Overnight Stuffing

Overnight Stuffing

1 large French loaf or 2 small Artisan loaves (like rosemary, focaccia, chiabatta, etc), cubed & dried*

1/2 c butter

2 onions

5 ribs of celery

3 eggs

2-3 T parsley

1 t rubbed sage

1 t thyme

2 c chicken broth

1. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large pot; add onion & celery and saute until soft.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs.

4. Add herbs to the pot and stir until fragrant; stir in chicken broth. Temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the warm chicken broth to the bowl, then pour the egg/broth mixture into the pot.

5. Add bread cubes to the pot and toss until well-coated; pour into greased pan, cover with foil, and place in the refrigerator.

6. Leaving the foil on, place the pan in the cold oven; turn it on to 400* and set a timer for 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

 

 

*You can dry the bread on a baking sheet, either overnight on the counter (covered with a towel) or in the oven at 300* for about 30-40 minutes.

Best Chicken Salad

Best Chicken Salad

2 T vinegar

2 t salt

1 t pepper

1 c mayo

1 c sour cream 

4 celery ribs, sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1. Mix vinegar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a medium bowl; stir in celery, green onions, and chicken. Let sit a few hours, or overnight, in the fridge for best flavor.

Wild Rice Soup - Pressure Cooker

Wild Rice Soup
5 carrots, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c uncooked wild rice (do not use blended rice)
8 oz fresh mushrooms
4 c chicken broth
1 t salt
1 t sage
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t rosemary
6 T butter
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c milk

1. Put everything from the carrots to the rosemary in the pressure cooker and cook on manual for 45 minutes; release the steam.
2. Melt the butter in a small pot; whisk in the flour. Let the roux cook for a few minutes; whisk in the milk a little at a time.
3. Stir milk mixture into soup and serve hot.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
1 lb bacon, roughly chopped and slightly frozen
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 c diced celery
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
4 c heavy whipping cream
green onions, Cheddar cheese, sour cream (opt)

1. In a large pot over medium heat, fry bacon until crispy; remove bacon and set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until onions are clear; add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and half of the bacon.
4. Over medium-high heat, simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. At this point, you could mash some (or all) of the potatoes. Add cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Serve in a bread bowl topped with remaining bacon, and other toppings.

Meat-Stuffed French Bread

Meat-Stuffed French Bread
1 loaf French bread
1 lb ground beef
2 T finely diced onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped carrots
1 t minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 T milk
2 t Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 c Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Slice French bread in half, lengthwise, and tear out as much of the middle of the bread as you can. Place the torn pieces in a large bowl, making sure that they are pretty small pieces. Set the bread crusts on a large baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large pan, brown ground beef and onion together over medium-high heat. Drain grease and add celery, carrots, and garlic; cook a few minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Add soup, milk, and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
4. Toss beef mixture with bread pieces and spoon in to one bread crust, sprinkle with cheese, and top with other bread crust.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted; remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Hawaiian Haystacks (or Chinese Sundaes)

Hawaiian Haystacks (or Chinese Sundaes)
3 T butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
1 c chicken broth
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
rice
Optional toppings:
shredded coconut
slivered almond
Cheddar cheese
celery
green onions
mushrooms
tomatoes
olives
mandarin oranges
peas
pineapple
chow mein noodles
water chestnuts

1. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion and chicken and cook until onions are soft and chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to combine; cook for a minute and then slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth.
5. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a simmer and then add the salt and pepper. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
6. Serve over rice, topped with toppings of your choice.

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
2- 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 c diced celery*
1 c diced carrots*
1 c diced onions*
4 c broth (vegetable or chicken)
1 t oregano
1 T basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 c butter
1/2 c flour
1 c Parmesan cheese
2 c warm half & half
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Place tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, broth, oregano, basil, and bay leaf in a large slow cooker; cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. About 45 minutes before you plan on serving, melt butter in a pan and add flour; stir until well mixed. This is called a roux.
3. Slowly add a cup of the soup to the roux; add more soup until the roux is well incorporated.
4. Add roux mix in to slow cooker; stir in cheese, and half & half.
5. Cook on low for another 30 minutes before serving. Salt and pepper as desired.
*Cut all vegetables about the same size so that they cook at the same rate.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I got this yummy recipe from my sweet sister. Enjoy.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
6 T butter
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c half & half
6 c chicken broth
2 t thyme
3 c cooked chicken
2 c uncooked egg noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

1.In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and then add vegetables. Cook for about 8 minutes, until veggies are soft.
2. Stir in flour and mix well; add half & half, broth, thyme, chicken, and noodles. Stir well.
3. Turn heat up to high and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and noodles are soft, about 10 minutes.
Feeds 6.

