May18

Chicken Liver and Onions

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chickenliverandonionsI don’t get hungry for liver of any kind very often, but when I do, I like chicken liver the best.  You can use baby beef liver if you prefer and you can use bacon or not.  I have made it all ways.  I don’t usually make the gravy with it, but I have given you directions for gravy if you want to make it.

  • 1/2 lb. bacon
  • 1 lb. onions, sliced
  • 1 lb. chicken liver or baby beef liver
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Fry bacon and drain, reserving bacon grease.  Keep bacon warm in oven.

Return 2 tablespoons grease to same skillet, and on medium-high heat, saute onions till translucent;  add more bacon grease 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.  Remove onions to oven to keep warm.

Return remaining bacon grease to skillet.  Coat liver in flour, and sear in skillet over medium-high heat;  watch carefully.  As soon as liquid seeps to top of meat, turn and cook 2 minutes on other side.  Remove meat to oven to keep warm only if you are making the gravy.

Sprinkle remaining flour into hot skillet, and stir constantly until flour begins to brown, then add broth.  Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat and simmer 1 minute longer.  Pour gravy over liver and onions, and sprinkle crumbled bacon on top.

Now, if you’re not making the gravy, when liver is done, add the onions and bacon to it and serve.  You can add the crumbled bacon in it or on it, whichever you prefer.

Serves 4.

May1

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

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bananapuddingpokecakeOh my goodness!!!!  You can literally inhale this cake, it’s so good.  I just love poke cakes because they are so quick and easy to make.  And I love banana pudding.

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant banana pudding
  • 1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
  • 4 cups whole milk, divided
  • 2 large bananas, sliced thick
  • 1 (8-oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed
  • 15-20 vanilla wafers, crushed

Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9 x 13 cake.  Once cake comes out of oven, allow it to cool until it’s just warm to the touch.  Then, with a wooden spoon handle, poke holes in the cake.  You want the holes to be BIG so the pudding will go down into them.

In a bowl, whisk together banana pudding with 2 cups milk.  Stir until all the lumps are gone.  Pour pudding over cake making sure you get the holes filled, gently pushing the pudding into the holes and then spread rest over the top of cake.

In another bowl, whisk vanilla pudding with 2 cups milk.  Stir until all the lumps are gone.  Add sliced bananas to pudding and mix gently.  Spread over top of cake.

Put cake into the fridge to set and cool (about 2 hours).  Once cake has cooled, spread on Cool Whip.  Top with crushed vanilla wafers.  (I put my vanilla wafers into a ziploc bag and crushed them with a rolling pin.)  Leave some bigger pieces for a little bit of crunch when you eat the cake.

(I couldn’t wait, I put my Cool Whip on before I put it in the fridge to cool, and it came out just fine)

Serves 12 to 15.

 

Recipe slightly adapted from http://www.thecountrycook.net

 

 

 

 

 

Apr29

Potato Salad

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potatosaladI have made potato salad for years and never followed a recipe.  My husband doesn’t like potato salad, so I’ve always made it like I like it.  Creamy, lots of eggs and slightly sweet.

So I made it this weekend and decided to write everything down as I was putting it together so I could put it on my blog.  Of course, you can leave out anything you don’t like or add anything you do.  Make it as creamy or as dry as you like, or as sweet as you like by adjusting the ingredients.  Taste as you go.

  • 5 lbs. potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, but I also like Red potatoes.  Nothing too starchy, like Russets)
  • 10 hard-boiled eggs (2 eggs for every pound of potatoes)
  • 2 cups mayonaise
  • 1/2 cup diced sweet pickles
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup diced scallions
  • 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Boil potatoes with or without skin on until knife inserted into potato slides out easily.  Cool until you can handle them.  If you left the skin on, take skin off and slice or chop potatoes into a large bowl.  Dice hard-boiled eggs into bowl.

Add rest of ingredients and stir until well combined.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Serves 10 to 12.

 

 

 

Apr18

Cheesy Salmon Chowder

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cheesysalmonchowderHere I go again.  I love soup!  I do believe I could live on soup the rest of my life.  This is so delicious, you must try it.  Very easy to make too.

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, opt.
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 2 (16-oz.) cans salmon, drained and flaked (I used 5 (6-oz.) cans)
  • 2 (12-oz.) cans evaporated milk
  • 1 (15-oz.) can creamed corn
  • 8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and garlic powder until onions are tender.  Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper and dill weed.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat.  Cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese.  Cook until heated through.

Makes 8 servings.

 

Apr9

Ranch Chicken Fingers

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ranchchickenfingersThis was so delicious!!  And quick and easy!!

  • 1 cup cornflake crumbs (I made mine in the food processor)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips (or use chicken tenders)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In small bowl, combine cornflake crumbs and parsley.  In separate small bowl, combine ranch dressing and water.  Dip chicken in dressing mixture, then cornflake mixture, coating well.

On baking pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, arrange chicken.  Bake 8 minutes or until chicken in tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Apr8

BBQ Bacon Turkey Meatloaf

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bbqbaconturkeymeatloafThis is a really good, healthy meatloaf.  Only 215 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving.  Next time I make it, I will put the bacon in the food processor instead of dicing it.

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 12 slices turkey bacon, diced
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestgershire sauce

Mix all ingredients in large bowl.  Press mixture into ungreased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Top with additional barbecue sauce, if desired.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 10 servings.

Note:  Meatloaf ingredients may be combined 1 day ahead and refrigerated.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

 

Apr8

Heavenly Angel Food Cake / Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

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heavenlyangelfoodcakeThis is a classic angel food cake that I made for Easter.  I made it in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan, but you may also bake it in an ungreased angel food cake pan or in 3 ungreased (9-inch) round pans.  The cake and frosting are delicous, but my husband and I thought the frosting was too sweet.  My daughter loved it.  I think, though, it would be good for a drizzle over a hot cake.

This makes quite a large cake.  Bigger than an angel food cake mix.  I beat my egg whites in my mixer and they came right to the top of my pan.  Then I transferred them to a bigger bowl to fold in the sugar mixture.

This was such a good angel food cake mix, I am anxious to try it some different ways.

  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line bottom and sides of a 13″ x 9″ pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides of pan.  (Do not grease pan or foil.)  Sift together first 3 ingredients.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Gradually fold in sugar mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, folding just until blended after each addition.  Fold in vanilla and lemon juice.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  (Pan will be very full.  The batter will reach almost to the top of the pan.)

Bake at 375 degrees on an oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  Invert cake onto a lightly greased wire rack; let cool, with pan over cake, 1 hour or until completely cool.  Remove pan; peel foil off cake.  Transfer cake to a serving platter.  Spread Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over top of cake.  Garnish, if desired.

Times for angel food cake pan is also 30 to 35 minutes, and 9-inch round pans is 15 to a18 minutes.

Serves 15.

Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 1/2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (16-oz) package powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add lemon juice, beating just until blended.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating a low speed until blended; stir in lemon zest.

Source:  Southern Living