Thursday, July 31, 2008

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

-6 cups boiling water
-6 chicken bouillon cubes
-1 box long grain and wild rice (the kind with seasonings in it)
-Onion, celery, and carrot cut into small pieces
-½ cup butter or margarine, melted
-½ cup flour
-2 cups milk
-1 ½ cups cubed chicken, cooked
-½ tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. pepper
-Bacon, fried and crumbled

Cook rice according to directions on box and set aside. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots for 1-2 minutes. Add bouillon to water in pot. Make sure bouillon is dissolved and add vegetables. Simmer until veggies are tender. In bowl, add flour to melted butter and mix until smooth, then add milk. Add to pot. Then add chicken, salt, pepper, cooked rice, and bacon. Simmer until hot and serve.

From the kitchen of Rebecca Rivinius.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Sausage Dip

So, so easy. A great last minute dip you can throw together in a pinch. I love making this because it reminds me of drinking beer on our back patio with our neighbors in when we lived in Del Rio. Good times, good times.

-1 pound Jimmy Dean ground sausage (I use HOT)
-1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
-1 can of Rotel

Brown and drain sausage. Combine sausage, cream cheese, and undrained Rotel in a microwave safe dish and microwave (stirring occassionally) until combined. Alternatively, you can put the browned sausage, cream cheese and Rotel in a crockpot and cook (stirring occassionally) until combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

From the kitchen of Michelle O'Neil.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

I'm sure many of you already have versions of this recipe in your recipe collection. Here's my favorite version...

-2 cans of whole water chestnuts
-1 package of bacon, cut each slice in half
-Brown sugar

Cut water chestnuts each in half. Coat bacon slices in brown sugar. Wrap bacon around a water chestnut and secure with a toopick.

Broil until bacon is done.

Breaded Artichoke Hearts

A yummy Italian fav. Makes a great appetizer or side dish.

-1 can whole artichokes
-A couple eggs slightly beaten with a little water
-Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper

Drain off liquid in artichokes and cut into halves or quarters. Dip each artichoke into the egg/water mixture. Coat with breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and then fry in oil until golden.

Baked Apples

This is a Thanksgiving favorite that goes back on my mom's side. I can never get them cooked perfectly like hers, but they are yummy just the same.

-Baking apples
-1/2 cup margarine
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup flour
-1 t vanilla
-Cinammon

Peel, half, and core apples. Place core side up in a baking dish.

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add in the flour and vanilla and stir well to mix. Spoon the mixture evenly into the core section of each apple. Sprinkle with cinammon and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Test "doneness" with a fork, apples should be slightly soft and tender.

Like I said before, this is a great side dish for Thanksgiving or any turkey dinner. The apples also go well with pork.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Best Ever Chicken Pot Pie

This is the first time I've made a Chicken Pot Pie from scratch...thanks to the prompting of my sister-in-law with her scrummy recipe! This recipe is worth the work...it makes 2 pies, one to bake now and one to freeze.

-2 Refrigerated pie crusts** (you will need 2 pie crusts if making one deep dish pie, or 4 pie crusts if you will be making 2 regular sized pies)
-1 T olive oil
-6 Boneless/skinless chicken tenderloins (or 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts), cut into 1/2" cubes
-1/2 large sweet onion, diced
-4 small red potatoes, peeled and cut up into small cubes/chunks
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 cup frozen carrots (crinkle cut style)
-2 T butter
-1/2 cup flour (give or take)
-1/2 cup milk
-1 can chicken broth (low sodium)
-1 T honey mustard dressing (I had regular honey mustard at home and just used this)
-1, 8 oz. package neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-Salt
-Pepper
-Sprinkle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; line cookie sheet with foil. Saute cubed chicken and diced onions in olive oil in a frying pan, just until onions are tender and chicken is white (not browned) - set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan - add the flour to make a roux; stir with a whisk until well blended (will be almost like a farina consistency). Add milk, chicken broth and honey mustard to saucepan and keep whisking (heat should be high to create a boil). Add the neufchatel cheese - stir until melted. Add the cheddar cheese to the mixture and keep whisking until everything is melted and well blended (consistency should be thick and creamy); add a few dashes of salt and pepper; set aside.

In a deep dish pie plate** lay out the first pie crust, flour side down. Microwave cubed potatoes on high for a few minutes (time depends on wattage and altitude) - I do about 5 minutes. Combine frozen veggies, potatoes, sauteed chicken and onions and cheese mixture in a large bowl - mix together with a large spoon. Fill pie crust(s) with the filling, just about to the top of the crust. Lay the remaining pie crust on top - tucking it over the bottom crust and pressing, to make a seal. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on pie crust (I used a pastry brush for a smooth coating) - dash some pepper and rub over the top. Place pie plate onto foil lined cookie sheet (aids in the clean up if there are any spillovers) and bake for about 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown around the edges and on top.

