Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Apparently, Poppy Seed Chicken is very well known and popular in many parts of the South. Who knew? I found this recipe at good old "All Recipes.com". It's quick to put together, is absolutely delicious and freezes well. Go ahead and use shredded Rotisserie chicken if you want to make it even easier. Kudos to Callie Wilson Wolfe who contributed it to the site.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or the shredded meat from 2 Rotisserie chickens)

1 long sleeve of "Ritz" or "Club" crackers, crushed

1/2 cup of butter, melted

1 10.5 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 8- oz. container sour cream

2 C shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and bake until no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes. Shred chicken with 2 forks and set aside. Mix crackers, butter and poppy seeds in a large bowl. Set aside. Stir condensed soup and sour cream together in a medium bowl and pour 1/2 of the mixture into a greased 9-inch baking dish/ Add shredded chicken in an even layer and top with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the soup and finish with a layer of crushed crackers. Bake in preheated oven until sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: When I double this, I use 1 can cream of mushroom soup and one can cream of chicken soup. Makes it more interesting. 

 

Easy Curried Chicken and Broccoli

This was my husband's favorite casserole when we were young and pinching pennies. It really is good!  And so simple...even your cat could make it. But of course, the cat would have to eat some. It should take under an hour to make and bake 'till done. Perfect for a school night.

Ingredients:

1 lb, Rotisserie chicken meat, torn into pieces (or bake 4 chicken breast halves ahead of time)

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 1/2 C sour cream (you can use light sour cream, but the sauce may be a bit more liquid) 

1/2 t lemon juice

1/2 t curry powder

1 1/2 t salt (preferably kosher)

1 1/4 C stale breadcrumbs (or use store-bought Panko crumbs)

1 10-oz package frozen broccoli, or two medium-size fresh broccoli heads, chopped into florets

2 T melted butter

2 C cooked white rice (if you're short of time, you can buy it pre-cooked) 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl and 1/2 C of the breadcrumbs. Reserve the remaining crumbs. Microwave or steam broccoli until cooked. Arrange on the bottom of a greased, 9X12" baking pan. Place an even layer of chicken pieces on top of the broccoli. Pour sour cream mixture evenly over the broccoli. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 C breadcrumbs over the top. Drizzle 2 T butter over the breadcrumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes and serve on a bed of rice.

Note: This really doesn't freeze well. The breadcrumbs get mooshy.

Winning Apricot Bars

This recipe is a crowd-pleaser!  Apparently, it has won many blue ribbons at state fairs and cookie competitions. So, here it is--so easy, so good. Originally published in "Taste of Home.com" magazine. Makes 1 1/2 dozen bars, give or take. No calories, of course! (just kidding)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter

1 C sugar

1 large egg (room temperature)

1/2 t vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 t baking powder

1 1/3 C shredded coconut

1/2 C walnuts or pecans, chopped

1 jar 10-12 oz. apricot preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Fold in coconut and nuts. Press 2/3 of dough on the bottom of a greased 9X13" baking pan. Spread dough with preserves and then crumble remaining dough evenly over the preserves. In small globs. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. 

 

Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole

 This breakfast casserole is as delectable as it is easy. And so different compared to quiche. Serve it at your next brunch, you can even freeze any leftovers. From my new favorite magazine, Southern Living. Serves 10. 

Ingredients:

10 deli smoked ham slices (1/4 inches thick)

10 mini-croissants

10 (1/2 oz) Swiss cheese slices

6 large eggs

2 C heavy whipping cream

2 t. Dijon mustard 

Thyme sprigs or chopped Italian Parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1) Microwave ham slices between paper towels on a microwaveable plate on High for 45 seconds. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

2) Split croissants open with a serrated knife. Put the croissants on a 13X9" pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Put pieces if Swiss cheese on top of the ham, fold in two and stuff into the croissants.

3) Whisk together eggs, cream and Dijon mustard. Pour mixture slowly over stuffed croissants. Avoid touching the croissant tops. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take dish from refrigerator and take off the plastic. Bake until it's golden brown and a knife inserted came out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cover with foil the last ten minutes so that the tops of the croissants don't burn. Garnish and serve.

Ginger-Chip Cookies

 

My daughter, Lauren, loves these. Because she loves ginger. Ginger root, ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger candy, candied ginger, ginger ANYTHING! I had them first at a cookie exchange long ago when Lauren was about 4. Now, I like ginger, but I don't adore ginger. I have pretty traditional tastes. So, I sort of eyed them suspiciously at first, "hmmmm". Ginger with chocolate? I took a bite anyway. Boom! I was hooked. Sometimes deliciousness is found in unexpected places... 

 Ingredients: 

 3/4 C butter 

1 C sugar 

1 egg 

3 T dark molasses 

2 C flour 

2 t baking soda 

1 t cinnamon 

1 t ginger 

1/4 t cloves 

1/4 t salt 

1 C semi-sweet pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth dough forms--using medium to low speed on mixer. Stir in chocolate chips and shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until cookies are browned and firm.

