Hot Fudge Sauce

Recipe first, story below 💖

Hot Fudge Sauce

Credit: The Joy of Cooking, 1975 edition

(Please see notes below before making!)

Melt in a double boiler (or microwave) (see note below)

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1Tbsp Butter

Stir well and add: 

1/3 cup boiling water

Stir well and add: 

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp corn syrup

Let the sauce boil readily, but not too furiously, over direct heat (not in double boiler). DO NOT STIR.

For regular sauce: Boil, covered for 3 minutes and then 2 minutes uncovered, without stirring.

For sauce that will harden over ice cream (I HIGHLY recommend this option!): boil uncovered for 3 minutes more than for regular sauce - 5 minutes total after uncovering.

Remove from heat. It can be served immediately if you like. Just before serving,  stir in 1 tsp vanilla or 2 tsp rum (I admit I have never tried the rum version, nor do I recall seeing this, so I'll have to try it sometime!).

Store in refrigerator. It will get very thick when cold. Feel free, as I do, to grab a spoonful whenever you feel the craving for something decadent. Or warm it gently in the microwave (probably 10-20 seconds - start low to see how long it takes).

NOTES

* I almost never have unsweetened chocolate on hand, so I looked up a substitution (there's a section in the cookbook - page 594!): 3 Tbsp cocoa or carob powder plus 1 Tbsp butter or shortening (I use butter) OR 2 Tbsp water. I always use the cocoa/butter combo and you don't need to melt it first; just slap it in a pot and start with step 2.

* if using the chocolate squares there is really no need to use a double boiler, if you even have one. 1975 was either before or very early days of microwaves - melt it for 20 seconds or so at a time.

**Now for the personal backstory that I'm sure everyone wants to read!**

Back in the day, the Bible of Cookbooks was "The Joy of Cooking". Mom had a tattered copy (that I may actually have somewhere) and my own copy is one of the first wedding shower gifts I opened! I rarely use it anymore, because I just look recipes online and then post the ones I like when I get around to it. But I used to use it a lot! It's all marked up with spills and such, mark of a great recipe!

I got it down off the high shelf and dusted it off so I could make some Hot Fudge Sauce today. That's always been one of my favorites and I was craving something rich and decadent. It popped into my mind and we have ice cream to go with it.

We had this a lot when I was a child, and it was one of the first things I made all by myself!

Green chili chicken and dumplings

A family favorite!! We buy several jars of the mix whenever we can find it, because it isn't local to us. We usually find it at HEB when we go to Texas.

I never alter this recipe, so here is the  link! 

Leave out the biscuits or make your own low carb dumplings if you want low carb.

https://cookwell.net/blogs/green-chili-stew-recipes/green-chili-chicken-dumplings

Hawaiian Style Country Pork Ribs

I found the idea for this recipe on the internet, but it was for chicken and the only thing in my recipe that's the same is the can of pineapple! We had pork country ribs in the freezer and I was looking for something different that our usual way of cooking them.

I cooked the peppers separately because not everyone in our household likes them. I think the roasted peppers were way better than they would have been cooked in the pot. If you want to add them to the pot, I'd add after the pressure cook when it's set to sauté, so they don't turn into mush. Different colored peppers would add a pretty touch! I took this picture before I mixed mine in.

We absolutely loved this and will definitely make it again - maybe even with chicken!

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless country pork ribs, cut in bite size chunks

1 can pineapple tidbits with juice

1/3 c soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 t ginger, minced

1 small onion, diced (1/2 large)

1 T rice vinegar

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 T cornstarch

1 large bell pepper, cut in large chunks

Instructions:

Sauté onions and garlic in the Instant Pot with 1 T olive oil for 5 minutes; add meat and saute for 5 more minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT cornstarch and peppers. Mix well so meat is thoroughly coated.

Pressure cook for 20 minutes - quick release, then set on sauté with lid off.

Meanwhile, toss the pepper chunks with 1 T olive oil. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through. 

In a small bowl,  whisk the cornstarch with about 3 T of the hot liquid from the pot. Add to the pot and stir constantly for one minute until thickened. Turn pot off.

We served with riced cauliflower. Delicious!

Country Pork Rib Stew

I'm not good at making meal plans, in spite of my best effort. Many days I pull something out of the freezer and hope for the best - I have no idea what to do with it and half the time I don't know for sure until it's done! Sometimes the result is good, and sometimes it's not. Tonight, the result was amazing. We just finished dinner, and the kids have shooed me into the computer room to type out what I did. They want me to make it again!

