Blueberry Bread

Robbie made bread!!
Originally uploaded by cncarter108

BREAD:

2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
2 cups of fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

CRUMB MIXTURE:

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix together flour and baking powder with a wire wisk and set aside

Beat sugar and shortening in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vinilla until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, mixing well after each addition. Fold in blueberries and spoon into two loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together crumb mixture (minus the almonds) until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over bread and then sprinkle with almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Potato soup

Potato soup
Originally uploaded by cncarter108

During the Spring you still get cold rains and they make you want to huddle up at home. Also during Spring I like to add bits of green in everything I cook and my soups are no exception. This recipe includes the steps to make a simple roux. Roux is one of those hard things to explain you have to go by what you see and what you feel when you stir. If you are new to rouxs this might not turn out right but it is still good practice. Just don't let it burn. This takes a lot of work but it is worth it.


Potato Soup

10 medium sized potatoes (I prefer Yukon golds for their color)
3 quarts of chicken broth
1 lb of smoked sausage, or ham, chopped
1 package of frozen broccoli (optional)
2 medium onions chopped
4 tbsp butter
8 - 10 tbsp flour
3 cups of cold milk
1 tsp of season salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt

Peel and chop potatoes into large bite size pieces. Boil potatoes with chicken broth, add more water if needed to cover potatoes, and add salt. Boil until slightly tender but still firm in the centers. While potatoes are boiling sautee onions.

When potatoes are done start roux in a heavy pot. Combine 8 tbsp flour and seasonings. Melt butter and add flour mixture, stirring constantly. Stir until thick and kinda bubbly, if you think you need a little more flour then please do. You want your roux mixture to be about the texture of wet concrete. Slowly add cold milk constantly stirring. Slowly turn up the heat until liquid starts a light boil. Keep stirring and allow to lightly boil for one minute. You want to keep stirring to prevent from breaking the sauce, causing lumps, and possible burning your sauce.

Stir in part of the liquid from boiled potatoes; then add onions, broccoli, sausage, and potatoes. Pour in more of remaining potato liquid until contents of soup is covered with an inch of liquid. Stir throughly then allow to simmer for one hour. Stir soup often and turn down heat if soup starts to stick to bottom of pot.

When the soup is done you will have a great velvety and hearty soup. You can sprinkle on cheddar cheese, serve with your favorite bread, or serve in a bread bowl. I love potato soup, I like to curl up in a chair with my green blanket, and cuddle the warm bowl while I eat. Enjoy!

Mashed-potao Stuffed Chicken

1/2 cup of cold left over mashed potatoes per chicken breast
bone in chicken breast halves
1/8 of cheese for each chicken breast
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together potatoes and cheese.

Carefully use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat of each chicken breast. Using your fingers push the mashed potatoes up under the skin of the chicken breast. Place stuffed chicken in roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil and season the chicken with seasoning of your choice.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 till 40 minutes, till juices run clear. When done uncover chicken and return to oven. Let bake a little longer till tops are brown.

Nana's Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
6 slices of Texas Toast (or any thing cut, crusty white bread)
2 lbs spicy pork sausage, cooked and well drained
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Beat together eggs and half and half. Add onions and season with salt and pepper.

Spray a 12x10 baking pan with cooking spray and then line the pan with bread. Cutting and rearranging as needed. Cover the bread with sausage and cheese, then poor the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Potato Casserole

2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
season salt of your choice
1 small onion
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar
2 medium potatoes, sliced, and boiled
6 slices bacon, cooked, and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread mashed potatoes into bottom of casserole dish. Layer sour cream , season salt, then onions. Slices potatoes and layer over onions. Pour on melted butter, and sprinkle with more season salt. Top with cheese and cover dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, uncover, and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup of butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until blended. Add egg to mixture. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Give the dry ingredients a whirl with a wire whisk to break up any lumps. Mix flour mixture into creamed mixture until blended. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce

I go the original recipe from Kraft and of course I had to tweak it.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 of corn flakes
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp shortening
1 package of fat free cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth or white whine.

Put corn flakes and dry spices into the blender and crush until the corn flakes are powder. Here is a tip do not take the lid off of the blender until the dust has settled. Tenderize each breast with a mallet. I like to put the chicken into a zip locked bag when I tenderize it that way little bits of raw chicken are not slung around the kitchen.

Melt shortening in a heavy frying pan/skillet, medium heat. Coat chicken with corn flake mixture then cook chicken in pan. About 7 to 8 minutes on each side, get a nice brown on each side. Place cooked chicken on a broiler rack or cooling rack in a warm oven until time to serve. The rack is important, it keeps the chicken from getting soggy.

Use broth to de-glaze skillet. Add cream cheese, and Dijon continually stirring until cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken. I get best results with a wire whisk. If you think your sauce is too think that add a little more broth.

Now for the presentation part. You can plate each serving but I find it prettier when I use a large platter. Lay chicken on plater and arrange in a nice row, overlap a little. Spoon sauce down the center of the plate. Sprinkle fresh basil and tomatoes on top. See ain't that pretty. You can put the left over sauce in a bowl with a spoon so people can dish up if they what extra.

Look on Kraft's website for other variations.