Smothered Mushroom Chicken

This is a very versatile recipe. You can add different vegetables like potatoes, peas, broccoli, sliced zucchini, or peppers.  This can be served over rice or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. olive oil
1 chicken, cut up or 8 chicken pieces
3/4 c. flour
2 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chopped carrots
1 can mushrooms, drained
3 c. chicken broth
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. onion salt
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c. heavy cream

Directions

Melt butter and olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Place flour in a low sided bowl, or a large plastic bag. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. Fry the chicken in the butter and olive oil. Set chicken in a 13 x 9-inch pan, or you can use a Dutch oven.

Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the butter and olive oil in the skillet.

Stir in 3 tablespoons flour. Cook and stir for 5 minutes to remove the flour taste.

Stirring continuously, pour in the chicken broth.  Season with cayenne pepper, thyme, onion salt and bay leaf.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. 

Place the chicken pieces back in the skillet.  Add the onions, celery, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms.  

Cover the baking pan with foil or, if using a Dutch oven, cover with a lid. Bake at 250° for 2 hours, or until chicken is done, and the juices run clear. 

About 15 minutes before removing the chicken from the oven, pour in the heavy cream. Do not cover. Return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Copycat Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing

My family loves Dorothy Lynch salad dressing and used to buy it all the time. But those bottles of dressing come with a pretty high price tag!  Our neighbor gave us this recipe, and it is even better than the kind you buy in a bottle at the grocery store.  It takes only a few minutes to prepare. 

When choosing the tomato soup, try to get Campbells Tomato soup.  It does cost more, but it will give your salad the best flavor.

Ingredients

1 can tomato soup
3/4 to 1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. celery seed
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 c. salad oil, warm

Directions

Combine tomato soup, sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt, celery seed, pepper and paprika together in a blender.

With the blender running, slowly pour in the oil.

Pour the salad dressing into a large empty jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Shake well before using.

Mexicali Casserole

If you like Mexican food, you are sure to like this casserole dish. It is an easy dish to make, combining all the flavors that you enjoy eating.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeños (Optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (16 oz. can kidney beans
1 c. water
2/3 c. uncooked rice
1/3 c. sliced ripe olives
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Over medium heat, cook ground beef, onions, pepper and garlic in a cast iron skillet.  Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Drain.

Stir in chili powder, tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, water, rice, and olives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, or you can leave it in the oven safe skillet you fried the meat and vegetables in.  Cover and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. 

Remove the lid or cover and sprinkle cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Spicy Beef and Potato Dish

Our family was practically raised on meat and potatoes for every meal.  This recipe is one of those meal ideas and it is so easy and simple to do. It combines ground beef or sausage, potatoes, onions and peppers for a one dish meal. You can make it as spicy as you like by adding hot peppers and or using hot sausage.

Ingredients

 2 Tbs. oil
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lb. ground beef or spicy sausage
1 onion, diced
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 to 2 hot peppers, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese

 Directions

In a cast iron skillet, heat oil until hot.  Add cubed potatoes. Cook the potatoes over medium high heat, stirring often, until they are starting to turn brown.  The potatoes do not have to be done, just starting to brown nicely. 

Add the ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, hot pepper, and garlic cloves.  Cook and stir until the meat is cooked and the potatoes and onions are tender.

Stir in paprika, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and prepared mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese with desired. Cover with a lid until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

 Yeast Coffee Cake

 Warm inviting yeast coffee cake to enjoy with your morning coffee. We prefer the breads made with yeast as a rising agent. It has a better flavor than baking powder, and you don't have to worry about yeast having aluminum in it.

Ingredients

1 pkg. yeast
1/3 c. warm water (110° to 115°
1/2  c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, separated
4 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. milk, scalded, cooled to lukewarm

Brown Sugar Topping

Ingredients

1/8 c. melted butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
raisins (Optional)

Directions

Grease two 9-inch round pans. 

Soften yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water for 5 to  10 minutes. This allows the yeast to bloom and show that it is alive.

Cream butter until softened. Gradually add the sugar, cream the mixture until light and fluffy.

Add egg yolk and beat well. 

Stir in 1 cup flour and mix well.

Pour in the yeast mixture and combine thoroughly.

Alternately, add the rest of the flour and the milk to the butter mixture.  Beat well after each addition. 

In a clean, grease free bowl, beat egg white until rounded peaks are formed. Fold into the flour and yeast mixture until well blended.  

Cover and let rise in a warm location about 2 hours.  

Punch down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll or pat each portion into a round. Put each round into the prepared pans.  Cover and place in a warm location.  Let rise about 90 minutes. 

Prepare the brown sugar topping. 

Brush melted butter over the tops of the coffee cakes.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and raisins if desired. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Pizza Hamburger Casserole 

All the fantastic flavors of pizza in one dish.  This recipe is quick and easy.  Although the directions call for cooking the pasta and then add it to the dish, you can also add the dry pasta in the dish.  Add either 1 cup of water, beef bouillon or beef stock to help cook the macaroni.  Just check the pasta occasionally to see if more liquid is needed and add accordingly.  

If you have pizza sauce on hand, you can use that instead of the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Ingredients

3 c. macaroni, uncooked
2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 sweet peppers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4 oz.) can of mushrooms
1 1 (32 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 or 2 (2 1/4-ounce) cans sliced ripe olives
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
4 to 8 oz. sliced pepperoni
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and about 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Cook according to package directions. Drain

In a cast iron skillet, brown the hamburger, onion, pepper and garlic. Drain off any excess grease. 

Add the macaroni, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, basil, red pepper, oregano, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Place in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with pepperoni.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are really delicious, but they do take a bit of time to assemble. If you want to save some time, you can use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead. Just make sure the carrots are finely shredded, or they will poke through the egg roll wrappers. 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork or chicken (we use spicy pork)
3 to 4 cups cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
water or 1 egg, beaten
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil for frying

Directions 

In a large cast iron skillet, cook the ground pork, onions until lightly browned. Drain off the grease.

Add cabbage, and carrots and cook down until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in ginger, salt, garlic powder and soy sauce.

Pour some water in a small bowl. Or beat an egg until frothy.  This is the glue to hold the egg roll wrapper together.

Lay out one egg roll skin. Have a corner of the egg roll pointed toward you. Dip your finger or a pastry brush in the water or beaten egg. Rub the liquid around the inside edge of the egg rolls. This will act as a glue to hold the egg rolls together.

Place about 2 tablespoonfuls to 1/4 cup of  the pork vegetable mixture on egg roll paper. Fold the left and right corners toward the center. Fold up the bottom corner and continue to roll.  

You can either preheat the oven to 350° and bake the egg rolls 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Or you can heat up some oil in a deep fryer to 350° and fry 2 to 4 egg rolls at a time. Turn them occasionally for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 

Serve with egg roll sauce or soy sauce, or your favorite sauce.