Chicken · Holiday Fare · Meats

Dressed Up Chicken

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In an old SLM, Oct 2003, there was a recipe that has caught my eye, 10 years later. Using canned biscuits as the bread bowl that holds the chicken mixture that makes a very simple dinner, the individual little bowls make dinner personal and elegant. Substitute turkey for the chicken to use leftover turkey in November.
To make the bread bowls:
1 (16.3 oz) can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits
Vegetable cooking spray
Roll each biscuit to a 5″ circle.
Invert 8 custard cups or ramekins, several inches apart on a lightly greased baking dish. Coat the outside of the cups/ramekins with cooking spray.
Mold flattened biscuits around outside of custard cups and bake at 350 for 14 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool slightly and remove biscuits bowls from the ramekins/cups.
Note: frozen biscuits may be substituted. Let thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in fridge.
Biscuits may be slightly sticky; lightly flour before rolling out. Bake at 350 for 16-19 minutes.

Fill with Dressy Chicken
2 tables butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teas dried tarragon
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 package (16 oz package) frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 (2 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained
1/4 teas salt
1/2 teas pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute 2-3 minutes or until tender.
Whisk soup, 1/2 cup milk, sour cream, and tarragon together. Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes. Add 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, stirring constantly until cheese melts. Stir in cooked chicken, carrots and peas, pimiento, salt and pepper.
Cook over low heat, stirring often for about 10 minutes.
Spoon hot mixture into biscuit bowls. Serve immediately.

Daily Thoughts

Recipe Correction

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In Tunnel of Fudge cake, I inadvertently posted 3/4 cup and it should have read, 3/4 pound (3 sticks) Sorry for any confusion…regular recipe has been corrected. Thanks, Trudy

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Paula Deen’s Tunnel Of Love Fudge Cake

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During the dinosaur age, known as the 70’s and 80’s, there was a cake that became so popular that you couldn’t go to any social gathering without being served a piece of Tunnel of Fudge cake. It was all the rave and people just couldn’t get enough of this gooey and yummy cake. I like to think that it was this cake’s fault that contributed to my “baby fat” look, that I still am so proud to sport even today, in my “golden years”. When Duncan Hines did away with the frosting mix that you added to one of their cake mixes, that made this cake possible, America cried. What would we do without our Tunnel of Fudge cake? What would we serve for company, holidays and birthday’s? What was happening to the world? Why would Duncan Hines do this to us when we were just getting over having to wear tie dyed shirts, clogs and bell bottom jeans?

In came Paula Deen with her version of our most beloved cake. Once again, we can get those pretty cake plates out and proudly serve America’s Cake.  Thanks to Paula, we can go back to the kitchen and whip up this miracle of a cake. Who knew that Paula would be our cake hero? Not only do we love her for her southern fried everything, her southern drawl, her recipe for bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme donuts, but now, the Tunnel of Fudge Cake. Gather your friends, family, your Bible study group, your bridge and bunco groups and present them with this wonderful treasure from days gone by….

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Serves 16

3/4 pound (3 sticks) butter

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 (12 1/2 oz) can creamy double Dutch frosting

2 cups all -purpose flour

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts (the nuts really are necessary in this recipe to give it the right texture)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream room temperature butter in a large bowl on high speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add sugar gradually, creaming at high speed until light and fluffy (goodbye light and fluffy rear end, hello saggy and droopy butt)

Gradually add flour. By hand, stir in frosting mix and nuts until well blended. Pour batter in well-greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes. Cool 2 hours before removing from pan. Cake will have a dry brownie-type crust and a most center with a tunnel of fudge running through it.

 

Breads

Meatless Monday

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Since I have been busy putting up fall trees around the house today, I warned hubby that dinner would be very simple tonight because I just can’t quit until all the decorations are out of the storage tub and out in their proper places around the house. Decided to put a veggie soup in the oven and make popovers since he had given me a new popover tin for my birthday. The popovers were so good. I found a easy recipe that has black pepper and  cheese in them, so topped of our soup with great popovers.  Here is the recipe. Use ramekins or muffin tins if you don’t have a popover muffin pan. But next run to Williams Sonoma, get one, they make all the difference in the world.

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teas salt

6 cubes of Havarti cheese

Whisk the eggs, oil, milk until well blended. Add the cup of flour, pepper and salt and whisk until batter is smooth. Pour into greased tins. This makes 6 large popovers. Before “popping” in the preheated 450 oven, drop a cube of cheese on the top of each popover. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Take out of oven and turn off the heat and pierce 2-3 times with a fork. Place back in turned off oven for 5 minutes to allow some of the steam to escape.

