Hot Chicken Salad

This is a recipe that was really popular during the 70's.  I hadn't made it in a really long time and after running across it in my recipe box this week decided to give it a try.

Hot Chicken Salad

2 ½ cups cooked chicken

½ cup mayonnaise

1 cup thinly sliced celery

½ can Cream of Chicken soup

½ cup chicken broth

2 oz. pimientos

1 T. slivered almonds

1 can water chestnuts, chopped

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

8 ½ oz. can chow mein noodles

Combine all ingredients except noodles and put into a

9 x 13 baking dish.   Top with noodles.  Bake at 350°

until hot and bubbly.

***I used a 5 oz. can of noodles and it was too much. 

      Half of the can would have been plenty. ***

Mississippi Sin Dip

Haven't tried this yet but it sure sounds like a dip we'd enjoy!  I'll have to cut it down by half to serve it to the wine group and probably by two thirds for a smaller group.  The place I found this online suggested using chicken rather than the ham as an option.

Mississippi Sin Dip


24 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 oz chopped green chiles
2 cups cheddar cheese
16 oz sour cream
12 oz deli honey ham, very finely chopped.

1.Preheat over to 250
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Bake for 30 minutes 'til hot and bubbly
4. Serve with corn chips or any type of cracker you like.

Serves 20+

Sriracha - Beef Macaroni and Cheese

DH really enjoys Sriracha sauce -- macaroni and cheese, not so much.  Today was one of those days when I neither wanted to cook or go out to eat dinner so I was looking for something quick and easy to make that DH would like.

A while back I posted a simple recipe using Shurfine macaroni and cheese with chicken.  Today I took that idea and changed it up to include ground beef.  It turned out well and I've added it to my favorite recipes.  

Since I keep all the ingredients on hand, and it can be on the table in less than 30 minutes, I consider it a keeper!


Sriracha Beef Mac and Cheese

1 box Shurfine macaroni and cheese
2 T. Sriracha mayonnaise
1 can mild tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
¾ lb. ground beef, browned

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to box instructions.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Makes 4-5 generous servings

A New Twist On A Holiday Favorite

Every family has food items that they associate with the Christmas holiday season.  I know our family has to have cheese logs, Chex party mix, smoked cheese, potato soup mix, dipped pretzels, and sausage balls.

 

Recently I found a new twist to make sausage balls and tried the recipe out this afternoon. The traditional recipe that I've used for years is just a mixture of Bisquick, grated cheddar cheese, and bulk sausage.  The new recipe included cream cheese and hash brown potatoes.

 

Here's the recipe as seen online:

 

Sausage & Hash Brown Balls
approximately 60

• 1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups Bisquick
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 (30oz) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (about 4 cups)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix all ingredients until well combined. (I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment) Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.
Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked. If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time.

Here's the way I made it today:

 

Sausage and Hash Brown Balls

1 lb. sausage, uncooked

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

14 oz. potatoes, peeled and grated **

Using my KitchenAid mixer and dough hook, I thoroughly mixed all the ingredients.  Then I used a cookie scoop to form the balls, placed them onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and baked them in a 400° convection oven for 15-20 minutes until they were golden brown.

**I weighed out 14 oz. of potatoes on my kitchen scale since I didn't have any frozen hash browns on hand.  I peeled them and grated them with my food processor, placed the grated potatoes into a large bowl of water and rinsed off the excess starch.  I drained the potatoes in a colander, then placed them in a kitchen towel and wrung out all the excess water.

The addition of cream cheese and grated potatoes made the balls much softer and did change the flavor slightly.  They don't have as much sausage flavor as the old recipe in my opinion.  I sampled them fresh out of the oven while still piping hot and then later after they had cooled completely.  The flavors had developed more after they cooled.  

Not completely convinced that I'll abandon my old stand-by recipe at this point. These are definitely good, and adding the cream cheese and potatoes stretched the recipe out and made more balls, but I prefer a stronger sausage flavor. The added potatoes did seem to absorb some of the grease from the sausage so the balls were less greasy.   I'll give the updated version one more try and use less grated potato or try commercially prepared hash browns.  Freshly grated potatoes may have more moisture than frozen hash browns and that would definitely affect the outcome of the recipe.

