Breads · Soups

Hatch Chile Chicken Soup and Cornbread

Hatch Chile Chicken Soup                           

In a large pot, melt ½ cup butter. Add ¼ cup flour; stir the resulting paste over medium heat. Do this long enough to cook the flour a bit. Add 2 cups of whole milk and 3 cups water stirring to blend. If there are any lumps, use a whisk to stir them out. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add 2 cups cooked, boneless and skinless chopped chicken. Add ½ cup chopped hatch green chilles, salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of garlic powder .  Add 2/3 cup chopped onion to this then add 1 cup of raw cut up carrots, 1 cup of chopped raw potatoes and ½ cup whole kernel corn. Simmer over low heat, or cook in oven at 300 degrees for about 2 hrs.

Serve with green chile-cheese cornbread.

Green chile-cheese cornbread

Prepare 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix according to directions on back of box.

Add ½ small can of diced green chilles and ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Pour into a 8×8 baking cake pan or small iron skillet which has been sprayed with Pam.

Bake according to directions on back of Jiffy box. I like to bake it until it is golden brown on top. Cut into wedges and serve with soup.

Casseroles · Vegetables

Iowa Corn Casserole

IOWA Corn Casserole

1 lb Bacon, diced
2 c Bread crumbs
1/4 c Minced onion
2 can Cream style corn (16.5 oz. ea.)

Wow, this is delicious! Although I don’t know how anything with bacon in it could not be. What a great and easy casserole to take to friends’ houses for dinner. This could be done so quickly and

In a skillet, fry the bacon until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Pour
1/8 to 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings over bread crumbs; set aside. Discard
all but 2 tablespoons of remaining drippings; saute onion and green pepper
until tender. Stir in corn and bacon. Spoon into a 1 quart baking dish;
sprinkle with crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly
and heated through. Yield: 6-8 servings.
SOURCE: Dorothy Morgan, Cedar falls, IA, Country Magazine, Feb./Mar.93

Wow, this is delicious! Although I don’t know how anything with bacon in it could not be. What a great and easy casserole to take to friends’ houses for dinner. This could be done so quickly and with only 5 ingredients, you would probably have the ingredients on hand. Let me know when you try this…..

Salads

Blueberry Spinach Salad

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar (I used pomegranate as I had some in the fridge)

2 teas dijon mustard

1 teas sugar

1/2 teas salt

1 package (10 ounces_ fresh spinach

1 pack (4 oz) feta or blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I used sliced honey roasted almonds)

In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine first five ingredients and shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, cheese, blueberries and nuts. Add dressing and toss gently right before serving. Yields 6-8 servings.

Meats

Eric’s Fabulous Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
•2 pork tenderloins, about 2 pounds
•grill seasoning for pork or chicken, about 2 teaspoons, or a similar seasoning blend
•6 slices bacon
•Glaze:
•1/2 cup brown sugar
•1/4 cup apple juice
•1 tablespoon Dijon or grainy mustard
•dash cinnamon
Preparation:
Heat oven to 400°. (I used my gas grill – only indirect heat. Turn on the rear and front burner, place the tenderloin over the middle (unlit) burner)
Line a 13×9-inch baking dish with foil; lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Trim excess fat and silver skin from the pork; rub all over with the seasoning blend. Wrap bacon around the pork tenderloins and arrange in the baking dish.

Blend glaze ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bake the pork for 30 to 40 minutes, or until temperature registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat. Brush the pork generously with the glaze mixture and continue baking for about 10 minutes, or until temperature reaches 160°. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 6.

Here we go! Ingredients: •2 pork tenderloins, about 2 pounds •grill seasoning for pork or chicken, about 2 teaspoons, or a similar seasoning blend •6 slices bacon •Glaze: •1/2 cup brown sugar •1/4 cup apple juice •1 tablespoon Dijon or grainy mustard •dash cinnamon Preparation: Heat oven to 400°. (I used my gas grill – only indirect heat. Turn on the rear and front burner, place the tenderloin over the middle (unlit) burner) Line a 13×9-inch baking dish with foil; lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Trim excess fat and silver skin from the pork; rub all over with the seasoning blend. Wrap bacon around the pork tenderloins and arrange in the baking dish. Blend glaze ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Bake the pork for 30 to 40 minutes, or until temperature registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat. Brush the pork generously with the glaze mixture and continue baking for about 10 minutes, or until temperature reaches 160°. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 6.
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Daily Thoughts

FYI

The potato casserole which is listed below is the recipe of my new Lock & Lock friend. She brought this to the funeral luncheon yesteray and I have to say, it is soooo good and gooey. When I asked her if it was the hash brown casserole, she looked at me and made me feel just like I had accused her of using canned frosting. This lady grates her own potatoes. That’s right, she grates her own potatoes. She is right next to Paul Deen in my books. So thank you Rita for the wonderful new recipe. Maybe that’s why they say, “Rita Rocks”. Also, my other new best friend, Jerry, she brought me a recipe for a new cupcake which is suppose to taste like an Almond Joy, so when Randy brings the rcipe back from making a copy of it, it will go on the blog. Plus my son-in-law’s Pork tenderloin which I forgot to put on here is also being posted. So many recipes, so little time. Enjoy this gorgeous day and remember, “butter is better”……..

Breads

Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits

These are so yummy. They are in a Paula Deen Magazine and they are worth sharing. Super easy and so cute. Makes 10 biscuits.

