Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Chicken Florentine

4 Tbsp butter
3 scallions, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
2 large chicken breasts, cute into pieces & salted & peppered
1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp flour
Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350.  In a large skillet saute scallions and garlic in 1 Tbsp until soft; remove & set aside.  Add 1 Tbsp butter & saute mushrooms just until tender.  Remove & set aside.  Add 2 Tbsp butter & brown chicken; remove & set aside.  Add chicken broth to pan and cook for about 2 minutes.  Mix flour thoroughly with sour cream; add sour cream to pan & mix.  Add scallions, garlic, mushrooms, and chicken and heat through. 

Pour into casserole dish & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Serve over rice or pasta. 

Dill Chicken Stroganoff

4 chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 tsp dill
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 cup butter
3 green onions, chopped
1 can cream of chicken

Saute onions and dill in butter.  Add chicken & cook through.  Add soups, simmer, & serve over pasta.

Crock Pot Corn

2 lbs frozen corn
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/3 c. butter, cubed
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
vegetable supreme (seasoning)- sprinkle to taste

Crock pot 4 hrs on low. 

Easy Baked Fish

1 lb fish fillets
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 Tbsp margarine or butter melted
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped onion

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  If fish fillets are large, cut into 3 serving pieces.  Arrange fish in un-greased square baking dish 8x8x2 or 9x12x2; sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Mix margarine, lemon juice, & onion; drizzle over fish.  Bake uncovered until fish flakes very easily with fork and is opaque in center; 15-30 minutes.  Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Fluffy Pudding Frosting

1 c cold milk
1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg instant pudding mix (any flavor)
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 c Cool Whip

With a whisk beat the pudding, sugar, & milk together in a bowl.  Fold in the Cool Whip.  Keep this in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Eat immediately after frosting. 

Green Bean Casserole

2- 15 oz cans green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1 2.8 oz can french fried onions

Combine beans, soup, milk, & 1/2 can of the onions.  Mix well.  Pour into 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.  Bake uncovered at 3350 for 30 minutes.  Top with remaining onions.  Bake 5 minutes longer.  Yields 6-8 servings. 

Kool-Aid Play Dough

2 c flour
1/2 c salt
1 pkg Kool-aid
2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 c water

Combine dry ingredients in a large pot.  Mix well & add the oil & water.  Stir over medium heat until the mixture is almost too hard to stir.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then knead until smooth & pliable.  Refrigerate in airtight container between uses.

Dill Pasta Salad

1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sour cream
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 stp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups uncooked rotini or spiral macaroni, cooked & drained
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded or thinly sliced
1 small bell pepper, chopped

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed, salt, mustard, & pepper in a 2 1/2 quart bowl.  Add remaining ingredients; toss.  Cover & refrigerate at least 3 hours (or not).  8 servings.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 1/2 c milk
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
3/4 tsp paprika
10 oz American processed cheese, cubed
16 oz (about 3 cups) macaroni noodles, cooked

Combine eggs, milk, & seasonings.  Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Stir in flour.  Add milk mixture, & stir constantly over medium heat until it thickens.  Simmer 1 minute.  Add cheese & stir until cheese melts.  Add sauce gradually to the noodles until you reach the consistency you prefer (this is not a perfected recipe, so add the sauce gradually until you reach equilibrium).  Serves about 6

Hawiian Haystacks

Combine 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 cup milk, & 1 cooked, diced chicken breast (I often used canned chicken).  Heat through.

Cook 1 cup of rice according to package directions.

Prepare remaining ingredients:
  • sliced celery
  • diced tomato
  • pineapple tidbits
  • shredded coconut
  • chow mien noodles
  • diced ham
  • sliced green onion
  • grated cheese
  • sliced almonds
To serve, top top rice with cream soup mixture.  Allow each person to select their desired toppings.  

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c butter
2 c brown sugar
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 c flour
5 c blended oatmeal (measure then blend to a fine powder in blender or food processor)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 c chopped nuts (optional)
2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cram butter and both sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add chips & nuts.  Refrigerate 1/2 hour (or not).  Roll into balls and place 2" apart on cookie sheet.  Bake 8 minutes at 375 degrees.  This makes about 10 dozen cookies.  Recipe can be halved. 

Chili

2 lbs ground beef
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (29 oz) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (29 oz) can pinto beans with liquid
1 cup diced onions (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced green chili peppers (or 2- 4oz cans)
1/4 cup diced celery, (1 stalk)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2-3 tsp cumin powder
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 cups water


1. Brown the ground beef & onion in a skillet over medium heat
2. Drain off the fat
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.
4. Cook, stirring ever 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.


I like a milder chili, so I half the cumin powder & chili powder.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Easy Banana Bread

I believe this recipe came from my friend Jadi. This is the tastiest. moistest banana bread recipe I have found. The flavor is best if you can let it sit overnight, but ours rarely lasts that long.

2 c flour
1 tsp b soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 c bananas (approx. 5-6)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a bread loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (I usually check in a couple of places as there are occasionally doughy places in the middle.) Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely then wrap in foil. Let the bread sit for a day for the best flavor.

Kathy's Banana Bread

I LOVE using this recipe as muffins. They are so very perfect.

1/2 c. shortening
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 bananas
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp b powder
1 tsp b soda
1/2 tsp salt
chocolate chips, opt. (unless you're at our house - they're a must)
nuts, opt.

Beat shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Add bananas. Mix in dry ingredients just until moist. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Makes 2 small loaves or 12 muffins. For loaves, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. For muffins, bake at 350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes.