Turkey (or Chicken) Casserole

I remembered that I have a lot going on tomorrow, so I thought I should put this recipe on here today, or I might not get to it tomorrow.

This recipe has no noodles, it's more of a dressing type of casserole.

As you can see in the picture, I had to make this in my oldest pie pan! I had used up all my 8x8 pans & all my deep dish pie pans for the casseroles I was freezing. I do line the pans with saran wrap so I can lift the froozen casserole out, then wrap more securely in foil & store them in the freezer that way so that my pans aren't in use in the freezer when I need them. But still, they hadn't frozen solid enough yet by last evening to take them out (I like to freeze them for at least 24 hours before removing them from the pan). So I was down to my oldest pie pan. lol

Turkey (or chicken) Casserole

Mix:

1 C. milk

1 C. turkey or chicken stock

2 eggs, beaten

1 onion, diced

salt, papper, celery salt, any other seasoning you like. I also added garlic powder, sage, thyme, & basil.

3 C. turkey or chicken, cut up

3 C. soft bread crumbs, cubed (if it's still a bit soupy, I add another slice of bread, cubed)

Pour into greased 2 qt. baking dish. (pie pan will do *snicker*)

I set mine in 1 inch of water & bake at 350 for 1.5 hours. I usually start checking it after 1 hour. I freeze this (obviously...lol), I let it set out for about 30 min. then put right in the oven, covered with foil. I usually bake it an hour, maybe more if it needs it.

TURKEY CASSEROLE MAKING DAY

Today was turkey casserole making day.
Inbetween taking dd to & from work twice today, & going to the funeral home, I made 8 turkey casseroles. And I am tired.
I have cream of chicken soup in the picture, but didn't use any, although I do have some recipes that call for it, I always end up making a roux (equal amounts of melted butter & flour & then some milk and/or turkey stock) for my casseroles. And the turkey stock in the picture did have the grease removed from the top! (gross...lol)
Six of the casserole's were made with 'light & fluffy' noodles. I have the recipes on the side bar. I used broccoli & cheddar cheese in some. The last two casseroles I ran out of cheddar, so I used mozzarella & instead of broccoli these had spinach. That may be interesting. lol The last two are in the oven now, as they are 'dressing type' casseroles that need to be baked before freezing. All total, I made 8 casseroles using 18 cups of turkey!
.....looks like we'll be having turkey casserole about once a month for the next 8 months!

Robin's Caramel Pecan Pie

My very 1st email pen pal, Robin, gave me this recipe quite a few years ago.

We LOVE this pecan pie, & I have made it for Thanksgiving & Christmas every year since then. This recipe for pecan pie uses kraft caramels instead of karo syrup.

I can't remember how long ago it was she gave me this recipe. It was at least more than 5 years ago, because I know we had the old computer & lived at the old house. I'm thinking it was the late 90's!

The caramel is WONDERFUL with pecans. They were actually so beautiful melting in the pan with the butter, that I had to take a spap. :)

Robin's Caramel Pecan Pie

36 Kraft Caramels

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. margarine

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. pecan halves

1 deep dish unbaked pie shell

Melt caramels with water and marg. in a saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until smooth. Combine sugar, salt, vanilla, & eggs. Gradually add caramel sauce & mix well. Stir in pecan halves. Pour into pie shell, bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Pie filling will appear to be very soft, but it becomes firm as it cools.

This is delicious!

Thank you Robin!!!

Turkey Casserole

I had one turkey casserole left in our deep freezer & I baked it a while back.

Now that it's the turkey season, I thought I'd share this recipe, it's a little different than the other one I posted.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

1 (6 oz.) pkg. noodles

1 small chopped green pepper

1 chopped onion

2 stalks celery, diced

4 T. butter plus 1 T. olive oil

4 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. milk

2 c. turkey, diced

1 small can mushrooms

Cook noodles, drain, & set aside.

Saute green peppers, onion, & celery in butter & olive oil until tender. Blend in flour & seasonings. Add milk & chicken stock & cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in the turkey, noodles, & the can of mushrooms. Pour into greased casserole dish & bake at 350 for 25 minutes. OR-if you want to save it for another day if you're a little tired of turkey....

freeze it! Pour it into a casserole dish lined with foil or saran wrap & freeze it. Once it is frozen, you can lift it out & then wrap it really well in saran wrap & foil, label it, & put it in freezer.

When ready to fix it, remove foil & return it to the origional casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 70-90 minutes. I kept mine covered with foil so the baking wouldn't harden the noodles on top, & I also stirred it a few times.

We had it with oven fries & sliced tomatoes. It felt like a free meal, because the only cost was a few potatoes! (sorry this picture quality it pretty bad...)

Spiced Apple Cookies

I found a great apple cookie recipe at Cookie Madness.

I won't type up the recipe since you can get it from there.

These are very nice, soft cookies. There's an icing recipe that goes with it, but we liked them without the icing.

I have made two batches of these now. I took some to the pitch-in at church the other night.

I have so many apples that I need to use up, so I'm sure I'll be making them again. :)

I loved them with my tea in the morning. :)

Stuffed Baked Potatoes -OR- The Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!

Stuffed Baked Potatoes
5 medium baking potatoes (I think I usually use 8)
¼ c. butter or margarine, softened
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
¾ c. sour cream
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 T. snipped chives
1 garlic clove, minced
crumbled cooked bacon (or bacon bits)
chopped green onions (optional)
Bake potatoes at 400 for 1 hour or until tender. Reduce heat to 375. Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell. In large mixing bowl, beat the pulp with butter. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream, salad dressing mix, chives & garlic. Spoon into potato shells. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Place on baking sheet, Bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with bacon & green onions.

That’s the recipe as it appears on the cut out card I have from a Taste of Home magazine.
But, I NEVER can get the pulp scooped out of the shell right. It always looks a mess.
So I just skip all of that & make these into a casserole dish. I bake the potatoes & let them cool a bit so I can handle them. Then I cut or peel the skin off & throw the skins away.
Once I’ve made the mashed potatoes, instead of trying to put them back in the shells, I put it all into an 8x8 or 9x9 dish. I top it with cheese & bake for 15-20 minutes. If I have them, I add bacon & green onions to the top after removing from the oven.
My pictures didn't turn out so great, but here's the dish:

And here's a close up once we had dipped into it, so you can see all the speckly stuff.

YUM-O!

BEEF STROGANOFF

We love Beef Stroganoff. I didn't make if for years, I guess I was intimidated by it so I just bought it frozen. A few years ago I found this recipe on the back of Light & Fluffy noodles. It is SO GOOD.

Beef Stroganoff

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round, cut into 1 in. cubes

1 onion, chopped

3 T. butter or marg.

1 can beef broth

1 T. Worchestershire sauce

1 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained

1 C. sour cream

1/4 c. flour

3/4 package of light & fluffy noodles

Saute beef cubes & onion in butter until browned. Add broth & worchestershire sauce; cover & simmer for 1 hour, or until beef is tender, (stir occasionally). Add mushrooms with liquid. Combine sour cream & flour & blend into meat mixture & cook 5 minutes or until thickened.

Meanwhile, cook noodles by directions on package & drain. Add to meat mixture. Stir & serve.

We like this with mashed potatoes & some kind of veggie, like green beans or corn.

This is really good comfort food, especially good in cool/cold weather. :)

Bacon Chicken Sandwich

This makes a really GOOD sandwich! I did forget to take pictures, so I took this picture of the leftovers.

These sandwiches included:

Cooked, skinless, boneless chicken breast with lemon pepper & colby-jack cheese

Crisp bacon

Tomato

I put mayo & a little bit of dijon mustard on mine, & served them on sesame seed buns.

YUM!

