Corn Chowder

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 whole onion, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into pieces
3 whole bell peppers, finely diced (red, yellow, orange)
5 ears corn, kernels sliced off
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 heaping cup grated Monterey Jack
1 heaping cup grated pepper Jack
1/3 cup sliced green onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the bacon and cook for another minute or so, and then add the bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the corn and cook for a minute.  (I took a short cut here and used two cans of whole kernel sweet corn, drained) Sprinkle the flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half, and then cover and allow to simmer and thicken for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in the cheeses and green onions. When the cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Exactly one week to the day of me turning the big 5-0, I wound up laying in bed sick.  So much for turning older gracefully!  But, being the resourceful, efficient person that I am I decided that while I was laying there sick I could at least catch up on my programs recorded on the DVR.  I opened up the folder of several past shows from The Pioneer Woman and found this recipe.  She was having a Chocolate Day on the farm and to balance things out she made this corn chowder.  It looked so good and easy to make and I guess soup just looked good to me at the time since I was under the weather.  This is a very easy soup to make (aside from having to chop up all the veggies first) and it makes a pot full!  It is very tasty and is going to be a side dish tonight to the BBQ chicken that my sweet Momma has fixed and sent down to help me out.  I just love it when my mom takes care of me!  Makes me feel like a little girl again! 

Mummy Dogs

1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 1/2 slices cheese, quartered
10 large hot dogs
cooking spray

mustard

Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles.  Press perforations to seal. With a knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.  Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese cut in half).  Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like bandages, stretching dough slightly to completely over hot dog.  About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog separate bandages so hot dog shows through for the face.  On ungreased large cookie sheet place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot.  Use mustard dots for eyes and also mustard for dipping. (recipe and photo provided by Pillsbury)

 

I've made these before just for a Saturday night snack.  I just wrapped the crescent roll triangle around the dog with a 1/2 slice of cheese added.  The difference here is that you have to get creative and cut the crescent roll dough and layer it on to look mummified.  Cute, fun and delicious!!!

Howlapeno Cornbread

2 - 8.5 packages of corn bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped jalapenos (from a jar)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning spice
1 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour canola oil into large baking pan (9x9 or 13 x 9) and preheat in the oven.  Mix all ingredients together and pour over heated canola oil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Frightening Fingers

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Red decorating gel
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Beat in the egg and extracts.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Divide dough into fourths.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into 1 inch balls.  Shape balls into 3 inch x 1/2 inch fingers.  Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation on one end of each finger for the fingernail.  With a knife, make three slashes in the middle of each finger for the knuckle. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool for 3 minutes.  Squeeze a small amount of red gel on nail bed; press a sliced almond over gel for nail, allowing gel to ooze around nail.  Remove to wire racks to cool.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies. 

Who doesn't love finger foods?!!!!!  Ha Ha!! I cheated on this recipe and used a cookie pan that has finger shaped molds.  All I had to do is press the dough into the finger molds and bake.  I only baked them for about 12-14 minutes too so you might just want to watch the first batch to figure out how long you need to bake them depending on your method, shaping yourself or using a mold.

These are tasty little cookies.  Not too sweet and the dough holds up well to make the finger shape.  Last year I tried a finger cookie recipe and they turned out more like Sasquatch toes.  Go ahead and give this fingers a try! 

Hearty Tuscan Beef and Red Wine Stew

4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice

4 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium yellow onion peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 large celery ribs, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch dice

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsps. minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tbsps. all purpose flour

3 tbsps. tomato paste

1 bottle fruity, dry red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot

2 cups low sodium beef broth, plus more as needed

1 28 ounce can diced Italian plum tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

6 tbsps. minced fresh Italian flat lea parsley, divided

Place pancetta in a large Dutch oven and heat over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally until fat is rendered and pancetta is crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer pancetta to paper towel lined plate.  Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.  Season beef generously on all sides with salt and pepper.  Place in Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is well browned on all sides, about 7 to 9 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer beef to a medium mixing bowl, set aside.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven.  Add onion, carrot and celery and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are golden brown about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring often for 2 to 3 minutes.   Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook, stirring often for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often for another 2 to 3 minutes.  Add wine, beef broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, 3 tablespoons parsley and meat, stirring well to combine.  Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover Dutch oven and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours adding 1/4 cups of additional beef broth if stew becomes dry.  To serve, divide stew between 8 shallow serving bowls.  Top with reserved pancetta, remaining 3 tablespoons chopped parsley and serve immediately. 

