Fried Rice

4 c. leftover rice well chilled and dried some
1/4 c canola oil
1 tbsp garlic
mixture of chopped veggies of your choice I use what is on hand
pkg onion soup mix
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 c water
chicken (optional) cooked and chopped or shredded
2 eggs well beaten

In a large skillet heat oil over med/high heat add the veggies chopped and allow to soften but not brown. Add the garlic and stir til it is aromatic, becareful not to brown. Add rice. Let it warm all the way through, breaking up hunks as you let it fry. Add the mixture of water, soy sauce and onion mix. Pour it through the whole mixture. When the rice has obsorbed the liquid nearly make a well in the center and add the eggs, let them cook and solidify a bit then mix them in the with rice . Keep turning and frying until it reaches a crispyness that you prefer. We like ours to have some crispy pieces. Serve hot! Depends on how much rice you have on how much this will serve.

Chicken and Dumplings Soup

2-3 c cooked and shredded chicken, turkey or other poultry
3 ribs celery chopped
3/4 a large onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic
1-2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp thyme
2 c buiscut mix
2/3 c milk
celery seed, thyme and celery salt to mix into dumplings
2-4 tbsp butter
2-4 tbsp flour
6 c chicken broth
1/2 c wine

In a large pot melt butter over med high heat. Add onions and celery and sweat do not brown. When they have cooked down and begun to soften add the garlic until aromatic but not brown. stir in the flour. Allow the flour, vegg, butter mix to cook a bit over the heat and get a little bubbly and peanut colored. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Slowly add the 6c chicken broth/stock. Bring to a boil adding the seasonings, salt, celery seed and thyme and chicken. Meanwhile mix the buiscut mix and milk with the seasonings until a dough forms. Mine was not wet at all and I just cut it into even portions. I don't remember how many, but it was quite a bit of dumpling goodness. After chicken has boiled for 10 minutes add the dumplings to the boiling mixture and allow to dip under the broth for a minute. Cook for 20 minutes covered, do not peak! Serve immediately! Yummy! I could eat about three bowls of this and the next day adding more broth stretches this into two meals s you can be sure I ate more than my fair share of servings!

Beef and Potatoes Quickie Supper

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg hot italian sausage (caseings removed)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup cooking wine
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
3/4- 1 cup sour cream
sauteed mushrooms (optional)
2 cans sliced potatoes or 2 russet potatoes par boiled and sliced
2 tbsp butter
3tbsp wozzy sauce

Brown beef and sausage over med-high heat. Meanwhile in separate pan saute onions in butter til translucent(if adding mushrooms, they go in now too!). When the onions are softened and the butter is beginning to brown, not the onions the butter, add the garlic and saute but do not allow to brown. In crock pot--you can also do this in a large pot (which is much quicker and I was really busy today so I was using what I had to save time and have a hot meal ready when we all got home!) mix together the 2 cans of mushroom soup, wozzy, wine, thyme, and sauteed onions and garlic. Add the browned meats to the mixture (after draining the oil off of them!) and stir it all up. Put on low and let it simmer for 3-4 hours. then add the sour cream and mix thoroughly. Then add the potatoes and mix. Turn pot up to high and heat for about 20-30 more minutes or until hot throughout. Serve with homemade rolls, and a green vegg.

Chicken and Potatoes with cumin and chipotle

2-3 tbsp butter
1-2 lrge russet potatoes, baked and cooled
1 c chopped cooked chicken (roasted or baked chicken is best)
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipolte chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. water
1/2 c cooking wine to deglaze the pan

melt butter in pan and add the chicken onions and potatoes. saute until browned on all sides. deglaze pan with white wine and water. add seasoning  and let simmer gentle for a few minutes until the flavors meld. this was SOO yummy! I love potatoes. I think you could also easily sub in bacon or ham for the chicken. A good green veg goes along perfectly!

Great Fab Find!!!

Original Recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops

But I tweaked it a little bit! Obviously!

8 boneless pork chops
3 tsps chili powder
1 tsp chipoltle chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 can chicken broth
1/2 c maple syrup (real!)
3 tbsps balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
about 3 lbs sweet potatoes
2-3 red onions chopped

I cut up the sweet potatoes and the onions and then got them to boiling on the stove. I then seasoned the chops with the chili powders and salt and then browned them in the oil. I then started the balsamic reducing. When the potatoes were done I mashed them with butter and some chicken broth. after the chops had browned I added some broth to the pan and covered and simmered for a bit. When they were done I removed the lind and drained the liquid off. I then finished the sauce with the maple, broth and a pat of butter. I then poured the sauce on the chops and served the chops and sauce over the mashed sweet potatoes/red onions, it was bangin'!!

