Veggie Kale Chicken Bake

Hellman's keeps giving us a free package of Knorr Veggie Dip Mix.  We are not huge fans of "Dips", what to do?  I had chicken thighs in the freezer and fresh kale in the frig...let's give it a try,

Here's what you need.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

5-6 Chicken Thighs

1 cup real Mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. Knorr Veggie Dry Dip Mix
1 small onion finely diced
3/4 cup Parmesan grated cheese
1/4 cup milk if needed
2-3 cups of finely chopped fresh kale (stems removed)  Not pictured

In a medium bowl add the first six (6) items, mix completely.  Finally add the chopped kale mix until kale is completely coated.

Using a #8 Cast Iron Skillet (10")  coat the bottom of the pan with about 1/3 of the mayo mixture.  Place the chicken thighs on top of the coated pan.   Coat the top of the chicken completely with the remaining mayo mixture.  Cover the pan with lid or aluminum and place on the middle rack of your oven.   Uncover the last 15 to 20 minutes.  Bake for 1 hour or chicken tests done.  Enjoy!

For a little extra crunch you can add roughly chopped nuts when you uncover the chicken.



Kitchen Fact: The safe internal temperature for cooked chicken is 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius). A meat or instant-read thermometer is your best bet for determining the temperature of your chicken, and if you're cooking a whole bird, it should be inserted into the thickest part of the thigh but not touching bone.

Hoppin’ John

Garden and Gun Recipe

(ABOUT 6 SERVINGS)

INGREDIENTS (Stage 1)
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
¾ lb. Tasso ham, diced
1 onion, halved
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves

PREPARATION
In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine ingredients with 6 
cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to
2 ½ hours. Drain the black-eyed peas and ham, saving cooking liquid separately. Remove and discard the onion pieces, 
garlic, and bay leaves.

INGREDIENTS (Stage 2)
½ lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ tsp. fresh thyme
1 cup Cajun Grain rice (or a good-quality long grain rice)
6 green onions, sliced
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

PREPARATION
Wipe out the pot and return to stove over moderately high heat. Add bacon and render until golden (8 to 10 minutes), then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasion-ally, cooking until onions look translucent (8 to 12 minutes). Add the thyme and 2 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in the rice, cover, and simmer until the 
rice is tender, about 17 
to 22 minutes.

Stir in the green onions, parsley, and black-eyed peas and ham, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. The hoppin’ John should be lushly moist but not soupy.

Taco Bake

The recipe below has been modified some, I had to use what I had in the house.  I do not keep 12 oz. cans of anything... I used 15 oz. size even the tomato sauce.  I did use black beans because we do not like Kidney Beans, and I rinsed the beans before adding.  I did not have the Jiffy Corn muffin mix so I used the recipe off the round box of corn meal.  Serve with Salsa, sour cream or what ever makes those taste buds happy.  I did not have the canned fried onions so I chopped an onion and added it to the hamburger mix.

1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 (12 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (12 oz.) can kidney beans
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (8.5 oz.) package corn muffin mix
1 (2.8 oz.) can French fried onions
1/3 cup sharp cheddar shredded

Heat oven to 400  .  Brown beef in skillet and drain.  Stir in taco seasoning, water, corn, beans, pepper and tomato sauce.

 Pour into a 7 x 12 inch glass dish or a 2 quart round casserole dish.  In bowl mix corn muffin mix according to package directions, then stir in one-half can onions.  Spoon corn muffin mixture around outer edge of casserole.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle cheese and remaining onions on corn muffin topping.  Bake 2 to 3 minute longer.  Yields 8 servings.

Fried Cabbage and Stuff

This is one of those dishes that just about everybody makes at least once and everybody does something different to it to make it their own.  Good Basic Food.

Start out peeling (if your are using red potatoes don't peel), slicing and dicing some potatoes.  (Red Potatoes work the best)  Fry in a little bit of oil until crisp and brown.  Add one coarsely chopped onion and some coarsely chopped bell pepper (any color will do)  Salt and Pepper to taste.  Remember that the sausage will add salt to the mix.

Once the onions and peppers have started to cook add the smoked sausage .  This is Hillshire Farm, pork,turkey and beef mix,

Stir into potato mix until it starts to heat through.  Lastly, add coarsely chopped cabbage (about any type of cabbage will do)  This is 1/2 head of plain green cabbage, medium sized,.  Stir into mixture, cover and steam until cabbage reaches desire tenderness.

Cran-Apple Crisp

Okay, we're not big fans of cranberry's here. But staying with tradition we have them every Thanksgiving.  Now what to do with what's left.

This actually turned out great, cranberries combined with apples and brown sugar is a great friendship...

Preheat Oven 350 degrees

5-6 peeled, cored and thinly sliced
whole cranberry sauce- about 15 oz.

Combine sliced apples and cranberries, add to a greased 8 inch deep dish

(I have a new Kitchenaid attachment that is labeled as a food processor and it does a great job evenly slicing the apples.  I did not peel my apples which was a mistake, peelings stayed tough and chewy.)

The crisp topping recipe comes from my very old (early 1970's) Better Homes and Gardens Encyclopedia of Cooking,  I have been using this recipe since the beginning of time.  The only thing I did different for this is add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped pecans ** Optional

Combine oats, sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut into butter to make a crumb like mixture.  Sprinkle over apples,  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes,  Serve warm with cream, if desired.

Test apples to make sure they are soft before removing from oven,  I ended up baking for about 50 minutes because I used a deeper pan so I had a really thick layer of apples to bake,

Turkey Tetrazzini

This is a very forgiving recipe that amounts can be adjusted depending on ingredient availability.  I have seen various veggies added, peas, corn etc.  It's all about what you're craving at the moment. Have fun with the basic recipe!

Ingredients

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti

1/2 cup margarine or butter

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup diced celery

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour**

2 cups chicken broth**

3/4 cup half-and-half**

2 cups grated cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

3 cups cubed cooked turkey

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Directions
Cook spaghetti .al dente  Drain.

Meanwhile, melt margarine in skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, celery, mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add minced garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low.

** At this point if you have left over gravy you can add or do this: (I have also been know to use the dreaded can of cream of mushroom soup and milk)  Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. 

Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half, cheese and 1/4 cup parsley, salt and pepper.
Add cooked spaghetti, parsley and turkey to  mixture; stir gently to mix. Spoon mixture into ungreased  (3-quart)  baking dish. 

Cover with foil; 

Heat oven to 350°F. 

** If  Tetrazzini becomes too dry add milk or chicken broth.

Cover; bake at 350°F. for 45 to 55 minutes or until thoroughly heated, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking time. Uncover baking dish; sprinkle Parmesan cheese and/or grated cheese over top. 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Mel's Kitchen Cafe Recipe

This is hands down the most wonderful Sweet and Sour Recipe EVER!

This version is from Taste and Tell..which is actually the method I used.

Author: Deborah
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 to 2½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch

3 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoon ketchup
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons garlic powder

Instructions
Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, I used a zip lock bag. Put the eggs in a separate bowl. Place the oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the cornstarch, then dip in the egg. Add to the hot oil and brown on all sides. You do not need to cook the chicken through, just brown the outside to get a crispy exterior. Transfer the chicken to a 9x13-inch baking dish and continue with the remaining chicken.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce and garlic powder. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Serve over prepared rice.

Notes
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe