73. Spicy Party Spread

From 1997 Southern Living Annual Recipes

Don't let this picture keep you from making this dish...I could not make it photograph well, but it was ridiculously delicious!

The oddest part of this recipe when I first read it was the pecans...and I still can't figure them out. You can't pick up their taste or the texture in this dish.

That said, it was soooo good. It was creamy, cheesy, and "taco" spicy (almost like it had meat in it). Next time, I think I'll add pickled jalapeno slices on top at the end, for color, texture, and a little extra kick.

This is a fantastic football party dip...it's great hot or room temp. The dish was cleaned out in no time!

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted
Pinch of salt
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 to 3 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup (1.3 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup picante sauce


Bake pecans in a shallow pan at 275°, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes or until toasted. Stir in butter, and sprinkle with salt.

Stir together cream cheese and next 4 ingredients; stir in pecans, and spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 375° for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with crackers or corn chips.

72. Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust

From 2009 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I've had this one on my list for awhile, thinking it would be a nice twist on the traditional "baked ziti" type of casserole, with polenta in place of the pasta.

And while this was good, it wasn't great. The polenta was delicious, with the steak seasoning and cheese, but the meat mixture lacked flavor. Perhaps I should have used hot Italian sausage...or Italian instead of plain tomatoes.

Some of the reviews on the SL site suggested pre-baking the layer of polenta to form more of a "crust," but I decided to follow the recipe, and I didn't mind the soft texture of the polenta.

Overall, this was an okay casserole that could be great with a few tweaks.

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Spread cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Brown ground chuck in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.

Sauté onion and zucchini in hot oil in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in beef, tomatoes, and tomato paste; simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes. Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.



71. Sausage-Cheese Muffins

From 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I absolutely love sausage balls...I make them every chance I get, from brunches to football season to Christmas morning. So, I was intrigued by this recipe, which sounded very similar, just in a different presentation (and minus all of the rolling!).

But, I was surprised that these had a different sort of taste...delicious, but different. They were a little more dense...and one was very filling.

They turned out beautifully, presentation-wise, and would make a great addition to any entertaining.

Note: These lose their flavor at room temperature, so be sure to serve warm.
1 (1-lb.) package ground pork sausage

3 cups all-purpose baking mix
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can condensed cheese soup
3/4 cup water

Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and cool.

Combine sausage, baking mix, and shredded cheese in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together soup and 3/4 cup water; add to sausage mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling to top of cups.

Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

70. Hot Roast Beef Party Sandwiches

From 2007 Southern Living Annual Recipes

So...I could picture the type of rolls that this recipe called for, but neither of the two stores by my house had them. But, I knew it was important that the rolls be "connected," so I just used Sister Schubert rolls that I thawed.

These rolls had EVERYTHING going on...salty from the roast beef, sweet from the preserves, crunchy from the nuts, and creamy from the mayo/mustard.

They don't photograph that "pretty," and they're a little messy...but they're absolutely delicious!

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 (9.25-oz.) packages dinner rolls
2/3 cup peach preserves
1/2 cup mustard-mayonnaise blend
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef, chopped
1/2 pound thinly sliced Havarti cheese
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)


Heat walnuts in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly toasted.


Remove rolls from packages. (Do not separate rolls.) Cut rolls in half horizontally, creating 1 top and 1 bottom per package. Spread preserves on cut sides of top of rolls; sprinkle with walnuts. Spread mustard-mayonnaise blend on cut sides of bottom of rolls; top with beef and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Cover with top halves of rolls, preserves sides down, and wrap in aluminum foil.


Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Slice into individual sandwiches.

69. Chicken-and-Wild-Rice Soup

From 2004 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I love having a pot of soup cooking on the stove on Halloween, and it's usually the first time in the South when it's actually cold enough to break out the soup & stew recipes.

This has tons of flavor and comes together quickly. It's creamy (but not rich) and packed with lots of veggies. Most of the reviews I read on SL's site suggested using broth instead of the water for additional flavor...I used a four-cup container of chicken broth along with one cup of water.

1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
5 cups water
1 (6.2-ounce) package fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) loaf pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted


Sauté onion and carrots in a lightly greased Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes. Add 5 cups water, seasoning packet from rice, broccoli, and chicken. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice; reduce heat, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Add cheese and soup; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

68. Snappy Reuben Rolls

From 2002 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I felt like having snacks for dinner tonight, so I went through my appetizer file and found this recipe.

I love anything wrapped in crescent rolls...sweet, flaky goodness. This had all of the flavor of a Reuben sandwich in a neat, little package. The sauerkraut-Thousand Island mixture had tons of tang.

I was concerned that the cheese in the filling would melt out during baking and make a mess, but these stayed together nicely. Perfect football food!!

1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (10-ounce) can sauerkraut, drained
2 tablespoons Thousand Island salad dressing
1 teaspoon dry mustard
8 (1/2-ounce) thinly sliced deli corned beef slices
2 Swiss cheese slices, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) strips

Unroll crescent rolls, and separate into 8 triangles. Roll each dough portion into a 7-inch triangle.

Stir together sauerkraut, salad dressing, and mustard. Place 1 corned beef slice across wide side of 1 triangle, folding to fit, if necessary.

Spread 2 tablespoons sauerkraut mixture over corned beef, and top with 2 cheese strips. Roll up, beginning with wide end of triangle. Repeat with remaining triangles, sauerkraut mixture, corned beef, and cheese. Place rolls, point sides down, on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake rolls at 375° for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. 



67. Marzetti's Spaghetti

From 1999 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I know it's been awhile since my last post...I've taken a little (unintentional) cooking hiatus. BUT, I'm back, and I'm determined to finish out the last 33 recipes by the end of the year. (Yikes!)

So, I remember my mother making "mezzetti" as a casserole when I was a kid, and when I saw this variation of the recipe, I figured the flavors would be the same.

This is absolute comfort food. It's creamy and cheesy, but not too rich. There's plenty of tomato flavor, but it's definitely an untraditional topping for spaghetti.

It's a little on the thin side, and I was surprised the Velveeta didn't thicken it up more.

The recipe makes 12 servings, so I "thirded" it...and it still made quite a lot.

3 pounds ground beef

3 large onions, chopped

3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

3 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 (16-ounce) loaf process cheese spread, cubed
1 (8-ounce) loaf process cheese spread, cubed
16 ounces spaghetti, cooked


Cook ground beef and onion in a stockpot over medium heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in process cheese spread until melted. Serve over spaghetti.