SAVORY CORN CHOWDER

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

4 or 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups water

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (14.75 ounce) can cream style corn

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup 2% or regular milk

3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Optional)

 

Cook bacon in skillet on top of the stove until crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towel.  Fry onion and garlic in about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease left in skillet.  Drain. In a pot on top of the stove cover potatoes with the 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes until soft.  Add onion, garlic, milk, corn, salt and pepper and continue cooking on simmer about 20 minutes longer stirring several times. Crumble bacon into soup. Stir to mix. Add cheese.  Makes 8 to 10 servings. Enjoy!

 

Oriental Chicken Salad

Yield:
8 servings
Ingredients:
Salad ingredients:
leaf lettuce, washed and torn
shredded red cabbage (optional)
sliced almonds
chow mein noodles
fried chicken strips (recipe below)
homemade honey mustard dressing (recipe below)
Fried chicken strips ingredients:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4-1/3 cup vegetable oil

Dressing Ingredients:
6 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
8 teaspoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sesame or olive oil
Instructions:
1. Slice chicken breast into thin strips (as thin as possible).
2. In a medium-large container with a tight-fitting lid, combine flour, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley flakes. Add 1/4 of the chicken meat; close tightly and shake vigorously to coat. Continue adding meat in three more sections, each time replacing the lid and shaking the container (leave meat in when adding more).
3. Heat 1/4-1/3 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat (or just slightly above medium). Add chicken and spread out over bottom of skillet. Allow to fry for several minutes, then stir. Continue stirring and frying until chicken is completely cooked. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease.
4. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk to remove lumps.
5. To assemble salad, layer plates with lettuce, cabbage, fried chicken, chow mein noodles, almonds, and top with the homemade dressing.


Additional Notes:
The fried chicken pieces can be still warm/hot, or, if you need to make this up ahead of time, you can refrigerate the chicken and serve a completely cold salad: it's good either way!
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Cooking Time:
15 minutes

Spicy Beef and Beans over Brown Rice

This is a recipe i also got from  my friend Crystal ..

 
2 cups dry pinto beans
1lb. beef stew meat
8 cups water
1 T salt
1 onion, chopped
Jalapeno peppers, chopped (as many as you like..  the more you add the spicier it will be)
Olive oil
1 cup of your favorite salsa
Cooked Brown Rice
In a large stock pot combine pinto beans, stew meat, water and salt.  Let cook and simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beans are soft and meat is tender.
 After  beans and meat have finished cooking heat a frying pan and add olive oil, chopped onions and peppers.  Cook until onion is soft.  Add this to the bean/beef mix.  Add salsa and mix and let sit for a little bit so flavors can blend.

Spanish Rice x 2

These are my two favorite spanish rice recipes..since i love both i  decided to share both one is a healthier version ..

2 cups brown rice
2 to 3 T olive oil
4 cups plus 2T water
1 heaping T of tomato paste (you can save the rest of the can and use it another recipe)
2T chili powder
2t cumin
2t salt

In a large stock pot heat olive oil and brown rice. Stir and cook the rice until it starts to brown slightly. Add water, tomato paste and seasonings and stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat slowly over the first 5 minutes and then put the lid on (this helps to prevent your pot from boiling over when you put the lid on ). Turn the burner on low and let it cook for another 55 minutes.

Spanish Rice2

2 Tbsp Oil

2 Tbsp Dried Onions

1 4oz can Diced Green Chiles (optional)

2 28 oz cans Diced Tomatoes—do not drain (or 1 quart

 home-canned tomatoes)

1 cup Rice

4 tsp Chicken Bullion powder

1 tsp Taco Seasoning

3 cups Water (less if using 2 quarts canned tomatoes)

In a sauce pan combine oil and rice. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until rice begins to brown. Add tomatoes, chiles, water, onions, chicken bullion and taco seasoning. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat until all liquid is absorbed. 

Serving suggestions:

Flour tortillas

Corn 

Black olives

Sour cream

If you have cooked ground beef in your freezer, you can add some defrosted meat when you add tomatoes. You can also add canned beef or canned chicken. Spanish Rice is a fantastic burrito filler with cooked pinto or black beans. It also makes a great meal with just beans and some sour cream.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist devil's food cake mix
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz) melted, cooled slightly
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 eggs

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap outside bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan with heavy duty foil. Spray inside of pan with baking spray with flour. Reserve 1/4 cup cake mix for filling. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix and butter with electric mixer on low speed. Press in bottom and 1-1/2 inches up side of pan.

In large bowl, beat reserved 1/4 cup cake mix, cream cheese, chocolate, sour cream, sugar and food color with electric mixture on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until edge of cheesecake is set 2 inches from edge of pan but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door 3 inches. Let cheesecake remain in oven 30 minutes. Run small metal spatula around edge of pan. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Run small metal spatula around edge of pain; remove side of pan. Store covered in frigerator.