Cabbage and Noodles

1 sm/med head cabbage, shredded salted and left for 10-15 minutes then squeezed of water
1 med red onion sliced
salt and pepper
1/2 c butter
1 lb bag of wide noodles, cooked to pkg directions

In a pot or large saute pan add the butter and melt. Add the onions and the cabbage, sauteing until browned and tender, like making carmelized onions, only its with cabbage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked noodles and saute with the cabbage onion mixture until they mingle the flavors. Serve immeditately! YUMMY!!

Pork and Apples In The Crock Pot

This was yummy, kids and adults enjoyed alike.

8 boneless pork chops
1 onion sliced thin or chopped
4 granny smith apples, peeled cored and sliced thin like the onions
1 c chicken broth
1/3 c orange juice
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/2-3/4 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper (for seasoning chops before browning and seasoning the food throughout)
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp brown sugar

In a med saute pan, add the oil and half the butter and brown the chops in batches, about 2-3 minutes per side. Place in bottom of the crock pot. In the same pan add other half of butter and the apples and onions. saute until they begin to pick up some of the color of the pork. Add to the top of the chops in crock pot. To the saute pan add the oj, broth, mustard, brown sugar, and season to taste, scrape up any remaining brown bits and allow to mix thoroughly. Pour sauce over top of onions, apples, and chops mixture. Turn crock pot to high and cook 2-3 hours or until the chops are tender and cooked through. I added the cider vinegar at this time after tasting and also seasoned with salt and pepper. At this point I removed the chops and mixed a slurry of 1/4 c cold water to about 2-3 tbsp corn startch and added it to the pot. Stiring until thickened (happend fast). I added the chops back into the pot and then allowed to hang out and cool a bit. I served over mashed potatoes, this would go well with any veggie, but remember there are lots of apples in this. And it was yummy!

Mary's Chocolate Cake

This is not my recipe. I post this only for my own reference. This is Williams most favorite cake recipe and we love it more because we love the woman you made this for us for years! We miss you turner Fam!!

Chocolate Cake

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a jelly roll pan.

 

Bring these ingredients to a boil, then add to flour and sugar mixture:

 

1 cup water

1 stick margarine

4 tablespoons of cocoa

 

Flour / Sugar mixture:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

 

Mix well, then add:

 

½ cup butter milk or sour milk (to make sour milk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to milk and let set for a few minutes)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon soda

 

 

Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 minutes.  Cake will look moist on top.  Let cool and frost.

Pasta with Carmelized Onions, Parmesan and a Balsamic glaze

1/2 pkg angle hair pasta cooked to pkg directions
1-2 onions slices in half and then thinly slices into half moons
1-2 tbsps brown sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
butter
Parmesan cheese

In a skillet melt several tbsp butter and add the onions, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to brown slowly on med/low heat, stirring often until they turn a carmel color and are sweet and gooey. Meanwhile in a small skillet add the balsamic vinegar and simmer until reduced by half and becoming a syrup like substance. When the onions are done add to the pasta (which you have added a little butter to stop from sticking to each other) with a generous amount of parm. Finish the balsamic sauce with a touch of butter and pour over all the pasta/onions. Serve immediately. YUMMMY!!!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

This is my version.

2 large chix breasts cut into small bites
5 med-large carrots chopped
1-1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
1 1/2-2 c. pasta (something swirled or twisted)
3-4 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp flour (wheat flour works great here)
Cayenne pepper to flavor the meat
Garlic salt to flavor the meat
1/2 -1 tsp thyme
1/2-1 tsp celery seed
4 c broth
2 c water

In large pot melt butter until it sizzles. Add chix and allow to brown. Add th cayenne and garlic salt to taste. Add the flour stirring and scraping up te brown bits. Allow it to cook some and brown a bit more. Add the veggies and stir t coat them a little with the flour mix. Add the seasoning until aromatic. Add the water and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and bring back to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes longer or until pasta is cooked. I season this by smell and so often have to check the flavor near the end. It is good the next day too, but you usually have to add some water to thin it out some!

