Salmon Chowder

2 T melted butter
1 onion minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup diced potato
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/2 t dill weed
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 14 oz can salmon, deskinned

Cook in slow cooker 7 hours. Use flour to thicken before serving.

Chicken Caponata

This dish is supposed to be vegetarian with eggplant. But since I HATE eggplant, I substituted chicken. I think next time I'll try it with Italian sausage.

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion diced
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 cup olives
2 T balsalmic vinegar
1 T tomato paste
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients, cook on slow for 7 hours, serve over pasta.

Chicken and bean burritos

1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 t garlic powder
2 t chili powder
2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
1 can black beans drained
1 can pino beans drained
torillas
toppings: lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes etc

Mix soup, garlic, chili powder, and chicken in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 hours. Add beans for the last hour. Serve in tortillas with toppings.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

This recipe was adapted from the top ramen cookbook Jill gave me for my birthday.  The ramen noodles are tasty, but it would also be good served over rice or another grain.

1 small onion, diced
minced garlic
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 bunch of broccoli, cut up
2 cans cream of chicken
1/2 cup water
2 packages chicken ramen

In a big pan, saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil.  Add the chicken strips and cook until done.  Whisk together soup, water, and one of the ramen seasoning packets.  Add broccoli to the top of chicken, pour soup mixture on top.  Cover and cook until broccoli is tender.

Meanwhile cook the ramen noodles.  Drain.  Place in a big bowl and stir in the other seasoning packet.  Pour chicken/broccoli on top and gently stir together.

Seth's Strawberry Cake

Seth found a recipe card about 10 months ago for a giant, family sized strawberry shortcake.  He has been asking for it as a birthday cake ever since.  The recipe he found was a white cake mix, cool whip creation, which would have still been tasty, but I wanted to up the ante a bit, and this is what I came up with.  It was good.  Really, really good.  The only change I made between making it and writing it down was to increase the quantity of whipped cream, because I felt like I didn't have enough.  I wish there was more squishing out between the layers.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cubes unsalted butter - room temp.
8oz cream cheese - room temp
6 eggs - room temp
3 cups superfine sugar (you can take regular sugar and blend it in the food processor 30 seconds)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350, with rack in the center of the oven.  Butter and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Using the stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add the sugar, in three additions, beating well each time.  Continue beating on med/high until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes.)  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time.  Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.

Bake 60-75 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool 20 minutes.  Remove from cake pan and cool completely.

Strawberries
1 1/2 quarts of strawberries
1/4 cup sugar

Wash strawberries.  Set aside 8 or so for the top.  Slice the rest and place in a large bowl.  Add sugar.  Mash a bit with a potato masher.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Whipped Cream
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Chill your bowl and beater ahead of time.  Beat the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until mixed.

Assembly
Cut the cake into thirds with a big serrated knife.  Place the bottom layer on a cake plate.  Cover with half the strawberry mixture, and then about 1/3 of the cream.  Repeat with next layer.  Finish with top of cake, and the rest of the whipped cream, and arrange the whole strawberries on the top.

Cheesy cauliflower and bell peppers

This recipe came from cooks.com yesterday.  We had it with some grilled chicken, but the dish on its own was really filling. too.  The veggies were cheesy good.  And I like that the prep can all be done in 1 pot.

1 cauliflower, broken into flowerettes
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbl cornstarch
1 1/2 c milk
4 Tbl butter, divided
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 cup shredded white cheddar (I used the sharp cheddar I had in the fridge)
1/4 cup cracker crumbs


Drop cauliflower into boiling, salted water.  Cook 5 minutes.  Drain.  Arrange in a greased casserole dish.

In the same pot melt 1 Tbl butter.  Add peppers and garlic and cook 2 minutes.  Arrange over cauliflower.

In the same pot melt 2 Tbl butter.  Stir cornstarch into milk and pour into butter.  Cook, stirring often, until thickened.  Add salt, pepper and cheese and cook until cheese is melted.  Pour over veggies.

Mix cracker crumbs and 1 Tbl melted butter, and sprinkle on top of veggies.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Or cover and refrigerate and later bake for 35 minutes.

Baked Sandwiches

I found this recipe in a Biquick pamphlet once upon a time.  It comes together very quickly, and makes the simple ingredients quite tasty.  You could use any sandwich meats and cheeses you wanted in the middle layer.


Mix together:
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
1 egg

Place half of the batter in the bottom of a greased 8x8.
Add meat/cheese choices.  I used deli turkey, bacon (precooked) and shredded cheddar.
Top with the rest of the Bisquick batter.
Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees, or until it is golden brown and center is set.
Sprinkle with some more cheese and bake 3 more minutes, or until cheese is melty.
Let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting.