Showing posts with label Potluck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potluck. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Ham and Corn Chowder


Ham and Corn Chowder

drizzle of olive oil
1 cup onion diced
1-1/2 - 2 lbs ham, chopped
2 cans creamed corn
2 cups whole corn, drained (or you can use 1 can drained)
3-4 cups Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and chopped (use more or less as you like)
4 cups milk (or half and half)
6 Tablespoons butter
8 Tablespoons flour
Fresh parsley
Salt/Pepper (to taste)

Drizzle olive oil into soup pot and cook onions until translucent.  I try not to brown mine but it's ok if it does. Add ham and stir to heat through.

Add broth, both corns, and potatoes.  Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are done.  My Yukons take longer than russet potatoes and seem to differ each time.  You'll need to pull a piece out and test it.  


Add milk.  I use our goat's milk which is very creamy so you could use half and half or whole milk if you want a richer soup.  Otherwise 2% or less would be ok as well.  

While the milk in the soup is heating up make a roux in a small sauce pan.  This is done by melting the butter and whisking in the flour.  Let it cook for about a minute then whisk into the soup. This will thicken your soup.  If you use russets you could leave out some or all of the roux and just smash your potatoes with a potato masher. Yukon golds don't break down much so I needed the roux in mine. 


I added a sprinkle of fresh parsley on my soup the first time we make it and after that I added it to the whole soup. I didn't add salt to ours as the ham had enough.

Feel free to experiment with flavors as you like!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Three Bean Baked Beans

What BBQ wouldn't be complete without a side of baked beans?  This one takes a little bit more effort than the usual can of pork n beans that has been doctored but the flavor is worth it!

I always make extra and freeze it.  Thaw, heat and eat!


Three Bean Baked Beans                                                       Printable Recipe

2/3 cup EACH black, pinto, and great northern beans
8 cups water
5-6 bacon slices, chunked, cooked, and drained
1/3 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons molasses
3/4 cup water

In large ovenproof stockpot add the beans and water.  Be sure to pick through your beans as sometimes there can be rocks.  Bring to boil and boil for 1-1/2 hours, maybe 15 minutes more. They should be soft but hold their shape.  They will not get much softer in the oven so be sure they are how you like them.  You will need to try all three types of beans. The water will look yucky since there are black beans in it but that is ok. 

Drain the beans to a colander. (That will help with their color.)
In same pot, saute onions in a small bit of olive oil until they are soft.
 Add mustard, ketchup, vinegar, honey, molasses, and water.  
 Add beans and bacon. Stir.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 45 minutes (I use foil.) Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. If you find your beans are wet you can cook longer or start off with less water but you will need to check it.  3/4 cup works for us and as it sits the beans seem to soak up some.
 Enjoy as is or you can add hot dogs and the kids can enjoy beans and wienies!! No more baked beans in a can for us.
**Can be frozen and thawed out later, heat and eat!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
chili powder (or a blend of cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder) -this is to taste depending on how spicy you like it
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans made into refried beans or a can of refried beans
1 cup salsa (as hot as you want it)
1 can enchilada sauce
1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch (omit if you not making your own refried beans)
9 corn tortillas
6 ounces Chihuahua cheese or Mexican Blend cheese, shredded
To garnish:
Sour Cream
Chopped Tomatoes
Guacamole

In large skillet cook beef, green peppers, onions, and seasonings until beef is no longer pink. Drain as needed.
Make your refried beans (see link above on how I make mine.) Add them, your drained black beans, salsa, and enchilada sauce to the meat. Stir to combine. 


My refried beans were not as thick as what comes out of the can so I put a 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in the middle of the mixture, stirred well and heated it up.  It was still not thick enough to my liking so I used another tablespoon of cornstarch. Then it was good enough for me.


Spread a little bit on the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.
Add 3 tortillas here, tearing to cover.
Add about 1/3 of the meat mixture next.
Then 1/3 of the cheese.
3 more tortillas.
More meat.
Cheese.
The last tortillas.
Spread the last of the meat being sure to cover the tortilla completely.
End with cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.
Let rest for 5 minutes or so then cut into lasagna to serve.  Garnish with guacamole or chopped avocado, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Chili Mac and Cheese

Ditch HH boxes and skip the preservatives and ingredients you can't pronounce!


Chili Mac and Cheese

8 ounces pasta (you can use macaroni or here I used GLUTEN FREE penne)
2 pounds ground beef
1 to 2 Tablespoons oil 
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
3/4 cup water (or pasta water if you can remember to keep it)
8 ounces Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Friday, January 6, 2012

Cornbread Dressing



Cornbread Dressing

6 cups corn bread, cubed and staled (I use 2 boxes Jiffy mix baked in an 8"x8" dish)
4 cups Challah bread, cubed and staled
3 cups chicken broth 
2 cups milk (I use 2%)


1/2 stick butter
1 to 1-1/2 cups celery, diced
1 to 1-1/2 cups cup onion, diced
1 Tablespoon dried sage (use can use fresh you need 2-3 T)
(all of these flavors are to taste - use more or less as you like)


3 beaten eggs


To stale the breads...spread bread onto a jelly roll pan and bake at 200 degrees for one hour.  Shut off oven and let sit in oven for another hour.  They should be like dried croutons, ready to soak up liquid.
Combine broth and milk in large bowl and add bread.  Stir gently to be sure every piece is covered.  I let my sit in this while I saute the vegetables.
Saute celery and onions in butter until soft.  Add sage and cook for another minute.
Add eggs and celery mixture to bread mixture. I put the eggs to the side of the hot veggies so they don't scramble.  Stir gently to mix.
Pour into 3 quart baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until lightly browned. Shouldn't be jiggly. (My dear husband cooked this one and it's more brown than when I do it.) It was still delicious!
I had an idea for leftover dressing.  I sliced it and lightly brown it in a little butter in a non stick pan.  It crisps up the outside and leave the inside cream.  I served it with grilled chicken, green, beans, and a little chicken gravy I had.  YUM!!


Thursday, June 23, 2011

Green Chili Cornbread Casserole


Green Chili Cornbread Casserole                                                        Printable Recipe

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons cornmeal, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 can creamed corn
1 cup milk 
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 to 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained (I used 2 here)
Your favorite flavors like cumin, garlic, pepper, or taco seasoning.
1 - 4 oz can green chilies (you may want 2 cans instead of 1)
2 - 3 Tablespoons grated onion

2 cups shredded Mexi blend cheese or cheddar 


Optional: 8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Sprinkle 9"x 13" baking dish with 1 tablespoon of corn meal.  Set aside.

Mix together beef, chilies, and grated onion until well combined.  If you don't you will have hot and spicy parts!  Stir in the tomato sauce and beans here if you are using them.
In medium bowl add eggs, corn, milk, and oil.
 Combine.
Add pre-mixed dry ingredients (cornmeal 1 c plus 2 T) baking soda, and salt.  Stir just until combined.
 Pour 1/2 of the corn mixture into pan.  It will be quite runny.
 Add all of your beef mixture.
Top with cheese (I only used 1 cup here.)
Add remaining corn mixture pushing down on beef to cover.  I think coverage would be better if you only used 1 pound of beef but we wanted more meat to make it a main dish.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and not jiggly. Let set for 5-10 minutes before cutting.