When I create, I don't measure, so it's really difficult to type it out. I'll try to guess, but if anyone else happens on this and wants to try it, adapt it for your own. Those of you who need exact recipes - I'm sorry! 

Country Pork Rib Stew

1 onion, sliced

1/2 green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

Saute the vegetables in a dutch oven on medium high heat until soft. Add :

2 lbs. boneless country pork ribs, cut into stew sized pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic and herb seasoning

Stir and cook on medium high until lightly browned.. Add:

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup V-8 juice

1/4 cup sherry wine

1 tomato, diced (canned would be fine too)

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.  About 30 minutes before dinner time, remove cover and raise the heat slightly. Mix 2 Tbsp flour with 1/2 cup water until very smooth. Stir slowly into stew and mix well. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Just before serving, I added a small can of green beans and a small can of mixed peas and carrots, just to stretch it out a little. It was a good fit!

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

The sauce was SO delicious, the kids and I (we're all soup lovers) ate it in a bowl, over rice, like soup! 

** Feel free to add whatever vegetables you like. I wish I'd added some celery and potatoes or turnips.

** I think this would also be great for the crock pot.

These quantities served 8 people, but we all ended up wanting more. I'm going to double it next time.

King Ranch Chicken

This is our version. We call it Rotel Chicken, but if you Google that it's a completely different thing. I started with the recipe off the Rotel site and tweaked it.

Preparation: Preheat oven to 325. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 can (7 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
1 can (10 oz) water or chicken broth, use to rinse out the other cans
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
12 corn or flour tortillas (6 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in soups, undrained tomatoes and chilies, water and chicken. Mix well.
Layer half each of tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese evenly in dish. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:
* Use different heat levels of tomatoes. Our favorite is a can of mild and a can of hot.
* Instead of tortillas, use Nacho Cheese Doritos. Don't crush - just spread in an even layer.

Baked Chicken and Rice Soup

We visited our son in Tennessee this past summer and he took us to eat at a lovely place called Demos. At his urging, we ordered soup instead of salad with our meal. "It's the best soup ever!" he claimed.

The whole family got it and we all loved it! Such a simple soup, quite unlike what I usually make. I had to find the recipe, so I searched online. Apparently they do not share it, but many have tried to duplicate it! I found one that claims to be spot on, and altered it slightly. The original used canned broth and bouillon. I tried it this way, but the soup base made it way too strong and salty (besides being full of artificial crap). I now use homemade broth. You can concentrate it if you want a stronger flavor by cooking it down. Be careful - it's really easy to end up too salty! Add the salt after concentrating it. I did use a rotisserie chicken for the meat, skin included for flavor.

I can't guarantee this tastes exactly like Demos', since we can't compare. But I can promise you it is totally delicious comfort food!!

Baked Chicken and Rice Soup

• 2 quarts chicken broth (after concentrating, if you are)
• 1 can water
• 1 cup milk or cream 
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, bones removed and thinly sliced (leave skin for more flavor)
• pepper to taste
• garlic salt to taste
• fresh parsley, for garnish

• cooked rice

Put broth in a stock pot and add chicken. Boil until chicken is tender.

Add milk and heat through.

Spoon rice into bowls as desired. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Cauliflower "Mac and Cheese"

I'm doing so well eating low carb, and I hardly ever crave carb-full food anymore. But my kids have been eating a lot of mac and cheese this summer and that's something that's hard for me to resist! I Googled for a recipe and adapted it quite a bit from the original. It was absolutely delicious. Next time I will use half-and-half instead of cream, or water it down some, because some of the comments said they used milk and it was fine. Milk is higher in carbs, but this was really too rich to use full cream as originally called for. Also, I used a Mexican blend cheese mix because I had that on hand. I want to try it with medium to sharp cheddar.

Here is the exact recipe I used tonight. I will update once I try anything mentioned above.

"MAC" 

2 bags frozen cauliflower florets (1 pound each)

Cook the cauliflower as directed until done. It should not be mushy, but more on the soft side. Cool enough so you can cut it into small pieces (I tried to mimic the size of a macaroni noodle). Cut, then set aside.

Put the cut cauliflower in a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.

"CHEESE"

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese (see note above)
1.2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the cream, half-and-half and butter to simmering. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and mustard, and simmer, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cheese, stirring until melted, about 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour over cauliflower in the baking dish. Stir to combine. Be sure the cheese mixture completely coats the cauliflower.