1 10 oz can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 stick of  butter, at room temp (1/4 cup)

10 maraschino cherries

1 12 oz package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin. In medium bowl, combine pineapple, sugar, and butter and mix well. Divide pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup. Place one biscuit in each cup on top of pineapple mixture. Pour about 1 teas pineapple juice over each biscuit.

Bake 12 to 15 min or until golden. Cool for 2 min and invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm. Too cute.

Casseroles

Potato Casserole

 
Potato Casserole
 8-9 medium sized potatoes wash,don’t peel
One can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter (softened)
One 16 oz. package shredded mild cheddar cheese
Bread Crumbs
Dash of onion salt, salt, and pepper to taste
  
Cook potatoes whole and then peel them. Grate the cooked and cooled potatoes. Put into a 9×13 baking dish.
Mix soup, sour cream, butter,  onion salt, salt and pepper together.
Pour over the grated potatoes and mix together.
Put cheese evenly on top…sprinkle bread crumbs on top of cheese.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
Can be made the night before and cooked the next day. (Let it sit out for about 10 minutes before cooking after being in the fridge).
Daily Thoughts

Cupcake Decorating Tip

Before the day gets away from all of us, I wanted to share something with you. Right now, WallMart has the cutes little marshmellow “pals” that are 3 to a package $$1.00 that are on the Valentine candy isle)  that could be broken apart and used on top of cupcakes. I bought the green frogs which are holding a little pink heart. I am going to make them and outline the top of the cupcake in pink for the girls and the kelly green for boys. They are just precious. Go get some. It will make decorating your cupcakes for Valentines day so simple.  Then buy some of the frosting in a tube (any color you want) for the outside border and you are done. Unless you want to feel like a Martha Stewart or Paula Deen and make your own frosting, which sure makes the adults you give them to, think you are the best cook in the world. But if giving them to children, the frosting in a tube is great. They don’t care what it tastes like, they just want it to look cute. HA.

Daily Thoughts

Funerals and Lock & Locks

I know right now that you must be thinking “what in the world do funerals and lock & lock’s have in common”. Well, I’m going to tell you. Now  I know that this is probably one of those stories that isn’t funny unless you are there to experience it, but………I have to tell you, this really was so funny, or I’m getting so old that it just doesn’t take alot to make me laugh. Either way, I learned something today. Now, I do not want you to think that we were being disrespectful, discussing QVC while in the kitchen while the families of the deceased were standing around sharing events in their lives with their now passed away loved one, while we are in the kitchen laughing our heads off at what “hum, some of us…..(RH)”…are addicted to…….but since we didn’t know the person or anyone there except the owners of the home where we were serving….we allowed ourselves some bonding time between the 3 of us. We are putting things away and one thing led to another and before you know it, we are discussing what we like to buy and (not mentioning any names here, but I will say ” the blond one among us” says, that she is addicted to Lock & Locks. Jerry and I didn’t have a clue what Lock & Locks were so before we can say, “Tupperware” we are 10 minutes into a conversation as to all the wonderful things regarding this most wonderful invention called Lock & Locks…….Well, I had to come home to check this out on QVC and she’s right. With these new gorgeous colorful little plastic containers, I can have my kitchen totally packaged up in round, square, rectangle, straight upright, long or flat, containers. Now, I will have to think about what color I am going to organize in. Do I pick red and then all the patterend containers to go with the red, or do I want a mixture of colors, like all blue for the staples like flour, sugar, cornstarch, etc…..then the green for the festive spices, yellow for the fruit or just the clear containers so I can use my imagination as to what I would like painted on them, if I so choose.

Honestly, I came home and spent $100.00 ordering containers to put the spaghetti, macaroni and rice. Now am headed off to the store to buy different shaped and colored spaghetti and macaroni products to look pretty in the different containers. Thank you “oh new blond friend”.  I’m sjure that when Randy finds out, he will  thankyou also……now besides HGTV, we will be watching QVC just in case Lock & Lock come out with a new colored container, which I must have…………

Seriously, this was a wonderful time of bonding with two ladies who I have not really known very well up until today and it was an honor to have them there and to visit and work together. What a blessing our Bible Fellowship has been that we continue to be amazed at the sweet people God puts in our lives and allows us the chance to fellowship and laugh and enjoy being and working with ladies who share so much of the same feelings, hobbies and thoughts. Thank you Jerry and Rita for today. It was such fun and rewarding to laugh, to work and to know that our hearts were bonded just a little more than yesterday…..let’s make it a point to continue this conversation over a cup of coffee, a cupcake and an order form for Lock & Lock!

Meats

Sicilian Meatloaf

I know I said that I was going to put the recipe for Peanut Butter cookies on here today, but have another idea. My daughter called me last night and told me that she had made the meatloaf recipe that I had put on the blog and said that it was delicious. Thank you Jodi for trying it and enjoying it. I told her that if she ever wanted to step it up a notch to serve for company she could try spiffing it up like this.

After mixing all ingredients for the meatloaf, instead of putting in a dish to bake, pat it into a rectangle approx 9 x 13. Lay 6 to 8 pieces of thinly sliced black forest ham overlaping the edges. Lay thinly sliced cheddar or provolone cheese over the ham. Roll up the meatloaf jelly roll style and place in a pyrex baking dish and bake for about 45 to 50 min at 350 degrees. This is such a pretty dish when sliced. Serve with whipped potatoes and green bean bundles and it is company worthy……..let me know if you try this and how you like it. Jodi asked me if I had this on my blog and I told her “no” but it would be on here today. So here it is.