Chicken Salad

I'm feeling very proud of myself...I finally made awesome chix salad! I've struggled with this for years and had made it a mission! I've searched high and low for a good, basic recipe, which I could not seem to find. There are thousands of recipes out there, but I don't want the apples, Asian version, etc. Here it is:

Chicken Salad
2 c. cooked, diced chicken breasts (about 2 lg.)
1/3 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. mayo, or more for the desired consistency (lite works just fine!)
salt and pepper, to taste
lil' dash of Dijon mustard (very little, like 1/4 t.)

Mix and chill for a few hours to blend flavors.

****On my quest for a great recipe, I read somewhere that if you chop the chicken, it's even better. The last time I made this I did and it was super! I just used my mini-chopper. (I have the $4 electric version which I normally just use for crumbs...it worked fine!)

Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars

This is a great recipe when you need to impress or perfect for a girls' night! I made two batches tonight...one pan for one of my staff who is leaving and another for Emma's teachers during conferences tomorrow. I originally got the recipe from a lady in my women's club-I was so excited when she sent me the recipe right away....I still have it saved in my email in case I'd lose my hard copy!

Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars
1 12-oz. pkg. of butterscotch chips
1/2 c. butter/margarine
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 8-oz. pkg. of cream cheese
1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
1 egg

Melt chips and butter together; stir in crumbs. Press 1/2 into a greased 9x13 pan. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Blend in swt. cond. milk, vanilla, and egg. Pour into prepared pan. Top the cheesecake batter by spoonfuls of the crumb mix. Bake 25-30 mins. at 350. Chill before cutting and refrigerate leftovers.

"If these bars are consumed with friends, there are no calories"

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Hi! This is a new recipe for this week. I found it on a website yesterday and was so excited when I realized I had all the ingredients at home and could make it right away! (I doubled the recipe and there was only about a bowl left after feeding all of us.)

Creamy Broccoli Soup
2 c. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. chopped broccoli (I used frozen.)
1/4 c. onion
1 c. milk
2 T. flour
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 t. oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring broth to a boil and then add broccoli and onion. Cook for 5 mins. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add milk to flour and mix until well-blended. Stir flour mix into broth. Cook and stir constantly until thick and bubbly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add seasonings and serve!

Rahmschnitzel and Cinnamon Butter: A Fall Dinner

Tonight's dinner was Rahmschnitzel...we've had this 2x in 1.5 weeks, per Kurt's request. (It was Lauren's birthday dinner.) I obtained this recipe from a cookbook I "borrowed" from my mom without her knowledge(Sampling Iowa Treasures: A collection of recipes from IA Bed & Breakfasts and Tearooms)...she still wants it back...someday!



Rahmschnitzel

8 pork cutlets

2 T. butter

salt/pepper, to taste

Sauce:

1 C. sour cream (light works fine)

4 tsp. beef bouillon granules

2 C. beef broth

1 C. milk or half and half (I use skim milk with no problems)

2 heaping T. cornstarch



Brown pork in butter on both sides. Prepare sauce while meat is browning. When meat is finished browning, remove meat and place in lightly sprayed roasting pan. Pour the sauce into the hot pan drippings. Whisk until smooth, thick, and bubbly. Pour gravy over meat. Cover and bake at 350 for 1.5 hours. Serve over egg noodles or pasta.



We also had mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and dinner rolls with cinnamon butter (recipe follows)

Cinnamon Butter

1 stick of butter, softened

4 t. brown sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

Beat until fluffy. Chill to let flavors combine and serve!

Scalloped Potatoes and Kielbasa (or ham)

Hi! This recipe was dinner tonight. I first tried it this summer and I think it is the easiest recipe I know. (plus it tastes great and goes in the crock-pot!)

Scalloped Potatoes and Kielbasa
1 pkg. hashbrowns (32 ozs., I think!)
1 can of cheese soup (Campbell's)
1 can of milk (use soup can)
1 lb. Kielbasa, chopped or ham, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Spray Crock-pot well with non-stick cooking spray. Layer ingredients. Cook for 6-10 hrs on low until potatoes are done.

Cake Balls

Today is Lu's 4th birthday...I made her cake in the shape of the #4, and then had a lot of the cake leftover, so I made cake balls. I read about these as an alternative to cake at graduation time in the paper and thought this would be the perfect time to try them. They are really good, but 1 is enough...even for me! (I used a red velvet cake, can of cream cheese frosting, and white almond bark.)

Cake Balls
1 cake, baked (like from a box)
1 can of frosting
1 lb. almond bark coating

Directions:
After baking the cake and letting it cool, crumble into a large bowl. Mix the frosting in. (I had to do this by hand.) Shape into walnut sized balls. (I used my cookie scoop.) Freeze. After they are frozen, melt almond bark and dip balls to coat well.

I did find it pretty sacrilegious to be dipping things in almond bark without my friend LeeAnn. We do Christmas baking together every year and that is her job because I don't have the patience and she likes it because she doesn't have to do anything with the oven. (We make a great team!!!)

