Pancake/Waffle Mix...

Original recipe from Kathryn at Do It On A Dime.  Thanks, Kathryn!

Ingredients:
10 cups all purpose flour
9.5 ounces instant dry milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt

Measure all the dry ingredients into a very large bowl.  Whisk together to mix well.  Transfer the dry mix to a one gallon glass jar to store.

To make batter:
Put 2 cups of the pancake/waffle mix into a bowl.  Add 1 cup of water and 1 egg and stir till well combined.  Pour batter onto a griddle or waffle iron and cook till golden brown.

My notes:  We like breakfast for supper at our house.  But every time I want to whip up some waffles, it seems I am short of milk.  The dry milk in this mix makes that a non issue for me.  

On my first batch of mix, my batter turned out too thick to pour.  I assume that my flour had settled in the canister and so my mix is flour heavy; I should have whisked the flour in the canister before measuring.  I just added another egg and another cup of water (so in total, 2 cups mix, 2 eggs, 2 cups water).  My batter was pretty thin, but it cooked up fine and had a nice rise.  I'm sharing this to let it be known that the mix is pretty forgiving. 

Kathryn puts a label on her storage jar that says: 2 c mix, 1 c water, 1 egg.  No forgetting!

Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle...

I've blogged before about Dublin Coddle.  My friend LB reminded me that it needed trying in the slow cooker.  It turned out SO delicious and was so much easier since I didn't bother with the layering and oven-cooking steps.

Part of what makes it so easy is my Ninja Slow Cooker.  (not a sponsored recommendation, I just LOVE my Ninja.)  It has stove-top settings, which makes browning of meat in its non-stick liner so convenient, and no extra pan to wash.  I just sliced the sausage and bacon and put it in the liner and set on 'high' stove-top setting.

While the meat started cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the potatoes.  Carey had picked up baby carrots instead of whole carrots, so I used those straight from the package.

As soon as the vegetables were prepped, I stirred them into the liner with the bacon and sausage.  The bacon and sausage weren't fully cooked yet, but that was okay since it was going to slow cook for four more hours.  

I poured a can of Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup over the top.  Then I almost filled the empty soup can with water and poured that over the top too, twice (or about 2 cups of water).  I pushed the potatoes down into the liquid as much as possible.  The soup is salty enough that I don't even add additional salt...maybe just some ground black pepper if I think of it.

Then I added as much torn kale (with large stems removed) as I could fit into the room that was left at the top of the pot to steam.  I put the lid on, and switch from stove-top setting to the 'high - 4 hour' slow cook setting.  When it's done, I stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

It is SO good, and it is everybody's favorite...much more flavorful than it is photogenic.  Jared said he could eat it every day, so I make it often, as I almost always have everything on hand.  And now it's even easier in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked link sausage, sliced

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, roughly chopped

5 to 6 potatoes, washed and sliced (I leave peel on)

3 carrots, washed and sliced (I leave peel on) or baby carrots

2 to 3 cups tightly packed torn kale, 

      washed and large stems removed

1 can Campbell's Condensed French Onion soup

2 cups water

Directions:

Cook the sausage and bacon a bit.  In the slow cooker liner mix the onion, potatoes, and carrots to the meats and toss.  Pour soup and water over top.  Top with kale.  Cover and cook for 4 hours on high slow cooker setting.  Stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:
1 pound smoked link sausage
8 to 10 cups cooked pinto beans plus their liquid
   (at least 3 cups liquid, or add water or broth to make up the difference)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions:
Slice sausage into rounds 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  Heat a deep pan and add sausage rounds to brown a little, stirring occasionally.  Add beans with their liquid, tomatoes, and spices.  Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for awhile (one hour or four hours, it's up to you).  The longer you simmer, the softer the beans will get and thicken the liquid.  Serve over white rice.

My notes:  Carey does not like spicy foods.  So I make a large pot of beans with ham, onion, and garlic and serve it with cornbread.  I save the leftover beans to make a spicier meal of red beans & rice when he's not home. 

No-Peek Chicken...

