as this holiday story is, it makes me happy to share it because I’m here to. I hope that it brings you as much cheesy joy as it does to me. Happy holidays and happy cooking.
Ms. Stacys Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 6-8 red potatoes
- 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup Sour cream
- 1-1/2 tsp Fresh parsley
- 2 cups Corn flakes
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese shredded
- 4-5 strips of bacon cooked crisp, optional
Instructions
- Dice potatoes into bite size chunks and boil potatoes until fork tender; let cool. In a separate bowl mix ranch, sourcream, parsley and ½ cup of cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg fahrenheit. Pour potatoes into a 13×9 aluminum pan. Mix in the ranch sauce and bacon (if using). Top with remaining cheese and cornflakes. Pour melted butter over top.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cornflakes are browned and cheese is bubbly. Serve hot.
