Changing up the BLT

Bacon Lettuce Tomato AVOCADO Sandwich. How could you go wrong?

It is as easy as it sounds. And I decided that this picture was a good reminder to have it a little more often than we our annual BLT+A night. Summer is the perfect time to indulge because it's the best time for homegrown lettuce and tomato!

Minestrone Soup

What I love about this soup is that pretty much everything is optional. Last night I made it with homegrown tomatoes, omitted the celery, ground beef, beans and spinach -- BUT -- added green beans, shredded beef and broccoli and it was still delish! Just use what you have on hand! We also love it with grilled cheese. Yummo.




Minestrone Soup
1 large onion, diced
1.5 lbs. ground beef
7 cups beef broth
1 can tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1 c. elbow macaroni
1 package frozen corn
1 package frozen spinach
Brown hamburger, drain. Add onion and saute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, beans, spices, carrots and celery. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn and spinach. Cook just until spinach is done. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Freezes well.

White wine chicken

Great go-to-dinner with pantry staples!

Ingredients
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 to 4 lb. of chicken, cut into tender or bite size pieces
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 bacon slices, chopped
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cups chicken stock
1+1/2 cups white wine

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm half of the olive oil until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a slow cooker or oven safe pot. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. Add the bacon, onion, mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, and stock to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
3. Remove the sauté pan from the heat, pour the wine into the pan and return to medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the wine to the slow cooker, cover and cook for as long as possible. 

Is great with rice!

The original recipe is here.

TAco Soup

5-6 chicken broth
2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast
1 onion, sauteed
1 large can of tomato sauce
2 cans of kidney beans
2 T. taco seasoning
1 c. kerneled corn

Cook together. Top with cheese, sour cream, guacamole. Eat with chips.

Quinoa Soup

1 c. quinoa
4-8 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. white wine
2 t. thyme
1 t. salt
4-6 carrots
1 onion
2 chicken breasts
3 T butter

Cook together.

Creamy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

8-10 med. sized potatoes- peeled and sliced thinly
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. sour cream
salt & pepper

Boil potatoes until almost tender, drain and cool.
Combine soup/2 c. cheese/sour cream.
Stir in potatoes
GRease 9X13 pan.
Pour potatoes and sauce into pan.
Top with cheese.
Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes.

Creme Brulee

4 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla
3 T. sugar
2 cups cream
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until thickened. Gradually stir in sugar and salt. Heat the cream in a saucepan, remove before cream starts to boil. Stir slowly into egg mixture and add vanilla.

Divide the mixture into four ramekins and place them in baking pan. Fill the baking pan with water about half way up the ramekins. Bake for 1 hour or until firm.

Remove from oven and let cool. Sprinkle the top with sugar and carmalize with kitchen torch.

Chocolate Pie

2 T. lard
6 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
3 c. of milk

Let come to a boil for one minute (WHILE STIRRING). Add half of the mixture to:

4 egg yolks.
Pour back in with the rest of the mixture and let boil together for 1 minute. (WHILE STIRRING)

Add 2 T. of butter and pour into cooked pie crust.

Soft Snickerdoodles

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. crisco
1 1/2 c. sugar
Cream.
Add:
2 eggs

2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. soda
1.4 t. salt

Cream and fluff together.

Roll into balls. Roll in Sugar and Cinnamon. Flatten with glass dipped in water. Cook at 375 for 8-10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.

Great Scott Casserole

4 cooked, shredded, chicken breasts
1 bunch of broccoli

2 cans of crm of chicken soup
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. curry
2 T. chicken broth
Mix.

4 oz. corn bread

2 c. rice

Layer the following: meat, broccoli, sauce, cornbread. Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes

Sally's Bread (zuchinni bread or banana bread)

3 eggs
Beat.

1 c. oil
2 c. Sugar
Beat until fluffy.

3 t. vanilla
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
3 c. flour
1 c. nuts
1 t. baking powder
2 c. grated zuchinni OR bananas
Mix all ingredients.
Pour into greased/floured loaf pans. 1 hour. 325.

Homemade English Muffins

I got this recipe from a friend's blog: www.motherhoodnaturally.com/scratchcooking

My stove top is very hot, and the outsides cooked very quickly in my cast iron, so I had to turn the heat to medium -low and make the dough rounds thin (they plump a bit when cooked) and the middles will be raw if the outsides cook too quickly.

Make sure to use a fork to cut them open! 

 

English muffins

1c milk
2 TB sugar
2 ¼ tsp. yeast
1c warm water
¼ c melted butter
6c flour
1 tsp salt
cornmeal

Combine sugar, yeast and water. Let proof until foamy.
Warm the milk until warm to the touch. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast.

Add milk, butter and salt to the water/yeast/sugar mix.

Add flour until dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. Let rise until double. Punch down and roll into a tube shape about as round as typical English muffins. Cut about 1.5-2 inch rounds off the tube, dust with cornmeal and set aside. Once you have cut your rounds (you’ll end up with about 18 of them), let them rise another 20 minutes.

Cook in an ungreased skillet on medium heat about 8 minutes per side. You want them to get a light shade of brown but you don’t want them to burn. Adjust heat until you find the right setting.