There's an App for That

I got my new iPad.  It's awesome. 

Its awesomeness is increased tenfold in that I used it in the kitchen to make a recipe that not only was healthy and incredibly delicious, but also used some of that darn mystery phyllo dough that I found in my freezer.

I can't even tell you how good this recipe tasted.

 So instead, I'll just share the recipe with you.

Phyllo Chicken Potpie

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups fresh pearl onions (I used a jar of cocktail onions)
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 medium red potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (ick, no one in my house likes mushrooms but add them if you must)
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons sherry or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 10 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)
• Refrigerated butter-flavored spray

Directions:

• In a Dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Add pearl onions; boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. (Note: if you use a jar of cocktail onions, you can skip this step entirely)
• In a large skillet, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil over medium no longer pink; remove and keep warm. In the same pan, saute potatoes in remaining oil for 5 minutes. Add onions and mushrooms; saute 3 minutes longer. Add the broth, asparagus and sherry or additional broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain chicken; add to onion mixture. Stir in the thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Stack all 10 phyllo sheets. Roll up, starting at a long side; cut into 1/2-in. strips. Place in a large bowl and toss to separate strips. Spritz with butter-flavored spray. Arrange over chicken mixture; spritz again.
• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6 servings.

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving equals 325 calories, 8 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 542 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein.

I'm Calling to See if My House is on Fire

No worries - there's not a fire at our house and there hasn't been in the past.  But it didn't keep me from worrying about it every time I used my Crock Pot.

When I was newly married, it wasn't that long after Rival introduced a slower cooker called the Crock Pot to American homes. So in my defense, they were a relatively new gadget.  I was somehow convinced that if I left the Crock Pot unattended while I was working, it would spontaneously combust and our house would burn to the ground.

My brilliant solution for this - and I really wish I was kidding here - was my own version of an alarm system.  On the days that I used the Crock Pot, I called our home every hour to see if it was on fire.

How would I know, you ask?  Because I reasoned that since no one was home during the day, the phone wouldn't be in use.  But if there was a fire, my thought process led me to believe - inaccurately I'm sure - that I would get a busy signal because the wires would have been burned.

Take a minute and let the brilliance of that soak in and then cut me some slack - I was only 19 at the time.

I'm a few years past 19 now and I have a lot of experience with slow cookers under my belt.  I still have that old Rival Crock Pot and it still works just like it did back then, and I'm also happy to report that it has never been the source of a fire.

It's time for it to be put to pasture though - the old grey mare (or the old yellow mare, in this case) just isn't keeping up with modern times.

I've tried a few slow cookers over the years and I haven't found any that knocked my socks off, but several months ago, I acquired one that I can finally highly recommend - The Hamilton Beach 3 in 1 Slow Cooker.

This thing is awesome.  I love that it has three different sizes of crocks and that they all have the same lid and fit into the same base.  It stores compactly and it cooks the food to perfection - no undercooking or overcooking.

And just so you walk away from this with something, I present to you my most recent favorite slow cooker recipe.


Slow Cooker Turkey and Dressing
8 oz pkg. stuffing mix
1/2 cup hot water
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 c sweetened diced cranberries
3 lb boneless turkey breast
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper



Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with non stick spray; Spoon in dry stuffing mix. Add water, butter, onion, celery and cranberries. Mix well.



Sprinkle turkey with salt, pepper and basil and place over stuffing mix. Cook on low, covered, for 6-7 hours on low.


Remove turkey, slice and set aside. Gently stir up the stuffing and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.


(Apparently 3 lb. boneless turkey breasts are illegal in Illinois or something, so I used a 3 lb. frozen turkey roast found in the freezer section and I actually think it worked better.  I've also used chicken and it worked great too - I just would use boneless breasts or chicken tender strips so that they can soak up the yummy goodness from the stuffing.)

And I promise that your slow cooker will not spontaneously burst into flames and burn your house to the ground.  Call home every hour and check if you want.

Peter, Peter Pumkin Eater

I know that spring isn't a traditional time for pumpkin recipes or pumpkin pie, but I rely on canned pumpkin as a substitute for oil and eggs in a really tasty double chocolate muffin recipe. It's a low fat treat that I make often and I usually keep a stock of canned pumpkin on hand just for that.



However, imagine my surprise when I realized that the great pumpkin shortage from last fall still apparently exists in our part of the world. Not a can of pumpkin to be found in any grocery store in our area. I had to resort to ordering organic canned pumpkin from Amazon.



Not that either organic pumpkin or Amazon are a bad thing - one just doesn't think of UPS delivering a case of pumpkin all wrapped up in a pretty Amazon box. Sort of a boring delivery if you ask me. But one must do what one must do, I guess.



