Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

3 boxes Chicken Stock/Broth
2 Cups of cooked & diced chicken - breast or thigh
1 Cup Wild Rice (you can use any rice)
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Cream (half & half works fine)
3/4 Cup sifted flour
6-8 Baby carrots, sliced
1/2 Small onion minced
1/4 Celery stalk, sliced thin or diced (your preference)
1 Tsp Parsley
1 Tsp Marjoram
1 Tsp Tarragon
1/2 Tsp Rosemary
1/4 Tsp Dry sage
Salt and pepper to taste


Pour 2 Cups of stock and Wild Rice in medium pot, cook rice for 5 minutes less than rice instructions.

While rice is cooking, in Dutch oven and over medium heat, pour remaining stock, milk, and cream. While using whisk, add flour slowly until fully mixed. Add carrots, onion, and celery. Mix thoroughly. Add remaining herbs, diced chicken and reduce heat to medium low - low, stirring occasionally.

When rice is five minutes from complete, pour rice into Dutch oven. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve with chunks of French bread.

 

Why I came here in the first place:
My sister made these and the kids loved them. The recipe seems very similar to a recipe I’ve used in the past… Paula Deen’s Brown Sugar Chewies. I’m going to try my sister’s recipe (she doesn’t remember where she got it), but I’m a blondie purist, so I’ll probably use nuts (pecans?) instead of the chocolate chips.

• CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk , room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
  • 
    
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl stir together the baking powder, salt, and flour. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until just mixed and no clumps of flour remain. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not over mix.
  4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, spreading into an even layer.
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the blondies are golden brown, set on the edges and have puffed up. The middle will still be undercooked, but they will continue to cook as they cool!
  6. Once the blondies are cool, cut into 9 squares for big blondies, or 16 squares for smaller portions and enjoy!
  
  Tip: To cut down on the number of dishes used, melt the butter in a saucepan that is large enough to hold all ingredients. You can stir in the brown sugar while the butter is still warm, but let it cool before adding the eggs or they’ll curdle. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the same pan and stir together.

 

Our neighborhood block party is tonight. I'm bringing this - it's cheap and easy, just like your mom.

Cherry Pie Jello

• 1 small box of cherry jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 can of cherry pie filling

Mix jello and boiling water, stir until dissolved. Stir in pie filling, mixing thoroughly. Chill in fridge until jello is set.

 

Last week I made a box of Zatarain's jambalaya. It was terrible and tasted nothing like real jambalaya. I was disappointed because I like their dirty rice, red beans and rice, and gumbo. I was still hungry for jambalaya, so I found this recipe and it was AMAZING! I'll definitely make this again. I'm full and I still want more!

I made mine with Andouille and chicken. You can use one, two, or all 3 of the proteins listed, or none!



Jambalaya Me Oh My-ah!

• 
  
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 pound andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 3 small bell peppers, cored and diced (I used a yellow, red and green bell pepper)
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 diced white onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 3–4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
  • 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup thinly-sliced okra - fresh or frozen, either is fine
  • Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce

1. 
   
   
   • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot (or a very large, deep sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
   • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the stock pot. Add bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.
   • Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not burn.
   • Add the shrimp, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf.
   • Taste season the jambalaya with salt, pepper, and additional Cajun seasoning if needed. (I typically add about 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Remove from heat. (Aqua Marine's 2 cents: I used bullion and didn't need to add any salt at all - and I LOVE salt.)
   • Serve warm with your desired garnishes.

 

Zucchini Bread

This makes 2 loaves, which is great because it freezes really well. Also, I can halve the batter, adding walnuts to one loaf and chocolate chips to another.


Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4-inch loaf pans (I also add a "sling" of parchment paper to make it easier to lift the loaf from the pan.)

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla together in a separate large bowl with an electric mixer until combined; add flour mixture and beat well.

Stir in zucchini and walnuts until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

 

August special at the bingo kitchen is a pulled pork sandwich.

4-6 Lb bone in boston butt
2-3 Oz of home made dry rub (use one from the shelf if you want).

My rub includes the following:
Brown sugar
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Chili powder
Cumin
Curry powder (just a dash - else it overpowers everything else)
Hickory flavoring
Dry mustard

Thaw the pork, lightly cover with rub, cover pork and place in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Take pork out of fridge, allow to come up to room temp.

Normally I’d smoke it, but my smoker isn’t working, so I seared all sides in a hot cast iron skillet, then placed it in a crockpot for 12 hours. Removed the bone ( the dog was extremely pleased ), drained most of the grease, pulled the meat into shreds and mixed with remaining grease and about 2 tbsp of dry rub. Placed back in crock pot, and allowed to cook another 2 hours before serving on fresh potato burger buns.

