Artichoke Rice Salad

A Great Summer Salad!


Light and Refreshing!










I love this salad. It is a little sour and has a slight bite with the green olives. It makes such a nice summer dinner with a crusty bread or rolls. I often double this to take to a group picnic.

1 pkg. chicken Rice-A-Roni

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper chopped

8 to 10 green olives with pimento, chopped

2 jars marinated in oil artichokes (abt. 8 to 10 oz jars) Dice and reserve liquid

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Optional: I like to add cooked diced chicken breast when I use it as a main dish salad.

Make rice per package instructions. Cool completely and then combine rice, onion, pepper, olives and artichokes.

In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, oil reserved from the artichokes and curry powder. Pour this dressing over rice mixture.

Refrigerate overnight to let flavors mellow.

Happy picnics!

- Debbie -

Coconut Chicken & Pineapple Yams

Not Old and True,


But Good and New!








Over the weekend, I did some babysitting at my daughter's home. When the children were all asleep, I entertained myself with her cookbooks. I found this recipe in a collection of her husbands relatives favorite recipes. We made it tonight and really enjoyed the new and interesting flavor.

1 container pina colada yogurt
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup coconut, shredded

Dip chicken breasts in yogurt. Make sure chicken is completely coated. Then mix coconut and bread crumbs together. Roll dipped chicken in coconut mixture. Place chicken in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.




Since it was a hot night, I cooked our chicken and yams in the box oven. I used about 17 coals and cooked the chicken about an hour.






Pineapple Yams


I went through my recipe collection looking for a recipe that I felt would go with the coconut chicken. This yam recipe was just right and the flavors really blended well. It is a little of a "hooker by crooker" recipe so you will need to taste as you go to get the right amount of spices
that you like.

1 lb. yams (I think it was about 1 1/2 cups of yams)
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch allspice
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbsp. crushed pineapple

or

1/2 cup orange juice and
1/2 tsp. grated orange rind

Boil yams until tender and then skin and mash the pulp. Add the spices (to taste), honey, egg and either pineapple or orange juice. Whip everything until light and fluffy. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake about 45 minutes.

Wishing you sunny skies and fair breezes.

- Debbie -

P.S. For instructions and directions for making a box oven, go to the Labels and click on Box Oven.

Dad's 6 Minute Cake

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!

THANKS FOR THE FUN RECIPE!

I inherited my love of experimental cooking or as my Mom calls it,"Frizzle Cooking", from my Dad. When he retired, he kind of took over the kitchen and has perfected whole wheat cooking, especially his bread. I told Dad that I had a little microwave recipe for a chocolate cake that I just wasn't quite happy with and Dad took on the challenge and this little recipe is the result. It is good, easy, and inexpensive to make. Ty it, it's fun!

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup whole wheat four ( I tried white flour and it turned out fine)

2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

dash of salt

Mix everything together with a mixer and then add:

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix well and then pour in a 8 x 8 inch glass pan that has been greased with solid shortening and then dusted with flour.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the top and put in the microwave for 6 minutes on Hi power. This is best eaten hot out of the microwave. I like to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

This was the cake I made and it really turned out quite well. The nuts stayed on top but the chocolate chips sink to the bottom.

I love you Dad! Thanks for the bounty of good memories you have made for me. No girl could have had a better Dad!

Happy Father's Day to all of our wonderful Dads!

- Debbie -

Crockpot Beef Sandwiches

My son just got married in April and this Mother's Day my new little Daughter-in-Law gave me a very special gift. Being newly weds, they are on a very limited budget so she hand wrote 25 recipe cards of her families favorite recipes. For me, this was the highest form of recipe sharing and I will treasure these 25 recipes forever. Thanks Amy!

1 3 to 5 lb. rump roast
2 cans beef broth
1 pkg. Italian Dressing Mix
1 pkg. Au Jus Sauce Mix

Brown meat on all sides in a small amount of oil. Put in a crock pot and add broth, dry Italian dressing mix, and Au Jus sauce mix. Cook on high for 8 to 10 hours. You may serve on hard rolls and it is also good to add grated cheese and broil until melted.

A few years ago, I bought a cookie sucker mold but I had never used it. I thought it would be fun to pat some dilly bread dough in them and make buns. It worked very well and we enjoyed our sandwiches on this delicious bread. The recipe for the bread was on my last post, June 11, 2009.
I liked how all of the buns were pretty uniform in size. You should be able to get the mold at any major craft store that carries Wilton products.






This is a great recipe for your family picnics that will be coming up.

Happy Summer!


Debbie

Dilly Bread

Tender and Flavorful--

So Good with Soup!










I visited my Mom and Dad over the weekend and my sisters and I were reminiscing over the Dilly Bread that Mom used to make in a juice can. We loved it and always asked for the "round bread". There is just something fun about eating a round slice of bread, so break out of the mold and bake round!

2 1/2 tsp of dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup creamed cottage cheese (heated to lukewarm)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. instant minced onion, or 2 Tbsp.. finely chopped fresh onion

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 tsp. dill seed

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 unbeaten egg

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Soften yeast in water. Combine in mixing bowl cottage cheese, sugar, onion, butter, dill seed, salt, soda, egg, and softened yeast. Add flour to form a stiff dough, beating well after each addition. Cover. Let rise in warm place, 85 to 90 degrees, until light and double in bulk (about 50 to 60 min.).

Stir dough down. Turn into well-greased, 8-inch round, 1 1/2 or 2 qt. casserole. (or a clean, empty,dry 46 oz juice can). Let rise in warm place until light, 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with soft butter and sprinkle with sea salt. If baking in a can, it will need to cook about 60 minutes. Wait about 15 minutes to remove from the pan and it is easier to get out.

Wishing you a Sunny Day!

Debbie

Chicken In A Blanket

Chicken, Cheese Sauce and Broccoli-

All Rolled Up In A Little Crepe Blanket

Okay, so the real name of this little creation is "Turkey Divan Crepes" but how Mountain sounding is that! I just thought it looked like a little silky blanket wrapping up everything. Whatever you call it, it's good!

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Combine and mix well

Refrigerate the mixture at least 1 hour

Heat a 6 to 8 inch skillet on medium heat and then spray with Pam. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter in the pan and tip the pan so the batter covers all of the bottom. Cook about one minute and then turn. Cook about a minute longer. Remove to plate and repeat until all of the batter is used. (I use an 8 inch pancake griddle and it works very well)

2 pkgs. 10 oz. frozen broccoli spears - cooked according to pkg. directions

2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken

In a saucepan add:

1/4 cup butter, melt and then add 1/4 cup flour - cook until bubbly

Stir in:

2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

cook and stir until thickened

Put 2 cups of sour cream in a bowl and then gradually add hot cheese sauce stirring constantly.

Lay one crepe in a baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam, add chicken, broccoli, and cheese sauce. Roll the crepe up and then make another one. When all of your crepes are finished, pour the remaining cheese sauce over the crepes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 -20 minutes. Near the end, you may add a little more grated cheese for garnish.

May you find joy on your journey!

Debbie