It's Soup Weather!

Sometimes it seems that Oklahoma summers last forever.  Just five days ago it was in the 90's with bright sunshine; today it's in the low 60's, cloudy, windy and rainy.  This is the kind of weather that makes you think of comfort foods, homemade soups, stews, beans and cornbread or chili.

We haven't had onion soup since last winter so that's what I made for our dinner tonight.  It's one of the simplest soups ever to make and some people believe that onions have great health benefits. 

I've been watching my food intake and onion soup fits right into the lower fat options I've been enjoying.  My recipe does include some butter, but you could reduce the amount or even try just sweating the onions rather than sauteing them.

Classic Onion Soup

2 medium onions
¼ cup butter
2 cans Campbell’s beef consommé
1 ½ soup cans water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Provolone, Gruyer, or Mozzarella cheese
Croutons

Cut onions into quarters and slice thinly.  Sauté onion in melted butter until tender.

Add consommé, water, and seasonings.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Pour soup into broiler safe bowls, top with croutons and thin slices of cheese.  Broil until cheese is brown and bubbly.

This makes two generous servings.

Deli Style Rye Bread

This recipe is from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.

Makes four 1 pound loaves. This recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds, plus more sprinkling on the top
1 cup rye flour
5 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
Cornstarch wash ** recipe below

1. Mix the yeast, salt, and caraway seeds with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a liided (not airtitght) food container.

2.  Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.


3.  Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4.  The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

5.  On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Elongate the ball into an oval-shaped loaf.  Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.  **I don't have a peel, so I used a heavy weight cookie sheet.**

6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450° with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  **I used a cookie sheet**  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread. **I used a foil pan---because I can't find my broiler pan! and put it on the bottom shelf**

7.  Using a pastry brush, paint the top crust with cornstarch wash and then sprinkle with additional caraway seeds. Slash with deep parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.

8.  Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone.  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustment in baking time.

9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Cornstarch Wash

Using a fork, blend 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with a small amount of water to form a paste.  Add 1/2 cup water and whisk with the fork.  Microwave or boil until mixture appears glassy, about 30 to 60 seconds on high.  It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks; discard if it has an off smell.

Old Fasioned Chocolate Pie

This is the recipe my mother used to make chocolate pie.  It's about a thousand times better than any boxed pudding/pie filling and it's very simple to make.  She topped hers with meringue but neither DH or I care for that.  We prefer whipped cream on ours.

The filling will develop a thick layer on the surface as it cools.  If you put a thin coating of whipped cream on it as soon as it cools, you can avoid that.  Otherwise, follow basic pie baking instructions for topping with meringue.

If you want to serve this as pudding and you put it into a large bowl, place a layer of plastic wrap on the surface to eliminate the thick layer that will form.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

¾ cup sugar
4 T. flour
¼ tsp. Salt
6 T. cocoa
2 cups milk
1 well beaten egg
2 T. butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine sugar, flour, salt and cocoa in a saucepan.  Mix well.

Slowly add milk and cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.

Remove from heat.

Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the beaten egg.  Mix well and add to the hot mixture. 

Cook and stir 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla.  Mix well.

Pour into baked pie shell or custard dishes to serve as pudding.

Top with meringue or whipped cream.

Another Successful Kitchen Experiment

 I love to cook.  Recently I read an article with a recipe that included polenta.  I'd never eaten polenta and was intrigued.  Then, on our local PBS station, America's Test Kitchen did a segment on how to prepare polenta.  It's terribly time consuming and really didn't seem like it would be worth the effort.  Toward the end of the segment they mentioned that you could buy pre-cooked polenta so I searched until I found some to try.

There were two different types of polenta available.  One was a plain unseasoned polenta and the other was basil and garlic polenta.  The second one sounded like it would be good in some sort of Italian dish, the plain one would work in the Mexican dish that I'd seen in the magazine, so I bought them both.