Uncle Bill's Cookies

This is another incredible recipe from the Shelby family who lived near to us when I was growing up. I think it was Julie who made these for us once. It is a white frosted gingerbread cookie that was famous for being made by Sally Shelby's brother Bill. It is a 'cozy' cookie--perfect for fall weather with a mug of steaming cider. You can also make them into Halloween or Harvest cookies by coloring the icing with orange (or a mixture of red and yellow) food coloring. Use candy corn or harvest-colored sprinkles to decorate the tops. 

 Ingredients:

 2 C sugar 

1 C shortening 

1 C molasses 

2 eggs 

1 C sour milk (put 1 t. lemon juice or white vinegar in a cup of milk to make it sour) 

1 T ginger 

1 T cinnamon 

1 t salt 4 t soda

 2 t cream of tartar

 5 C flour

 Directions:

 Cream sugar/shortenings. Add wet ingredients. Mix and add dry stuff. 

Drop from a spoon on greased and floured cookie sheets. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Powdered Sugar Icing: 4 C powdered sugar (sifted) 2 T soft butter 1 t vanilla Add enough milk to the above until it becomes a thin spreading consistency. Spread on cookies, leaving a margin at the sides after they are cool. Let them harden before eating.

Granny Cormack's Scottish Shortbread

 While the other Scottish Shortbread in this blog is absolutely amazing and great for gift-giving, this recipe is what I would make for my family when a quick dessert is needed. Because it contains rice flour and a lot of butter, it has a light, tender, and buttery crumb--almost like a butter cookie. This authentic Scottish recipe is from a newspaper article in The Scotts Valley Banner circa 2006. Thankyou Granny Cormack!  My husband says it's the best shortbread he has ever tasted. Enjoy with hot tea on a gray day! 

 Ingredients:

3 C flour 

2 C rice flour (in the organic section of your grocery)

a pinch of salt 

1 1/4 C sugar 

1 lb. C butter, softened just to room temperature--still solid

1 egg, beaten 

 Mix flours together in a bowl with a whisk or a fork. In another bowl mix butter, sugar, egg, together with hands. Then, knead in flours. Roll dough into a ball. Flatten with heel of hand into a circle, 1/4 inch thick. It should measure around 6-7 inches. Put on lightly greased pan or (preferably) baking parchment on a cookie sheet. Score into triangles like you would cut a pizza. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. and bake until the edges are tan. Wait 2 minutes and cut score marks just like a pizza. Let cool before cutting along score marks and eating (if you can wait that long).

Texas Buttermik Biscuits

I was raised in California on "Bisquick" Biscuits. They were easy for mom to make, and they were yummy. I have fond memories of learning how to cut out biscuits when I was about four years old. But these biscuits are even better. The only problem is that you have to buy buttermilk. That's ok. It's worth it!

Ingredients: 

2 C self-rising flour

1/2 C all-vegetable shortening

3/4 C buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place flour and shortening in a medium mixing bowl. Using two knives, or a pastry blender, start breaking up the shortening until it's like coarse meal. If that doesn't work, squeeze the mixture with one hand until there are no pieces that are bigger than a pea. Next, start stirring the buttermilk into the flour mixture. It is best to be as gentle as possible and to stop when the buttermilk is just blended. Form a loose ball of dough. Put the dough on a lightly floured flat surface and pat it into a circle that is about 1-inch thick. Cut 8 2-inch circles with a round cutter (or with a large wine glass if you don't have a cutter).  Any remaining dough can be patted together and cut out as well, adding a bit more buttermilk if needed. 

Place biscuit rounds in a greased and floured 8-inch round iron frying pan, cake pan, or pie pan. Set them in a circle with one in the center. They should touch.  Bake for 10-20 minutes until the tops are golden. Watch carefully to make sure the bottoms don't burn! The biscuit tops may not brown evenly, but they will still taste wonderful!

Serve with butter and honey, or your favorite preserves.

Stacy's Buttermilk Poundcake

This poundcake is something you dream about after you've eaten it. Stacy Kelly leant me this recipe, and I am eternally grateful! The secret is...watch it closely as it bakes. If you leave it just a little too long in the oven, the outside crust almost caramelizes. Serve it with fresh quartered strawberries mixed with a little sugar and topped with real whipped cream.... Easy and delicious!

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 C sugar

1 C shortening

1 stick butter

5 large eggs

1 C buttermilk

1/2 t soda, dissolved in 2 T warm water

3 C flour

1 t vanilla or almond flavoring

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream shortening, butter and eggs, adding eggs one at a time. Beat until light in color. Add flour and buttermilk, alternately, using 1/3 of each.  Mix at a low speed after each addition. Pour into a large Bundt pan that has been greased and floured. Bake for 60 minutes, then check for doneness by inserting a small knife in the middle. If the knife comes out clean, you can either leave it in 5 more minutes to get a darker crust or take it out. Your choice.

 

Italian Chicken-Vegetable Soup (formerly named "Healing Soup")

I make a lot of soup for sick people. It's October 2022, and we are hopefully done with the serious Coronavirus variants that have swept America for the last 2 1/2 years. Most recently, I whipped up a batch of soup for my daughter and her family as they recently suffered through a week of Coronavirus Omicron 1. Yes, they lived. This soup has everything anybody needs to be healthy--especially if you make it with homemade bone broth. But if making homemade broth takes too much time for you, simply buy one 32 oz. box of stock and one 32 oz. box of bone broth at the grocery store. Some brands of bone broth can be overpowering--so diluting it with regular stock is a good failsafe.  Be sure to taste it before using!

