The Little Cook's Enchilada Casserole

We went bulk grocery shopping, taking advantage of the case lot sales about a month ago, and the rest is history! This casserole may feature tortilla chips on top rather than actual rolled tortillas in the mix, but it's tasty, easy and above all, quick for those evenings when you just don't have time to fix. Plus it offers quite a bit of left-overs - always a bonus in our house.

Little Cook's Enchilada Casserole

• 1/2 lb ground turkey (browned in a couple of tsp of canola or olive oil)
• 2 c cooked rice, white or brown - a great way to use left-over rice!
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 14 oz can of corn (not creamed)
• 1 14 oz of kidney or black beans 
• 1/2 jar of your favorite chunky pasta sauce
• 1 pkg of taco or chili seasoning
• 1/2 to 2/3 pkg sharp cheddar cheese (approximate 1- 1 1/2 cup)
• about 1 c of any flavor of broken tortilla chips (I used some awesome sweet chili chips)

1. Mix together ingredients, from the browned turkey to the taco seasoning. If you like, you can stir half the cheese into the mix. Place in large casserole.
2. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and the remainder of the cheese
3. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately half an hour, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Note: It tastes even better the next day and the day after that, as the flavors mellow and blend!

Mom's Favorite Unbaked Cheesecake

Whenever we had a special occasion at home such as my birthday or Christmas, Mom would make this unbaked cheesecake and it was everyone's favorite. Yesterday, after 2 decades of missing the taste, I finally got up the courage and ingredients and attempted it myself. There must be something about nostalgia, because nothing ever tasted better than the memories brought back with that first bite. Pure Nirvana. So here, in all its glory, straight from The Mennonite Cookbook, is my Mom's best unbaked cheesecake to delight your own taste buds and family.

Mom's Favorite Unbaked Cheesecake

And yes, we already dug into it, Pure deliciousness!

Ingredients

• 1 pkg lemon jello
• 1/2 c boiling water
• 1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/2 pint (8 oz or 1 c) whipping cream
• 1/2 box graham wafers
• 1/4 c butter or margarine, melted
• 10 maraschino cherries, cut
• 1/2 c drained crushed pineapple

Preparation

1. Dissolve Jello in boiling water and let stand while preparing the other ingredients.
2. Beat whipping cream until stiff in a medium bowl.
3. With the same beaters, beat well together the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl.
4. Place graham wafers in a resealable bag and roll with rolling pin til finely crushed. Mix with butter/margarine and press 3/4 of the mixture into a 9x9 pan, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top.
5. With mixing spoon, fold cream cheese mixture and Jello into whipping cream (that bowl will be big enough). Mix thoroughly, then fold in pineapple and cherries. 
6. Pour over prepared base in pan and sprinkle remaining crumbs over top. 
7. Place in fridge for at least 1-2 hours to set and ENJOY! This keeps well for a few days.

Super Humongous Pizza

We have a pizza pan that I absolutely love. It's about 16 inches in circumference and has holes, or perforations, in the bottom to allow for a evenly baked crust. Next to a pizza stone, it's my 'go-to' pizza necessity!

So, we had a Pay Per View event to watch, which called for us to have pizza, of course. Being short of budget but high on imagination, I crafted this combo Turkey Pepperoni/Hawaiian Pizza and wow, was it filling. The maple bacon needed to be precooked to add to the flavor and take away some of the stringiness but it was worth the effort! I took some shortcuts but like every artistic endeavor, it still took quite a bit of preparation time. I could have made my own crust, but after all the chopping and fussing, I got lazy.

Please note, I had forgotten to sprinkle on the black olives so I did that over the pepperoni side after the fact. No one ever said I was perfekt!

World, meet

"SUPER HUMONGOUS PIZZA."

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packages of pizza crust mix (the kind you just add warm water to) or store-bought crust
• 1 bottle or can of pizza sauce (8 oz or so)
• turkey pepperoni - 1/2 pkg
• bell peppers - 1/2 red, 1/2 green, 1/2 orange or yellow, thinly sliced
• tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes cut in half)
• sweet onion - 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• Canadian or maple bacon (cut in chunks and precooked for 3 min in paper towel in microwave)
• 1/2  12-16 oz. can pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained. Cut chunks in half to use.
• 1 pkg grated/shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1/2 pkg grated/shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

1. Cut up all ingredients as needed and prepare bacon. No need to precook Canadian bacon. Prepare pizza crust as directed on package (doubling the recipe if using the 2 pkgs). If you prefer, you can use a store-bought pizza crust or your own favorite recipe.
2. Grease a LARGE (16") pizza pan or two smaller pans. If using a smaller pan, use one package of pizza crust mix, the pepperoni, half the pizza sauce, half the peppers and half the onions and cheese to make a Pepperoni Pizza. Do the same with the remainder of the ingredients for the Hawaiian Pizza. If using the large pan, make this a half-and-half pizza. 
3. For a half-and-half pizza, spread the crust in the greased pan. Spread the sauce over the prepared dough. Arrange pepperoni over half the pan and bacon over the other half.  Sprinkle the tomatoes over the pepperoni. Sprinkle the pineapple over the bacon. Cover the entire pizza with the cut-up peppers, onions and black olives. Spread shredded or grated cheese over the entire pizza to cover. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 
4. Bake in 450 degree oven for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is golden on the edges and completely melted. Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into generous slices using a pizza cutter. 
5. Manga.

