CHICKEN AND DUMPLINS’

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CHICKEN AND DUMPLINS’

1-2 Cans Pillsbury Tender Flake Biscuits
2-3 Cans Swanson Natural Chicken Broth
2-3 Skinless/Boneless Chicken Breasts
Smart Balance Margarine or Real Butter
Sage
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne..optional..I just add cayenne to almost everything…it’s HEALTHY  🙂

Cook your chicken breasts or tenders in about 2 cups of water…I usually chop mine up so they cook faster and more tender….Cook until done…if they’re chopped/diced…only about 35-45 minutes…When the chicken is done…take it out and set it aside…add a little salt and pepper to the broth….add the canned broth and I buy only Swanson Natural…add a little sage to taste…Just a pinch or so will be enough for this….Bring the broth to a full rolling boil…and break off small pieces of the biscuits about the size of a nicle or quarter or half dollar…I do all 3 sizes  🙂  and drop them into the stewing broth.  I break up my biscuits ahead of time…so they all go in about the same time and all get done about the same time…..Cook on low to medium for about 5-10 minutes..until biscuits are done.  You want a really rich broth…so if your broth is too watered down…drain the broth off of noodle soup and add that…or add a chicken bouillon cube…..These dumplins are absolutely DELICIOUS…..

 

JALAPENO MEATLOAF

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JALAPENO MEATLOAF

I have several meatloaf recipes but I’ll give you a quick one today

Ground Beef
Onion
Jalapenos
Dry Quaker Oats
Catsup
Sugar
Cayenne 🙂

It’s hard to give recipe amounts…since I never measure….but I usually buy the medium size pkg of ground beef that runs about $3.50…because I almost always deliver 1 or 2 or 3 meals…
out of our suppers a few nights a week….

So put the ground beef in a huge mixing bowl……chop onion and fresh jalapenos..and we love lots of onion and jalapenos….so using the medium size pkg of ground beef…I’d probably use 3/4 c chopped onion and just as much chopped jalapenos….work that into your ground beef evenly…add about 3/4 cup of dry quaker oats and work that in……..In a separate bowl….mix about 2 cups catsup…2 tbsp sugar…and cayenne to suite your taste….I don’t add salt to my meatloaf…..mix the catsup mixture well…and dollop big tablespoons of the mixture around on the meatloaf in the big mixing bowl..using several tablespoons of the mixture….mix with your CLEAN HANDS  🙂  work that catsup mixture in well….put the mealoaf into a deep baking dish….spread the remaining catsup mixture on top of the meatloaf…and sprinkle with black pepper….I add onion rings and jalapeno rings to the top of the meatloaf…..bake about 1 hour 15-20 minutes or until done….at 400 degrees…..IF YOU DO NOT LIKE HOT FOODS…LEAVE OFF THE JALAPENOS…or go light..

 

HOMEMADE YEAST ROLLS

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HOMEMADE YEAST ROLLS

1 cup warm water
1 pkg Rapid rise dry active yeast
flour
egg
sugar
Smart Balance or Real Butter

I start by dissolving my dry yeast in the cup of warm water in my huge mixing bowl…I warm the egg just a bit if I forgot to lay it out ahead of time….and I warm it by putting it in a cup of hot water before I even crack it…or if I’m in a hurry…I crack it into a bowl and put it in the microwave for about 5 seconds….Just so you have it kind of room temp…so it isn’t so cold it will interfer with the yeast…..I add about 3/4 cups of sugar to the yeast and warm water….add the room temp egg…melt the butter and add that to the liquid..stir well…..then I begin adding my flour and just add enough to make a dough that isn’t sticky to the touch….usually takes about 2-3 cups…but add and work them slowly…..When you have what you feel is enough flour….add just a bit along as you knead the dough…the dough will start out kind of soft and dry…but as you knead …it will get a little sticky again…so just ad a tiny bit of flour…..Put flour on a big wax paper on the cabinet….knead the dough about 5 minutes more…and dump it out on the floured wax paper….roll down to about 2 inches high….cut out your rolls…and I just use a small juice glass and if I’m making a basket to take somewhere I sometimes use a wide mouth vitamin bottle that I saved just to use for that…..I know there are biscuit cutters…..but that would make my life too simple….so I scrounge for something to cup my rolls out with…   🙂   Bake at about 425 degrees…for about 20 minutes…Now if I explained this good enough for you to follow…people will just fall all over themselves…over your rolls…..they ARE absolutely delicious….

 

MAGIC BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

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MAGIC BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Self Rising Flour
1-2 tsp baking powder
Buttermilk
Butter or Smart Balance

I just put a couple cups of self rising flour in a big mixing bowl….sprinkle in 1-2 level tsps of baking powder and stir well….I melt 2-3-4 🙂 tbsps real butter or Smart Balance and pour into a cup or so of buttermilk…stir quickly and pour into dry mixture…..You don’t want your mixture sticky…but you want it light and fluffy..and not too dry either……When you get the mixture just right….and you need to work quickly…..put the dough onto floured/waxed paper…roll out and cut out your biscuits and I just use a tiny juice glass..butter the rim of your glass or whatever and cut out the biscuits and put them in a greased baking pan….bake about 20 minutes at 425 degrees…absolutely DELICIOUS…
so light and fluffy if you do it right….