Ingredients:

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

2-3 cloves peeled garlic, smashed and chopped

2 T olive oil

2-quarts good chicken broth (preferably homemade)

3 pieces celery, sliced

1 14.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (optional)

1 15 oz. can chopped tomatoes, undrained (or 2 C chopped fresh tomatoes)

2 large peeled and sliced carrots (or 2 C sliced "baby" carrots)

2 x- large baking potatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 lb. white mini-potatoes- skins on)

2 medium-sized zucchinis, sliced (get one yellow and one green if possible)

1 small bunch spinach, thoroughly washed and chopped

1 Rotisserie Chicken's meat OR 3 large, cooked chicken breasts, torn in pieces

3 t Italian Seasoning

1/2 t black pepper

1 pinch curry

1 small Bay leaf

Salt to taste

Important Note: I use chicken or vegetable boullion packets or cubes instead of salt to taste--more flavor!

Homemade or store-bought Pesto (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the spinach, zucchini, and pesto. After bringing the pot to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes. Then, turn up the heat and add the spinach, and zucchini.  Boil for 15 minutes, then ladle into bowls.  Top with a teaspoon of pesto and serve. Makes 8-10 servings

Mary's Pork Loin with Garlic Sauce

Hey y'all, I am here in Round Rock, Texas, and I am getting fat! Why? Because there are so many good cooks around here! One of them is my second cousin, Mary, who made this incredible and delicious main dish for a party she had last Christmas. She is a very outgoing lady, and this is an expression of her love for people...

Ingredients: 

1 large pork loin--2-3 lbs. 

6 cloves minced garlic

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1/3 C vegetable or chicken stock

1 3/4 C heavy cream

3 C chopped spinach

1 t Italian seasoning

1 t red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1 C Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Season meat with paprika, salt and pepper. Brown outside of loin by turning over in skillet until all sides of meat look cooked (don't worry, we will cook the inside later). Remove from pan and put to one side.

Melt 2 T butter in same skillet. Add garlic, onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Sauté until fragrant over medium heat. Add stock, allow to reduce. Reduce heat to low, add cream and salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach and cheese and pour over meat in a large baking dish (or two smaller ones, after you cut the meat in half). Bake in a 350-degree oven until the meat is done, a long slowwwwww cooking time is best, probably about 45 minutes in the oven or 4-6 hours on High in a Crockpot. Mary served this with tiny (red?) steamed potatoes, but cauliflower rice or cous-cous is fine.

Note: The sauce will separate when it cooks with the meat. So, to avoid this, after the sauce is made and cooked, I pour half of it into the Crockpot or baking pan with the meat and reserve half in the saucepan I make it in. Then I add 3 Cups of Chicken broth to the sauce in the Crockpot or baking pan. That takes care of the needed moisture for cooking the meat. Finally, I add about 3/4 Cup of sour cream to the reserved sauce before I serve it alongside of the meat. It takes down the spiciness just a tad and gives the sauce more body. Delicioso!

 

Jeanne's Fabulous Shrimp

Ok, this isn't just good, this is the best shrimp dish I've ever had. I live in Texas now, and shrimp here is inexpensive compared to any other kind of seafood. My friend Jeanne found this recipe and monkied around with it a bit, and voila! Perfection! 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. peeled and de-veined, wild-caught, cooked shrimp (high-quality frozen shrimp is fine)   

1 T "Pretty Thai" brand seasoning salt--no substitutes (available at various markets and at Amazon.com) 

1 scallion, chopped fine

4-6 T plant-based butter (which doesn't burn as fast) or regular butter

10 oz. coconut milk (shake it up to incorporate the creamy top)

Fish sauce to taste (she uses "Thai Kitchen" brand)

Directions:

If you use frozen shrimp like I did, defrost it according to the directions on the bag. Then, spread out two layers of paper towels on a cookie tray and spread the shrimp evenly on top of the towels. Then, put two more layers of paper towels on top. Start at one end of the pan and roll the paper towels and shrimp like a jelly roll. Repeat this with fresh paper towels until the shrimp is dry. No water is the key!

Next, sauté shrimp in butter until one side is cooked--one or two minutes. No need to turn it, shrimp is easy to over-cook! Then, remove shrimp and set aside. Important note: if there is a lot of water in the pan after the shrimp is cooked, dump it out before proceeding! It wrecks everything! In the same pan, sauté chopped scallion in butter until soft.

Add coconut milk to scallions plus 1 T "Pretty Thai" seasoning salt and heat. Add fish sauce to taste (it's salty). At this point the mixture is supposed to reduce and thicken, however if you don't want to wait, mix 1 t cornstarch with about 4 T water and stir into the heated liquid. Finally, add shrimp and heat until warm and serve on a bed of basmati or jasmine rice or any other kind of rice. Wonderful!