 

Chicken Whatchamacallit

Chicken Whatchamacallit, slow-cooker style

Happy Halloween month, all! 

Sometimes, when the creative cooking muse hits, you simply can't figure out a name for a dish. I could have called this chicken stew or chicken soup, but how bland is that for a delicious fall (defallicious?) dish ? So I crowned it "Chicken Whatchamacallit" and I hope the name catches on, especially since I have now typed it so often that my spell checker is no longer correcting it  :)

This dish was made in the slow cooker, using a bunch of stuff I had around the house after a bulk shopping binge a couple of weeks ago. Now that the food is dwindling, it's time to get going using what we have. And I do love my slow cooker, so here we are: Chicken Whatchamacallit. Smells good already and it's not even cooking yet!

I love Halloween

CHICKEN WHATCHAMACALLIT 

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken or turkey pieces [got mine from my freezer]
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 14.5 oz cans of Mexican ir Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 can of Salsa style fire-roasted stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 c of chopped squash (I had frozen some summer squash, so...)
• 1 c chopped baby carrots
• 1 can sweet corn (not creamed)
• 1/2 c chopped celery (if you have it)
• 1 c water or so (I used a tomato can to measure)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 - 2 tbsp white granulated or light golden sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar [you could also use wine or cooking sherry]
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp paprika (or so) [for color and sweetness]
• 1/2 tsp rosemary [because I like it]
• 1 cup orzo pasta (depends upon how thin the concoction is at the end)

Preparation

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and set on "HIGH" 
• Cut onion and place on bottom of slow cooker. 
• Place cooked chicken or turkey pieces on top. Doesn't matter if they are sliced or whole parts, boneless or 'bone in'
• Add chopped carrots, corn and squash
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, salt, pepper, sugar,  parsley, paprika, rosemary, oil and vinegar
• Cover with cans of diced and stewed tomatoes, corn and water
• Stir all together and let cook for 2-3 hrs on high, then reduce to low for another hour, or so to simmer and blend flavors.
• **Reserve orzo for the last hour of cooking**

Let it bubble and simmer, stirring every now and then to make sure nothing sticks.  Reduce to low for an additional hour to cook the orzo and blend flavors. If it gets too dry, add a bit more water. If it's watery at the end, you have created a stew and can add a bit of cornstarch mixed with water to make it less runny. Just don't do that before you add the orzo (pasta) because that should thicken it to a Spanish Rice consistency. Since the meat is already cooked, you are more concerned with the vegetables cooking thoroughly and that the orzo cooks. Easy peasy pumpkin neezy (or something like that).

Homemade Canned Apple Pie Filling

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Canned Apple Pie Filling and Extra Syrup

I never really understood the mystique behind canning and why folks thought it so difficult! In our family, canning was a natural process of fall and the harvest, and I have been doing this for the past 30 years or more with various levels of success. My latest foray into canning included making apple pie filling for the first time. Any time I make something for the very first time is a joyous mix of experimenting and trepidation as I love to 'tweak' recipes. Fortunately, judging by the quality of the apple pie we made using the canned filling, the operation was a success :) Just sweet enough, thick with apples and full of taste. 

PREPARATION

When you can, a lot of success comes with preparation. I tend to reuse throughly washed and sterilized jars, which, since I keep my canning in the fridge, is fine and dandy. They still seal solidly and provide a cost-effective means of canning. First thing is to sterlize the jars and lids/rings. You can do this in the dishwasher, if your heated dry setting is working (ours wasn't) or you can use the boil 'boil the jars and lids' method, which I was forced to do. Make sure they are submerged and boil for at least a minute, to make sure they are clean. When done, use a lifter or tongs to pick them out of the water and set them, upside down, on a clean towel on a counter. I usually heat them again by pouring in boiling water just before filling, to ensure the filling doesn't crack the jar.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 lbs apples (I used the equivalent of 18 apples since they were fresh picked)
• 1 c brown sugar and 3 c white sugar (I prefer a mix)
• 1 c cornstarch (call me a traditionalist and yes, jars are refrigerated, so...)
• 2 tsp to 1 tbsp cinnamon (we like cinnamon)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (it adds that certain 'something')
• approx. 9 1/2 c cold water (some like a mixture of apple juice and water)
• 3 tbsp plus 3 tbsp Realemon (for 2 different steps)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel, core and slice apples. Yes this can be tedious if you are old-fashioned like me and don't have a corer or apple peeler, but it's worth it, just wait and see. Drop apples as cut into a big bowl filled with cold water and 3 tbsp lemon juice.
2. In a large non-aluminium pot, mix sugars, cinnamon, cloves and cornstarch. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to boil until thick and bubbly (be patient and keep stirring. Like I said, it's worth it). Remove from heat and add 3 tbsp lemon juice. This makes the "syrup."
3. Get ready to start packing the jars: Making sure they are hot, stuff with some drained apples (just gently squeeze them over the sink) and pack down. Add some syrup, and repeat until jars are filled to within 1 inch of top. Run a knife around the edges and gently tap jars on countertops to remove air bubbles that would cause the apples to rise. Wipe off jars and put on the lids. Continue til all jars are full and ready to process. 
4. Can the left-over syrup for addings when making pies, to use with pancakes or waffles or to make apple crisp/brown betty, if desired.
5. Place jars in a bath of boiling water, letting them boil for about 20 minutes. I like to start the water and put in the jars to make sure the water doesn't spill over. They can sit in there while the water comes to a boil. 
6. Voila, beautiful canned apples!