Serve with butter.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie

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Looking up a recipe for a friend, I came across this pie recipe that I had forgotten. It is so simple and it will make you the star of the show when you bring it to any holiday dinner. BTW, I want to pass along a tip. A friend came to dinner the other night, bringing with her a great cherry pie. Between she, her husband, Randy and I, we each ate 1/4 of the entire pie. The crust was delicious and until yesterday, I didn’t realize that the crust was a box mix from Betty Crocker. She said that is all she uses and all you do is add water and roll. The reason I have never liked bought pie crusts is they taste so salty and just never had that homemade taste, but this one, oh my, this one was truly a great crust and I really didn’t guess that it wasn’t home made. So look for it on your grocer’s shelves. (Do I sound like a commercial or what)? Anyway, back to the recipe. Using a unbaked pie crust, place 7-10 apples, (cored, peeled and sliced) into a 9″ unbaked pie crust. If using a frozen pie crust, get the deep dish and be sure you place on a rimmed baking tray to bake as it will bubbly over.

Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teas cinnamon, 1/8 teas cloves. Sprinkle over apples.

Sprinkle 1 tables water or fresh lemon juice if you prefer over the top of apples.

Crumb Crust:

1/2 sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 stick butter

(I added another teaspoon of cinnamon to this crumb mixture as we love cinnamon)

Mix together the sugar and flour. Cut the butter into the sugar and flour using a pastry blended or 2 forks or food processor until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle over pie.

Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes. If pie begins to brown to much, cover lightly with foil.

This pie is served every Fall in Pennsylvania  Dutch country. A combination of Granny Smith and red, such as Cortland or Mcintosh works best.

Serve warm with cinnamon ice cream.

Once you serve this, it will become a holiday tradition at your house.

Uncategorized

Frosty Goes to Steinmart

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I can’t believe it! Today, after we had 12 people for breakfast, Mr. Peter Pumpkin said, and I quote, “do you want to make a quick trip to Steinmart?” Well, you don’t have to ask me twice….so off we go. What is he thinking? Doesn’t he know that to take me to Steinmart is dangerous? But, wanting to be the obedient, giving wife that I always am, I tell him that darn, I was wishing we could stay home and watch the USC game, but if he really wants to go to shopping, I will go along with him. We arrive and I look to see what new goodies they have brought in when “what should appear” but Christmas bedspreads!!!!I have been searching the web for one and had not been able to find one, well I did find one but it was $279. Knowing Frosty would melt if I even mentioned getting that one, I kept looking. Now, here it is in front of me, and only $49.00.

There are 3 patterns and their not flannel. So if you are looking for Christmas linens, Steinmart is the place to go. Just thought I would pass this info along. Their Christmas decorative pillows are absolutely gorgeous, $16-$19.  I’m still trying to figure out why he wanted to go to Steinmart. Oh, I just remembered, there at the bottom of our sack were two new shirts for him. 

So if your hubby is getting in the Christmas spirit already, be sure he has the address to Steinmart!

Beef · Breads · Meats

Great & Simple French Dip Sandwiches

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Today while at the grocery store , I saw bolero rolls, 2/$1 so bought 2 and decided that tonight we would have French Dip Sandwiches. I wadddled over to the cheese/sandwich meat aisle and picked up a package of Oscar Meyer sliced roast beef, Havarti cheese. Proceeded well, you are probably not really wanting to hear about each aisle I went down, so will just give you the recipe. We just finished these and Randy (oops, Peter Pumpkin) and I both agreed that they were delicious sandwiches. So try them next Fri night when you are tired and not wanting to cook.

1 package Oscar Meyer sliced roast beef

2 slices Havarti cheese

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 teas garlic powder

1 package McCormick or Lawry’s au jus gravy mix

2 bolero rolls (or sub rolls)

Butter

Prepare the au jus according to directions. Put gravy in small saucepan and add roast beef. Cook over low heat while you are sautéing the bell pepper and onion.

In a small skillet, melt about 1 tables butter. Add the sliced bell pepper and onion and cook until they are both tender. While you are stirring them, sprinkle the garlic powder over it.