This is a recipe I got from Sur La Table cooking class.  I need to have a talk with the chef about all of these “stir often 1-2, 2-3, etc. minutes).  I love to cook with wine and this stew has a whole bottle in it.  I think maybe I could have use 3/4 of the bottle as mine turned out pretty strong on the wine taste.  It cooked down some after the 3 hours of cooking time but I don’t remember it having this strong of a taste in the class.  It’s a good, savory stew and the meat turns out really tender.  When the stew was finished cooking I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar to balance out the acid from the tomatoes, wine and salt.  This tamed it down a bit.  Sometimes you have to do that when there is tomatoes and tomato paste involved in your dish.  I fell in love with this stew at the cooking class.  Serve it with some good crusty bread and a green salad this fall!  Yum!!!!

Chicken and Herb Dumpling Soup

6 tbsps. unsalted butter

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

6 tbsps. plus 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup peeled and diced carrot

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces button mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 pound cooked chicken meat, diced (can use roasted chicken)

1 cup frozen peas

6 tbsps. chopped fresh chives, divided

4 tbsps. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided

3 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsps. baking powder

1/2 cup course ground yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 3/4 cup heavy cream

To prepare the soup, melt butter over medium heat in a medium Dutch oven.  Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove Dutch oven from heat and add 6 tablespoons flour, whisking vigorously to blend with vegetables and butter.  Return to medium heat and cook, whisking for 2 to 3 minutes without letting the flour brown.  Remove pan from heat.   Add 1 cup of chicken broth and whisk until mixture is smooth and paste like.  Once paste is smooth, whisk in the remaining stock.  Add the carrot.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Add mushrooms to soup along with chicken, peas, 2 tablespoons chives, 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon thyme.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer soup until thickened and vegetables are tender for about 30 to 40 minutes

While soup simmers, prepare dumpling dough.  Place remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cornmeal, remaining chopped chives, 2 tablespoons parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking to combine.  Slowly pour cream into dry ingredients and stir just until combined with a wooden spoon.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Taste soup and season again with salt an pepper as needed.  Drop heaping tablespoons full of dumpling dough onto surface of soup.  Cover Dutch oven and simmer until dumplings are firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. (I only added about 5 dumplings per person, didn’t want to over do it)

To serve, divide soup and dumplings between 8 shallow serving bowls.  Sprinkle each with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and serve immediately. 

I got this recipe from Sur La Table when I took a cooking class last week with my sister.  We made four different soups and stews and this was one of my favorites.  I was hoping it would be more like traditional chicken and dumplings so that I could make it for my dad but it’s more of a soup and has lots of veggies in it so I’m pretty sure it got the thumbs down sign when he tasted.  At least he did try it though and I’m glad that he at least gave it a chance.  This soup taste like my grandmother’s homemade chicken noodle soup she use to make.  It’s loaded with flavor and the cornmeal added into the dumpling dough gives them a completely new texture than what you might be use to.  My mother doesn’t like “doughy” foods at all.  She does, however, like these cornmeal dumplings.  I love them anyway they come.  I don’t mind the dough.  I had to wait until I was grown and married before I could have a burrito from Taco Bell.  Mom said the tortilla was too “doughy” when I was younger and never let me have one.  She’d have a fit if she knew how many Taco Casa burritos I’ve had since they moved into town! 

Heaven

1 carton of frozen strawberries, thawed
1 can peach pie filling
1 can sliced peaches, do not drain
2-3 sliced bananas

In a large bowl combine strawberries, peach pie filling and sliced peaches.  Slice bananas and fold into the strawberry/peach mixture.  Serve as is, chill or spoon over angel food cake or ice cream.

If you have ever been to Wyatt's Cafeteria and seen this on their salad choices it's pretty much the same thing.  I got this recipe from a friend at school and when I made it at home my family fell in love with it, especially my youngest son.  We didn't know what to call it and one day my son said it tasted like "Heaven" so that is what we have been calling it ever since.  It is so delicious and it makes a lot so it's great if you have a crowd or need something to take for a pot luck dinner.