The boiling water bath filled with jars of pie filliing and syrup

TRUE CONFESSIONS: I added the lemon juice before boiling the apple pie syrup and it didn't hurt anything! I also didn't blanch the apples like some recipes suggest and they tasted just fine-- a bit crispy like we prefer them. When packing the jars, I got excited and firmly packed them all, then had to run a fork and knife around and stab middle of the apples to add the syrup. The good thing was that the apples didn't rise and the jars weren't filled with just syrup and no apples! That meant I will add some additional syrup on top of the pies before putting on the top crusts, like I did when I made the one the other evening. The recipe made 4 LARGE jars of apple pie filling, enough for 6 pies. *Sigh* I never said I was perfect and let that be a lesson to all of you who think things have to be "perfect" in the kitchen!

Double Chocolate S'mores Brownies

Double Chocolate S'mores Brownies

These delicious brownies were created using ideas from several different recipes. When I accidentally used sweetened condensed instead of evaporated milk, I  had to made some adaptations to make the recipe 'work.' Hey, it happens to the best of us! :) The result was ooey gooey, caramel-y brownie perfection. Kept at room temperature, they will last for 4 to 5 days in a cool place. I like to store mine in a covered plastic ice cream pail with waxed paper between the layers. Why the "S'mores" name? Because of the combination of graham wafers, chocolate and mini marshmallows, of course!

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1 box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Cake Mix
• 3/4 c melted margarine
• 2/3 + 2/3 can sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 c low-fat milk
• 1/2 + 1/2 pkg dark chocolate chunks (divide pkg in half for 2 different steps)
• 1/3 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 pkg mini marshmallows

Topping

• 1 1/2 c crushed graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 c butter or margarine
• 1/4 c sugar

Directions

1. Mix the dry cake mix, 2/3 c sweetened  condensed milk and 3/4 c melted margarine and spread in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. 
2. Take out of oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Put back in oven for approximately 5 minutes, until marshmallows and chocolate chips soften. 

3. In microwave, heat the chocolate chunks and the rest of the sweetened condensed milk for approximately 1 1/2-2 minutes. Stir, adding 1/2 c low-fat milk to smooth, reheating for 30 seconds to soften if necessary.

4. Combine graham wafer topping ingredients and sprinkle half of the mixture over the marshmallows and chocolate chips. 5. Pour the heated chocolate mixture over the wafer topping, then sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over  everything.

6. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the brownie layer at the bottom comes out  clean and the sides are puffed and dry. There will be some melted chocolate and marshmallows on the  knife. Let cool and cut into 2 inch squares with a knife dipped into hot water.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Slow-Cooker Casserole

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. This includes having a variety of veggies on hand, and a little bit of meat, and not wanting the veggies to go bad before you have the chance to use them. That was the case when I was blessed with my Winder Farms delivery the other day, and had so much in the fridge and in the delivery that I got creative. And guess what? It was good, too!

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced and halved
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced 
 1 red and 1 green pepper, roughly chopped
3 tomatillos (peeled and cut into small pieces) - optional
1/2 -3/4 c pearl barley
2 breasts boneless  chicken, cut into cubes
2 c boiling water mixed with 2 chicken bouillion cubes (enough to almost cover veggies)
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp celery flakes
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 c light golden sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preparation
Spray slow cooker with 'Pam' cooking spray. Set on high. Place all ingredients in slow cooker, making sure the liquid covers the vegetables and meat. Cook on 'high' for approximately 4 hours, until everything is cooking and vegetables are softening. Cook an additional 2 hours on 'low' or 'medium', until fully cooked. Keep on 'warm' until ready to serve. May be served with rice, pasta or potatoes. The amount of pearl barley you use will determine the thickness or density of the casserole.