Stuffing

I think store-bought stuffing is disgusting. Here's my remedy. :)

Stuffing
1/4 c shortening
1/2 c butter
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 c parsley
1 T poultry seasoning
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c chicken broth
12 c (about 12-15 slices) bread, cubed and slightly stale*

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large skillet, saute shortening, butter, onion, and celery.
3. Take off heat and add in parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix well.
4. Stir in milk, eggs, and broth.
5. Place bread in a large bowl and pour mixture over bread; toss to coat well.
6. Press in to 9x13 pan and bake for 45 minutes.
*You can either leave the bread out overnight, or place it in the oven on warm for about an hour, tossing every 15 minutes or so.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Potato Soup
1- 32 oz bag frozen Southern-style hash browns, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 medium celery stalks, diced
1- 32 oz box chicken broth
1 c water
3 T flour
1 c milk
2 c Cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (opt)
4 green onions, sliced (opt)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth, and water in slow cooker; cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
2. In a small bowl, mix flour and milk; stir in to slow cooker.
3. Cook soup on high for 20-30 minutes, or until soup thickens; stir in cheese until melted.
4. Serve topped with bacon, green onions, salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken
1/2 lb bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
3 chicken breasts, cubed
1-2 T Cajun seasoning
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 c cooked rice

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; set aside in refrigerator.
2. Add pepper, onion, and celery to pan; cook for 3 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. Spoon vegetables into slow cooker.
4. Sprinkle chicken with half of the Cajun seasoning; cook chicken in pan, turning once, until brown on both sides.
5. Place chicken and any remaining bacon fat into slow cooker, pour in tomatoes, and stir in remaining seasoning.
6. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir in bacon and rice before serving.

(The picture isn't amazing, but this is really tasty.)

Roasted Chicken

Let me preface this by telling you that I do not eat meat off of bones. Like ever. But my sister convinced me to try this easy recipe and I did. And I loved it (as long as hubby cuts it off the bone first).

Roasted Chicken
1 whole (6-7lb) chicken
about 4 T kosher salt
2 white onions, 1 sliced in to rings and 1 diced
1 c diced celery
1 c diced carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T black pepper
2-3 lemons, sliced into rings

1. Pull all of the guts and grossness out of the bird and rinse inside and out. Liberally apply salt to outside of bird and throw some (about a tablespoon) in the hole, too.
2. Place on a dinner plate, wrap bird and dinner plate in saran wrap, and refrigerate overnight, or at least for a few hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400*; line a roasting pan well with foil and grease.
4. In a small bowl, combine the celery, carrots, garlic, pepper, and chopped onion; stuff bird with mixture.
5. On the bottom of the pan, lay a layer of sliced onion and then a layer of lemon slices.
6. Place the bird in the pan and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours.
I'm not a huge fan of the stuffing, but I do like to serve the meat with a drizzle of the lemon juices from the bottom of the pan.

Steak Sauce Meatloaf

Steak Sauce Meatloaf
2 lb ground beef
1/3 c Heinz 57 sauce
1/3 c + 2 T Worcestershire sauce, separated
1 c plain bread crumbs (or 2-3 pieces of bread left out to dry and then crumbled)
1/3 c onion, finely chopped
1/4 c celery, finely chopped
1/4 c carrots, finely chopped
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (just 1/3 c Worcestershire sauce).
3. Form into loaf and place in the middle of a 9x13 pan.
4. Brush remaining Worcestershire sauce over top and sides of loaf.
5. Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until cooked all the way through.
Allow to sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nauvoo Potatoes

I never understood why people call them "funeral potatoes". Did people really serve this dish so much at funerals that it adopted that bleak name? We call them Nauvoo Potatoes, and this is my mom's recipe.

Nauvoo Potatoes
6-7 potatoes, par-baked and chilled
1/4 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery (opt)
2 T butter
1- 10.75 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 c [light] sour cream
1 c Cheddar cheese, grated
1 c crushed corn flakes mixed with 1/4 c melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Grate potatoes and spread on bottom of greased 9x13 pan.
3. Saute onions (and celery if you want a little crunch in the casserole) in butter until soft; add soup, sour cream, and cheese.
4. Take off heat and stir well; pour over potatoes and mix lightly.
5. Top with crushed corn flakes and bake for 30 minutes.