Pork Chops and Gravy, Pumpkin Crunch

Tonight's Dinner, Posted 08/21/08
Apparently, I need to blog again, to catch up for lost time!!!
Tonight was "new" recipe night at the Munson's. I got this recipe from a blog and my family deemed it a success! We also had sweet corn, for the 3rd day in a row....only 5 ears left for the season!

Pork Chops and Gravy
4 pork chops
salt and pepper, to taste
1( 10¾ oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 large onion, sliced
6 oz.(1/2 can) evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown in oil, drain,and transfer to slow cooker. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mushroom soup, onion,and evaporated milk until smooth. Pour over chops. Cook in the crock-pot on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. Stir sour cream into mixture during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

I decided to make this tonight, at 4 pm, so I just cooked the chops in the oven. (375* for 1 hr.)

Next time, I'll make mashed potatoes to go with it to use up all the gravy. And since I had 1/2 a can of evaporated milk left over and it seemed like fall today, I just HAD to make Pumpkin Crunch, one of my favorite desserts. (There are a million recipes out there for this..I made mine the quick, easy way tonight!)

Pumpkin Crunch
1 can of pumpkin pie mix
1 sm. can of evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 box of yellow cake mix
1/2 stick of melted butter/margarine

Mix pumpkin pie mix, evaporated milk, and eggs well. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix on top and pour melted butter on top. Bake at 350* for 55-60 mins.

I've got a story with almost every recipe...when I first had it or when I've served it, but this recipe has its own stories-when my friend Steph used to own her restaurant, she would call me whenever this was on the menu, just to make sure I could get in on it! Also, the year my brother married my SIL, she brought this to Thanksgiving...I knew I loved her when she brought this!

Taco Casserole

As I said before, I like to *try* to make at least one new recipe a week...I usually do get this accomplished, but not all are winners. This week we had a winner! I was surprised that even Kurt liked it because he's not a huge taco seasoning fan. I think my mom made one that was similar when I was a kid.

Taco Casserole
1 lb. hamburger
8 ozs. tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 c. crushed taco chips (I used Nacho Cheese Doritos)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cottage cheese
2 c. cheese

Cook the hamburger, drain, and add tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Mix the sour cream and cottage cheese together. In a greased casserole, spread half the crushed chips, then half the meat mix, then half the sour cream mix, then half the cheese. Layer again. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 mins.

Corn Salsa

My family and I went to an apple orchard this month and they were offering corn salsa for sale. $7.95 a jar. Kurt's g'ma had some of this last year and thankfully created her own "much-less expensive" version. (Plus I had the veggies from my garden!) I think it is wonderful and love to serve it with Wheat Thins Veggie Crisps.

I made it this week because I wanted to can some. (and share with all of you readers!) I've never canned, but thought I would try anyway...my MIL had told me it was easy. I went online to verify her info and found her method hadn't been recommended since 1990...uh, no thanks, Mary! (I told her this and she reminded me I've eaten her canning and not gotten sick, but why take a chance now that I know!!?!)

Anyway, I took it to work (it makes a ton!-esp. if you're not canning it!) and got so many requests for the recipe.

Corn Salsa

1 c. sugar

2 t. salt

1 T. dry mustard

1 T. celery seed

1 1/2 c. vinegar

4 c. corn

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cans petite diced tomatoes



Boil the sugar, salt, dry mustard, celery seed, and vinegar until combined. After the intital boil, add the veggies and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.

Chicken Stir-fry: My Favorite Recipe

My absolute favorite food is my Chicken Stir-fry. The recipe comes from my mother who obtained it from a Bon Appétit magazine during the 1980’s. The only time it’s better then when I make it is when my mother does! And that’s only because I don’t have to do any of the prep work!

Chicken Stir-Fry
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 chicken breasts, in strips

1. Combine the above to coat the chicken well.

1 C. water
1/3 C. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
½ t. dried red pepper

2. Blend and set aside.

Carrots (I usually use ½ - ¾ bag of mini carrots, cut in half)
Zucchini (chopped bite-size)
Onions (sliced)
Mushrooms (sliced)
Green beans (fresh, bite-sized)

3. Start by heating 1 T. of oil in large skillet. (Lately, I’ve just been using non-stick cooking spray.) Sauté chicken for 3-5 minutes, until done. Remove chicken and set aside. Heat an additional 1 T. of oil and stir-fry veggies for 5 mins., until crisp-tender. Return chicken to the pan and add the soy sauce mixture. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Serve over rice.

**Mom always adds peanuts with the soy sauce mix. I just throw them on top when serving.**

I usually start chopping the veggies earlier in the day, so that all I have to do later is cook.

I love making this, but it is time-consuming…that’s why I start chopping the veggies during the day. I once purchased an expensive bottle of sauce from Tastefully Simple thinking it would be close to the same…it sucked so bad, we tossed the rest of the bottle out!