Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Funeral Potatoes

Great side dish. Not for anyone on a diet!

8-10 medium potatoes (or a pkg of 'hashbrowns')
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 stick butter
2 Cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
2 TBS dehydrated onion
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Boil potatoes with the skins on. Cool and peel. (I grate them right into the bowl after everything else is mixed.)
Combine in large bowl: butter and soup. Heat in microwave until easily combined.
Add sour cream. cheese. onion & spices.
Mix together. Add grated potatoes or hashbrowns.
Put in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45-60 mins uncovered.

PS - I've found it turns out funny using hashbrowns, so this is the one place I take my time and do it right. It also turns out better if you refrigerate it overnight. You can add crumbled up crackers on top, but Ryan hates it so I don't.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Carmel Corn


8 Cups popped corn

1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In heavy saucepan, combine corn syrup, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir on medium heat until just boiling. Remove from heat. Pour over popcorn and stir until evenly coated.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Chicken Soup (Thanks Heather)

nearly identical to Cafe Rio's tortilla soup, especially if you put a little fat free sour cream or some guacamole in it.

Shredded Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
3 cups of chicken broth or water
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and gently boil for 20 minutes. Let the
chicken breasts cool then shred with two forks.

Soup:

2 tsp olive oil
2 cups of onion, diced
1 cup of celery, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (more if you want spicy)
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of cumin (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground coriander seed (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/2 a cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
6 fresh white corn tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add
onions and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and stir constantly for
60 seconds. Add the carrots, celery, jalapeno, tomatoes, broth, cumin,
coriander, sea salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup of cilantro. Cut
the 6 corn tortillas in half, then cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch
strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the
heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and
the corn tortillas have melted away. Add the chicken, taste and re
season if needed.

Additional Toppings:

1 - 2 avocados, diced
Tortilla strips
Cotija cheese, grated
Fresh cilantro (remainder from above ingredients)

Ladle soup into large soup bowls. Add some avocado, tortilla strips, a
sprinkle of cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!

Chex Muddy Buddies

Great snack to bring to dispatch - everyone gets a little giggly!

9 Cups Chex Cereal
1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1/4 Cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar


Pour cereal into large bowl, set aside.

In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine until smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated. Put powdered sugar in large plastic bag; pour cereal into bag. Seal and shake until pieces are well coated.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Grandma Sharich's Famous Spaghetti Sauce

Family Famous. No one likes anything else - including Ryan! I had to learn it, but it's dang tasty. Almost like a marinara sauce.

2 - 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes
2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
1 - 32 oz can tomato juice
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 tsp each: salt, cumin, red chili powder, oregano
2 TBS garlic powder
4 TBS sugar
4 TBS+ vinegar ("Don't be afraid of vinegar, sweetheart.")
2 bay leaves

Mix it all in a big pot and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Keep in mind, this is a double batch, but it freezes well, and it's always nice to have spaghetti sauce on hand for making casseroles and lasagna.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Taco Soup

Amazing and yummy!

1 lb ground beef, browned & drained
1 quart whole tomatoes (or a couple cans of whatever you have)
2 Cups chopped celery
2 Cups sliced carrots
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can beef bouillon
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 large can chili beans
1 large can kidney beans
1 small can tomato sauce

Mix and simmer for 2 hours (can even go in a crock pot).
Serve with grated cheese and crushed chips.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

So freaking good - My Grandma made this one year for my birthday and we ate it all, so she made another one a few days later. YUM!

1 package devils food cake mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure almond extract (optional)



Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl until thick and well blended. Pour the batter in greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Frost with chocolate frosting when cool.

PS- I usually reserve a little of the cherry pie filling to mix in with the chocolate frosting just for an extra cherry kick!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Crab Bisque

Yummy and easy soup for cold, winter days.

1 can each: cream of celery, mushroom, tomato, green pea
5 cups milk (part cream if desired)
1 can crab meat (2 cans if you are CRABBY!)
salt
pepper
parsley


Combine and blend soups. Heat milk; gradually add to soups, then add crab meat. Heat slowly, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Season to taste, add chopped parsely.

Serves 12.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Cake Mix Cookies


Did you know that cake mixes can be made into cookies? They can and are very yummy! This version is one that I love, because of the "Andes" Mints on top. Use this recipe to make oreos, and other cookies with chocolates on top! The recipe is:


2 German Chocolate Cake Mixes (dry)

1 cup shortening (or use 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

4 eggs.


Mix together really well. The mix will be thick. Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Take out of the oven and place on cooling rack. At this point have your chocolates unwrapped. Place "Andes" Mints on the cookie and let melt. Once melted spread around. You can use Hershey's Kisses with Carmel. These cookies can be put together with cream cheese icing for Oreo cookies. Enjoy.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Holiday Chex Mix

Since I will not be making it this year..... I though I would pass on the recipe

2 Cups Coconut
2 Cups Slivered Almonds
1/2 Large Box Rice Chex
1/2 Large Box Corn Chex
1/2 Large Box Golden Grahams
3 Cubes Butter
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups White Karo Syrup

Boil butter, sugar & Karo, 6-8 min. Pour over dry mixture.