Ingredients:
2 cups white long grain rice
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of water
1 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 to 2 pounds of chicken pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Spray a 9" x 13" casserole with non-stick spray or grease lightly.  In a bowl, whisk the soups and water to combine without lumps, then add rice and stir to combine.  Pour into the prepared casserole.  Lay chicken pieces on top of the rice/soup.  Sprinkle the envelope of Lipton Onion Soup mix over all evenly.  Cover well with foil (or lid), and bake for about an hour and a half to two hours.  Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.  Serve with salad or a vegetable.

My notes:  I learned to make this early in my marriage.  Not haute cuisine, but the family likes it, and it is so easy on a busy day.  You can use any chicken pieces that you prefer, you can adjust cooking time up or down depending on the size of pieces used.

Dublin Coddle with Kale...

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked sausage

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon

3 cups beef broth 
   (* or 1 can condensed French Onion Soup plus 1 1/2 cans water) 

6 potatoes

3 large carrots (In photo above I didn't have whole carrots and used matchstick instead.)

2 onions

1 bag of kale
salt and pepper

Directions:

Slice the sausage and chop the bacon.  Place in a pan and add 3 cups beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Scrub the potatoes and carrots well (or peel if you prefer) and slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.    Thinly slice 2 onions.  Wash the kale, discarding large stems, and chop roughly.

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Spray a large casserole with cooking spray, or coat bottom and sides with olive oil.  

Layer:

1/3 of potato slices in the bottom

1/3 of the sliced onions

1/3 of the carrots (in photo above I used matchstick carrots instead of sliced)

1/3 of the kale

1/3 of the sausage and bacon
a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Repeat layers twice more, then pour the hot broth over all.  Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove lid.  If it looks too dry add 1/2 cup of water.  Leave uncovered and bake for 20 more minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

My notes:  *The second time I made this (3/16/2017) was for an early St. Patrick's Day supper.  I didn't have any beef broth, but I did have a can of Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup that had been languishing in the cupboard for a long time.  I don't remember when or why I bought it...probably should have checked the use-by date.  :)  I used it (plus 1 and 1/2 cans of water) in place of the 3 cups of beef broth.  The coddle tasted even better than I remember it tasting the first time.  Yum!

Haluski with Sausage...

Ingredients:
wide noodles
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 onion (roughly chopped)
1 head cabbage (roughly chopped)
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon carraway seeds (optional)
salt and course-ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat water to cook the noodles in, and heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  

Place the noodles into the boiling water.  

Brown the sausage in the skillet, stirring occasionally.  Add the tablespoon of butter.  Add the onion and let cook a bit, then add the cabbage and caraway seeds to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally.  I like to let the cabbage caramelize a little.  Add the cooked noodles to the skillet and toss to combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.

My notes:  I used link sausage, so I sliced the links in half lengthwise and then sliced the halves into bite-size pieces.  When adding the cabbage to the pan, you may need to add part and let it cook down a bit before adding the rest.

Virginia's Taco Soup...

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef, browned

1 can of whole kernel corn (*drain)

2 cans of Pinto beans (*drain)

1 can of Kidney beans (*drain)

1 4 oz can of green chilies (*drain)

1 pkg of taco seasoning

1 pkg of dry Ranch dressing

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes  (or 2 15 oz cans)

2 cans of Rotel tomatoes

2 cups of water

Directions:

In a large pot, brown the ground beef.  Drain excess grease if necessary.

*Drain the cans of corn, pinto beans, kidney beans, and green chilis together in one strainer (I do not rinse) and add to the pot.

Add crushed tomatoes (with its liquid), Rotel tomatoes (with its liquid), and water to the pot.

Add the taco seasoning and the dry ranch seasoning to the pot, stir to mix, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer till ready to serve.

Serve with crackers or cornbread.

My notes:  This is the easiest recipe in my repertoire.  I almost always have everything in the pantry, and can throw it together in minutes, and as soon as it is warmed through it is ready to eat.

Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe...

Crispy and brown on top...

...rich and creamy inside.

Ingredients:

1 8oz pkg elbow macaroni

2 cups cream style cottage cheese (small curd)

1 cup sour cream

1 egg (beaten)

1 tsp salt

Dash of cracked black pepper

¾ cup Velveeta grated or cut in smallish cubes

1 ½  cups shredded cheddar cheese (divide: 1 cup and reserve ½ cup for top)

Directions:

Cook macaroni as directed on package.  While it is cooking place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl (but reserve ½ cup of the shredded cheddar for top), and stir just till blended.  Drain the macaroni and then stir it into other ingredients.  Turn all into a greased casserole.  Top with remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and bake at 350° F for 45 min.

This is a recipe my mother used to make.  I've been making it for as long as I can remember, and it is a family favorite. 

Chicken and Dumplings

This is my favorite recipe for Chicken and Dumplings from my

Betty Crocker cookbook (red and white gingham cover)

STEWING THE CHICKEN

In a large pot, stew either one whole chicken or separate pieces of chicken with one onion, several carrots, several ribs of celery, a bay leaf or two, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover all.  Cook until done.

After stewing the chicken, remove it from the bone.  Strain and save broth.  Discard the vegetables, and return broth to the pot.  Add meat back to broth, and bring back to a low boil.

FOR DUMPLINGS:

2 c all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons snipped parsley (opt)

2 beaten egg

½  cup milk

4 Tablespoons cooking oil

Combine flour, baking  powder, and salt; stir in parsley.  Combine egg, milk, and oil.  Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork only till combined.  Drop dough by the tablespoon directly onto chicken in bubbly broth.  Return to boiling.  Cover tightly.  Reduce heat, do not lift cover.  Simmer 12 to 15 minutes.   If  broth needs thickening, mix 2 heaping Tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of milk; stir carefully into pot so as not to break dumplings, and simmer for a few minutes with lid off.  Serve.

My notes: This can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a big enough pot!

These are 'drop' dumplings, not the rolled variety.  I'm not a fan of the rolled variety, too heavy for my liking.  I took the photo below of a dumpling I cut in half to show you how it is cooked and fluffy all the way through.

I have never had this dumpling recipe fail...dumplings turn out light and fluffy every time.

Sushi Salad

Original recipe is from Two Peas And Their Pod.  My altered recipe follows.

Ingredients:
1 cup short grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup, plus 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
2 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated carrot
1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup shelled edamame
2 sheets nori--sheets of dried seaweed--cut into strips 
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Dressing Ingredients
2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 Tablespoon hot water
2 Tablespoons cold water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
In a small saucepan bring 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissoved and remove from heat.  Let cool and pour over cooked rice in a large bowl.  Stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 Tablespoons vinegar, oils, green onions, carrot, cucumber, edamame, and nori strips.  Top salad with avocado slices.

In a small bowl, stir wasabi powder into hot water and stir in cold water, soy sauce, and ginger.  Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.



My notes: I didn't put in the nori, but I might next time.  And I don't like pickled ginger and didn't want to buy a ginger root, so I didn't put in the pickled ginger or the fresh ginger root juice that the original recipe called for, but I did put in a little powdered ginger in the dressing.

I love sushi.  This is an economical substitute, and the leftovers will travel well for lunch the next day.  I definitely need to add some protein to this so that it's more filling.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen sliced carrots

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen petite peas

2 medium sized potatoes, diced fairly small

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey gravy

1 can cream of mushroom soup

my favorite pie crust (this pie crust is assembled, mixed by hand, and patted out all in one dish).  To double for a casserole dish, use *3 cups flour, 1 scant cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup water, and a pinch of salt.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place diced potatoes in a large sauce pan and cover with water (make sure water level is about 2" over top of potatoes as you will be adding other vegetables later).  Bring to a boil;  reduce heat and simmer until almost tender.

Place all frozen vegetables into the saucepan with potatoes.  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer just until barely tender (5 minutes or less; they will continue cooking while baking).  Drain.

In a smaller saucepan, place the turkey, gravy, and the soup over medium heat, stirring to combine.  When warm, fold gently into the drained vegetables in the larger pan.  Turn off heat, and let sit while preparing crust.

Place crust ingredients ( *3 cups flour, 1 scant cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup water, pinch of salt) in a casserole dish, and mix together by hand just till dough forms. 

Set aside about one third of the dough, leaving 2/3 in casserole dish.  

Press out the 2/3 of dough to cover the bottom and sides of the casserole bringing top edges a little above the sides of dish.  

