Potato Corn Chowder

I first got this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Centsational Girl. It sounded easy enough, and with fall most decidedly here, it sounded warm and cozy. And it was both. So delicious that even my picky 4-year-old cleaned his bowl. And the leftovers were even better! Of course, being me, I couldn't just make the recipe as it was posted (sorry Kate!). I had to tweak it and make it my own. So here it is, Centsational Girl's chowder with Sandy's modifications LOL!

Potato Corn Chowder

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 large yellow onion), diced

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 medium potatoes

3/4 teaspoon thyme

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp Lawry's seasoning salt

Salt to taste

1-1/2 cups frozen corn

2 cups half-n-half

1/4 cup flour or cornstarch

Crumbled bacon (omit if vegetarian)

Sour cream for topping

Heat olive oil and butter in pan. Soften the diced onion in butter/oil mixture for 8 – 10 minutes on medium low heat. Meanwhile peel your potatoes and chop them into small cubes. Add chicken broth to your softened onions and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and thyme and cook on medium heat (low boil) for 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. Mash up your potato mixture using an immersion blender, regular blender or a manual potato masher. Add the frozen corn and half & half, Lawry's, white pepper and salt to taste. Mix a little chicken broth with the flour/cornstarch until smooth, then mix everything together in the pot. Let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Ladle into bowls, the top with a dollop of sour cream and bacon crumbles. Mmmmmm!

Lemon Cream Scones

Yummy. This will be a new favorite in my house, I can tell already. Even my 1-year-old is wandering the kitchen saying, "skont? skont?" It's so cute to watch him wandering around, scone in hand, nibbling happily. Special thanks to my friend Yvonne for sharing this recipe with me at our recent visit!

Lemon Cream Scones

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 425F and have a large ungreased baking sheet standing by. Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll dough flat about 3/4" thick (make thinner if you fold each scone in half). Cut 10-12 circles with round biscuit cutter or the top of a glass and place at least 1/2" apart on baking sheet. Brush tops with some cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes.

These are awesome alone or with a little blackberry or strawberry preserves!

Tracy's Crockpot Dulce la Leche

I got this recipe from my friend, Tracy, at Baby Spit is the New Black. This is the easiest thing ever. I can totally see serving this at a party. I copied the recipe here directly from her blog.

Get a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Put a liner in your crockpot (This is VERY important). Peel the label off the milk. Put the can of milk in your crockpot. Don't open it or anything. Just put it in there, all sealed up. Trust me. And the liner is to avoid rust in your crockpot. Put water in your crock so that the can is WELL COVERED with water. There should be a fair amount of water over the can. Put the lid on your crockpot. Put your crockpot on low, let it go for 8 hours.

At 7.5 hours, start cutting up fruit and other goodies to dip in your Dulce La Leche. Apples and bananas are favorites around here. If you have a sweet tooth, marshmallows are also quite yummy. Use your imagination here, people!

When 8 hours is up (it's ok if it goes a little over, no worries) take the can out of the crockpot. Careful!!! It's very, very hot. I use tongs for this. Then slowly use the can opener to open your can with little turns at a time. If you go too fast your Dulce will squirt out of your can and across the room. Let my experience be your learning tool here. Go slow.

Pour the dip into the middle of a chip and dip tray, surrounded by your cut up fruit and whatnot. Dip and enjoy.

Thanks Tracy!

3-Cheese Baked Rigatoni

Super yummy baked pasta dish, very easy to make ahead.

3-Cheese Baked Rigatoni

1 lb. ground beef

1 box rigatoni

1 jar red pasta sauce of your choice (I like garlic & mushroom sauce)

4 oz. grated parmesan cheese

4 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese

4 oz. shredded mozzerella

Brown the ground beef and drain once cooked through. While beef is cooking, boil rigatoni until al dente and drain. Mix drained rigatoni with beef, pasta sauce and grated parmesan and pour into a casserole dish. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, then sprinkle cheddar and mozzerella over the top and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serves 6.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is a recipe I used to make all the time in college and as a newlywed, but quite frankly I had forgotten about it until a friend emailed me asking for the recipe for a casserole swap. It's quick, easy, tasty and kids love it. Perfect for potlucks too. I apologize for the lack of exact measurements, but this is one I do by sight, not by measuring.

