Chicken Salad

It is time for another recipe, This one is for chicken salad with a little twist.

Sheri's Chicken Salad

1 pound of cooked chicken diced
3/4 cup of dried cherries roughly chopped
1 cup of pecan half's roughly chopped
3 cups of celery diced
4 teaspoons of dried chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise or more if using as a sandwich filling

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl that has a lid. Mix everything together. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Server over salad, on crackers or as sandwiches.  This is a great party recipe. This serves at least 6 people depending on how it is served.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie.

It was a very rare lazy day for me. I followed my bodies lead and took it very slow today.  So this is what John got for dinner tonight.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

6 ounces pre diced onions
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes
2 heaping tablespoons margarine
1 box of Pillsbury ready made pie crusts - you will need both
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
6 ounces pre cooked chicken diced
1 large deep dish pie pan
1 foil lined cookie sheet

In a large fry pan or wok melt the margarine on a medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to a lower heat and add the frozen potatoes and cook until soft. Add the chicken and the vegetables and keep on a low heat until 45 minutes before dinner. Unroll the first crust into an un greased pie pan. Pat the pie crust in place. Add all the mixture from the pan and pack it very firmly into the pie crust. dampen the edges of the pie crust and unroll the second pie crust on top. Wet the entire top of the pie crust with a small amount of water. Roll the bottom and top edges together and crimp anyway you would like. There are no bonus points for perfect thumb prints or crimps. Make 4 slits around the top of the pie crust and another vent hole in the center. Place in a cold oven and bake at 325 for 45 minutes,  a little longer if you like a darker crust.

You will notice two things about this recipe. First I did not add additional seasonings. I find that when making semi homemade items everything is usually very well seasoned to begin with. Secondly that I place the pot pie in a cold oven. I use a glass pie dish and I do not want it to crack so I put it on a cookie sheet lined with foil into a cold oven. It is better for the pie dish to heat up very slowly. When I remove the pot pie I leave it on the cookie sheet. It is very important that you do not put hot glass baking dishes on a damp or cold surface when taking it out of the oven.  So the cookie sheet is perfect in two ways. First it will catch any over flow and second just leave the pot pie on the cookie sheet until both are cool.

This serves 4 to 5 people. For a vegan pot pie just leave out the chicken.

Pepperoni Pizza Squash

OK, I will admit that this recipe is the creation of not wanting to throw left overs out and my local Safeway still being closed. Also I needed to get a good dinner on the table that was different. I was also training a new aide for Eric at the time. Talk about multi tasking. Meaning that I was running back and forth between the kitchen and Eric's room while putting this together, definitely not a fussy dish. This recipe was good enough to make again. The only thing you have to add is the bread on the side.

Pizza Squash

1/2 of a spaghetti squash cooked
1 4 ounce can of mushrooms
1 cup spaghetti sauce
4 ounces of pepperoni cut in bite sized pieces
4 ounces of mozzarella cheese grated

In a casserole dish break up the spaghetti squash. Using 2 forks mix in the spaghetti sauce and mushrooms. Top with the pepperoni and then layer the cheese on top.

For Vegetarian leave off the pepperoni.
For Vegan leave off the pepperoni and replace cheese with a vegan cheese.

Bake at 350 f for 30 to 60 minutes.  Makes 4 servings

Beef Stew

You might have guessed we are having beef stew for dinner so I will share the recipe.

Beef Stew

1 pound stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 large sweet onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 ears of corn broken in half
1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes washed and cubed
2 medium tomatoes washed and cut in eights
1 cup of water
6 large stalks of celery roughly chopped
1 pound green beans washed de-vined and sliced into 1 inch pieces

In your soup pot spray the bottom of your pan with non stick cooking spray. Add the stew meat salt and pepper and brown the meat on a medium heat. Add the onion and stir in and cook for a few minutes. Then layer in the corn, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery and green beans. pour water over the mixture. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours.

This recipe can also be made in the crock pot by following the same layering plan as above. Cook on low heat 8 to 10 hours. If you put this in the crock pot in the morning before work it should be ready for dinner.

This will serve 4 to six people. You may substitute chicken that has been cubed for the beef. I have no Vegetarian or vegan suggestions other than to leave out the meat and have stewed vegetables.

Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casserole

2 chicken legs and thighs washed
salt and pepper
1 pound mire poix mix from Trader Joe's or mix 1/3 pound each of diced carrots, onions and celery
10 ounces mushrooms
1 pound small potatoes
1/2 cup of water.

In a small oven proof covered casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray, Layer the ingredients in the order given. Cover the casserole and bake for one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If your are using a glass casserole dish lower the oven temperature to 325 and cook for 1 hour15 minutes for the cooking.

For a change of pace you can add some raw biscuit dough to the casserole in the last 20 minutes of baking to make quick dumplings. When I do this I use the plain Pillsbury biscuits. You can also use Bisquick or any biscuit recipe from the Internet. Just make sure it is a basic flour and shorting mix with no added chilies or cheese.

After you wash the chicken make sure you clean out the sink with a cleaner like Comet before you wash the vegetables to avoid cross contamination.

This recipe serves 2 to 4 people and there is no vegetarian or vegan replacement for the chicken that I have tried.

New Recpie

I was up with Eric until 2:30 am and was up again to start the day at 6 am, a big yuck in my book. Eric managed to spend most of the day sleeping ; but sleep eluded me. I spent the day doing laundry, puttering and knitting. On the knitting front I was too tired to concentrate so I started a hat with the hat pattern I gave everyone yesterday. I made it through the brim and 6 rows into the stripes.

Just before lunch I came up with a brilliant idea, at least I thought so. Iced Moroccan Mint Tea with Boba a kinda of east meets another part of the middle east. Boba are large tapioca balls that are found in the Asian section of some stores or the Vietnamese section of speciality Asian stores.

Make the Moroccan Mint tea as per package directions on the stronger side.

Make the Boba according to package directions. Drain. The link on the side of the page is for the type of Boba I used. The directions were very clear but I only cooked 1/2 cup of dried Boba which is enough for 4 drinks. Some people do use special wide straws but I forgot to pick them up and did just fine anyway.

In a heat proof glass add 1/4 cup of cooked Boba. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Pour the Moroccan Mint Tea over the ice and Boba. Let the ice do it magic and sit back and enjoy. Total prep to serving time less than 15 minutes.

This is not a sweet drink but it is a very refreshing drink. Personally I had almost a full tea pot of this this afternoon. Some Boba will come to the top when the glass is tilted but you will need a spoon to get all the goodness out of the glass.

I would like to remind everyone that Teri and I still have a contest going on. We only have 4 entries so your chances of winning a prize are good. check the past blog entry for all the details.

Have a great evening and enjoy your families.

A New Contest

I am having a new contest. Teri is very tired of PB&J sandwiches. I need to give Teri lunch suggestions that do not have to be refrigerated. They must also be Dairy Free - milk and milk products. Mayonnaise, chicken and eggs are fine. They must also be fast to make and hold up well. And most of all not drip on her books while she is studying.

The rules are very simple.

1. Follow my blog.

2. Leave a recipe for each entry. Also a way to contact you.

The Prize is a very large over sized Elizabeth Arden tote bag in pink.

You have until midnight Sunday August 22 to submit your entries. The contest will be judged by Teri, myself and whom ever we can rope in to read the recipes.

Good luck and have a great day.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Here is a perennial family favorite recipe. This is my version of a tuna pasta salad.


1 pound of pasta in a fun shape

12 ounces canned tuna drained

1 pound frozen mixed vegetables

1 can black olives drained and chopped (optional )

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes

Mayonnaise or Italian salad dressing to lightly coat



This is a fast dish to put together. Cook pasta and vegetables as per package directions. While they are cooking flake the Tuna in a very large bowl. Add the pepper and onion flakes mix well. Add the chopped olives. Mix well. Drain the cooked vegetables and mix in with the tuna. Drain the pasta and toss with the other ingredients in the bowl.

At this point the salad is done and is ready for customization. My family likes this done differently so sometimes we add mayonnaise and sometime salad dressing. If I am very tired I just present the salad as is and let everyone put on their own toppings. If you are going to add the mayonnaise or salad dressing start with ¼ cup for the whole bowl and toss very well. We like to keep the dressing on the light side. You can add more dressing to your own preferences.

