Clam Chowder

I have experimented with at least three different clam chowder recipes, and always come back to this one. Enjoy!

1 cup water
1 8oz can minced clams, undrained
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups potatoes
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1 T. parsley
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups milk
2 1/2 t. seasoning salt
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Pour water and juice from clams into sauce pan. Add diced potatoes, carrots, bouillon, onions, and parsley. Simmer til veggies are tender. Add cream soup, clams, milk, cheese, and seasoning salt. Heat gently but do not boil. It is best to make the day before or early in the day you plan to eat it. Much more flavorful!

Cornbread and Jiffy Dinner rolls

Here are two recipes that use a Jiffy yellow cake mix, the little 9oz. kind. I make both of these a lot this time of year to go alongside soups and chili.

Cornbread

1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Blend ingredients, batter will be slightly lumpy. Let sit 4 minutes. Pour into greased square pan or muffins cups. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (square pan) or 15-20 (muffins).

*Note: if I am just making these to feed my family I cut the recipe in 1/2 and use only 1/2 of each boxed mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk.

This is my favorite cornbread, the cake mix makes it slightly sweet, so yummy with butter and honey!


Jiffy Dinner Rolls

1 9oz. box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 pkg. active dry yeast (equal to 2 1/4 t. yeast)
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cup warm on wrist tap water
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, yeast and salt. Stir in water and flour to make a soft (very sticky) dough. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Stir down and place on floured surface. Turn dough gently to coat with flour. Shape in rolls and place on a greased baking sheet, or shape in balls and place in muffin tins. *Cover and let rise again til doubled. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes til golden.

*At this point I often cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until I am ready to bake them. Just get them out of the fridge in time for them to fully come to room temp and bake as followed.

These are also a slightly sweet "crescent" type roll. They are yummy brushed with butter right from the oven!

Monster Cookies

Wowie! This is my new favorite cookie recipe. Be warned: it makes a TON. Don't use your kitchen aid mixer to mix it up, find a bigger bowl. I learned the hard way. But they are so worth it!

2 cubes soft butter or marg.
3 1/8 cups creamy peanut butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 T. corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
4 t. baking soda
6 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup plain m&m's
9 cups rolled or quick oats
***this is correct--no flour***

Cream butter with pb. Add in order, blending after each addition: brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, soda, eggs, choc. chips, m&m's, oats.

Use a big tablespoon to scoop the dough. Flatten cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, leave room for spreading. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool a minute or two, carefully remove to a wire rack for cooling.

They are chewy and soft, and oh so good! Would be great for a potluck, bake sale, or for freezing to bake later. Enjoy!

Canned Tomato Soup

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law (Jayne). It makes a creamy tomato soup that is wonderful to have preserved for winter.

14+ quarts Tomatoes
1 bunch celery
6 medium onions
½ to whole head cabbage (green or red)

-------------

1 lb. butter, softened
1 lb. brown sugar
2 cups Flour
¼ cup salt

----------------


In 16 qt stockpot, cook tomatoes (halved or quartered), celery (chopped thin), onions (chopped), and cabbage (shredded) until soft. Run through sieve. Poor back into Stockpot. (Can blend some of the leftover pulp, re-sieve and add to stockpot). Combine butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Add to mixture in spoonfuls. Boil for 5 minutes. Put in hot sterilized jars. Water bath 20-25 minutes.
To Serve: If desired, add milk or cheese to taste.

* It is no longer recommended to can with starches (flour) or fat (butter) found in this recipe. I looked up several sites and the serious canners say leave the thickening to after canning. Also, tomatoes should not be canned in a water bath unless they are proper acidified with lemon juice. A pressure cooker would be a better option for this soup.

Honey Dijon Grilled Salmon

(All measurements are approximate, since I really just toss it all together!)

2 TBS Butter
2 TBS Dijon Mustard
2 TBS Honey
1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped
Salt and pepper

Melt butter and add garlic. Saute for a tiny bit. Add Mustard and Honey. Stir until well combined. Spread over salmon fillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill!

When I grill salmon, I make a little tray out of foil (with edges and all that so that the juices don't spill onto the grill). I put the skin side down, then just put the "tray" directly on the grill. I typically grill on medium heat until the thickest part flakes with a fork. When it is time to serve, the skin sticks to the tray and we only get the meat.

Okay, so it's not an exact science. Sometimes, when I'm feeling lazy, I just sprinkle the fillet with garlic powder, squeeze some Dijon and honey over the top, spread it around, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill!

This recipe makes fish-haters love salmon!

Buttercup Squares

Here is a recipe I have been making often because of the heat. It is fast, easy, and does not use the oven. :)

Buttercup Squares
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 c. crushed graham crackers (about 1 1/2 pkgs.)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Pat into a 9x13 pan. Melt the chocolate chips and spread over mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Enchiladas

I just searched this site, thinking that I MUST have shared this recipe before, but I guess I haven't! It is my typical "dinner guest recipe" because it is fairly easy, feeds a lot of people, and gets a lot of compliments.

Black Bean Enchiladas

At noon:
Place 5 or 6 frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot.
Sprinkle with one packet of Taco Seasoning.
Cook on high for about 5 hours. Don't add water and don't open the crock pot! Every time you open the crock pot, you add 30 minutes to your cooking time. It is not worth it.

When the chicken breasts are done, they will be in a bunch of liquid. Don't drain it. Use your kitchen shears or a couple of forks and shred the chicken, mixing the taco seasoning well.

In a blender:
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 cup of mild salsa
1 Tbs lime juice
1 garlic clove
Blend well.
(This also tastes wonderful with some cilantro tossed in. Maybe 1/4 c. fresh.)

Shred 2 cups of cheddar cheese.
Add 1 cup of cheese to the bean mixture (either blend it or stir it in).
Pour about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture into the chicken and mix well.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the bean mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish and spread it across the bottom of the dish (this is just so it doesn't stick!).
In the casserole dish, layer flour tortillas, chicken, cheese, tortillas, chicken, cheese until you run out. (Of course, you could always roll the chicken in the tortillas!)
Pour the bean mixture over the top of the casserole and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the edges look crispy and the cheese has melted.
Serve with sour cream!

Grilled pizza

The other night I tried a recipe for bbq grilled pizza. We love homemade pizza, but with the heat I did not want to use my oven. I had always wanted to try a recipe like this, but was a little skeptical about it actually turning out! I doubled the dough recipe and made eight personal pizzas. My family really enjoyed it. You can find the recipe/tutorial here. Enjoy!

(I posted a picture of my pizzas on my blog if you want to see a less-gourmet, first-timer's attempts. )