Tater Tot Casserole
1 to 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
~1/2 bag frozen tater tots
bag of frozen green peas
bag of frozen corn
can of cream of mushroom soup
8oz. bag of grated cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef. In a casserole dish, layer beef, tots, peas and corn. Pour soup on top. Bake at 375F 20-25 minutes until almost done. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, and bake until melty. Serves 6.

Ratatouille

We've been getting a lot of eggplant in our CSA boxes recently, and I'm a novice with eggplant. So we've been experimenting with different ways to use eggplant, and of course, we had to try a ratatouille. This was my first taste of ratatouille, and I am now smitten. This may very well be my new favorite summer meal. It's a beautiful dish and would make an excellent presentation for company.

Ratatouille
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (salt to taste)
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat bottom and sides of casserole dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix parsley and eggplant together, and saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top, then lightly salt and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Continue layering with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and tomatoes, covering each layer with a little salt and more Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken

An easy chicken dish, we all loved it and will be making it often!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
4 chicken breasts
8 small red potatoes
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2/3 can of water
2 tbsp Louisiana spice blend

Place chicken breasts and potatoes in a crockpot. Pour cream of chicken soup and water over them, then drizzle on the spice blend. Cover and cook 8 hours on low. Serves 4.

Fried Squash

A delicious way to use up excess squash and zucchini! The kids loved these, and so did I. These are addictive and can easily take the place of french fries or chips. They would also make a great appetizer.

Forgive me for not having actual amounts in this recipe -- I freehanded it! I used some oil in a saucepan, but if you have a deep fryer, even better.

Fried Squash
squash or zucchini
flour
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
canola oil

In a medium saucepan, heat about 2-3 inches of canola oil over medium-high heat. Slice squash into 1/4-inch pieces or so. In a bowl, combine flour and Lawry's until the mixture is a pale orange color. Dip slices into flour mixture until well coated, then drop pieces into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve plain or with ranch dressing or other dressing of your choosing!

Turnip Mashed Potatoes AND Braised Cabbage

Two more recipes from my CSA veggie experiments, one with turnips and the other with cabbage. Both were yummy. The turnip mashed potatoes will definitely be added into rotation whenever there are turnips available, and the cabbage tasted great too -- even my 3-year-old ate it! I served these with sauteed smoked sausage.

Turnip Mashed Potatoes
6 large red new potatoes, skin on
4 large turnips, peeled
1/2 cup cream, heated
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper

Slice potatoes and turnips 1/4-inch thick. Cook in boiling water for 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain. Whip unpeeled cooked potatoes and turnips with electric mixer, mixing until moderately smooth (don't overbeat them; a few lumps are nice). Add hot cream, butter and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whip again until blended. Adjust thickness by adding more cream, if desired. Serves 8.


Braised Cabbage
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
6 slices uncooked bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
1 small onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced or shredded
1 bottle beer
About 2 tsp of your favorite Creole seasoning blend (to taste)

In a large pot, cook the bacon in the oil and butter until brown and crispy. Add the onion and the bay leaves. Add the cabbage, stirring to mix. Add the beer, season with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning, and cover. Braise until the cabbage has wilted, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Slow-Cooked Collard Greens

Thanks to our CSA membership, we're now getting a box of fresh produce every week straight from the farm. Some of this produce is new to us, and it's been an experiment finding recipes for foods I've never cooked before. This recipe is a new one for me. I had never cooked collard greens, and while this recipe wasn't very pretty (hence, no photo), the result was actually very tasty. Kale can also be added in with the collard greens.

Slow-Cooked Collard Greens
2 large bunches collard greens
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1/2 package bacon
2 qt chicken broth, warm
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the greens: cut away the tough stalks and stems from the collards, and discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow. Wash the collards thoroughly to remove the grit, 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly. Tear the leaves into large pieces.