Serve with hot corn bread or fresh bread and butter.

This recipe serves a crowd. As a main course this serves 6 to 8 people.

Please enjoy this recipe and your families.

Succotash Chili

I know it sounds really weird but don’t say yuck till you have tried it.

1 pound of stew meat

1 large can of stewed tomatoes, do not drain, pour the juice in the pan as your cooking liquid.

1 can of black olives, drained

1 pound frozen white corn

10 ounces frozen Lima Beans

1 Tablespoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper

¼ cup chopped onion

Brown the stew meat, with the salt and pepper. Add the onions when meat is almost browned. Cook the onions until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down the temperature and simmer on low for 3 hours. Adjust the seasoning to your preferances. Serve with corn bread.

Sheri's Chicken Salad

Ok it is time for another recipe this has been a summer time favorite for years. I know it seems like an odd combo of ingredients but please trust me on this one. This is also a good recipe to get the kids in the kitchen with.


Sheri’s Chicken Salad

3 cups of chicken diced.

3 stalks of celery diced

1 large tart apple diced (think granny smith or pippin)

½ cup raw pecans chopped coarsely

½ cup of dried cherries sliced in half

Mayonnaise to just hold salad together or slightly more if you want to make sandwiches

Salt and white pepper to taste

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Add ¼ cup of mayonnaise and toss, you can always add more mayonnaise if you would like but once it is in the bowl you can’t undo it so add the mayonnaise slowly. When you have the constancy of the salad right it is time to take a taste and see if you need the salt and pepper. I usually start off with the pepper and end up skipping the salt. Remember to use a clean spoon for each taste test.

Cover and place in the fridge to chill well. We like to server this on a bed of romaine hearts for a salad. This is one of those nice hot weather meals that can be made the day before for a party or in the morning so dinner is ready when you come home.

For a faster clean up I use 2 dinner plates to do the chopping. One plate for the meat and one plate for everything else. I also use a separate knife for the meat and non meat items. When done just throw or gently place all the chopping items in the dishwasher.

For a milder flavor I use white pepper and it tastes much better when it is freshly ground.

I have not made this as a vegetarian dish but you may be able to replace the chicken with baked tofu.

Semi Home Made Chicken Soup

After spending half of the night awake with Eric and the morning getting my finial holiday cleaning done, I was just too tired to make dinner. The holiday cleaning today involved cleaning out crevices of the stove with a tooth pick. I also cleaned the drip pans and under the drip pans till they did not look almost 30 years old. I could not do anything with the enamel that had been scoured off over the years. Picking up and tossing, scrubbing and cleaning the rest of the house and the never ending pile of laundry. Somehow I am pretty sure our ancestors did not go through this in the Exodus from Egypt.


So this is where my semi homemade chicken soup comes into play.

I made the recipe for Matzo Balls from the Manischewitz Matzo Meal can. I have not asked permission to include the recipe, so if they decide they want me to take the recipe down I will remove it from my blog. But really this is the absolutely best Matzo Ball recipe; we have been using it for at least 4 generations in my family(my daughter Teri just made this for the first time in her own house yesterday).

Manischewitz Matzo Balls

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup of Manischewitz Matzo Meal

1 teaspoon of salt if desired (I use salt if I use water instead of broth)

2 tablespoons of water

Blend the vegetable oil, eggs, water and salt together. Add the Manischewitz Matzo Meal and blend well. Here is where I change the directions a little. (They say place in the fridge for 15 minutes)Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours, over night is better. They will come out fluffier.

Make as many 1 inch in diameter balls as you can. Place on a wet plate and keep your hands wet so that they do not stick. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Drop the balls in the pot and simmer on a lower temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. When the Matzo Balls are all floating they are done.

For the Semi Homemade Chicken Soup

14.5 ounce package of Trader Joes Mirepoix mix

12 ounces of Trader Joes Just Chicken Strips

32 ounces of Trader Joes Free Range Chicken Broth

In your soup pot place Mirepoix mix and heat at a medium temperature till the onions are translucent.

Cut the chicken in to bite size pieces. Add the chicken and broth. Heat the soup for at least 30 minutes, to blend the flavors. Add the Matzo Balls and serve.

