Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

This is another recipe from the Downing Women’s Auxiliary cookbook.  Marvin and I liked this one, but I would probably pair it with rice the next time around.  It was a simple, comfort food casserole.  

3 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream

3 Tablespoons poppy seed

1/2 stick butter

1 tube of Ritz crackers, crumbled

Place shredded chicken in bottom of 9 x 9 inch pan.  (I used the Pampered Chef oval baker)  In large bowl mix soup, sour cream and poppy seed.  Spread sauce over chicken.  Melt butter in saucepan.  Brown Ritz crackers in butter.  Spread over sauce and chicken.  Bake for 30 minutes, covered at 350 degrees.  Uncover and cook for about 10 more minutes or until crackers are browned.  

Beef Tips

This one was a hit with all!  Amazing!!  Hooray!!   :)  It was quick and easy and we will definitely have it again.  I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com.  

Beef Tips with Rice

1/2 onion, chopped

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat or steak strips

2 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1 teas. garlic powder

1 teas. salt

1 teas. pepper

2 packets brown gravy mix

I used steaks, thawed, cut in strips and browned, but you could easily use stew meat.  Saute onion in oil until almost translucent.  Add the browned beef.  Pour 2 cups water, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce in the skillet.  Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour (or until meat is cooked).  Combine gravy mix with additional 1 cup of water.  Mix thoroughly and stir into the meat mixture.  Bring to a boil stirring frequently until slightly thickened.  

Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches

My wonderful sister-in-law gave me the Downing Christian Church Women’s Auxiliary cookbook at Christmas.  I LOVE these compilation cookbooks SO much!!  I have been enjoying browsing through it and have cooked up a few of the recipes.  So far, this is my favorite one!  We made this for lunch the other day and it was a hit with all except Jonathan.  (I truly don’t know if there is a recipe out there that all 4 of us equally love!!)   :)  I could see this recipe being a great carry in or picnic dish.  Fast, easy and portable.  

Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches

1 (12 pack) King’s Hawaiian Rolls

1 lb. deli ham, shaved

1 lb. Swiss cheese slices

1 1/2 sticks butter (I did NOT use near this much.  I think I used about 3/4 of one stick of butter and will cut that down next time.  I would say 1/3 to 1/2 of a stick would be plenty!!)

1 1/2 teas. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teas. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teas. minced onion (I used onion flakes quite liberally)

Melt butter and mix in mustard, worcestershire sauce and onion.  Cut the entire pack of rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves separately intact.)  In a 9 x 13 inch pan place the bottom half of rolls and cover with ham and cheese, the place the top half of the rolls on top.  Drizzle butter mixture over the top.  Refrigerate overnight.  (note - I didn’t do this... I made them and cooked them immediately)  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes, then uncover for the last 5 to 10 minutes.  

before they went in the oven

out of the oven ready to eat

Egg in Toast

This is one of my favorite quick breakfasts.  I know you can have an egg alongside a piece of toast, but I truly prefer this ‘all in one’ way.  The crispiness of the toast melds with the egg just perfectly.  

Butter a piece of bread on both sides.  Cut out a hole in the middle of the bread.  Place bread and the hole in a hot skillet.  Immediately crack an egg into the hole in the toast.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over top.  Cover with a lid and let cook for just a minute.  (until the egg sets enough that you can flip the whole thing.)  Flip egg/toast over in pan and finish cooking to your desired egg consistency.  (I prefer it to be over easy)

Yum!

in skillet before flipping over

Chicken Crescent Rolls

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  It is a keeper!  Here is the original link.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated

crescent rolls

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese with

chives, softened

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cooked chicken

3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 cups seasoned croutons, crushed

1/3 cup drippings from a roast chicken

1 tablespoon minced onion

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons chicken stock

salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out and separate the crescent roll dough on a large baking sheet.

2.

Mix together the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until well blended. Stir in the shredded chicken, mushrooms, and lemon pepper. Fill the crescent rolls with a tablespoonful of the chicken mixture. Roll each piece up beginning with the wide end; press and seal the top of the rolled dough. Brush the rolls with butter, then roll them in the crushed croutons. Return the coated rolls back to the baking sheet.

3.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

4.

Heat the drippings in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and wine; cook and stir until most of the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and continue to cook and stir until the sauce has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Mix the cornstarch and remaining 3 tablespoons of chicken stock in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the skillet until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5.

Spoon the hot gravy over the chicken rolls before serving.

Deb's Greek Pasta

in skillet before tossing with pasta...

Deb invited us over for a lovely Mom’s luncheon last month and fed us like royalty!  Her promised PB&J’s turned into fruit tray, cheese and crackers, hummus & spread and an amazing Greek Pasta dish.  She ended it with pumpkin cheesecake.  We all decided she can have us over for “PB&J’s” anytime!!   :)

Quick & Healthy Greek Pasta Salad 

(Originally from an Eating Well magazine some years ago.)

The recipe says it makes 8 servings, and that they're 460-480 calories each  -   but as you saw, it actually makes a giant bowl, and I'd say is way more like 12 servings.  If you add some bread, wine, and cheesecake, though, I think it's more like 48099 calories.  And yep, you can actually get all these ingredients at Wal-mart (whether you'd like to or not!).