Place a stock pot over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Brown the bacon, then add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pack in the greens, pushing them down into the pot. Add the broth, vinegar and sugar. Bring up to a boil turning the greens over occasionally as they wilt. Lower to a simmer, cover the pot, and let cook for 45 minutes. Taste the pot broth and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Cover and let cook for 15 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve. Serves 6-8.

Italian Meatballs

I made these for a dinner of meatball subs, but they'd also work great over pasta with additional sauce, or as an appetizer.

Italian Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 slice of day old bread, crumbled
1 jar of spaghetti sauce

In a large bowl, knead together beef, egg, garlic, onions and bread. Form mixture into meatballs, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place all the meatballs in a crockpot, then cover with the spaghetti sauce. Cook on low 8 hours. Makes about 36 meatballs.

For Meatball Subs, spoon onto your favorite sub loaf or Italian roll, then top with grated Mozzarella.

Thai Chicken and Rice

This one was a big hit with the whole family, though it's not one I can let cook all day while I'm at work. It's great for half days or weekends though. I took the photo with a cell phone -- it doesn't do it justice!

Thai Chicken and Rice
1-1/2 lb. chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
1-1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
2 tsp dried cilantro
4-6 servings hot cooked rice

Place chicken, bell pepper, 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth in small bowl until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in green onions, peanut butter and the cornstarch mixture, shredding the chicken and you stir. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Stir well. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4-6.

Creamy Beef Roast

Another version of the pot roast, this one is creamier, with a kick of onion flavor.

Creamy Beef Roast
2-3 lb. chuck roast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp onion flakes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water (use the soup can)
2 dozen or so baby carrots
4 medium potatoes

Prep the roast the night before by adding everything except the potatoes to the crockpot. Quarter the potatoes and put them in a bowl covered with cold water. Place everything in the fridge. In the morning, drain the potatoes and add them to the roast. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serves 6-8.

Creamy Chicken and Potatoes

This crockpot meal was very tasty -- even my toddler and preschooler ate without fussing!

Creamy Chicken and Potatoes
6 chicken breasts
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
a dozen or so baby carrots
3 large potatoes, quartered
1 cup water

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour on cream soup and sprinkle Italian seasoning and onion powder. If prepping the night before, you can cover this and place in the fridge. Quarter the potatoes and cover them completely with cold water and place in fridge. When you're ready to start cooking, drain the potatoes and add them to the chicken and spices, then add the carrots on top. Add 1 cup of water. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serves 6.

Two Days of Roast Beef

Monday and Tuesday's dinners both came from a roast I cooked in the crockpot on Monday. It was tasty, very tender and juicy. Monday, we had roast with potatoes and carrots straight from the crock. Tuesday, we used the leftover beef to make BBQ beef sandwiches. We made them light on the BBQ sauce to account for the kids' tastebuds, but then added in additional sauce for the adults once the beef was on the buns.

Day 1:
Crockpot Roast Beef with Potatoes and Carrots
3 lb. or so Angus roast beef, partially frozen
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
about a dozen baby carrots
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cups water
1 tbsp or so Lawry's Seasoning Salt

I prepped the roast the night before and put the roast, soy sauce, Worcester and carrots in the crockpot and put it in the fridge. I cut up all the potatoes and put them in a separate covered bowl filled with cold water (to keep the potatoes from browning) and put them in the fridge as well. In the morning, I put the crock back on the heating element and added the potatoes (strained well), then the 2 cups of water and sprinkled the seasoning salt on top. Cover and simmer on low 10-11 hours. Serves 4 with plenty of leftovers.

Day 2:
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
leftover beef from day 1
3/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce
rolls or hoagie bread -- we used Kaiser rolls on sale at the grocery store that day

Mix the leftover beef with the BBQ sauce, then heat in the microwave about 2 minutes, until thoroughly warmed. Spread on rolls and add additional BBQ sauce to taste. Serve with leftover potatoes and carrots from day 1, or your favorite picnic sides. Serves 4.