Today's kitchen experiment is now in my "keep this one" recipe file.  It's super simple to make and even Fred said he liked it!

I placed layers of zucchini, thinly sliced grilled chicken, jarred tomato and basil sauce, good grated Parmesan cheese, and thick slices of polenta that I'd browned in butter and baked the dish for about 45-50 minutes.  That and some good artisan bread with garlic butter was our supper this evening.

Don't use too much sauce since the zucchini releases so much liquid when it cooks.  I think this would also be delicious if you substituted beef or Italian sausage for the chicken.

This year there are several zucchini plants in my little vegetable garden out back so having a new recipe to use some of it will come in handy. 


Zucchini and Polenta Casserole
1/2  jar Classico tomato and basil sauce
1-2 zucchini sliced into rounds
1 grilled chicken breast, sliced thinly
6 slices garlic and basil polenta
Good Parmesan cheese

Spray casserole dish with Pam.  Layer zucchini in bottom and top with a few spoons full of sauce and some grated parmesan cheese.

Next layer the thinly sliced grilled chicken breast, more sauce and cheese

Lightly brown the polenta slices in butter and place on top of the chicken.  Spoon sauce over the top. 

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350°.  Uncover, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to evaporate some of the juice from the zucchini.  Top with more grated parmesan cheese and bake until cheese is brown.

Cheddar and Jalapeno Muffins

CHEDDAR AND JALAPENO MUFFINS

This recipe was modified from a loaf bread recipe I found in a Fleischmann’s bread book.

3 ½ cups unbleached white bread flour
1 T. granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. Salt
2 ¼ tsp yeast (one package)
2 T. olive oil
1 2/3 cups warm water
8 oz. (3 lightly packed cups) grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers


I put everything except the peppers and cheese in my Kitchenaid mixer bowl and just mixed it up for a couple of minutes.  Then I added the cheese and peppers and mixed it a little longer.  The dough was way too soft so I added, one tablespoon at a time, probably another ½ cup of flour to make the dough just barely stiff enough to handle.

I left the dough in the bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and let it rise until almost double.

Turned the dough out onto a floured surface and divided it into 10 portions.  I have some stoneware muffin cups that resemble flower pots so I did mine to fit into those.  But, you could definitely use a muffin pan or small loaf pans.  Don’t forget to spray the pans with Pam.

I put the muffin cups on a large baking sheet in a slightly warm oven and let them rise about 30 minutes. When they'd risen above the edge of the muffin cups, I set them on the counter and heated the oven to 350°.  Then I baked mine about 18 minutes, just until they were golden brown on the top. 

My dough was just a little too soft.  Next time I make these, I’ll add a little extra flour while its mixing.  And reserve just a little of the grated cheese to sprinkle on top before they bake.  That would give them a nice crunchy top.

The results are delicious!  The peppers give the dough some flavor but aren’t hot at all. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup very well drained and patted dry chopped green chiles.  I used the jalapenos because our plants are loaded with them and we had our first frost last night.  I hated to let them go to waste.

Pecan Crusted Pork Tenderloin Pinwheels

This is the recipe Fred fixed tonight.  It's really very good!  And it was no trouble at all to make--- Fred did it all!

This recipe came from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, Recipes and Secrets From a Legendary Barbecue Joint


PECAN CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN PINWHEELS

1 pork tenderloin
6 bacon strips
Carolina Mustard Sauce (see below)
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Black pepper

Cut tenderloin lengthwise into 6 long strips about ¼” thick. They should be about the same size as the bacon strips. Place a strip of bacon on top of each piece of the tenderloin and roll into a pinwheel medallion.  Secure with two toothpicks.

Set aside 1 cup of the sauce and brush the outside of the pinwheels with the rest. Stir together the salt, pepper and pecans and coat the pinwheels with this mixture.  Then slice the pinwheels through the equator to make two thin pinwheel medallions.

Grill the pinwheels over medium high heat 7-8 minutes on each side or until meat is done.  Serve with remaining sauce.