Serves 16.

Ranch House Chicken Casserole

4 to 5 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 cups cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 large mushrooms, chopped

Sauce
6 T butter
6 T whole wheat flour
1 cup water
2 ¼ cups milk
2 chicken bullion cubes
½ t seasoning salt
½ t pepper

In a frying pan heat olive oil and cook onions and mushrooms until soft.  Add cooked chicken and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium high heat melt butter.  Add ww flour and stir with whisk until any lumps are broken up and the mixture is smooth.  Add water, milk and bullion cubes.  Turn up heat a little and whisk and stir until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

 

To assemble casserole, layer half of the chicken on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Cover with half the cheese, half the tortillas, and half the sauce.  Repeat for second layer only ending with cheese on top. 

 

Bake at 350 for one hour. 

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1t vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
2t cinnamon
¼ t salt

Frosting
3T butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 ½ to 2 cups powder sugar


Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar  together mixing well.  Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Add the remaining ingredients. Add remaining ingredients.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool completely and frost.

To Make Frosting:

In a saucepan on medium heat combine butter and brown sugar. Let it cook until it is smooth and bubbly, be very careful not to let this burn and stir constantly.  After it starts to bubble let it cook for one minute.  Remove from heat and mix in milk.  Add powdered sugar until it is a spreadable frosting consistency.  Frost cookies.  This frosting will harden rather quickly, so work fast or have a helper to get them all frosted. 

My Favorite and Easy Enchilada Sauce

8 oz. tomato sauce
3 more cans of water (use the tomato sauce can for your measurement)
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. taco seasonings

Mix all of these in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes and it is ready.

Making Enchiladas:
I make enchiladas by filling my whole wheat tortillas with some type of filling. I will use beans, rice, cheese, chicken, and hamburger, usually seasoned with taco seasonings. I find it a good use for leftover beans or rice. The measurements are not really that important. I just mix my filling in a bowl and then fill each tortilla down the center, roll them up and put them in my baking pan (I do 2-9x13 pans usually). Then pour the enchilada sauce over everything, making them a little soupy so that they don’t dry out while cooking. I also top with cheese (sometimes I don’t put cheese inside the tortillas, just on top) and then bake at 375 for about 30 to 40 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread and a salad. My kids like to top this sour cream and extra salsa

Minute Chicken

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless thighs
cut into bite sized pieces and dredge them in flour. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the sauce!
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 c. oyster sauce
1/3 c. water
1/2 c. green onions
Mix and set aside.

In skillet, add 2 Tbsp. oil heat and add 1 clove crushed garlic. Cook chicken until brown and done. Lower the heat add the sauce and keep it on low for a few minutes for sauce to thicken up just a bit. Done! Enjoy with  rice.  If you want to do this for OAMC you can  have your chicken all cut and your sauce mixed and just have to add your green onions  at the last  minute  ..

Mexican Hamburger Rice Bake

 This recipe is a family favorite..It belongs to my friend Crystal she has a ton of recipes on her blog.. check it out and enjoy ..

5 to 6 cups of cooked brown rice (a great use of leftover rice)
1 lb hamburger
½ small onion
1 10oz can Rotel tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
½ cup water
salt or seasoning salt to taste
1 cup or more cheddar cheese

Cook hamburger and onion in fry pan till hamburger is no longer pink and onion is soft.  Add rice, rotels, tomato sauce, water,  and seasonings and mix and simmer everything for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Put this in a 9x13 inch pan (I sprayed mine with Pam) and top with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.

Fall Comfort Muffins

1 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. honey
4 eggs
1/3 c. water
1 c. mashed banana
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp.  pumpkin pie spice
2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips

Blend sugar and butter.  Add honey, eggs, and water.  Mix well.  Add banana and pumpkin.  Mix well.  Stir dry ingredients together, add to wet batter just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen (plus 3!) muffins.

Chicken Nacho Bake

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/2 cup  Salsa
1/4 cup  Sour Cream
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup  Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese


HEAT oven to 400ºF.

PLACE chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Cut 3 slits in top of each with sharp knife.

TOP chicken with salsa, sour cream and crushed chips.

BAKE 20 min.; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

• 
  
• 
  
• 10 ounces cream cheese , softened
• 7 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 5/8 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 5/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. 1
   In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
2. 2
   Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
3. 3
   Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz bag  Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Turkey Ranch Pinwheels

4 Soft Whole Wheat Tortillas
3 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing  (we make our own ranch dressing)
½ cup Turkey, cut into tiny pieces
½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Spread Ranch Dressing on each tortilla.
Sprinkle bits of cheese and turkey over the ranch covered tortilla
Roll the filled tortilla up as tightly as you can.
Let a grown up help cut the rolled tortilla into pinwheels:

KF Momma's Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon onion salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet basil, crushed
1 teaspoon marjoram, crushed
2 pounds uncooked chicken breast meat, cut into chunks—sized to your liking
1 cup flour
¼ cup peanut oil—more, if needed

In a small bowl thoroughly combine 1 tablespoon paprika, ½ tablespoon onion salt, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon rubbed sage, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground oregano, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon sweet basil, crushed, and 1 teaspoon marjoram, crushed, and set aside. Cut 2 pounds of uncooked chicken breast meat into chunks, and set aside. Pour 1 cup flour into a zip-lock bag, and set aside.
 Now, take about half of the herb seasoning mixture, and add it to your uncooked chicken chunks, and work it in with your hands. This will give a medium amount of spiciness to the chicken. Add more of the herb seasoning, if you like a spicier flavor. (You may cover the chicken with plastic wrap, and let it sit in the refrigerator to absorb the herb flavors for about 4 hours, if you choose, but that is not necessary.)
When you are ready to fry your herb-seasoned chicken chunks, heat about ¼ cup of peanut oil in a skillet, until a sprinkling of flour sizzles. Then, place a handful of seasoned chicken chunks in the zip lock bag, shake the bag until the chicken chunks are thoroughly coated, shake off any excess flour, and place them individually into the hot oil.
Continue until you have a single layer of chicken chunks in the skillet. Reduce the heat, and tend to the chicken closely, as it will cook quickly! When each piece is brown on the bottom side, turn it over to brown on the top side.
When both sides are brown, the chicken is most likely done. You may test for doneness by cutting into the largest piece, and it should be white all the way through—no pink!
Remove the chicken chunks to a plate that is covered with paper toweling for draining any excess oil. Repeat the process to make a second skillet of Popcorn Chicken.
(You may have to remove any leftover crumbs from the skillet, and replenish the peanut oil, by adding another ¼ cup. I use my deep fryer just cause I hate cooking with oil on my stove top....  i do a single layer in my basket and shake  a few times  same as you would with wings  to keep from sticking .) When all of the chicken has been fried and drained, remove it to a nice serving platter.

Teriyaki Turkey Sliders

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
3 slices bread, crumbled
2 T. dried chopped onions
2 eggs
1 1/2 T. sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1 glove garlic, minced
1 t. ground ginger

Process the above ingredients in a food processor until blended. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. You will find the meat mixture sticky and gooey so I used two spoons to work a ball of meat onto the griddle then flattened with a greased spatula. Make 16 small balls in all and grill on both sides for about 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Each patty should be about 2 1/2 inches across. Serve on mini egg dough buns or mini potato rolls. Serve with favorite condiments. Makes 16 sliders.

blue cheese salad dressing

simply whisk to combine in a bowl and allow to refrigerate overnight, the following:

1 cup mayo
1 8oz sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
one large spring onion, white only, that i grated on a small hand grater
one clove garlic, that i grated on a small hand grater
a heavy dash, like a tsp of worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 dashes of hot sauce
2 tsp of sugar
5 oz crumbled blue cheese(you can add more, but this was the size of the container i bought, for me it was perfect)

you must allow this dressing to sit overnight for the flavors to truly develop.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Base

1 carton (8 oz? the squarer version, not a larger rectangular one) mushrooms. Any will work, though in general the white button style are what goes on sale and are easiest to find
3 T butter
2 heaping T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t thyme
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
2-3 cups milk
salt to taste
Start by chopping your mushrooms to the size you prefer. We like ours somewhere between a dice and chunky. While you are chopping melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the mushrooms, thyme and black pepper.

Saute until the mushrooms have changed to a darker brown and softened.
Once this happens, you will build a roux around the mushrooms, like if you were making a creamy breakfast gravy. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute (otherwise you'll have a floury taste to the soup base. Yuck.)


Dump in your milk- I honestly eyeball this as I know with what pan I use how much I need. I err on the side of too much and let it cook back down to a creamy consistency, like that of a thick gravy, if it was too much. Stir the milk in and stir from time to time until your base reaches a nice creamy consistency.

Taste and add salt to taste-usually at least 1/4-1/2 t.Let cool and put in labeled containers in the freezer. Its easiest to lay flat on a baking sheet to freeze so you can stack them easier 

We use ours for soup (add milk and more seasoning to taste and thickness), added to casseroles in place of canned condensed soup (comes out to about one can per batch of this recipe) or added to creamy, roux based gravies like what we use on chicken fried steak

Sweet Chili Salad Dressing

1/3 c sweet chili sauce (look for it in the Asian food section)
3/4 c mayo
milk to thin
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c grated parmesan
1 t onion powder or grated onion (yes grate the onion, and make sure to do it over the bowl so you catch the juices)
1 t granulated garlic or 2 cloves grated garlic (same as the onion folks)
Whisk this all together until it is well blended, and use the milk to thin to your desired consistency. 

This stuff only gets better with time, developing a great bite by the next morning. Make sure to refrigerate!