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I have never been good at making chicken stock, but I hate wasting the bird, so I keep trying. This weekend I came up with this little recipe, and the stock turned out fantastic with little effort. I used a rotisserie chicken we had leftover after eating it for a meal the first night, then scraping out all the leftover meat for chicken salad. I netted 96 oz. of stock from one rotisserie bird. I can't wait to try this with the Thanksgiving turkey...

Crock Pot Chicken Stock
leftover chicken carcass
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp chicken bouillon
a few carrots
1 tsp garlic seasoning salt
water to cover

Place the chicken, garlic, boullion, carrots and garlic salt in a 6-qt. crockpot and fill with enough water to cover the bird completely. Simmer on high for 4 hours, then low for 8 hours or overnight. Strain stock, discarding all solids, and use within a week or freeze for later use.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

These chimichangas are excellent and can be made either with fresh chicken or leftover chicken from a roasted or rotisserie bird. Very light too at only ~380 calories per serving.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas
2-1/2 cups shredded roast chicken
4 oz crumbed queso fresco or Monterrey Jack
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 16 oz can fat-free refried beans
6 10-12 inch flour tortillas
salsa verde or your favorite salsa to taste

Preheat oven to 500F. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup of chicken mixture. Fold tortillas shut and place with seam sides down on large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimis with cooking spray. Bake at 500F for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa verde. Serves 6.

Sesame Chicken Salad

I haven't made this in awhile, but now that I've been reminded of it, I have to make it soon!

Sesame Chicken Salad
2 egg whites
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tsp sesame seeds
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
2 tsp butter
1 cup fresh spinach
4 tsp canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
10 tbsp uncooked rice

Cook rice. Beat egg whites in shallow dish. In another dish, combine breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. Brush egg on chicken pieces, then sprinkle dry mixture over chicken. Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until cooked through. Toss spinach with oil and lemon juice, then top with chicken and rice. Serves 2.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

I always have leftover bananas lulling away in the freezer. This recipe is a great way to use them.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.), optional
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk or cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray nonstick cooking spray on a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and chopped nuts. Stir until evenly mixed.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients, stirring only until all ingredients are combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned and top springs back when lightly touched. Let cool to room temperature.

Cinnamon Glaze:
Whisk together confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and milk or cream. Add only enough cream to make a spreadable glaze. Top cooled cake with cinnamon glaze before cutting.

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size. Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes


I used chopped walnuts, 2 bananas and omitted the nutmeg (didn't have any) and instead increased the vanilla to 1-1/2 tsp (homemade). I actually think the glaze is unneeded -- the cake is moist and delicate and doesn't need help.

TuTu's Cabbage and Cheese

My grandmother made this for me when I was little. It's a great side dish, or you can just eat it by the bowlful.

TuTu's Cabbage and Cheese
medium head of green cabbage
8 oz package of shredded cheese (we like Longhorn Cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
chunks of leftover ham for boiling water, if available (omit if vegetarian)

Cut cabbage into chunks and place in large oven-safe pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, with salt and pepper to taste. Add a chunk or two of ham to the boiling water for taste if available. Boil cabbage until soft ~ 15 minutes. Drain off water and remove ham chunks, then place cabbage back in oven-safe pot. Cover with shredded cheese, then bake in oven at 350F until cheese is melty and bubbly ~ 10 minutes. Serves about 8-10 side dishes (more if you use small servings) or 4-6 main meals.

Mix-In Muffins

You can mix in your favorite flavors to customize this recipe. My favorites are bananas and chocolate chip or blueberry and lemon zest.

Mix-In Muffins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a 12-spot muffin pan with nonstick spray or paper liners.

Into a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter and in a small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir butter mixture (and additional ingredients; *see note, below) into flour mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among muffin cups (this batter is thick and will not run easily like other muffin batters) and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Becoming a muffin master is easy. *Flavor the basic muffin batter by adding, for example:

• 1 chopped banana and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted almonds, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped drained canned pineapple and 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• make your own muffin with your own add-ins!

Makes 12 medium-size muffins or 6 large-size muffins.