CHEWY OATMEAL SCOTCHIES

This is one of our favorite cookies. I've been making oatmeal scotchies for years, but I've been using the recipe on the back of the butterscotch chips bag. They were really good, and they came out of the oven looking really good. But as they cooled, they always went flat. They went really flat. They were good, but flat.
Then I found a recipe for Chewy Oatmeal Cookies from an Amish cookbook. I kind of combined the two recipes. The Amish recipe didn't call for the butterscotch chips or cinnamon, & of course we need those! But I like the measurements in the Amish recipe. And I learned something here....the Amish recipe calls for 1 cup of Crisco & the cookies don't fall flat. The recipe on the chips package calls for butter or margarine. I've always used margarine so I am assuming that is what causes them to go flat.
So I have combined the two recipes & this is what I get:
CHEWY OATMEAL SCOTCHIES
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. crisco
2 eggs
3 c. quick oatmeal (I've used regular oats before & it was fine)
2 c. sifted flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
1 package (11 oz.) butterscotch chips
1/2 t. cinnamon

Cream sugars thoroughly with crisco until light & fluffy. Beat in eggs. In seperate bowl sift the measured flour with salt, baking soda & powder, & cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the crisco & sugar mixture & mix well. Add vanilla. Then stir in the 3 c. oatmeal & the butterscotch chips. It will be pretty thick, I use a heavy wooden spoon.
Roll into balls & bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Let set on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack (I have never had a wire rack...lol...so I just use paper towels).
These are SO GOOD....especially WARM right out of the oven.

ICE CREAM TIME!

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM WITH ANDES CREME DE MENTHE PIECES

She Treads Softly gave me the idea to add creme de menthe pieces to ice cream.
I am not able to come up with any words to aptly describe how wonderful this tastes.
Here's my recipe for this light chocolate ice cream. It is for a gallon & a half ice cream maker.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM (light chocolate)

4 squares semi-sweet melted chocolate

6 c. half & half (or use some half & half & some cream)

3-3/4 c sugar

7-1/2 T. flour

1-1/2 t. salt

7 eggs

Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler & heat up the half & half to about the same temperature. Combine & beat with mixer for a while. Set aside to cool.

In large mixing bowl, combine other ingredients and then fold it into the cooled milk & chocolate mixture. Put back onto the heat & cook & stir until spoon is coated. (don't boil)

Let cool & then refrigerate overnight.

When it's time to make the ice cream, pour into the canaster. -This part is probably exclusive to this big old ice cream freezer I have- then pour milk into canister until it is 4 or 5 inches from the top. It usually takes about a quart of milk to do this. I don't understand this, but I do it & it works. lol I would think it would water down the ice cream. But like I said, it works. :)

We crank our freezer for 20 minutes or so. If we eat the ice cream right after cranking, it is soft like soft serve ice cream, kind of like a thick milk shake. So after we enjoyed some ice cream, I brought the can in, added the Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips, stirred, & then poured it into a 1.5 gallon ice cream container (the plastic kind with a handle, that you get ice cream in the store, it's like a bucket), then cover with plastic wrap before puting on the lid.

Once it freezes harder, it looks like the picture.

I think this is my favorite so far. But I may need to make that coffee mint ice cream again & put these mint pieces in that! Then I don't know which would be my favorite!

Steak & Egg Sandwich

The picture didn't turn out so great, but I had to show one shot of this before slicing. This is a 'left overs' sandwich. The day before we had steak sandwiches that I got from PioneerWoman Cooks. I make a bunch so we will have leftovers. :)
And this is how my dh loves it.
It is on toasted rye bread. (we were out of our deli sub buns)
It has cheese and a nice layer of steak & 1 sunny side up egg.

Just look at that juice from the steak & the egg yolk!

YUM!

Porcupines

I used to call these Porcupine Balls.....until I realized what that meant! I just thought that these meatballs resemble porcupines because of the rice, & well, meatballs are shaped like a ball....
then a light bulb came on a few years ago & I realized what I'd been saying! So I now just call them PORCUPINES! :)

1 box Beef Rice a Roni
1-1/2 to 2 pounds hamburger
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Mix meat, rice, egg, onion, & garlic . Shape into meatballs & brown on all sides. I make these kind of big, a little bigger than golf balls.
Drain off the grease.
Add 2-1/2 C. hot water to the beef flavoring packet that came in the rice a roni. Pour over meatballs. Cover & boil for 15-20 minutes or until rice looks puffy & soft.
Take lid off & cook water down some to make a nice gravy (well, it's more like a sauce).
We LOVE these & I usually serve them with mashed potatoes & corn. And the next day, if there are any leftovers, they make wonderful sandwiches! YUM!

