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Wednesday, January 8

Cheesy Potato Soup

4 medium potatoes, diced
1 large onion
1 quart water
3 stalks celery diced
1/4 Cup butter
3 TBS flour
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated yellow cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground pepper
chopped chives
sour cream
cheese
bacon

Combine potatoes, onion, celery and water in heavy saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.  In heavy saucepan melt butter; add flour; cook and stir until mixture bubbles.  Remove from heat; stir in milk.  Return to heat; cook and stir until thickened.  Stir mixture slowly into potatoes - don't drain the water; cook and stir until thick.  Add cheese and seasonings.  Serve topped with chopped chives, sour cream, cheese and bacon.

Saturday, January 4

Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie

For the Crust:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
For the Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3/4  cup whole milk
2 ounces cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cubed chicken meat (I cooked two chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 cup thinly diced carrots
1 cup diced fresh green beans
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture.  Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas.  Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk.  Use a fork to bring to dough together.  Try to moisten all of the flour bits.  On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture.  It will be moist and shaggy.  That’s perfect.  Divide the dough in two and gently knead into two disks.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, start by dicing the onion, garlic, carrots, green beans, and thawing the frozen peas.  Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk in the flour.  Mixture will be very thick.  Heat for 1 minute.  Turn flame to low and slowly add the chicken stock.  Whisk until no flour bits remain.  Whisk in the milk and add the cream cheese.  Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, until cream cheese has melted and the mixture is the consistency of warm, thick pudding.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Remove mixture from heat and spoon into a medium bowl.  Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter (or olive oil, if using).  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add carrots, green beans, and peas.  Cook for  about 5 minutes.  The vegetables will not be entirely cooked through.  That’s ok!  Remove from heat and stir in cooked, cubed chicken.   Stir the mixture to the sauce.  Stir to combine.  Set aside and allow the filling to cool slightly.
To assemble the pie, remove one of the pie dough disks from the fridge.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into about a 13-inch round.  Roll the dough a few strokes, then use your fingers to move the emerging circle around the floured surface.  This ensures that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface.  The circle won’t be perfect, that’s ok.  Try not to get any tears in the rolled out dough, but if you do, they can be patched together with extra dough.    When you roll the dough and you can see it start springing back, that means that the butter is warming and the crust shouldn’t be rolled out anymore.  Gently lift the 13-inch round from the floured surface and center in a deep 9-inch round pie dish.  Place in the fridge while you roll out the top crust.
Roll out the top crust just as you did the bottom crust, moving the dough across the floured surface every once in a while, and creating a roughly 13-inch circle.
Spoon the filling into the bottom pie crust.
Carefully remove the top crust from the work surface and drape over the filling in the pie dish.  With a small knife, trim the crust, leaving about 1-inch overhang.  With your fingers press the top and bottom crusts together and fold under.  Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges of the dough.  Cut five small slits in the top of the crust so the steam can vent.  Brush lightly with beaten egg and place in the fridge to chill while the oven preheats.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place pie in the oven bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the oven heat to 375 and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hours before serving.  Place covered in the fridge to store.  Pie lasts up to 3 or 4 days.

Recipe and picture from Joy The Baker!!!

Friday, January 3

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into inch cubes
  • 5 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 3 ½ cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

  1. Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches.
  2. Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
  3. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Add broth or water if the stew is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve.

Thursday, December 26

Just Granola


Ingredients in no particular order:  organic rolled oats; light brown sugar; organic avocado oil,
Vietnamese cinnamon; organic golden raisins,sweetened, organic dried cranberries, mariani apricots, vanilla,  dried blueberries; dried Montmorency cherries, unsweetened toasted coconut, roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds,sunflower seeds, chia seeds pecans, honey roasted almonds, flax, sea salt. (IT IS DELICIOUS!!)

Recipe from the Little Brown Bakery

Monday, December 23

Peanut Blossom Cookies

1 3/4 Cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup shortening
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1 egg
2 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla
48 chocolate candy kisses

Combine ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Mix at low speed until dough forms.  Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each cookie.  Roll balls in sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes.  Top each cookie with a candy kiss.  Press firmly until it cracks around the edge.  Put back in oven for 1 minute.  For a variation use the same dough and place the balls in small muffin tins.  Bake for 8 minutes then place a small reeses peanut butter cup in the middle. This really gets people's attention.

Saturday, November 9

Energy Bars (Homemade Granola Bars)

1 10 oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows or 40 large marshmallows
1/2 cup margarine or butter (I use butter)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup unsalted peanuts (I used the WalMart unsalted dry roasted peanuts)
2 cups quick oats
2 1/2 cups rice krispies

Toast oats and rice krispies in a Teflon coated skillet or warm in 200 degree oven. (optional)  Melt marshmallows, butter and peanut butter in a large pot over low heat. Add raisins and peanuts; stir. Add oats and rice krispi8es to mixture (Work quickly as mixture hardens fast.) Spread mixture in buttered 9x13 pan. (I like to spread mixture in a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. It doesn't make the bars as thick.)
Courtesy of April Steimle and Kathleen Magnusson

Tuesday, November 5

Pasta Salad - Marybeth

Angel Hair pasta
Breaded chicken tenders
Sliced red, yellow and orange peppers
Diced tomates
Romaine lettuce
grated cheese

Combine ingredients and top with Bolthouse Ranch Dressing