 

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN CHILI

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SMOKEY MOUNTAIN CHILI

Ground Beef
Hormel Chili with beans
Diced tomatoes
chili powder
sweet onion
tomato sauce
pepper sauce..out of jalapeno pepper jar
diced jalapeno peppers
parsley
shredded cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese
water

Yesterday I made Smoky Mountain Chili…and I never do chili the exact same way twice…but here’s what I did yesterday: ground beef (and I used the package that was about $5 because Billy likes lots of beef in his chili) 4 cans Hormel chili with beans, 1 large can diced tomotoes, 1 large onion, 1 large can tomato sauce, 1/3 cup pepper sauce out of the jar of jalapeno peppers…1/4 c diced jalapeno peppers, 2-3 tbsp parsley, 3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese (the powdery kind we put on spaghetti) I brown the ground beef and sprinkle a tbsp or two of the chili powder on the beef while it’s cooking…and add diced onion towards the end of browning…put in crock pot….I heat in that same skillet…the chili with beans and tomatoes….and add to crockpot…I add the pepper sauce and diced peppers…the parsley, more chili powder and cheddar cheese to the crock pot…at the end….the parmesan I add just before I take up the chili into bowls and just stir it in well……I THINK I have it all in here….but don’t EVER hate to ask for a recipe or more details on anything….I’ve talked to 2 or 3 ladies on the phone while they MADE my yeast rolls…because they had made them once and they flopped….so I don’t hate to share AT ALL….Now this makes a HUGE batch of chili…I don’t measure ingredients and I can’t say exactly how much this makes…but this makes 2 crock pots almost full for me….and I do that on purpose…because I always deliver chili to this one or that one when I make a pot….IF it’s where I can…

 

BUM STEW

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BUM STEW
Potatoes
sweet onion
ground beef

I brown my ground beef and set aside….towards the end of browning..I add diced sweet onion and let that finish cooking with the beef……and again…just use the quantity of beef and sweet onion you need depending on how much beef you like in your stew and the size of your family.  Fry diced potatoes just to the browning stage…
Put the cooked potatoes and browned beef and onion in a deep skillet or crock pot and simmer until potatoes are well done…Add salt and pepper when it goes into the finally pot/skillet..add just a little water to make it soupy…And I take out a few potatoes and mash them and add that to the water you’re putting back in…..You can add cheese or any number of other things TO this…but we like it plain and simple…..This is SO SO good…on a cold winters day…with corn bread or homemade yeast rolls.

 

HOBO STEW

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HOBO STEW
Ground Beef
Sweet onion
Sweet Peas
Extra sweet whole kernel corn
sugar

I just always called this Hobo Stew…I don’t know what others call it….but it’s delicious…and so SO good on a cold winters day …with corn bread…. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet…and if using a deep skillet…you can cook the whole meal in the skillet…when both are completely done…add the drained corn and peas and about 2-3 tbsp sugar…..you can taste it and add sugar to suit you…..add a little water to make it soupy and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes and WOW…this is delicious

 

TURNIP SOUP

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TURNIP SOUP

Turnips…………diced

Potatoes………..diced

Sweet Onion….diced

Parsley

Bacon Grease

Cayenne (optional..but I put cayenne in everything)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown your turnips and potatoes and onion slightly in bacon grease..OR you can even skip that step if you’re in a hurry and just put the diced turnips/potatoes/onions in the crockpot….Add about 1-2 tbsp parsley…about 2-3 tbsp bacon grease that has some good brown ‘grit’ in it…3-4 cups of water…cayenne/salt/pepper to taste……..and WALLA….that’s IT…Cook on high for at least 4-5 hours…depending on YOUR crock pot…but it all needs to be very tender….When turnips and potatoes will easily break apart…take out a cup of each and mash up and put back into the crockpot and stir really good….NOW ‘taste’….if it’s bland…you haven’t mashed enough turnips/potatoes or added enough cayenne or salt…..This soup is absolutely DELICIOUS…and we’re having it today….I start with about 8-10 good sized turnips and about 6 potatoes…now that sounds like a lot…but once you mash some up towards the end….it comes out perfect……taste and adjust to suit you and your family…

 

DISH PAN COOKIES

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OK…This DISH PAN COOKIE recipe….A friend sent me a recipe…but I could tell when looking it over really good….that it wasn’t the same one I had tried….but I found it on the internet and I’ll share it today so

I don’t forget….THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS COOKIES….and will get you raves from

anyone you give them to…but this recipe makes SIX DOZEN COOKIES….hahahahaha  So I guess

pretty much everybody I run into today…will get a bag of cookies….Vienna Times Office…Hanna…people at BIG JOHNS….hahaha   This is ALSO the most UNHEALTHY cookies recipe I’ve ever seen in my LIFE…4 cups sugar/brown and regular…2 cups oil OR butter…4 eggs…

but here we go….with the recipe..

DISH PAN COOKIES:

2 cups butter or margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 cups crushed cornflakes

1 1/2 cups dry quaker oats

2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups nuts…and I used almonds and walnuts and crushed them very small….

3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350…In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars until smooth.  Beat the eggs and add to creamed mixture…add baking soda and powder and salt into creamed mixture….Mix crushed cornflakes (and I put mine in a gallon bag and rolled it with a soup can..hahaha…to make it really fine) add oats, coconut, nuts and cho chips and mix well and pour into big bowl of creamed ingred…..add flour slowly…one cup at a time……..bake for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven or until edges are slighly brown….I put about a tbsp of dough onto cookie sheet and mashed each ‘cookie’ down really thin and flat….it made for a very crunchy and delicious cookie….sprinkle just a TINY bit of sugar on tip of each cookie before you bake….

These are absolutely … DELICIOUS cookies….