Crockpot beef stew

We actually call this one "dark brown beef stew", because I have another recipe that we call "light brown beef stew". lol The "light brown" one is really good, it's different. This is the 'regular' kind, or 'usual' beef stew. Don't be fooled by usual or ordinary though, this is so gooooooood. And perfect for cool fall days. (if we'll ever GET any of those!)
Crockpot Beef Stew
1 pkg. stew meat, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 packet Lipton beefy onion soup mix
1 1/2 t. beef bouillon
3-4 potatoes, cubed
4-5 carrons, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice (as you know by now, I use the kind with basil, garlic, & oregano)
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste
2 T. cornstarch mixed with about 1/4 cup cold water.

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker (except cornstarch & water) on low for 8-10 hours. Taste & adjust seasonings. Add 2 T. cornstarch mixed with cold wather. Turn to high & stir until thickened.

Oh my.....this is SO good with homemade buttered bread.

Crawfish Gravy

I found this recipe on the back of a package of crawfish, but have never seen it since. I made it once, but didn't keep the recipe on the package, & now the recipe has never been on the package since then. I've done many searches & haven't found the exact recipe. But I think I've come close.

Crawfish gravy
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloved garlic, minced
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 stick of butter
2 tomatoes, minced *or* 1 can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 lb. cooked crawfish
garlic salt
seasoned salt
1 T. Old Bay Seasoning (or more to taste)
pepper
1 T. lemon juice
few shakes of tobasco

Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic, & celery. Add tomatoes & continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add crawfish, & seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 1 hour. I play around with the seasonings. I think you can pretty much add what you like. Most recipes call for this to be served over rice or potatoes. None of us really like rice here, so we eat this on mashed potatoes. It is SO good.

Roll basket

Here's my Chicken Roll basket cover. (or maybe rooster)I got it at a garage sale probably about 20 years ago. It has a wicker basket, the chicken (or rooster) cover, & a lining for the inside. I have always thought it was so cute!
You lift the wings to reach in a get a roll or biscuit.

I always get my chicken basket out when we have biscuits & gravy.

Pizza Burgers

I need to clarify that this is not pizza on a bun. (although that's good too)

I call this the 70's style pizza burger. Where I grew up in the Midwest, this was served in school cafeterias. Most kids loved it when we had pizza burgers. Other days we were afraid of the food! LOL A few years ago I was going through my Taste of Home magazine & I found this recipe. And the description was the same.....they refered to it as a "70's food item" ! LOL!

Also....I burn the cheese on top on purpose. Although it doesn't look so good in a picture, it is tasty! Nothin' like burnt American processed cheese squares! ROTFLOL (or as the Kraft package states: "pasteurized prepared cheese product" )

Broiled Pizza Burgers

1 pound ground beef

2 T. chopped onion

2 t. cornstarch

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 t. oregano

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. onion salt

10 sliced process American cheese, divided

6 hamburger buns, split

In Skillet, cook beef & onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle with cornstarch; stir until blended. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, salt & onion salt. Cook, uncovered , for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, Add 6 cheese slices; cook & stir until cheese is melted & blended. Place hamburger buns cut side up on an foil lined baking pan (for easy clean up) spoon about 1/4 cup of meat mixture onto each bun half. Cut remaining cheese slices in half diagonally; place over meat mixture. Broil 6-8 inches from heat for 4 minutes until cheese is melted(or a little longer if you want your cheese to burn).

This recipe actually calls for 4 hamburger buns, but I easily use 6. You may need to use 1 more cheese slice when using 6 buns instead of 4. Also, when I made this tonight (altho the picture is from this summer!) I used Velveeta in the meat mixture instead of the cheese slices, but used the cheese slices on top. Oh! I almost forgot! I never use plain canned diced tomatoes & then add oregano. I buy the chopped tomatoes that have oregano & garlic already in them.

And~ the fries in the picture, they are fries that I get at WalMart for 50 cents a bag!

I deep fry them in canola oil & we think they taste like McDonald's fries!