Company Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
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1 small jar dried beef shopping list
8 Skinless, Boneless chicken breasts shopping list
4 strips bacon shopping list
1 small onion, chopped shopping list
1 - 12 oz. can mushrooms, or 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced shopping list
1/2 tsp. thyme shopping list
2 cans cream of mushroom soup shopping list
1 ½ c. sour cream shopping list
¼ cup sherry or white wine, optional shopping list
paprika shopping list
hot buttered egg noodles or hot cooked rice, for serving shopping list
How to make it
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 9” x 13” pan.
Rinse dried beef very well and pat dry (removes some of the salt). Line bottom of pan with dried beef.
Fry bacon in large pot (yes, I said pot) until just beginning to crisp. Reserve drippings. Remove from pan and cut bacon strips in half crossways. Set aside.
In reserved bacon drippings, on medium heat, saute chicken breasts until brown on both sides; no need to cook through. Remove from pan and lay over dried beef in casserole dish. Lay ½ strip bacon over each piece of chicken.
In same pot, saute onions and mushrooms until onions are transluscent and mushrooms have softened.
To sauteed vegetables, add cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and wine (if using); heat over medium heat until bubbly. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake uncovered for 1 - 1 ½ hours until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbly.
Serve with hot buttered egg noodles or hot cooked rice and a nice green vegetable

Yummy Pot Pie

Just made a fab pot pie recipe for the fam. It was super yummy. Here is where I got my inspiration and then this is what I actually did.

Wine Poached Chicken

Chicken Tarragon Pot Pie


4 small leeks
3 carrots
heart of celery
1/2 onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
4 boneless skinless chick breast
1 c white cooking wine
2 c chicken broth from bouillon
1 tsp dried thyme
2 ready made pie crusts
1 c half and half
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour

In a large pot I added the veggies, which had been sliced about 3 inches long. I obviously clean the leeks after slicing them down the middle as they are very gritty between the leaves. I added the chicken on top of the veg and then topped with thyme and fresh tarragon. Then I added the broth and the wine to just cover the chicken mixture. I brought it gently to a boil and covered it and lowered the heat and simmered for 25 mins. I then separated the broth from the veg/chix and reserved the liquid. I chopped the veg/chix into bite sized pieces and divided between to round pie plates. Then in the pot I cooked the chick/veg in I melted 3 tbsp of butter and added the flour. I let the flour cook a bit and gradually added two cups of the reserved liquid from the poaching. I then added the cup of half and half making a creamy sauce. Season to taste at this time with salt and pepper. I poured the sauce over the two pies and then used the already made pie crusts and topped them. Giving several air holes for the mixture to breath. I placed in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and then lowered the heat to 375 for 20 minutes until the pies were bubbly. I baked the pies on a cookie sheet to keep messes to a minimum. These were really good and two pies really did feed our whole family without any left overs. If I was making this for a crowd it would be much more pies, probably four. But it was only 4 chicken breasts to begin with and if I had used more chix I would have probably had more pie as I could easily have made the sauce more. I have 4 c. of broth left over which I froze to use another time. YUMMY!!!

Chicken Alfredo/Tomato Bake

2-3 boneless skinless chick breast sliced into thin strips
1-2 tbps olive oil
1-2 tsp chopped garlic
1 green, red or yellow pepper cut into strips (or a mix of all)
1/4 c. chopped procuito or ham
2 cups large egg noodles (cooked to package directions)
1 jar tomato pasta sauce or equivalent in homemade (about 15 or more ounces)
1 jar Alfredo or homemade Alfredo sauce ( about 15 ounces)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Brown chicken in oil until cooked through. Add garlic and ham/prosciutto. Cook until garlic is tender but not burned and the prosciutto is a little browned. Then add the peppers, cook until tender, but still crisp. Add half the tomato sauce to the pan mixture. grease a 9x13 baking pan and then dump the skillet mixture into it. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Add the jar of Alfredo sauce, drizzling on the top in lines, it will not cover the top totally. Add the cheese on top. Bake 20-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve immediately with garlic bread and salad! YUMMY! This is one of our favorite recipes, easy to fix and definitely comfort food. The kids love it. We don't eat it too often, but when we do we rarely have leftovers.

Roasted Potatoes

2 russet Potatoes, sliced into wedges (thin)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt

Preheat oven to 425. In a med bowl mix the seasonings and oil until well incorporated. Add potatoes and mix until they are completely covered. On a non stick baking sheet add the potatoes (it is important that you DO NOT crowd the pan!) and spread out so they are not touching one another, you want them to be crisp when they are done. Back 20-25 minutes or until they are browned and tender. Serve warm. Be careful when you get them off the pan or you will leave all the good bits and miss the taste entirely. 

These are better than Chips! Seriously! I would eat them every day if I could! Plus, russet potatoes are really good for you, important that you do not peel them or much of the flavor will be lost!

