Chicken Cheddar Chowder

I found this recipe in the newspaper and decided to try it. It was the winning recipe in a Progresso soup contest submitted by Jennifer Borgesen of Waterford, MI. It's really good and most of the ingredients you'll probably already have on hand. 

Chicken Cheddar Chowder

2 whole Chicken breasts
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup Sweet Onion, chopped
1 Garlic clove, crushed
2 medium Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2/3 cup Whole Kernel Corn
1 tsp. minced fresh Thyme
1 tsp. minced fresh Sage
1/2 - 1 tsp. Sweet Paprika
2 - 3 cups Chicken Stock or Broth
2 Tbsp. all purpose Flour
1 cup Buttermilk (I used regular milk)
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces. Roast bell pepper until blackened on grill or under broiler (or used jarred red pepper slices!) Remove skin from bell pepper and cut into thin strips about 1" long.

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over med-low heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onions are softened. Add potatoes and corn; cook until onions and potatoes are light golden brown, stirring frequently.

Add chicken, bell pepper, thyme, sage, paprika, and enough chicken stock to cover potatoes. Cover, simmer 30 - 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, adding additional chicken stock if necessary. Add flour to the buttermilk (milk) and beat with a wire whisk until smooth. Over low heat, stir flour mixture into the soup, cooking until thickened.

Stir 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, a handful at a time, into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup, garnished with remaining cheese. Makes 9 cups or about 4 servings.

Foil Packet Chicken

LOVE this recipe. Makes for a nice dinner. This recipe was originally featured at Wegmans and we liked that we could customize each packet for each family member.

Foil Packet Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

4 sheets (12" x 18" each) Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 dashes Paprika
2 cups fresh Green Beans, cut into 1" pieces
2 medium unpeeled Potatoes, cubed 3/4"
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Center a chicken breast half on each foil sheet. Top each with soup, potatoes, beans, and paprika. Dot with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap and seal foil to form packets.

Bake for 20 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Each serving contains approximately 310 calories, 20g carbohyrate (2g fiber), 14g fat (6g saturated fat), 90mg cholesterol, and 640mg sodium.

Stuffed Filet of Sole

This was Mo's favorite way of having Sole and her recipe. 

Stuffed Filet of Sole

1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup fresh Lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/3 cups cooked Rice (I usually make 3 cups)
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (plus a little extra to top each filet)
1 10 oz. package frozen Chopped Broccoli (thawed and drained)
8 fresh Sole filets
Paprika

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine rice, cheese, broccoli, and 1/4 cup of the lemon/butter mixture.

Lightly spray a glass baking dish (13" x 9" is a good size). Spoon rice mixture on top of each filet, roll up, and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Any extra rice mixture can be spooned around filet in the dish.

Top filets with remaining lemon/butter mixture. Top each filet with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese if desired. Sprinkle with pepper and a little paprika.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork.

Serves 6 - 8.

Pot Roast

This is Mo's recipe for Pot Roast that I've always used. It's easy and always good. Just cook it until it falls apart. 

Pot Roast

3# Pot Roast
1 -2 Tbsp. Shortening
6 - 8 Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
6 - 8 Carrots, peeled an cut into julienne strips
1 Sweet Onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 package dry Onion Soup mix (like Lipton's)
1 soup can Water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt shortening in a large roasting pan. Place meat in pan an brown each side for about 5 - 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Drain any fat from pan and then cover. Allow meat to roast for 2 - 3 hours (more is usually better.) Flip meat over about half way through.

Peel and cut potatoes, carrots, and onion. Mix together cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and water. Add vegetables to the roasting pan and pour soup mixture over the top.

Salt an pepper to taste. Continue roasting until vegetables are tender (approximately one hour.)

Note:  For more gravy, use 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup and 2 packages of Onion Soup mix mixed with 2 cans of water.

Pork and Rice Casserole

This is a nice one dish meal that's quick to put together although it takes a while to cook. Mix it up as soon as you get home and then forget about it for a while -- before you know it, dinner's ready!

Pork and Rice Casserole

1 pound Pork Steak, cubed (or boneless chops or tenderloin)
1/2 cup raw Rice
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
2 tsp. Soy Sauce
Salt to taste (I don't add any)
Pepper to taste
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 soup can Water

Brown the pork. Mix together remaining ingredients. Add pork to mixture. Put in a lightly greased casserole dish and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees, covered. Stir once in a while. If too thick, add a little additional water. Remove cover for the last half hour of baking.

Note: Add sliced carrots for additional veggie power.

Taco Casserole

I started making this in recent years so Josh and Daniel probably haven't had this, but Bree and Dave really liked it (me too!) so it makes the blog :) 

Taco Casserole

1 – 1 ½ pounds of lean Ground Beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup water

½ cup Ortega brand Thick and Smooth Taco Sauce (Medium)

1 small can diced green chilies

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 large package taco shells (18 count)

2 – 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 – 2 small tomatoes, cleaned and diced

½ - ¾ cup sliced green onions

Sour Cream (optional)

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onions. Drain. Stir in water, taco sauce, chilies, and seasoning mix. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes.

Spray a 13” x 9” pan with cooking spray. Break half of the taco shells into bite sized pieces and lay on the bottom of the baking pan. Cover shells with half of the meat sauce. Add a layer of cheddar cheese using ½ of the cheese. Repeat with remaining taco shells, meat sauce, and cheese. Bake in preheated 375˚ oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Top with tomatoes and green onions after removing from the oven. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side.

Yield: 6 generous servings

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Casserole

Wow, does this recipe bring back memories. My mother used to make this every time we had ham for dinner -- which was usually at Christmas and Easter. As a kid, I didn't like the way it looked and wouldn't try it, but my brother gobbled it up so eventually I gave in and tasted it. It's completely amazing to me how something that looks so horrible unappealing can taste sooo good. I'd venture to say if you asked Dan what his favorite meal Mo made was, he'd put this recipe at the top of his list. It's a great way to use up leftover ham and you'll easily get a couple more meals out of this.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Casserole

Ingredients:

Potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced using food processor)
Ham (approximately 3 – ½” slices, cubed)
Carrots (sliced)
Onions (sliced)
Cheddar Cheese (grated)
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Milk
Parmesan Cheese
Bread Crumbs
Butter
Flour

In a large greased casserole dish, start layering ingredients in this order:

Potatoes
Ham
Onions
Carrots
Parmesan Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Pats of Butter
Sprinkle of Flour

Continue layering in amounts desired, ending with a potato layer.

Mix together one can of cream of mushroom soup, about ½ can of milk, and about ½ tsp. black pepper. Pour over the top of the casserole ingredients. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Cover casserole with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Take foil off for the last 15 minutes of baking to allow top to brown.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

This has been a favorite for as long as I can remember. I think it may originally be from The Betty Crocker Cookbook but I honestly can't be sure. I think the bay leaves are what give it such good flavor. All I know is it's always good.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

½ cup flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 pounds Beef Stew meat (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 Tbsp shortening
6 cups hot water
4 – 6 pared potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces)
4 carrots (diced or sliced as preferred)
1 cup celery (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 Tbsp salt
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 – 3 bay leaves (whole, for flavoring, discard before serving)

Melt shortening in a large pot. Mix flour with 1 tsp salt and black pepper in a small mixing bowl. Coat meat with flour mixture. Place meat pieces into pot and brown thoroughly.

Add water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 2 hours. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer about 30 – 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To thicken: In a small covered jar shake 1 cup cold water with 2 – 4 tablespoons flour until blended. Stir into stew. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until stew is thickened.