As some folks would prefer to add BBQ sauce, it was on the condiment tray alongside some coleslaw.

I sold 12 at $7 a sandwich, with a bag of chips. It will be served again this Sunday.

 

Not sure if anyone enjoys bread pudding, but found this one online:

Thomas Jefferson’s Favorite Bread Pudding

1 1/2 Lbs stale bread
4 C Milk - scalded
1/2 Lb Butter
1 Pint Brandy
8 Large Eggs
3 C Sugar
3/4 Tbsp Nutmeg
2 Tbsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut up bread while milk and butter are heating in a pot. Combine liquids, eggs, sugar, and spice. Add bread last by submerging it using your hands so that it gets thoroughly soaked.

Transfer into a buttered 9- by 13-inch pan, pouring gently so that bread doesn't break up too much. Bake until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

You could top it with a whiskey sauce, if you like.
I substituted cinnamon for the nutmeg and it came out fine.
You can also split it 50/50 milk and cream, if you want it a bit creamier.

 

Not exactly a recipe, but our daughter saw this pic online and will be making it for Thanksgiving! How freaking adorable is that?

 

The first batch of Christmas cookies is ready for the freezer! I made a triple batch (about 12 dozen cookies). They’re pretty basic-looking, but have great flavor. They’re a fave for several family members, so they make the rotation every year.


XL Molasses Cookies


Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups butter, softened.

(I prefer 3/4 cup butter & 3/4 cup shortening)

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup molasses

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup coarse sugar (aka sparkling sugar or decorating sugar)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.

Beat in eggs and molasses.

Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to butter mixture and mix well.

Shape into 2-in. balls and roll in coarse sugar.

Place 2-1/2 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake until tops are crackled, 13-15 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool.

**Recipe makes 2 dozen very large cookies. You can shape dough into 1-inch balls for 4 dozen smaller cookies, but will need to reduce baking time accordingly… check for doneness at about 7 minutes.**

As an option to the coarse sugar, you can dust with 10x sugar or drizzle with melted white chocolate or a vanilla glaze.

 

A big win today! I made cookie dough in the middle of the night because I couldn’t sleep, then put the dough in the fridge. I had to go out for a few hours today, during which Himself and the kids made pot roast for dinner, then baked and iced the cookies! Plus, they’re one of my favorites, so I had a few with a cup of tea when I got home!
This recipe is genius because the oats are partially ground up in a food processor (or pulse in a blender if you don’t have a food processor), so you get all the flavor without giant pieces of whole oats when you’re chewing the cookie.


Iced Oatmeal Cookies
( Makes 28 cookies)


INGREDIENTS:

For cookie:
2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon (15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


For Icing:
1 and 1/2 cups (180g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1.5 – 2 Tablespoons milk


INSTRUCTIONS:

Make the cookies:
Pulse the oats in a food processor 10-12 times until you have a variety of texture—chopped oats with some oat flour.
Whisk the pulsed oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up from the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky.
Cover and chill the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before scooping and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Scoop cookie dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.


Make the icing:

Place sifted confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla extract and 1 Tablespoon of milk. Use a fork to whisk until combined. It will be impossible to fully combine because this isn’t enough liquid. Add only enough extra milk to make a very very thick icing. I only add about 1 more Tablespoon of milk. Lightly dip the tops of the cookies into the icing. Icing will set after a few hours, so you can stack and gift the cookies.

Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

 

Recently, been experimenting with recipes for chicken salad. I’m not a big fan of most chicken, egg, or tuna salad recipes as they tend to be heavy on the mayo or a bit too runny. Found this one and have been using it with lots of success with my Bingo Cafe:

6 C diced chicken (I use a whole rotisserie)
5 hard boiled eggs, diced (I leave the yolks outs)
1 1/2 C cooked rice
8 strips thick cut bacon - crispy and crumbled
4 green onions finely chopped
3/4 C chopped peanuts
Substitutes for the crunch:
3/4 C chopped celery
1 C diced apple - get one that you like and that has some crunch


1 1/2 C mayo
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tsp salt (adjust it for your taste)
1 Tsp white pepper (adjust it for your taste)
1 Tsp curry powder (adjust it for your taste)
1 Tsp ginger powder (adjust it for your taste)

Mix the first six ingredients in a very large bowl. Mix the last six ingredients and fold into chicken mixture.

