Some More Recipes

I don’t know if you all noticed?  I created a recipe index page to make it easier to find individual recipes instead of searching through all the ‘chicken’ recipes, for example.  The tab is at the top of the blog.  Now I just have to remember to link all the new recipes there  🙂

When I make a roast chicken, our leftovers usually become chicken casserole, chicken a la king, or rarely, chicken croquettes.  This week I was thinking of something different so I searched the web for a chicken enchilada recipe.  I’m always disappointed with recipes that say ‘take jar of enchilada sauce’ (or ‘unwrap x caramels’ for “caramel sauce”).  I found a few, but none that really suit our tastes (NOT hot).  So here’s my version:

Chicken Enchiladas –serves 4

make tortillas

sauce: 1 onion, diced            2 garlic, minced

              1 14 oz can pureed (crushed) tomatoes

              1 T chili powder        1 t sugar (takes away any tartness from tomatoes)

              1/2 c chicken broth

 3 c cooked chicken, small pieces/shredded

  1 c shredded Monterrey jack cheese

  1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat for a few minutes just to blend all the ingredients.

Mix 1/4 c sauce, plus 1/8 cup of each cheese with the chicken.

Spoon some chicken filling on each tortilla and roll up tight.  Put seam side down in a greased 9×12 pan.  Pour sauce over top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Bake 350F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is hot.

You can make this ahead (don’t pour on sauce yet).  Cover and refrigerate until supper.  The pour on sauce and cheese and bake.  If it’s cold from the fridge it will take longer.  You could even make this a freezer meal -baggie all the components separately and then all together in a bigger bag, assemble on a later day.

What to do when you’ve got some sour cream that needs used up and a fridge full of banty eggs?  Make snickerdoodle cake!

Start by making the batter for my Brown Sugar Pound Cake:

1 c butter                      6 eggs

2 c br. sugar               1 c wt. sugar

2 2/3 c flour              2 t vanilla

1 c sour cream (I use fat free)        1/4 t bk soda

Cream butter then beat in each egg, one at a time.  Dissolve the bk. soda in the sour cream.  Alternate with the dry ingredients.

Combine 1/2 c white sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Grease your bundt pan and sprinkle with the sugar mix.  Pour in half the batter.  Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar mix and pour in the rest of the batter.

Bake 275F for 20 min, then 325F for 50 min, until done.

The beauty of this cake is that once it comes out of the pan it is done.  No need for icing.

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Recipes

Here’s a couple more recipes.

Garlic Roast Chicken

Roast a head of garlic with 1T oil, in a foil pouch.  1 hour at 425F.  The house will smell sooooo good.  Squeeze garlic cloves into 1/2 c softened butter and mix till smooth.

Rinse and dry a whole chicken (don’t forget to remove the inside baggie).  Spread garlic butter over and under skin.  Salt and pepper generously.   Tie up chicken.  Baste occasionally.  Cook until roast is 175F.
Roast 325F for 30min per pound.

I don’t stuff this chicken, I’m worried the amount of butter would make the dressing too greasy.  If you do try it, let me know.  I usually just make the dressing in a casserole for this dish, but it just doesn’t taste the same as when cooked in the chicken.

 
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this.  But I find when I cook with a local raised chicken they only take about 1/2 the time the store-bought chickens take.  I guess it’s the water/saline that they inject store chicken with to keep them plump.  I love being able to buy local whole chickens.

I don’t make white cake very often.  It’s usually chocolate all the time here  🙂  I make this one to use up eggs.  It’s also a good firm cake if you are doing a fancy cake for a celebration.  This is the recipe I used for Jack and Isobel’s 40th anniversary party.

1-2-3-4 Cake                   

1 c butter                        2 c white sugar

3 c flour                          4 eggs

2 t cream of tartar       1 t baking soda

2 t vanilla                  1 c milk or water

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs.  

Combine dry ingredients.  Then add alternately with the milk/water and vanilla.

Pour into greased and floured cake pan.

 

Bake 350F        45 min for 9×13 pan

                              30 min for 9×9 pan

**also makes 3 dozen cupcakes

 

‘Buttercream’ Icing    -makes 3 cups

1/2 c shortening                                 1/2 c butter

1 t vanilla                                               4 c icing sugar

2 T milk                                                optional 3/4 c cocoa (will need more milk)

Cream butter and shortening.  Add vanilla and icing sugar.  Add cocoa if using.  Add enough milk to make spreadable icing.

 

 

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A Promised Recipe

I promised my girlfriend the recipe for really easy chocolate cake.  Since I’m whipping one up for Colin I thought I’d finally get it posted.

Colin’s Chocolate Cake -makes 1 9 inch cake

1 1/2 cup flour                  1 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt                         3 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp bk powder                1 tsp bk soda

1 tsp vanilla                        1 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup butter, melted      1 cup buttermilk

Mix everything in a bowl and pour into a greased cake pan.  Doesn’t get easier than that!

Bake 350F for 30 minutes

or double the recipe and pour into a greased bundt pan and bake 60 minutes.

I have another recipe to share.  I wish I could include the link for where I found it.  I usually write that information down.  If any one has the link, please let me know.  But this is so delicious I just have to share.

Slow Roasted Pork with Memphis Dust

Memphis Dust:

2 T brown sugar and white sugar

4 t paprika

2 t salt and garlic powder

1 t pepper and onion powder

1 t ginger powder

Massage this onto a trimmed pork shoulder roast (around 4 lbs).

Put on a roasting pan and roast 225F for 8-12 hours.  I usually do it about 8 hours.  So delicious!

You can even enjoy this roast in the summer time!  Just preheat your BBQ (only use half the burners) to 350F.  Put roast in a foil pan and BBQ one hour per pound.  That’s it, you don’t need to fuss with it or anything.  Just keep your temperature around 350F.

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