Beef Boogie Woogie (beef stew)

this is a modified recipe for beef boogie woogie, not sure why it is called that, it is basically beef stew. We LOVE stew especially in the winter and fall.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c sherry cooking wine
1 to 2 tbsp emeril's essence
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2lbs stew meat
1 c. quartered mushrooms
1 c carrots rough chopped
2 bay leaves
how ever many different veggies you want to include
just enough beef broth or water to barely cover eveything in the pot

Brown beef in oil. Add wine to deglaze the pan scrapping up the brown bits. add the soup, thyme, veggies, other seasonings, bay leaves, extra water/broth and cook 2-3 hours or until veggies and beef are tender. I usually only add the veggies and extra broth after about an hour of cooking otherwise they get too mushy and I like them to be a bit crisp. I cook the beef and the seasonings and soup for awhile alone to let the flavors merge and the meat to tender up. This is very yummy! We love it.

Meatloaf With Chili Sauce

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
2/3 c dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 chili sauce
1 tbsp wozzy sauce
extra chili sauce for topping loaf

Combine first 6 ingreds well and form a loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake 350 for 45 minutes. Spread top with extra chili sauce and bake 15 minutes more. let cool 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 6, with no second or leftovers.

Potato Pancakes

left over mashed potatoes
1 egg
5-6 tbsp flour
5-6 tbsp milk
seasoning salt to taste
pepper to taste
oil for frying

In a bowl mix together first six ingredients together until it has a real pancake consistency. Heat a large skillet over med heat add oil and then fry the pancakes until they are crisp. Serve them warm. We often serve this with a homemade gravy or sausage (polish sausage) and even a chicken pecan thing that we like a lot! This is very versatile.

Manicotti

1 box jumbo shells (I don't like using the actual manicotti shells as they are seriously hard to stuff and rather large for my little'uns to eat.)
16 oz tub ricotta (I try to use the part skim)
2-4 c shredded mozzarella
1-2 tsp dried basil
Large Jar Pasta Sauce or homemade pasta sauce 4-5 cups worth
Couple handfuls of shredded parmesan cheese

Begin by cooking the shells according to box directions, but make sure to under cook them a little or they will fall apart and not absorb some of the tomato sauce. While pasta is cooking mix in a large bowl the mozz, ricotta and basil. When the shells are done and you have cooled them and dried them on paper towels, spray one or two 13x9 inch baking pans and add about 1/4 cup of sauce to each and spread on the bottom of the pan! Start by filling each shell with 2-3 tbsps of mix, you can shove them as full as you want to or as little as you want. Line them pretty close in the pan. When you have filled them all, pour the remaining sauce over all the shells and then top with shredded parm. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 oven or until the cheese is melted and the sauce hot. Serve with a salad and garlic bread! Yummy!!! I never have complaints when serving this one!

Homemade Alfredo Sauce and Pasta

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3tbsp flour
1 1/4 c milk (I use skim)
pepper and salt to taste
1/4 tsp onion powder or to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder or to taste
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lb pasta of choice (I use was I have on hand sometimes spaghetti, sometimes linguine)

Heat to boiling a large pot to cook the pasta in. Add salt to taste. When the water is boiling and you have added the pasta and gotten that going, melt butter over med-med/high heat in a med size skillet. Add the flour to make a roue (sp?)  cook until light brown and the flour taste has been cooked out. Add the seasonings, salt pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. stir to combine. Slowly add the milk while whisking the mixture and allowing all the lumps to disappear. Cook the sauce about a minute more until it thickens, then add the Parmesan cheese, stirring until it melts. If the sauce is too thick, I use some of the pasta water to thin it a bit, but go easy. When the pasta is cooked add it directly from the pot into the sauce , don't shake too much of the pasta water off. Use a fork and spoon to mix the sauce with the pasta. I serve this warm with the canned parm that is basically hated in the culinary world, but my family likes it and rarely uses it for anything so we shake some on top of this and everyone eats it up. Can be easily pared with just about any side you can think of. I would go with a quick salad to make this super quick and some garlic bread sure couldn't hurt right?

Note: you can also double this recipe (minus the pasta) and use it to sub into stuff that calls for a jar of alfredo, I bet this is WAY healthier than the store brands!

My Mom's Coffee Cake

2 c. busciut mix
2/3c milk or water (if you are suddenly out!)
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil

Topping:
1/3 c. biscut mix
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix first first ingredients and pour into a greased 8x8 inch glass baking dish.  Mix topping and then sprinkle over top. Slice cold butter (not margarine) over the top, about 1 tbsp. The place in a preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Mom has made this coffee cake since I was little and we always loved it. We still do love it!