Place the reserved 1/3 of dough between layers of wax paper or plastic wrap and roll out to roughly the size of the top of casserole.  

Pour the filling mixture into the crust in the casserole dish.  Remove top layer of plastic or wax paper from the rolled crust, and invert the rolled crust over top of the casserole; remove other layer of plastic/wax paper from the top of crust, and pinch the crust top and bottom together.  Cut slits in the top.

Place in a 350 degree oven for one hour or until crust is golden.

*measurements at asterisks are already doubled to fit casserole

Note:  If I'm making from stewed chicken and I don't have gravy, I whisk 2 Tablespoons of flour into 2/3 cups of milk.  Add that to the canned soup in the saucepan, and add about 2/3 cup of chicken broth.  Whisk till smooth, and let heat and thicken a little.  Place boned and diced chicken to soup/gravy and stir.  Simmer till warmed through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Liver and Onions...

Ingredients:
4 slices maple-smoked bacon
2 large onions, sliced in rings
1 pound of beef liver
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp course ground pepper

Directions:
Season the flour with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge the liver in flour and set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet.  Fry bacon at medium high temperature till lightly crisped and grease is rendered.  Remove from pan, cut each slice into three or four pieces, and set aside. 

Keeping the skillet's temperature at medium high, place the floured liver pieces in the hot bacon grease, careful not to crowd the pan.  Cook only till outside is brown, not till completely cooked through...this goes very quickly.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Add  all of the onions to the skillet. Add one to two tablespoons of water and stir a couple of times till onions just start to turn translucent and start picking up the brown bits from bottom of pan.  Lay the liver in a single layer over the onions, and place the bacon pieces on top of all.  Reduce heat to medium to medium low, cover the pan, and let steam till the onions are tender and the meat is cooked through , about ten minutes.

My notes:  My mother used to prepare liver and onions pretty often, so I know how it's done...I just don't really like it, so I don't do it often.  Let me restate that.  I don't like to look at or handle the raw liver...it's actually not too bad once it's cooked.  Mom never included bacon in her preparation that I remember, but it definitely was a great addition.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
1/2 cup shoestring carrots (you could peel and slice whole carrots, but I had shoestring, and it was easier to use them)
1 cup link sausage, diced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
4 to 6 cups water
2 cups lentils
1/2 cup fresh spinach

Directions:
In a large pan, heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add diced onion, celery, carrot, and sausage. Saute, stirring occassionally, till onion is translucent. Add canned tomatoes (do not drain), chicken broth, and 4 cups water, and heat to boiling. Add the lentils, and stir. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes until lentils are tender. Check occassionally during cooking, and add rest of water if needed/desired. At end of cooking time, stir in the fresh spinach.

My notes: This was very quick to pull together and get in the pot. And it was quite good. very hearty. I was tired, so I just served with crackers, but it would have been great with cornbread.

Drew's Kick-Ass Beans

This recipe was shared with me by Drew D., aka (affectionately known as) the Crazy Cat Lady. The title refers to the awesome flavor, not digestive repercussions. :)

Ingredients:
3 cups dried pinto beans
8 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into about 1inch pieces
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 beer
salt to taste

Directions:
Rinse the beans and pick out any stones or bad beans. Place in large pot, and add 10 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and cover pot. Let sit for one hour. Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, or enough to maintain a slow boil. Continue cooking for several hours until beans are tender. During the cooking time, add water to the pot as needed.

Beans cooked covered, low, and slow will have a thinner broth. I like to uncover them, and let the broth reduce so it's thick and hearty.

My note: Don't be timid with substitutions. You can use sausage or ham instead of the bacon. Today I don't have a green bell pepper, so that will have to be left out. No beer in the house today, but I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, so I used about a third of it. If you don't drink, leave it out.

I serve with a fresh-baked pan of cornbread. Any cornbread that is left over, I put in a big zip lock freezer bag and throw in the freezer. I make a fresh batch of cornbread each time we have soup in the fall, by adding all the leftovers to the freezer bag, when Thanksgiving rolls around, I have plenty of cornbread for the dressing. One less thing to do for the busy holiday preparations.