Slice the rolls in half (but leave them attached on one side) Butter each side. Put rolls on a baking sheet. Place roast beef and veggies on roll. Place two thin slices of Havarti cheese  on the veggies on each one and place in a preheated 425 oven to melt cheese. (about 2 minutes)

Serve with au jus

Breakfast · Cakes · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Strusel Coffee Cake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Tomorrow morning we are having several friends over for breakfast and I wanted to serve a coffee cake.  I found two different ones so I combined them and it is in the oven at this moment. Cannot wait to try a bite (or a huge piece)

The cake portion is from Taste of Home

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/4 cup oil

1/2 teas vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teas ground cinnamon

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 tables sugar

Topping (this is from a new cookbook that a friend of mine just completed, thank you Mary)

Crumble Topping

 1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teas ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, cold

Directions

In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 13×9″ baking dish.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Drop by tablespoons over batter and swirl into pumpkin mixture with a knife. Combine topping ingredients and cut up butter with pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle over cake mixture and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Serves 12-15

Beef · Breads · Meats

Comfort Food For Dinner

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IMG_1289IMG_1288

Last evening we had some dear friends over for dinner. Knowing that they had had a very emotional week,  I wanted them to really feel wanted and loved. When trying to decide what to make, I began to think of how I used to love walking in the door when I was growing up to the smell of a roast baking in the oven and the comfort I received at sitting down to a table that had all my favorites, roast and gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans and hot bread. So that’s what I made last night. I tried something a little different with the roast and the bread and because both were scarfed up quickly, I knew I needed to share the recipes today.

Chuck Roast

1 (2-4 pound) chuck roast

1 tables oil

1 onion, sliced

1 package of brown gravy mix

1 regular size can cream of mushroom soup

1-2  tables (use 1 for a 2 lb but 2 tables for the 4 pound) Kikomon Soy Sauce

Preheat oven to 300. Heat the oil over medium heat in an oven proof baking Dutch oven and brown your roast on both sides. Sprinkle garlic powder (not salt) over each side of the roast before browning. Sprinkle 1 teas pepper over roast, after you have flipped it from browning on one side. Add 1 tables dried parsley over top of roast.  Place the sliced onion over the roast. Then sprinkle the Kikomon sauce over the top. Spoon the cream of mushroom soup over the top and then mix the brown gravy packet with 1 1/2 cups water; stir until blended, then pour over roast. Place in preheated 300 degree oven and bake for 4 hours. The last 2 hours, I cut up 5 carrots and placed in the pot.

When ready to serve, remove the meat and carrots and if gravy needs anymore thickening, add 1 tables cornstarch to 1/2 cup water, stirring until it is blended. Allow gravy mixture to get to a boil, over medium heat and stirring constantly, slowly pour cornstarch mixture into gravy and stir until thick. Pour into serving bowl. The gravy that this makes is so rich and oh so good.

Bread

Using 1 large can of Grand Biscuits, cut each biscuit into 4th’s. Melt 1/2 package of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese with 1/2 stick butter in the microwave for 30 sec, or until melted. Stir to blend. Take each biscuit piece and roll in butter mixture; place in a lightly greased baking dish (I used a 11×7″  baking dish) and bake at 350 until the tops are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Am posting a picture of the cheese so you will know what to look for. It is found in the specialty cheese section of the grocery stores.

Beef · Casseroles · Holiday Fare · Meats

Beef Lombardi

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There is nothing much I enjoy more (well, actually I guess there is a lot more that I enjoy, such as: grandchildren, traveling, shopping, baking, AGT, Candy Crush to name a few) than getting out old magazines from years gone by to search out the tried and true recipes. Peter Pumpkin lets me keep the magazines in “seasons” in plastic tubs which are stored away in the infamous storage shed about 5 miles from our house. When fall comes rolling around, I pull out the old ones, some going back as far as the 90’s. Doesn’t it seem like it was just the 90’s, but seems weird that that is now considered “far back”? Well, last night while waiting for Forte to sing on AGT, I was thumbing through a 2003 October Southern Living and found several recipes that sound scrumptious. It’s interesting as different seasons of our lives roll around, different recipes appeal to us than they would have before. I cannot believe that I didn’t even look at this one, or if I did, my memory fails me (which since I am still so young & hip, I’m sure it is not that). Guys will love this because of the name, goes perfectly for those Monday night football game meals.

Serves 6
1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 teas sugar
2 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 (6 oz) package medium egg noodles
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs
Cook beef of turkey in a large skillet over medium heat 5-7 minutes, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain
Stir in chopped tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and bay leaf and simmer 30 minutes.
Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain.
Stir together egg noodles, chopped green onions and sour cream until blended.
Place noodle mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13×9 baking dish. Discard bay leaf and the top with meat mixture; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.
Bake, covered with foil at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
*This freezes up to 1 month if desired, before baking. To bake, thaw completely in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
*To lighten use fat free sour cream and reduced fat cheddar cheese and reduce amount of cheese on top to 1/2 each type. (but really, if you make this during football season, you are using so many calories jumping up and down for your team, you can afford to use the real stuff)