There are two ways you can go from here - I served mine as is. It was delicious!

Or, you can turn it into an oven casserole. Top with an additional 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven  until browned and bubbly - about 15 minutes.

Yum! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Dump Cake

You know what a "dump cake" is, right? You have just a few ingredients and you just DUMP them into a pan to bake. They are super easy at home, and very popular on Scout camp outs. We cook them in a Dutch oven, using coals for the heat (top and bottom). Yummy!

The standard Dump Cake uses canned fruit, a cake mix, and a stick of butter. Some recipes call for cutting the butter into pats or bits, some call for melting. Either way is fine. I go with pats because it's less work!

Flavor variations are endless - experiment to find your own favorite! I am posting some of ours below. You can use no-sugar-added fruit, gluten free cake mix, margarine (yuck. just saying), whatever your taste buds or health needs require. Even throw some fresh fruit into the mix. The key is you need the juice from the fruit, and some sort of liquid for the top.

In a recent training class, I learned a new trick. Instead of butter, use a can of carbonated beverage. Just pour over the top. It performs the same function as the butter, but is cheaper and easier to carry (no refrigeration needed). I do prefer the taste of butter, but on Scout trips we will be doing the soda from now on. Again, the flavor varieties are endless! We want to find a fruit to go with vanilla cake and root beer (think root beer floats!).

Each recipe is good for an 8-10 dutch oven or 9x13 pan, and makes 10-12 servings. Grease the pan!! Line it completely with foil for easier cleaning. Bake at 350 in the oven, or use coals at the campground. Instructions for charcoal cooking can be found HERE (< click).

Instructions for all recipes: "Dump" ingredients into pan, in this order: fruit, cake mix, butter or soda. Be sure each layer is spread out evenly, but do not stir. If using soda, stir it slightly into the cake mix to avoid dry spots, but be careful not to mix with the fruit. If using butter, place the bits evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until cake layer is done.

Enjoy!

Original Dump Cake

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can pineapple, any form, WITH juice
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR one can soda)

Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Cherry Cola Dump Cake

16 oz. maraschino cherries WITH juice (remove stems!)
1 chocolate cake mix
1 can cola (try cherry cola or cherry Dr. Pepper for more flavor!)

Peach Dump Cake

1 29-oz can peaches
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Lemon-Blueberry Dump Cake

2 cans blueberry pie filling
1 box lemon cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Apple Spice Dump Cake

2 cans apple pie filling
1 box spice cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Vegetable Beef Soup

I love soup. My favorite method for making soup is to make some broth, then throw in whatever veggies we have on hand, and barley. I love barley!!

My dear friend Jill made this soup once when we were visiting her and we loved it! My 15-year-old son asks for it from time to time, so this is one recipe I do follow (well - I closely follow it. Ha)

I will first post the original recipe as given to me by Jill, then the variations I did. I don't vary too far, because this is an amazing soup. I would love to give it a more special name, because it deserves it!

Jill's Vegetable Beef Soup

(Most all amounts are approximate!) 1 lb ground beef browned 1/2 cup red wine ( I use what may be on hand, Merlot usually) 3 - 4 bouillon cubes salt & pepper to taste Tony Cacheres Cajun spice to taste 1 med onion chopped 1 tsp chopped garlic (to taste or health need in my house!) 3 - 4 carrots chopped, or sliced 1/2 purple (or green if you prefer - I just love the color!) cabbage, chopped 3 med zucchini diced 3/4 cup tiny pasta (I like alphabets) 1 large can diced tomatoes 3 large stalks celery chopped 1/2 bag of fresh spinach, chopped 2 boxes beef broth

Here's the order I do things: Brown hamburger and use wine to deglaze the pan after transferring meat to soup pot. Empty 1 box of beef broth to pot and set on low heat. Saute' onion, garlic, celery and carrots in small amount of beef broth so they can actually brown a bit. Add to soup pot, then add chopped cabbage, zucchini, and diced tomatoes. Add remainder of beef broth (use a small bit to dissolve bouillon), season and bring to boil. Add pasta to boiling soup, stirring frequently. I usually have to add water after pasta has cooked. Season to taste. I add spinach last, let it just wilt and serve. I don't let it cook down much to preserve the antioxidant punch and the color of course! Wonderful with some french bread and butter.

VARIATIONS by me:

I don't use bouillon unless I have some all natural ones around, which usually I don't because it's hard to find.

Since we're eating clean at the moment, I left out the pasta. I did add some barley because I LOVE barley in soup. However, the store only had "quick barley". I will never use that again! It turned to mush.

I added 3 cloves of garlic because we love it and it's good for you. :)

I used fresh kale, chopped up, instead of spinach. I'm on a kale kick so it was in my fridge anyway, but I've started using kale in almost anything that calls for spinach or parsley! I used about 2 cups and stirred it in AFTER I turned off the burner, so as Jill said, it wilted but didn't really "cook".

My broth and beef just happened to be from an organic grass-fed cow this time around because we happened to have it, so I like to think of this batch as "super soup".

Daniel then told me he prefers the kind of beef soup with "beef strips" to the one with hamburger. I've made this before using cut up stewing beef - it's great either way!

**This is the ONLY way I can feed my gang a meal using only one pound of beef!

Pineapple Compote

My friend Aphra and her husband, Peter, were the managers at a gorgeous retreat center a few years ago. I always loved Sunday breakfast because this delicious dish was always on the buffet. Finally I asked her for the recipe! The new managers don't make it, and Sunday mornings are simply not the same! This was another of her mother's recipes.

Pineapple Compote

1 - 15 oz can pineapple chunks in juice
* add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (see note)

3/4 cup sugar
3 T flour
1/2 stick butter

10 Ritz crackers, crumbled

Mix everything but the crackers in a casserole dish. Sprinkle crumbs on top.

Bake at 350 for 37 minutes.

*note - pre-grated cheese will not melt properly. However, they used it at the center and I always loved the texture so I would use it again to get the same result. It's your call!

Corn Casserole

I was looking for a gooey corn pudding like the one a lady from church brings to potlucks. I can't remember who it is, so I can't ask. I wanted something in between the scalloped corn my Mom used to make, and plain cornbread casserole, so I set out to adapt one for myself based on several recipes. Here is what I came up with, and it's delicious! I'm very happy with it. The only bad part is it's hard to stop from eating it all myself with a spoon!

Ingredients

• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
• 1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased square (8x8). baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until the top and edges are golden brown. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Bread Pudding

This is the most amazing bread pudding I have ever had! And so easy to make - I think it's my new go-to dessert recipe! A friend gave it to me after bringing it to a party a few years ago.

The white chocolate sauce is good, but not good enough IMO to justify the expense of the chocolate. To me it tastes just like the sauce I use on cranberry pudding, so I am going to try that next time. A simple custard would be great, too, and I think it's what my younger kids would choose. So do some experimenting!

Update - we always use the vanilla sauce referenced above, so I have included the recipe below.

Variations:

King Cake Bread Pudding: use a medium king cake of your choice. The cheap grocery ones are fine.

Chocolate Chip: Sprinkle top with chocolate (or other flavor) chips before baking. About 1/2 cup is plenty.

Fruit: Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 cup fruit before baking.

Bread Pudding:

1 loaf of bread (your choice. We've even used stale hamburger buns.)

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. almond

1-1/2 cups of Sugar

4 cups of milk


1/2 cup butter, melted


cinnamon (optional)



Cut the bread into small pieces, and put it in a deep 9 by 13 baking dish. Mix eggs, vanilla, 

almond, sugar, and milk with a mixer or whisk. Pour over the bread. Melt half stick of 

butter and pour over bread mixture. Press bread into the pan to absorb the liquid.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes @ 350 degrees. Check with a knife and see if

 it is done.



White Chocolate Sauce

1 box white chocolate squares, bakers brand is the best

6 tablespoon of water or your favorite liquid

1 cup of powdered sugar


 Soften the rest of the butter with white chocolate Squares. can be microwave if 

desired stir in powdered sugar. Add water if needed to be thinned (warm water first), to

 thin the mixture. Pour mixture on the top of the bread pudding as it comes out of the 

oven. 

VANILLA CREAM SAUCE

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients. Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Pour evenly over pudding and serve.

Wendy's Chili Clone - My Favorite Chili

Note: I originally posted this a couple of years ago. We have recently re-discovered it and have been making it almost every week. Two kids even requested it for their birthday dinners! Today I had to take one kid to the doctor, and we stopped at Wendy's for lunch. We decided to bring some of their chili home so we could comparison taste.

Everybody said they liked mine better. I don't think they were "just saying that" - they are brutally honest when I ask for honesty (on the other hand, I have taught them NOT to say anything rude about anything they are given to eat!). I think I would like to do it again as a blind taste test, though. I told them we would do that later this evening.