CAROLINA MUSTARD SAUCE

¾ cup prepared mustard
½ cup honey
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. ketchup
1 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Hot sauce

Mix well.

The meat has a really good smokey flavor from the grill and the bacon.  The bacon keeps the tenderloin from drying out and the sauce is neither too sweet nor too vinegary

We decided that the next time Fred makes this recipe he's going to put the bacon on the outside and chop the pecans really fine and put them on the inside too.  The bacon was done, but not real crisp and the larger sized pieces of pecans fell off while the meat was on the grill.

Chicken Tetrazzini Modified to fit Weight Watchers Points

 Last Monday I went back to Weight Watchers.  I've been a Lifetime member for over thirty years and have managed, over the past 15 years,  to pack back on every pound I'd lost to reach the Lifetime goal! 

One of the reasons I chose to go was their new food program.  It intrigued me that so many foods are now classified as "free".

This recipe came from a Taste of Home cookbook.  I used their ingredients and modified some of the items to lower fat options.   If you use the ingredients I did, you'll wind up with eight servings that count 6 points each.


I'd never used Fat Free Milnot before but it sure gives this dish a rich, creamy flavor.  This turned out so well that it warrants a recipe layout for my Cricut cookbook!


Chicken Tetrazzini

8 oz. Ronzoni thin spaghetti, uncooked
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. Olive oil
3 T. cornstarch
14 oz. can chicken broth
12 oz. can Fat Free Milnot
13 ½ oz. cooked chicken
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained
½ tsp. Seasoned salt
4 T. grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
Paprika


I cooked two wings and two breasts from a cut up Smart Chicken in the can of broth in my pressure cooker.  10 pounds of pressure for about 25 minutes.  If Smart Chicken is available in your grocery, I highly recommend it!  Wonderful flavor because it's not fed any food with hormones, etc.

Removed the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool.  Then I pulled the meat off the bones and wound up with 13 ½ oz. of cooked white meat.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Put olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch in the chicken broth and add this back to the onion/garlic mixture.
Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until it gets thick.  Add canned milk and heat thoroughly.

Add the mushrooms, chicken, seasoned salt and cooked spaghetti. Turn this mixture into two 8” square pans or one large casserole dish.  Bake, covered,  at 350° for about 20 minutes.

Remove cover and sprinkle with the grated cheese and paprika. Pop back into the oven just until the cheese melts.

This is a recipe that I modified and did the Points count on for Weight Watchers.
Using the ingredients listed above, it makes 8 servings that are 6 Points each.

Ice Cream Bread

 I ran across this recipe tonight and decided to post it on here.  I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy making and surprising people with!   She made hers with Butter Pecan ice cream.

ICE CREAM BREAD

Makes One 8 x 4 loaf

2 Cups Ice Cream, any flavor, softened
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
Preheat your oven to 350. Spray and flour a 8 x 4 loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl mix the ice cream and flour together until just combined.
Scoop into the loaf and and smooth out.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the loaf comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.
Remove from the pan and allow to cool (if you can wait that long)!

For best results..use full fat ice-cream!
Recipe source: 1001 ways to Cook Southern

30 Minute Rolls

30 MINUTE ROLLS

1 ¾ cups warm water
½ cup oil
¼ cup honey or sugar
3 pkgs. Dry yeast
1 ½ tsp. Salt
2 eggs, beaten
5 to 6 cups flour

Combine water, oil and honey.  Add yeast;
let rise 15 minutes.  Add egg and salt; mix
well.  Stir in flour and knead until smooth.
Shape into rolls or cinnamon rolls.

Let rise 10 to 20 minutes.  Bake at 400° for
10-15 minutes.  Makes 2 ½ dozen rolls.


I'm posting my recipe this afternoon while I have time.  My kids will be here in a few minutes to go to the range and shoot for a while then we're having dinner together.  Since my son travels with his job, we don't get to have them all here very often so I'm looking forward to cooking a good meal for us all.  These rolls will be on the table tonight, for sure!