For the holidays serve with matzo and enjoy your evening with your loved ones.

Please note that I have not been paid or given coupons or product for any of the above items. All the items came out of my grocery budget. All the opinions are my own.

Charosis - A Passover Recipe

The holidays are fast approaching and my daughter Teri has requested a family favorite. Charosis is part of the sedar plate for the Passover service we have at home. Since Passover is a difficult holiday if you don’t use eggs, we also use this for breakfast, thus the larger than normal qualities. I also make mine nut free which is different from most recipes you will see.




Charosis

¼ cup honey

1 pound of chopped dates - grated

1 to 2 pounds of apples – grated (use very firm apples)

¼ cup of grape juice

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Sugar to taste, some people like their Charosis on the very sweet side, but unless the apples are very tart I tend to skip the extra sugar.

Finely grate or chop the apples and the dates. I use the medium grating attachment of my Kitchen Aide Mixer. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Please feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste. Place the covered bowl in the fridge overnight.

For breakfast I usually use ½ cup of Charosis on 1 matzo.

This is not a paid advertisement for Kitchen Aide. I have had my Kitchen Aide K-5 Mixer since about 1978 and it still one of my favorite kitchen workhorses. Way back then I invested 2 paychecks to buy it and it has been one of my best and longest lasting kitchen appliances.

Have a great evening and enjoy your families.

I will take any holiday recipe request you my dear reader ask for.

Summer Slaw

It has been a while since I posted last. I have been very busy and getting a lot of things done. I have made a lot of stitch markers, a few earrings and key chains for the shows I have schduled and a lot of spring cleaning. Speaking of spring,here is one of my families favorite summer recipies.

Summer Slaw

Prep time less than 5 minutes. Make at least 1 hour before serving to chill.

2 pounds of Dole Coleslaw Mix with carrots
1/2 cup of  Sun Maids Goldens and Cherries
1/2 cup od Marie's Coleslaw Dressing

Take the coleslaw mix. Rinse and drain well. Add the Goldens and Cherries along with the Coleslaw dressing. Toss in the dressing, cover and place in the fridge till serving time.

For my family this makes 4 servings, but then again we always cover half of our plates with vegies. So at the standard 1/2 cup of vegies per serving this should make a lot more.

*My disclaimer: I have not been paid or given coupons for any items in the above recipe. This has been a family favorite for years. So please enjoy it too.

Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Hamster Helper

It has been a while since I have blogged. Eric has been sick and the days have been long. So that being said it is time for a family favorite recipe and a bit of humor

Hamster Helper
1 pound of ground meat your choice

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce again you choice

2 cans of mushrooms

1 pound of fun shaped pasta cooked and drained.

1 pound of frozen mixed vegetables

1 cell phone with incredibly bad reception
Optional ingredient

1 can black olives drained and sliced

In order to make this a 1 pot meal, cook the pasta as per package directions, drain and set aside. Next brown the ground meat of your choice and be sure to break up the meat in to small pieces. You want to make sure that the ground meat is fully cooked and no pink remains. If the meat is very fatty drain the extra fat and rinse the meat.

Add everything but the cell phone to the pan and mix well. Set the stove to medium-low and cooked for about 45 minutes. This recipe will hold well on low for as long as you need. If you keep this on low for more than 1 hour you might have to add more water to keep the dish moist.

Ok so I did not put the cell phone in the pot, but this is the fun part. Try to explain to you dear darling family member that you are making your own version of Betty Crocker’s Hamburger Helper and with the right drop outs it will sound like hamster instead of hamburger. You can take this where ever your heart desires, have a bit of fun with this.

Let me know how your families like this recipe. Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Hard to be Cheerful

It is hard to be cheerful on a day like today that went through the blender called life with Eric. I had a nice leisurely day planned out a little knitting, getting caught up on some of my shows, errands and a quite lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.

10 am. the call came from the wheelchair clinic, silly me I thought that they were confirming his appointment for tomorrow morning, but no they had to see him today. They could see him at 10:30, now try making it to the high school and then to their office in mid town in 30 minutes, do they think I drive "Chitty-Chitty,Bang-Bang"? When I said I could not make that one they said that they had a 1:00 pm slot, that I could make and and even had time to cram lunch down in the parking lot before the appointment.