Some of the comments about the "real" Wendy's Chili were: "too sweet" "just tastes funny" and "something weird in the spices". There is definitely something in the spice mixture that tastes a little bit sweet. We didn't care for it (we never noticed it till we compared) so I won't try to figure out what it is.

I did look up the ingredients for Wendy's Chili, though:

Water, Chili Base (tomatoes, salt, citric acid, calcium chloride), Ground Beef, Vegetable Mix (onions, celery, green peppers), Chili Beans (beans, water, sugar, corn syrup, salt, natural flavorings, onion powder, calcium chloride), Kidney Beans (kidney beans, water, sugar, corn syrup, salt, natural flavorings, onion powder, calcium chloride, disodium EDTA [preservative]), Chili Seasoning (sugar, salt, modified corn starch, chili pepper, onion powder, spices, dextrose, garlic powder, citric acid, disodium inosinate & guanylate, xanthan gum, autolyzed yeast extract, soybean oil, caramel color, extractives of paprika, malic acid, red 40, natural and artificial flavor, silicon dioxide [anticaking agent]).

My beans, by the way, contained just beans, water, and salt.

So there you have it! This is one of the easiest things in the world to make, and makes us happy! I hope you enjoy it too. :)

************************************

Originally posted 11/1/09:

My favorite chili in the world can be found at Wendy's (as in Old Fashioned Hamburgers). So when I found a clone recipe in the book A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes, I was thrilled! However, when I made it I was disappointed. It was decent chili, don't get me wrong. But - having worked at Wendy's all through high school and through much of college - I knew it was NOT a true clone of Wendy's chili. It was close, though, so I set out to tweak it till I got it right.

This is what I've come up with. Your method may vary - but in my opinion it is a pretty darn good copy of the original!

*walks away humming...."single cheese, double cheese, triple all the way"....*

2 pounds ground beef
1 - 29 ounce can tomato sauce
1 - 15 ounce cans kidney beans (with liquid)
1 - 15 ounce cans pinto beans (with liquid)
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cans mild tomatoes with green chilies, with liquid
1 - 15 oz can of water (use to rinse out all the cans and dump it in the pot)
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt


Brown the ground beef and drain the fat. Crumble into small pieces.
In a large pot, combine the cooked beef with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

For spicier chili, adjust the heat level with black pepper, cayenne pepper or use a spicier tomato/chili.

Serve with grated cheese and fresh diced onion if desired.

**Now if only I could learn to make the liquid chili seasoning! :)

Chicken Pot Pie

This is my own made-up recipe, evolved over the past few years.

Preheat oven to 350.

1 whole chicken (or equivalent in parts) , cooked, cut off bone and chopped into bite sized pieces
* 3-4 cups mixed vegetables

** 2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp heavy cream or sour cream
1-1/2 Tbsp flour (or half as much cornstarch)

Salt, pepper, other seasonings to taste

1 pie crust (for single crust pie)

Bring the 2 cups of broth to a boil. Simmer uncovered until it's reduced to 1 cup. Mix the flour or cornstarch with enough water to stir and dissolve it. Add to broth and stir till thickened. Stir in the cream.

Stir in the meat and vegetables.

Pour into a 13x9 inch pan and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings (I like garlic salt and lemon pepper).

Here is where I have to confess I never learned to make a pie crust. I will some day - but until then, the grocer stocks nice premade ones all rolled up in the dairy section near the biscuits and chocolate chip cookie dough!

One pie crust unrolls neatly to almost the perfect size. If you pull off the extra and lay it on the end it will cover the entire thing. I have kids who don't care for crust so we just roll up the extra.

Poke a couple of holes in the middle of the crust. Why? I have no idea! I don't think you really need to in this case since it's not sealed. But I do anyway.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

* Canned, fresh or frozen, anything you like. Canned mixed vegetables are simplest. Tonight I used frozen - a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn and green beans. If you do use fresh, cook them a bit first. Add them while you're doing the broth!

** I almost always use fresh. Often I will cook the whole chicken like this (credit to Frugal Gourmet): put the whole chicken in a large pot, cover with water, add salt and pepper. Bring to a heavy, rolling boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and immediately turn OFF the heat! Leave it sitting there for at least one hour with NO PEEKING!!! At the end of the hour you should have a perfectly cooked chicken and a pot of yummy broth! Divide the broth up and freeze it for use later (I freeze it in 1 cup quantities and also in ice cube trays, each cube is about 1/4 cup.

Tomorrow I'll tell you what we do with the other pie crust in the package!