1. 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta (if Hyvee, look in the organic section)
2. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I actually didn't use, I think it makes the pasta a little greasy)

1. 1-2 tablespoons butter
2. 2-3 pounds lean beef or lamb (cut into thin strips)
3. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 1/2 cup chopped shallots
5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or a little more, depending on how much meat you use)
6. 2 cups sun-dried tomato pesto (look in the pasta sauce aisle for pre-made)

1. 2 teaspoons basil
2. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3. 1.5 cups crumbled feta cheese
4. 1/3 - 1/2 tablespoons sunflower kernels

1. 1-1.5 cups sliced black olives (depending on how much you like olives)

1. 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (I actually like to use an entire organic box)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. When cooked, drain, then toss with olive oil, and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the rib-eye on both sides until rosy-pink in the center, then stir in the garlic and shallots. Cook thoroughly, then stir in the soy sauce, and cook a few seconds longer, allowing it to evaporate.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto, olives, basil, parsley, 1 cup feta cheese and sunflower kernels. Toss with the pasta and the spinach in a large bowl and top with remaining 1/2 cup feta cheese.  (I usually "wilt" the spinach in the microwave first, so it is easier to mix in.)

Bon appetite!

Cheesy Cream of Vegetable Soup

Yum!  This hit the spot on this cool, rainy evening.  I sort of made it up as I went along, but it sure turned out tasty.  

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in bottom of stock pot.  Add 4 - 6 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 onion diced.  Saute in butter until onions are semi-clear.  Add about 1/2 cup of flour (more or less) and brown slightly.  Pour in about 1 quart of milk, stirring constantly.  Add about 1 quart of water and then 1 can of evaporated milk.  (Or, if you aren’t like me tonight, and have enough milk, just add mostly milk!  But, sometimes you have to improvise!)   :)   

Heat through then add 1 bag of California Blend vegetables.  (you can cut these up and zap them in the microwave beforehand if you like)   I had leftover mashed potatoes and added them, too.  Dice up about 2/3 of a package of Velveeta cheese and add to soup (or use any kind of cheese).  Add 4 chicken bouillon cubes and salt & pepper to taste.  (You will need to check on taste and keep adding until it is right.)  Now you just stand there and stir it until it heats all the way through and the cheese melts.  :)  Watch out, the bottom will want to scorch.  

I served this soup with mini Ciabatta rolls and it was just perfect.  

Chicken Fried Steak Fingers with Gravy

I don’t cook this very often anymore, but maybe I should rethink that.  Marvin came in the other evening and asked, “What are you making?”  I told him I was making Chicken Fried Steak Fingers with mashed potatoes and gravy.  He stopped dead in his tracks , looked at me and said, “You are a wonderful woman!”  :)    

Chicken Fried Steak Fingers

beef steak - (can use any kind of steak, including tenderized round steak)

flour

salt 

pepper

garlic powder

oil

Cut up the steak into strips.  I put the flour, salt, pepper and garlic in a brown paper bag then add the strips and shake bag to coat.  Heat oil in skillet until good and hot then add strips a batch at a time.  Cover skillet with lid for first minute or two to ensure thorough cooking of meat.  Flip meat over to brown on the other side then remove to paper towel covered plate.  I then put cooked beef strips on a stone in a 250 degree oven to keep warm.  Continue until all strips are cooked.  Drain most of the oil from the skillet but try to leave any crispy coating pieces in the bottom of the skillet.  This will make the gravy even better.  

Add a little butter to pan (since you poured out most of the oil) then add flour to make a roux.  Add salt and pepper then add milk while stirring constantly.  Keep adding milk for desired amount and consistency.  If you need to make more gravy than you have drippings for, you can add the amount of milk needed then add a little more milk mixed with corn starch to thicken.  Be sure to season the gravy enough with salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic.  You don’t want bland gravy!  :)

We actually prefer to serve plain old sandwich bread with this meal.  It is so good with the gravy poured over it.  

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

What a fast and simple lunch this is.  We love making quesadillas around here.  One of our favorites is the plain ole bean and cheese version.  You can whip this up quickly for a filling lunch.

flour tortillas

butter

refried black beans

shredded cheese (we like the Mexican style)

Pampered Chef southwestern seasoning

Butter one side of the flour tortilla the fold in half with butter side out.  Spread refried black beans over inside half then cover with shredded cheese.  Place on hot griddle pan and sprinkle liberally with Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning.  Close top half of flour tortilla and grill; flipping over when cheese begins to melt.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

in the pan before cooking

Dr. Pepper (or Cola) Roast

The boys like this roast a lot.  I prefer this one.  Oh well.   :)   Variety is the spice of life, right?  

Dr. Pepper (or Cola) Roast

4 pound beef roast

carrots (peeled)

potatoes (peeled)

celery

onion (cut in chunks)

garlic

1 pkg. dry brown gravy mix

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can beefy mushroom soup

1 can of soda (Dr. Pepper or Coke - my boys prefer Dr. Pepper)

Put all ingredients in roasting pan, crock pot or Pampered Chef stoneware combo and bake.  

Crock pot - cook on low all day.

roasting pan or PC stoneware combo - cook at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.