Chicken and Cannellini Beans

 

This dish brings back memories of my mother's cooking.  An easy one pot meal with tender chicken, beans, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes.  It's a hearty meal that is packed with flavor.

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs or drumsticks (about 8 pieces)
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can Cannellini beans *see note
4 potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in half
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 tsp. tarragon
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Directions

In a large pot or cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil.  

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the Dutch oven and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is browned.  Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. 

Add the onion, Cannellini beans, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, tarragon, garlic powder and crushed red pepper.  Mix well.

Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes to 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°.

Notes

If you don't have Cannellini beans, you can use any white beans you like or add in some pinto beans, garbanzo beans, or even black-eyed peas.

French Onion Dip

Next time you are thinking about buying a tub of French Onion Dip at the store, put it back. We used to buy the tubs at the grocery store, and we really thought we were doing good when we made our own by opening a packet of French Onion Soup Mix and mixing it in with sour cream.  But we don't anymore.   We cut out the excess preservatives, chemicals and salt to make our own dip.  The hardest part about this recipe is waiting overnight for the flavors to mix and develop.

Directions

2 to 3 onions, chopped fine (Need about 2 cups)
2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbs. butter
1 c. sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 c. mayonnaise *See notes
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, over medium-low heat, melt the butter. 

Add onions and garlic. Cook the onions for about 5 minutes, then lower heat to medium low.  Stirring occasionally, sauté the onions until they are caramelized, and golden brown, Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or longer, depending on how hot your stove is.  The slower you cook the onion to caramelize, the better the flavor.  Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Stir in the carnalized onions into the sour cream mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but it is better if it is in the refrigerator overnight.

Serve with chips, crackers, vegetables or baked potatoes.

Notes 

Add a little beef bouillon powder to the mixture.  This gives it some extra flavor.  

This amount of mayonnaise depends on your taste.  I would start out with a 1/4 cup at first, and then add more if you desire.  Some people don't like much mayonnaise, while others do. 

Potato Yeast Bread

If you like bread and if you like mashed potatoes, this bread recipe gives you the best of both flavors.  

Potato bread has a slightly different flavor than regular white bread.  It has a slightly sweet and earthy flavor.  The texture is more dense, yet it is moist. It tastes like a cross between white bread and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 pkg. yeast or 1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 c. warm water, 110 to 115°
4 Tbs. sugar
2 c. milk, warmed
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. butter, softened or olive oil
1 c. mashed potatoes
1 tsp. salt
5 c. bread flour
butter

Directions

Oven temperature 350°. Grease two 8 by 4-inch loaf pans

In a large bowl, combine yeast, water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.  Mix to combine and place in a warm location for the yeast to bloom.  This takes about 10 minutes.

Mix in warm milk, eggs, butter or oil, mashed potatoes, salt and 2 cups bread flour.  Beat well with a wooden spoon, or about two minutes. You can also use a mixer that has a dough hook attachment.

Continue to add more flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.  The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch.

Lightly grease or oil the bottom and sides of a large bowl. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and then turn the dough over, so all sides of the dough are oiled. We use the same bowl that we kneaded the dough in.  

Cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic or a tea towel.  Place the bowl in a warm location for about 90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch dough down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. 

Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each half into a loaf and place in prepared loaf pans.

Cover and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size. 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.  

Remove from pans and rub some butter over the tops of the loaves.  We take a stick of butter and run it over the top of the hot loaves. 

Place the bread on racks until cool.  

Try to let them cool completely before slicing.

Chili Soup

 Chili Soup

Colder weather means it is time to make some chili soup.  My mom used to make delicious chili soup. Try as I might, I can never get mine to taste as good as hers did.  However, this recipe is pretty close to the one she made.  

The secret ingredient she used was a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder. It brings out the flavor of the soup

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dry chili beans or kidney beans
1 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced fine
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 or more hot peppers, chopped (Depending on how spicy you want the chili)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin powder
3/4 tsp. granulated garlic
2/3 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper or ancho chili powder
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbs. BBQ sauce
1 1/4 c. diced tomatoes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2/3 c. V-8 juice
Cheese (Optional)
Sour cream (Optional)
Salsa (Optional)

Directions

 Wash and sort the beans to remove any rocks or bad looking beans.  In a large saucepan, add beans, bay leaf and salt.  Cook according to package directions.

In a cast iron Dutch oven over medium high heat, brown the ground beef until browned. 

