Nana & Bang's Trash

One bite of this and I'm a kid again. That's what happens when I eat Nana & Bang's trash. Nana and Bang were my mom's parents. Why Bang? Well my older sister (first grandchild) couldn't say grand-daddy and she said Bang-ganny. That's what we all called him until it got shortened to Bang when we got older. Cute, right? It suited him perfectly. Anyway, this recipe is something they were making long before you could buy it pre-made in a box, and it tastes infinitely better. I'm not sure exactly when they started making it, but my guess is the late 60's or early 70's. It's spicy, crunchy, nutty goodness in a bowl. The only bad thing about it is that once you eat it you can't stop. And once you make it, the boxed stuff will never suffice. My husband's only complaint is that he doesn't like the name trash. I'm not sure where the name came from, but don't let it stop you from trying it. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 box each:
  • Wheat Chex
  • Rice Chex
  • Corn Chex
  • 2 bags pretzel sticks
  • 3 C nuts (I use almonds, cashews, pecans & walnuts)
  • 5 TBL chili powder
  • 2 TBL garlic powder
  • 4 sticks butter
  • 1 sm bottle Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (5 oz)
  • Tobasco (to taste)

Combine all the cereals and the pretzels in 2 turkey roasters.  Melt the butter and add the chili powder, garlic powder, Lea & Perrins, and the Tobasco. I usually add about 10 dashes of Tabasco, enough to spice it up a bit, but not make it too spicy for kids. Mix well.

Pour the liquid seasonings equally over the 2 containers of cereal mixture and stir, stir, stir. 

Bake in a 250 degree oven, stirring every 30 minutes for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add in the nuts and continue to cook for another hour. That's it. Let it cool and hide in an air tight container. I mean store in an air tight container. It makes a lot, but it really is addictive. I make our first batch very year around Thanksgiving and it rarely makes it through that holiday. It's not Christmas yet and I've made 3 batches. Son-in-law requested a batch of his own for his Christmas present this year. Yes, it's that good.

Enjoy!

Lynn

  NANA & BANG’S TRASH  HEALTHY

  • 1 box each:
  • Wheat Chex
  • Rice Chex
  • Corn Chex
  • 2 bags pretzel sticks
  • 3 C nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans & walnuts)
  • 5 TBL chili powder
  • 2 TBL garlic powder
  • 4 sticks butter
  • 1 sm bottle Lea & Perrins (5 oz)
  • Tobasco

Combine cereals and pretzels in 2 turkey roasters.  Melt butter and add seasonings. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the cereal.  STIR, STIR, STIR.  Bake at 250 degrees for three hours, stirring every 30 minutes.  Add nuts for last hour.

 

Cheese Grits

What can I say about cheese grits? Creamy, cheesy goodness just about sums it up. They are a standard around here for holiday breakfast. I serve them with sausage bread and blueberry and biscuit coffee cake and everyone is satisfied until the late day feast. These grits are also great as a side dish with ham or pork chops. I can't forget about shrimp and grits either! I like this particular recipe because they can be made well in advance and frozen, so all I have to do is thaw, heat, and serve. Here's what you'll need:

  • 6 C water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 1/2 C grits
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 lb. Velveeta cheese

Bring water, salt & butter to boil in a large saucepan.  Stir in grits and cook until thick.

Beat the eggs. Temper the eggs by slowly adding some of the cooked grits to the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Do this a couple of times until the egg mixture is warm but not cooked. Now slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan of grits stirring until well combined.

Add the cubed cheese and stir until melted.

Season with pepper to taste. I don't usually add salt because the grits have been cooked in salt and the cheese is fairly salty.

Pour into casserole and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Increase the temperature to 350 degrees and brown the top.

Enjoy!

Lynn

  CHEESE GRITS

  • 6 C water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 1/2 C grits
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 lb. Velveeta cheese

Bring water, salt & butter to boil in saucepan.  Stir in grits and cook until thick.  Beat eggs and add slowly some grits stirring constantly, to bring the eggs up in temperature.  Add the cubed cheese and stir until melted. Season with pepper.  Pour into casserole and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Brown top at 350.

Sausage Bread

Sausage bread is a must have around here for Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings. We first had sausage bread when my brother married my sister-in-law. It was something she grew up eating, so she made it the first holiday she spent with us. Her connection to her family tradition was quickly adopted into our family and has become our tradition as well. I love how that happens! One of the best things about sausage bread, other than the fact that it's delicious, is that you can make it ahead of time and freeze it. Then all you have to do is thaw it and heat it up to serve it. That means one less thing to make on those crazy holiday mornings. It's also super easy to make. The original recipe calls for Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix, but you can also use frozen bread dough. It's delicious either way. My only warning to you is that once you make this, your family will want it every holiday. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 pkg Hot Roll Mix
  • 1 lb. Mild bulk sausage
  • 1 lb. Hot bulk sausage
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • ½ C Parmesan cheese, grated

Start by making the dough according to the directions on the package. Be sure you get the separate yeast package out of the box and add it in or your dough won't rise. Don't ask me how I know that...

If you are using frozen dough, thaw the dough so that you can roll it out.

Cook both kinds of sausage together in a skillet until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease and set aside.

Take half the dough and roll it into a rectangle slightly smaller that a cookie sheet. If you are using frozen dough, roll out one loaf. The dough mix is usually sticky, so sprinkle a little extra flour on your surface first to make it easier to roll out.

Now take half of the cooked sausage and sprinkle it on the rolled out dough. Leave about a half inch or so around the edges.

Now sprinkle on half of the chopped green onions.

Now half of the grated Parmesan.

Starting on the long edge farthest away from you, roll the dough towards you, over the sausage, onions, and cheese. Keep rolling until you get to the opposite long edge.

When you get to the opposite dough edge, pinch the seams together along the ends and the edge to close everything. If it doesn't stick, just wet your fingers with a little water when you are pinching the dough and it should stick together.

Transfer the roll onto a parchment covered cookie sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients so that you have 2 loaves.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the dough has turned a golden brown. Remove from the oven and slice and serve. If you are making this ahead of time, cool the loaves then wrap in aluminum foil and freeze, then thaw and reheat to serve.

We serve this sausage bread with cheese grits and Blueberry Biscuit Coffee Cake and it's all delicious!

Sausage Bread

  • 1 pkg Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
  • 1 lb. Mild bulk sausage
  • 1 lb. Hot bulk sausage
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • ½ C Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare roll mix according to package directions. Cook sausage and drain. Roll out ½ of dough into a rectangle slightly smaller than the size of a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle cooked sausage, chopped green onions and parmesan over dough, leaving 1/2” around the edges. Roll dough up and pinch edges to seal.  Bake at 350 degrees until brown.

Enjoy!

Lynn