RECIPES FROM THE MAN CAVE

DEACON TOM’S INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS 

GREAT PRETZEL DIP

1 - 4oz. Package of Blue Cave Blue Cheese [Sometimes I add 2 pkg’s - All depends on how you like it.]

1 - 8oz. Package of Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Onion: Green onions - 2 finely chopped [don’t turn turn’em into mush] - or you can just add onion powder.

Seasoning: Lawry’s Season Salt. [I never measured what I used but, I was rather liberal with it]

Half & Half - about 1/3 cup or more if needed to get smooth consistency.

Add all ingredients in to electric mixing bowl [If cheese is near to room temperature it will mix easily]. Start slow and increase speed to high mixing the dip into a smooth consistency. The more you ‘whip-it’ the lighter and smoother becomes the consistency.

1 - bag of Snyder’s or Rold Gold Tini-Twist Pretzel.

While dip is still in mixing bowl - taste test with a pretzel [bet’cha can’t just try one!] to check for desired flavor - adjust seasoning as needed.

Enjoy with friends! 

DEACON TOM’S “FAMOUS” BAKED BEANS

o   1 pound Jimmy Dean's Sausage

o    5 or 6 Summer Sausage Sticks

o   1 medium onion, chopped (if it’s a Vidalia onion then use a really big one!)

o   1 medium green pepper, chopped

o   1/2 stick of butter (you can skip the butter and use the sausage 'drippings')

o   1 cup of ketchup

o   1 cup of dark brown sugar

o   2 - 28 oz. cans of Bush’s “Country Style” Baked Beans

o   1 – 12 oz. can Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle

o    1 – 14.5 oz can of Diced Tomatoes with Garlic & Onion

o   1 – 14.5 oz can Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes

o   (or whatever you can find, just to add additional flavors)

NEW IDEA!  Copy & Paste the above list to create a shopping list!           

 Put everything but the sausage, onion, and green pepper in a crock pot* and turn on high to get things cook’en while you do the following...

            Brown the sausage, drains, chop up finely, and set aside.  Sauté onion and green pepper with butter or fat.  Cut up Summer Sausage Sticks to look like small buttons. Add this mixture to the crock pot* and stir.  You could add a little Worcestershire sauce (1 TBL Spoon) if you like – experiment – and/or Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce – this is a Louisiana favorite!

Cook it for as long as you wish, when it looks done turn heat down to low (it smells really good at this point)

* If you don’t have a crock pot (and that would be hard to believe - doesn’t everybody have a crock pot!) you can put all this into an ovenproof dish and bake at 350 degrees for one hour or more.  (It gets better every time you re-heat it!)

Be sure to pray with all guests at this meal a blessing before serving (in thanksgiving -- not for protection!).

ENJOY!!!