Add the onion, celery, sweet pepper, hot pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin powder, granulated garlic, brown sugar, crushed red peppers and cocoa powder.  Lower heat to medium low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.  Stir frequently to keep the meat and vegetables from sticking to the bottom and burning.    

Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and V-8.  Bring to a bubble, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 1 hour or longer. 

Add the beans that you cooked. Heat until the mixture is bubbling.  Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Serve with some shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.  You can also add some sour cream, or salsa if desired. 

Overnight Coffee Cake

Occasionally, I like to treat my kids with something special for breakfast. This overnight coffee cake is super simple to make, and it tastes, so good.  

By preparing the cake the night before and setting it in the refrigerator, you don't have to get up early to make it.  All you do is take it out of the refrigerator and place it in the preheated oven.  What better way to wake up the family then with the scents of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the house.

This recipe does call for nuts, but you can leave them out.  I rarely add nuts to our recipes.  We aren't allergic to them, we just don't like them in our food.

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk *
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Topping

3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c.Pecans or walnuts (Optional)

Directions

 

Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and buttermilk. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mix in the flour until the better is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

  

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients of brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts, if desired.

 

Sprinkle half of this mixture over the top cake batter. Take a knife and cut through the batter to swirl the sugar and cinnamon mixture through the cake batter. Then, sprinkle the remaining sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the top of the cake.  Do not cut through or swirl this. 

 

Cover the pan with clear plastic, or foil, and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or longer.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350°.

 
Remove the coffee cake from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until cakes tests done with a toothpick. To test, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, you know it is done. 

 

Cut while the coffee cake is still warm. Eat and enjoy. 

 

Notes *

 

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute it by mixing the milk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar.    Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes before adding it to your cake. Don't worry when the milk turns lumpy, because that is what it is supposed to do.  

 

Pork Stew

A delicious, and hearty pork stew. Made with pork, potatoes, onions, carrots and potatoes in a thick stew.  A bowl of this comforting stew will warm you in the inside, and fill you up.  It is an easy recipe to make, and it is bursting with flavor. 

 

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder roast or pork steaks, cubed
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 c. chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp.  oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp.  paprika
1 Tbs. tomato paste
salt and black pepper to taste
2 potatoes peeled and diced
1 sweet potato peeled and diced
2 carrots, diced
1 c. sliced mushrooms (Optional)
1 (15 oz.) can green beans or peas or use frozen vegetables
1 Tbs. cornstarch (Optional)
2 Tbs. cold water (Optional)

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, pour in olive oil.  Add the cubed pork onions and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the pork is browned.  

Add broth.  Scrap the bottom of the Dutch oven to scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. That is where the flavor is.  

Add in the tomatoes, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf, paprika and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and allow the contents in the pot to simmer for 1 hour.  

Stir in potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Turn the heat back up to medium high and until it is boiling.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 

Stir in green beans or peas. When the stew starts to bubble, simmer for another 15 minutes uncovered.  Taste the stew and season with more salt and pepper if desired. 

If you want a thicker soup, you can thicken it.  In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water together until smooth.  Pour into the simmering pot, stirring constantly.  Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the stew is thickened.   If it is still not thick enough for you, repeat the mixture of cornstarch and cold water.  Slowly pour the mixture in, because it can thicken fast.  If you get it too thick, pour in a little more chicken broth.

Serve and enjoy!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

This is an easy dish that my family likes.  It can be served as a side dish, or you can add some cut up, cooked chicken pieces to the dish to make a meal.  

 

Normally, this dish is made with canned cream of mushroom soup, and you can use that instead of making your own.  But just by combining flour, milk and seasoning, you can   easily make your own.  It is cheaper to do, and it will be minus all the preservatives and other things they put in canned cream soups.

Ingredients

2/3 c. dry rice
1 1/3 water or broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
3 Tbs. flour
2 c. milk
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 can mushroom pieces, drained
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp.  paprika
1/2 tsp. salt more to taste
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided (or your favorite cheese)
16 oz. frozen broccoli, thawed and cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, add rice and water or chicken broth.  Cook according to package directions until rice is tender. 

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and cook until they are softened and translucent. 

Stir in flour, and garlic powder.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, so the mixture does not burn.

Whisking constantly, gradually pour in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbly.

Turn the heat to low.  Stir in mushrooms, mustard powder, paprika, cream cheese, and 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Mix until the cheese is melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the rice, and broccoli, stirring to combine.   Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish, or you can leave the mixture in your skillet as long as it is ovenproof.  

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.  

Bake 35 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly browned.