Chicken Coconut Soup

While in Austin last spring, we ate at a Thai place and I had Tom Yum soup for the first time. Mmmmm!! I was in heaven! The other day I got a hankering for it and ordered some from my local Thai restaurant. Let's just say their version was nothing like the first one I tried. I guess there are different recipes, as with anything else you find. But it was very disappointing, and I ended up throwing out half a container of soup.

So I asked my friend Google to find me a recipe. I found lots - most of which called for ingredients I couldn't find, or don't care for. So I decided to take the one that sounded best and mess with it (of course!)

Here is my version. Out of respect for any Thai people reading this, I am not calling it Tom Yum! It turned out AWESOME. I am beaming! And no one else in the family will like it so that means it's MINEALLMINE! :)

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14 oz.) coconut milk
• 2 cans (14 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use fresh homemade)
  
• 12 quarter-size slices fresh ginger, peeled
  
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, cut in 1-in. pieces
• 4 ribs celery from the inner heart of the stalk, including leaves, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
• 2 chili peppers, chopped fine
• 1/4 head cabbage, shredded (I would use Bok Choy if I had any)
  
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-in. chunks (I used leftover picked from the carcass of the broth-making bird)
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 Tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, ginger, and lemongrass and bring to boil over high heat. Add chicken, vegetables, lime juice, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard lemongrass. Garnish servings with basil and cilantro.

Pumpkin Stew

I'm not much of a recipe follower, as you may have noticed...I like to tweak and adjust things and add things that I feel would add to the dish. Sometimes this works well, sometimes not so well, but I can't remember a time when it was utterly inedible so at least there's that!

I found this stew recipe online. I used to have a pumpkin stew recipe I was fond of, but I have no idea what happened to it and stew is pretty much stew no matter what, so I mainly needed to see the details of the method. You cook the stew inside a whole pumpkin, you see, and then when you serve it you scrape out bits of the pumpkin into the bowl. It's looks really cool, and tastes great while being something a bit different - stew is stew, but there's something about ladling supper out of a giant orange gourd that adds to the atmosphere...as well as the little different taste!

This recipe came from Taste of Home Magazine, but to be honest it's identical to 6 other recipes I found elsewhere. I don't know who came up with it first! I made it almost exactly according to recipe because I was put into a rush by a kid coming home and informing me he had to be at a football game 15 miles out of town tonight and I had to take him. I didn't get to eat till we got home, and while it was delicious I did think of a couple of things to try next time - I'll note those on the bottom.

Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 3 tablespoons oil, divided
* 1 cup water
* 3 large potatoes, peeled if desired (I don't) and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 4 medium carrots, sliced
* 1/2 large green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 pumpkin (10 to 12 pounds)

Directions

* In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in bouillon and tomatoes. Wash pumpkin; cut to 6 to 8 in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loosen fibers from inside.
* Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with remaining oil. Bake at 325° for 1 to 1-1-2 hours or just until the pumpkin is tender (do not overbake. Mine took an hour but it was a bit smaller than recommended here. Stab it with a knife and if it's soft, it's ready!). Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.

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Notes: I don't like instant beef broth, Next time I will use real instead of water. I will also add a splash of red wine to the cooking pot. I would also like to see some mushrooms in there and maybe a touch of flour so the gravy comes out thicker.

My Version of Colcannon

This was given to me by a friend who had adapted her own version of the traditional Irish dish, Colcannon. I adapted it further to my own taste and was very pleased with the result. My mashed-potato loving teenage son tried it with some skepticism and then went back for a large second helping!

This is not the traditional recipe. If you're looking for something authentic, please go back to Google and try again! I have no idea how much this differs from the original, but to me it's a keeper.


Cut 1/2 pound bacon in 1" chunks and brown in iron skillet (Thick sliced pepper bacon is incredible in this). Add 1/2 of a large sweet onion, sliced, and cook until onion is translucent. Set aside.

Boil 6 - 8 med. potatoes in large pot like you normally would for mashed taters. I like the peel on, so I left it on. Peel if you prefer.

Throw in several slightly smashed cloves of garlic (I used 8. I love garlic!).

Core and ribbon 1/2 head of green cabbage, add when taters are almost done. Cook until cabbage turns a darker green. Drain and mash.

Add 1/2 to 1 stick of butter (to your ideal taste and consistency. I used 3/4 stick), salt and lots of black pepper.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream or milk and add. (If this wasn't already rich enough, sour cream can be substituted.)

Add onions and cooked bacon to the mixture, stir well, and serve.