Spanish Chicken

This is a wonderful southwestern chicken casserole recipe.  It comes from one of my friends who was raised on a farm along with her 6 siblings!  Her mom makes the most delicious recipes.  This one is basic and easy, and if you want to make it especially kid-friendly, you can just shake in some onion powder instead of chopping up an onion.  It's also great if you're having a group over...just make some beans and rice, maybe a green salad - perfect! 

Spanish Chicken

1/4 c. butter

3 cans Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbells, preferably)

8 oz. sour cream

1 dozen corn tortillas, torn into pieces

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese

1 onion, chopped

1 or 2 4 oz. cans green chiles

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish, and melt it in your oven.   Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour into the baking dish, right into the melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.  Soo delicious!   

An Amazing Roast Beef Sandwich!

This is a sandwich I made for my husband on Sunday, as he hopefully watched the Dallas Cowboys play what turned out to be thier last game of the season.  :( 

It was a pretty big sandwich, and he could only eat half of it, so he gave the other half to me.  It was amazing!  My sandwich was so delicious...I just had to take its picture and put it here, along with how I made it. 

An Amazing Roast Beef Sandwich

Roast  Beef (mine was leftover chuck roast)

Cibatta Rolls

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Cheddar Cheese

Butter

Onion Strings (mine were leftover from Saltgrass Steakhouse)

Directions:

-Turn on the broiler in your oven, and cut your cibatta rolls in half.  Actually, you can use any kind of roll, it doesn't have to be cibatta.  I just happen to love these rolls.  So...cut them in half, and spread some softened butter on each half.  Broil under the broiler until brown. 

Then slice or grate some cheddar cheese and pile it on top of the top halves.  On the bottom halves pile your roast beef.  Return to the oven to broil until the cheese melts and the beef is warm.  Take out of the oven, and spread mayonnaise on top of the cheese, and squirt dijon mustard on top of the roast.  Spread your onion strings all over the roast & mustard, and put the cheese/mayonnaise tops on your sandwiches. 

That's it!  These are wonderful!! - try them! 

Biscuits and Gravy

This is a picture of the biscuits and gravy I made yesterday morning. As my entire family slept.  At first I was jealous of them, but then I thought, Awwww, I love them so much...I'll make them some biscuits and gravy for when they (finally) wake up! 

These two recipes are both wonderful!  The biscuits are so crumbly and they just seem to melt in your mouth.  And the gravy is just perfect - not too heavy or thick, and with just a little bit of spiciness to it.   It's THE best sausage gravy recipe that I've ever made. 

Here's how to make it:

Biscuits

3 c. flour

2 T. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

1 T. sugar

3/4 c. shortening (I use Butter Flavor Crisco)

1 c. milk

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together dry ingredients, and cut in shortening until the mixture is crumbly.  Gradually add milk and mix just until combined.  Place dough on a floured surface and roll 3/4 inch thick.  Cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter, or a glass!  I use a glass because I have never had a biscuit cutter.  :)  Bake 9-10 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet.  Do not overbake. 

Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup all purpose flour
hot sauce (I use tabasco)
Salt to taste
3-4 cups water

Directions:
-For this recipe, I always use my cast iron skillet.  Which I LOVE.  It's about 10 years old now, and it is my favorite skillet.  Of course this recipe can be made in a regular skillet as well. 
Place the sausage in your skillet, and turn the heat to medium.  Shake a few drops of hot sauce into the raw meat as you break it up.  For some reason, it's not the same if you add the hot sauce after the meat is cooked.  It needs to be added when the meat is still raw. 
When the meat is brown & crumbled and the fat is rendered, stir in the flour.  Completely coat the flour with the rendered grease.  You don't want to see any of the white flour.  It should be like brown crumbly pieces of sausage and coated flour. 
Now add the evaporated milk, and some of your water, maybe a cup, stirring constantly.  Break up the flour crumbles as you go.  It should get very thick very fast.  Keep adding water and stirring, until you reach the desired consistency. 
Add salt to taste.  You can also add pepper, but I like it with just the salt and hot sauce.
Ohhh it's sooo delicious!  Try it!

Pumpkin Muffins

There are so many wonderful things you can make with a can of pumpkin!  Today I have for you a fantastic recipe for Pumpkin Muffins, or Pumpkin Bread if you'd rather.  My 10 year old daughter, instead of a cake, wanted these for her birthday!  The other kids were a little confused... but she was perfectly delighted with these!  I tend to think of pumpkin as more of a fall/winter thing, but these are just so great year-round.  Also they freeze very well and are really handy to have on school mornings.  Make some!  They're so easy.

Pumpkin Muffins

2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.  Using a whisk works pretty good.  Pour the batter into a greased muffin tin - about 10 muffins.  You can also make bread by pouring it into a greased loaf pan.   For muffins, bake 20-25 minutes.  For bread, about one hour, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Seven Layer Cookie Bars

Every winter, my 3 best friends and I have a daytime pajama party and we all bring something delicious and fattening to eat. This year my beautiful friend Erica made these. They are a variation on traditional 7 Layer Cookie Bars, which are made with coconut and pecans. Erica hates coconut and loves peanuts, so here is her recipe, which is, I suppose, a SIX layer cookie bar --completely addicting. I was obsessed for months. :)

Erica's Seven Layer Cookie Bars

1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
-Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place butter in a 9 inch square pan and put it in the oven until melted. Remove from the oven and layer evenly graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanuts, in this order. DO NOT STIR. Spread condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake at 325 degrees for 33 minutes. (Each oven varies so you might need to leave them in there a little less time or a little more.) Cool completely in pan, and cut into squares. Makes about 16 squares.