Let cool a few minutes before serving, so juices can set. Slice and enjoy!

COOKS NOTES:
**Filling mixture will fill a deep dish pie plate, or two regular 9-10 inch pie plates. If using a regular pie plate, buy 4 pie crusts t make 2 pies, or simply freeze remaining mixture for up to one month and use in a future pot pie.

*If you want this as a freezer meal - just prepare everything, but don't bake it. The pie will keep for up to one month in the freezer - just thaw before you bake it.

*If the cheese mixture is a too thick - add some more milk gradually until you get the creamy consistency you want.

From the kitchen of Kelley Midagliotti.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Chicken Cutlets

One of Scott's favorite things to eat. Anytime we go home to visit or my mom is with us, we beg her to make these for us and eat sandwhiches for days! For some reason, hers always turn out a little tastier than mine.

-Frozen boneless chicken or turkey breasts (or veal filets)
-Eggs, beaten with a little water
-Seasoned bread crumbs

Take partially thawed chicken breasts and slice in half to make two thin pieces. Once chicken is completing thawed, pound meat slices until very thin (about ¼” thick). Dip each slice into the egg mixture and then dredge in the seasoned bread crumbs. Fry in oil on the stovetop, seasoning with salt and pepper. Great with fresh Italian bread for a sandwich, sliced and in a salad, a quick chicken parmesan, or just right out of the fridge with your fingers!

Corn Pudding

-3 or 4 green onions with tops, chopped
-4 tbsp. margarine, melted
-1 can whole kernel corn, drained
-1 can cream style corn
-1 cup sour cream
-1 pkg. corn muffin mix (7 oz.)
-2 large eggs

Combine onions, margarine, corn, sour cream, and corn muffin mix and mix well. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl and then add them to corn mixture and mix until moistened. Spoon batter into a greased 1 ½ quart baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes until set. Serve immediately.

From the kitchen of Tava Musial.

Baked Potato Soup

This one is worth the effort. Freezes well. You may as well double it and freeze half while you are putting in the work!

-2 ½ lbs. red potatoes, cut up after scrubbing
-½ lb. diced bacon
-Diced yellow onion
-¼ bunch celery, diced
-2 oz. chicken base
-1 qt. milk
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. pepper
-1 ½ sticks butter
-2/3 cup flour
-1 cup whipping cream (or half & half)
-¼ bunch chopped parsley
-1 qt. water

Boil cut up potatoes for 10 minutes and set aside. Sauté onion, celery, and bacon. Drain grease. Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper. Heat until very hot – DON’T BOIL! Melt butter in pan – add flour and cook for 1 minute. While stirring soup, add flour mixture – cook until soup thickens (only stir gently & be patient until it gets thicker). Add potatoes, parsley, and cream. Garnish with green onions chopped, cheese, and bacon crumbles.

Veggie Pizza

I'm sure most of you have a similar recipe in your files, but here's my version...

-2 pkgs. crescent rolls
-2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese
-¾ cup Miracle Whip
-1 envelop Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
-Various chopped vegetables of your choosing (broccoli, carrots, peppers, olives, mushrooms, celery, etc.)
-Shredded cheddar cheese

Unroll crescent rolls onto an un-greased cookie sheet and pinch all seams together to form a pizza crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden. Let cool! Meanwhile, cream together the cream cheese, Miracle Whip, and dressing mix. Spread mixture onto cooled crescent crust and then top with various chopped vegetables. Refrigerate for 2 hours and then cut into squares.

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip

-1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
-1 cup mayonnaise
-1 garlic clove, pressed
-1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
-1 pkg. (8 oz.) imitation crabmeat, chopped
-3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
-1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
-1 tsp. lemon zest
-1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
-1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
-Additional sliced green onions

Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in bowl and mix well. Add pressed garlic. Add artichokes, crabmeat, cheese, onions, lemon zest, and black pepper to bowl and mix well. Spoon mixture into baking dish (a pie plate works well). Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown around edges. Sprinkle with red bell pepper and additional green onions. Serve hot with tortilla chips or crackers.

I think this is a Pampered Chef recipe...can't remember where I found it. It's become a holiday fave though!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

All American Trifle

A little something in honor of Independence Day! It's super easy and yummy. Happy 4th of July!

-2 cups cold milk
-1 pkg. vanilla Jello pudding (4 serving size)
-1 pound cake, cut into 1/2" cubes
-2 cups strawberries, sliced
-1 cup blueberries
-1 tub Cool Whip topping

Pour milk into large bowl and add pudding mix. Beat with whisk until well blended. Place half of the cake cubes in a serving bowl (approx. 3 quart - I like to use a trifle dish) and top with half of each of the fruits. Spread all of pudding mixture over fruit. Repeat layers of cake and fruit. Top with Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.