They were reluctant to help me get Eric from the chair, but I stood my ground and the tech finally figure he would not get the chair for the modifications till he helped get Eric out. That is when Eric's Mickey Button popped out. Eric has had a g-tube for over 7 years and this has not happened once. I did manage to get it back in, but had to change it when I got home. And then Eric managed to knock down my drink and there was that to clean up. At least the supply company was nice about it and could not believe that this has not happened before. Cross your fingers with me to hope everything will be OK till the spare button comes later in the week.

The new Sunflower Market at River and Orange Grove is very nice. We stopped by because I needed a little sane serenity dippity in my life to today. Did I mention that it was the grand opening today, definitely not sane but the staff was well trained and very nice. The Representatives from Harris Ranch Beef also gave a good tri-tip recipe. Use a salt and pepper rub. heat the grill to 350 cook the meat for 45 minutes turning every 5 minutes, Boy do those guys know how to cook a mean tri-tip roast.

The snow birds came out in droves for the grand opening and defiantly do not like to give the van accessible spaces to people with wheel chairs. There is nothing worse then waiting for a space and having a snow bird block access and practice hand jesters that they deserve time outs for. Where are their children when we need them?

Here to a quite evening. Sorry dad there was no way that this day was going to turn out "somewhere between great and fantastic" I really tried. Should I offer a bonus to Eric if he goes to sleep on time?

The comments and opinions in this blog are mine. I have not received compensation from Sunflower Market or Harris Ranch Beef.

Have an wonderful evening and enjoy your families.

Low Fat Green Beans Almondine

I try not to use a lot of extra fat in my cooking and have finally come up with a low fat version that my husband likes. You can not be totally fat free because the almonds have some fat, but you will find no other fat in this recipe. Since we eat a large amount of vegetables in our house I feel this is a recipe for 2 to 3 people, however I am sure that it will serve more if you don't cover half of your plate with vegetables.

I cheated and used my steamer. It was fast and easy to do and would be a great recipe to let the children help assemble.

1 pound of fresh green beans rinsed and trimmed
8 ounces of fresh whole mushrooms cleaned and quartered
1/2 cup of sliced almonds, the slivers work the best

Layer the steamer tray as follows: the bottom layers should be the green beans , then spread the mushrooms evenly over the green beans. Finally sprinkle the almond slivers evenly over the top. I set my steamer for 10 minutes. Your green beans almondine are now ready to serve. There will be a large burst of steam when you open the steamer so do not let the children do this.

My husband did note that after dinner it was hard to get all the almond slivers out of the steam tray, but because the dish tasted good I should make it again and he would clean the tray out.

I use an Aroma Steamer, and have included a link to Amazon.com for the rice cooker and steamer that I use.

Eric's Milk Shake

Eric has a new favorite dinner. I know he likes it because he makes happy sounds, makes nice mommy and takes my hand to rub his tummy to show me how good it feels.

Eric's Shake

1 Banana
1 cup vanilla soy ice cream
1/4 cup of nut butter ( The current favorites are Macadamia and cashew, and will do peanut butter in a pinch)
Soy milk to top off the container.

In a large Magic bullet cup add the ingredients in the following order: Banana, soy ice cream, nut butter and fill to 1/4 inch from the top with soy milk. Blend till smooth.

This is the vegan recipe. You can use regular ice cream and milk if you don't have any allergies to cows milk.

Another Red Pot Recipe

Eric is home sick today, he pick up heaven only knows what at that giant perti dish called school. So in honor of Eric being sick I will give you a very easy red pot recipe. By the way this is what my husband is getting for dinner tonight.

Brisket

1 Brisket
1 package of Lipton's onion soup mix
4 cups of water
non stick cooking spray.

Spray the red pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add the brisket and 4 cups of water. Sprinkle the onion soup over the brisket. Place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 3 to 4 hours.

Serve on soft rolls with a salad or vegetable sticks for a complete meal.

The only problem I have every encountered with this recipe is that the meat gets so tender that it is almost impossible to slice sometimes, and we just have to scoop the meat out of the pan.

Please let me know how you like the brisket.

I am sorry to say that there is no vegan or vegetarian alternatives to this recipe.

Please have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.