Makes about 15-18 sandwiches. I serve it on large croissants, but if you use regular bread, I’d suggest toasting it. You can add some iceberg lettuce and/or sliced tomato if you desire.

 

Was playing with the idea of a classic Turkish style pide a while ago - Made this gif from a video clip I took. I "will" edit in a proper recipe as and when I make a more authentic version. This had a mashed potato base with various local cheese on the top. The egg is pretty standard with a lot of pide. I was running a few timing experiments to see if I could get the egg to be runny whilst the pastry cooked, and the cheese melted.

* Top tip: Leave a rough space for the egg with the metal ring - add the egg in at the last stage of cooking, then push the cheese round it a bit after retracting the ring - Makes it look more natural.

 

A while back I posted a recipe for HUGE chocolate chip cookies, but now we’re making regular-size cookies for Christmas. I’m using the recipe for "Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies" from the Sugar Spun Run website, and it’s REALLY good!

I just had a wrap for lunch with leftovers from our last meatless dinner, and it was delish. It’s hard to find meatless meals that everyone actually likes, but we had this over brown rice for dinner and everyone enjoyed it. If we had unexpected carnivore guests, I would serve it as a hearty side with some grilled chicken. I just put some in a chickpea wrap, added some baby spinach, cheddar, and ranch dressing, then tossed it in the air fryer for a few minutes. Yummy stuff! Next time I think I’ll try mashed avocado with it.



Sweet Potato, Corn, & Black Bean Hash
Yield: 2 - 3 servings
Total Time: 35 mins


INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
¾ cup frozen corn kernels
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used parsley instead)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges


Directions:
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeno, cumin and salt; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in corn and black beans and cook until heated through. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges.

 

Slow Cooked Beef Curry (stew)

2 1/2 Lbs stew beef (I cut it into smaller, bite size pieces)
1 Lb little red skin potatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp curry powder (Indian or Jamaican is fine)
1 1/4 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp allspice
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped ginger
2 large cloves garlic, grated
Salt & pepper to taste
5 slice naan bread (in lieu of bread, I used 1/4 C breadcrumbs)
2 cans 15 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 C sliced, pickled jalapeños (if you don’t do spicy, substitute banana peppers), plus 1 Tbsp pepper brine

Toss the beef and potatoes with the flour, allspice, curry powder, 1 Tsp cumin, 1 Tbsp chopped ginger, garlic, 1 Tsp salt, and 1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper in a crockpot. Crumble 1/2 slice of naan into small pieces (or use the breadcrumbs) and sprinkle over beef and potatoes. Pour the tomatoes over the mixture. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.

Uncover and skim off fat. Stir well to mix beef, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Combine cilantro, peppers, brine, remaining 1/4 Tsp cumin, and chopped ginger in food processor. Pulse until combined into purée.

Add 3 Tbsp of purée to stew and mix well.

Serve with slice of naan and a Tsp of the purée.
Serves 6

Rather than naan, I cooked up 3 C of jasmine rice and served the stew over the rice. I also substituted banana peppers for the jalapeños so the players who don’t like hot, spicy peppers could enjoy. I doubled the recipe hoping to sell 8 servings, leaving some for me for the next day. Ended up selling out.

Feedback from bingo players indicated the aromas and flavors were great, but the flavors were not overpowering. This is definitely something to serve on a cold night.

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

• 1 (8 inch) or crumb crust pre-baked pie shell

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

• 3 egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1/4 cup sugar

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

Preheat oven to 325 °F.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.


When I used this recipe, I doubled the amount of ingredients because I made it to fit in a 12” pie pan. I also made a graham cracker crust using a box of graham crackers and 2 sticks of butter, melted. I then baked the crust for roughly 10-12 minutes. Once it cooled, I then mixed the lemon filling and made the meringue.

I will emphasize two things when making the meringue:
1) Make sure the egg whites and cream of tartar have turned into a fluffy and whipped mixture.
2) Add the sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, making sure it mixes in well. When the egg whites have stiff peaks, stop adding sugar and turn off the mixer.

 

@WantSumCandyLittleGirl

Thanks~
Gonna try this out just as soon as I get released from jail!

 

Blackberry Cream Cheese Pie


Key Lime Pie - yeah, my piping skills need work, but not bad for my first time.

Hoping both do well at bingo tonight.

 

Bread pudding

2tablespoons butter
3/4 loaf of day old French brea2cuos if milk
4 eggs
3/4 cups suga
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

tear bread into small chunks and place in a 9 x9 baking dish. Melt butter and drizzle over bread. Mix milk, eggs sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over bread. Bake at 359F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy.