Hot Dog and Bean Casserole

Okay, before the Quarantine started, I had probably made a hot dog and bean casserole for my husband exactly one time. I guess since it didn't get a warm and fuzzy response, I didn't make it again. Growing up, I was a PICKY eater.  One of my favorite meals was hot dog and bean casserole with Jiffy corn muffins on the side.  My mom would take a pack of hot dogs and a can of baked beans, mix in a little ketchup and mustard and bake it. I LOVE the little boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.

Growing up in Maryland, I never knew where the mix was made, it turns out it's Chelsea, Michigan! About an hour from where I live now. Once this Quarantine is over, I'm definitely going for a tour of their factory. Now that I'm done taking a trip down memory lane, I'll move on!! During this time of family togetherness, I have been trying different recipes, something I didn't have time for before this Quarantine started. I have always eaten the hot dog and bean casserole separate from the corn muffin mix. What if the two were put together into a casserole?!?!? I looked at the Jiffy website and their recipe included onions. Hmm, I'm still not a fan of onions (a carryover of my childhood pickiness)!!! LOL. I mixed together the hot dogs and beans and then spread the corn muffin mix over the top and baked it. My husband thought it was one of the best things I have ever made!! This casserole has become a new "Quarantine" favorite!!

Ingredients

8-pack of hot dogs, chopped
16-ounce can baked beans (I used Vegetarian Baked Beans)
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Put in the chopped hot dogs and baked beans and combine well with a large spoon. Set aside. In a small bowl, put the corn muffin mix, large egg and 1/3 cup milk. With a large whisk or spoon, blend until just barely combined (don't overmix). Let the batter "rest" for about 3-4 minutes and then spread evenly on the top of the hot dogs and beans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the casserole comes out clean. You want to make sure the corn muffin mixture on top gets done!! Makes six servings.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

Last Friday morning, I tried to make a new scone recipe. Despite my best efforts, they didn't exactly turn out the way I would have liked. The butter in the scones melted onto the bottom of the stove, which caused smoke, which in turn made the smoke alarm go off. Luckily, we have a self-cleaning oven and I set it on the longest length of time possible - four hours. After the oven had cooled off, I cleaned the residual that was left and on Saturday night made lasagna. Again, the smoke alarm went off. I finally came to the conclusion that the two racks in the oven needed to be cleaned. Ugh. Since I didn't feel like cleaning them immediately, I decided to make a "no-bake" recipe Sunday afternoon. Oh my, this is SO good. At Cathy's Kitchen, we aim to have happy "customers!" LOL.  By the way, I cleaned the two racks Sunday afternoon and then made a new Quarantine "favorite" for dinner - Hot Dog and Bean Casserole covered with Jiffy Cornbread!! This time the oven did NOT set the smoke alarm off!! Yeah - success!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16.3 ounce jar smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large saucepan or stock pot, put the butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, peanut butter and powdered sugar. On low to medium heat, stir constantly with a large spoon until smooth and blended together. Remove from heat and pour immediately into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Pour the melted chips over the peanut butter mixture and again, spread evenly. Use a knife to "swirl." I swirled both diagonally and horizontally. Place in fridge for a minimum of two hours. When ready to eat, cut into squares. Store covered in the fridge. Enjoy!!!!