Coffee Mint Ice Cream

COFFEE MINT ICE CREAM!
I found this recipe here. This site called it Cafe Mint Ice Cream. I was actually thinking of making mint chocolate chip, which is one of my all time favorites. But when I stumbled onto this....I just had to make it.
It was delicious. Yes it was. :)
The only problem I am running into is the size of my ice cream freezer. It is HUGE. It's very old....& it makes a GALLON AND A HALF of ice cream! Most of the recipes I find are for today's ice cream makers. These recipes are for 1 or 2 quarts. Mine holds 6 times that much! LOL
So I experimented with this recipe & doubled it. It is ok to not fill my ice cream maker to the top.....lol....although my dad may have seen that as a sin. :)

Coffee Mint Ice Cream
4 c. half & half
1 1/2 T. instant coffee crystals
1 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
1 t. mint extract (the recipe called for 2 t. ....but 1 was plenty & I knew that 2 would be too much)
In a double boiler, scald the cream with the coffee crystals. Beat the sugar together with the eggs. Slowly add to the cream. Cook until think. Stir in the mint extract & cool. Chill and then make according to your ice cream freezer directions. Makes 5 cups.

1st, I halved the mint. And I LOVE mint. It was plenty minty with just 1 t. (well, 2 t. , because I did double this recipe).
2nd, I didn't use a double boiler, because mine was not big enough for the doubled recipe. I just used a heavy pan and stirred the whole time.
3rd, I cooked it a long time, even brought it to a boil, & it never really got thick. Not thick like my other ice cream recipes get thick. But it wasn't a problem, it still turned out.
4th, 5 cups? Who can make just 5 cups of ice cream????? LOL!


It was also pretty good when I added a cookie I'd found that I had hidden away....

Frappuccino

Dd & I love this Frappccino that you can get in the grocery store. (no Starbucks near us)


They have gotten really expensive. I saved a few jars & just make it myself now & then.
I usually pour the jar about 1/3 to 1/2 full of fresh brewed coffee. Then add sugar to taste (I usually use 2 t. for the smaller jars & double that for the larger jars). Then fill to the top with milk & stick it in the frig for a few hours. DELICIOUS. And so much cheaper!
I just made the best batch of cold coffee I've ever made. I used Butterscotch Toffee coffee that my friend, She Treads Softly sent me. Oh my oh my oh my oh my oh my oh my oh my!

Mmmmmmmmm.....I'm drinking the last jar right this very minute....

S'mores

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole in Flat Bread

I didn't know what to call this recipe. I have it in my cookbook as Chicken Broccoli Casserole.

I made it at least 15 years ago & made this note on it:

"This is WAY too rich to eat as a casserole! We ended up eating it on ritz crackers as a snack & the next morning on toast for breakfast. I bet this would be good in pita bread." And then I filed it under 'appetizers' & never fixed it again. Until this summer when I noticed it & decided I'd buy some flat bread instead of pita & give it a try. I am glad I did. :)

I used our fresh broccoli from the garden & thought it looked great while it was cooking.

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole on Flat Bread

10 oz. pkg chopped broccoli (thawed)

1/4 pound butter

2 c. celery, chopped

1 green pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 T. salt

1 t. pepper

1/2 t. garlic salt

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless cooked & cubed chicken

16 oz. cream cheese

Saute in butter the celery, onions, green pepper, & mushrooms. Add broccoli & saute until all veg. are tender. Add chicken & seasonings. Add cream cheese & stir over low heat until cream cheese is melted. Pour into butteren 9x13 pan & heat in 350 oven until top is golden brown.

The recipe calls for 1 -1/4 pounds of chicken, but I don't think you have to be that precise. However much you want I bet would work just fine.

I bought the thicker flat bread, but I would think you could also use tortillas if you want to make a wrap out of this.

Here's a picture of it in the flat bread, served with fried zucchini sticks. Oh man. This was GOOD.

It makes enough for leftovers. lol
So here it is the next day as an almost completely different meal.
This time I served it on top of flat bread, with some green beans & potatoes, 2 different cucumber salads, a melon salad, & some cheese sticks. (it was clean the leftovers out of the frig day...lol)