So, in that vein, I'll share my recipe with you just in case you actually can get pumpkin in your part of the world. But if not, you know where you can get some.



Disclaimer: I actually HATE pumpkin. So much so that I throw a cry-baby hissy fit at Thanksgiving if there isn't a choice other than pumpkin pie. So much so that I actually have a hard time mixing up these cupcakes. However, as an avowed pumpkin hater, let me assure you that you absolutely cannot tell that there is a can of pumpkin used as a low-fat, healthier alternative to eggs and oil in this recipe. I promise.



Double Chocolate Cupcakes


1 chocolate cake mix (you can use any chocolate flavor - we like chocolate fudge)

1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, but regular canned pumpkin)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of chocolate chips


Mix all the cake mix, pumpkin, and water together. It will be fairly thick, but you can still mix it easily by hand (I use my Kitchen Aid because, as stated above, I hate pumpkin and the less I have to do with it the better). Mix in the chocolate chips.


Put into cupcake liners and bake approximately 20-25 minutes at 350.



Makes about 15 cupcakes. And if you are watching your waistline, they are 2 Weight Watchers points each.


Now, go forth and find canned pumpkin.

Holy Cow Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I shouldn't give away what is destined to become my "secret family recipe" cake that I serve to all guests from now until eternity. I also shouldn't spill the beans that this cake is not only low fat, but also really Weight Watchers friendly.

But you are catching me in a moment of luscious lemon poppy seed stupor, so I'm going to do it anyway.

Carla's Holy Cow Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt (I think Dannon is the best)
• 1 cup Egg Beaters or egg substitute
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Throw it all together and mix for 3-4 minutes.

Pour into a bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted in center comes clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then top with Holy Cow Lemon Glaze.

Holy Cow Lemon Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  

Cut into 12 servings - each serving is 3 WW points, 130 calories, and 2 grams of fat.

(You can also make these into mini-muffins - it makes about 90 mini muffins; bake about 12-15 minutes; each one is less than 18 calories!!)

And pure bliss.

Oh, why is it called "Holy Cow Lemon Poppy Seed Cake?"

Because "holy cow" is what Vern said when he took the first bite.

Thai One On

You can lead a man to water, but you can't make him cook? Not true in this case. Vern has been getting into the swing of things in the kitchen. Or at least making an effort at it when I ask him to help.

We wanted to try something different. Vern has had Thai food before, but I never have. We found an easy recipe that seemed relatively healthy and easy, so we gave it a try.

Thai Chicken Salad Wrap - serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
• 2 green onions, cut into slivers
• 1 small carrot, shredded
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
• 2 tbsp. chopped peanuts
• 4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas

Peanut dressing:

• 2 tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 small clove garlic
  
• Dash hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, simmer the chicken breasts in the chicken broth over low heat for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from broth and let cool completely. (If you're using leftover grilled or roasted chicken, skip this step.)
2. When the chicken is cool, shred it, by hand, into long shreds — just pull the chicken apart along the grain of the meat. Place in a bowl. Add the cabbage, green onions, carrot and cilantro and toss to mix.
   
3. In a blender or food processor, blend together all the ingredients for the peanut dressing until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture into the chicken salad and toss to coat.
4. Lay a tortilla on a plate and spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture onto the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle with some of the chopped peanuts, fold in the bottom and top, and then fold over the sides as tightly as possible. If you're eating immediately, cut the wrap diagonally in half and serve. If you're planning to eat it later, wrap securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

The only change I would make to this recipe as it was originally written would be to warm the tortillas in the microwave or oven before filling.

This recipe was a definite keeper.

This is Not a Cooking Blog

I feel compelled to remind you, and myself, that this is not a cooking blog. I have some good recipes that I share from time to time and I may or may not include a picture, but I don't do the fancy stuff that Pioneer Woman does or even some of my online buddies like Tanya, Kami, and Suzanne. (By all means, check out their blogs if you want great cooking blogs!)

That said, you may wonder why all of a sudden there are several recipes showing up here. Long story short, it's because I've been trying several new recipes lately and I'm going to be trying several more in the near future.

This is all a result of Vern's recent issues with his vision. We've spent the past week going from one doctor to another and having one test followed by more tests. It turns out that he has a blood clot blocking an artery in his retina. It's similar to a stroke, but in his eye. There is no real treatment for it. It may or may not resolve. He may or may not lose vision in that eye.

What is for sure is that it is most likely caused by the continuing problem with his blood pressure. I'll spare you the details, but it's been a recent discovery in the past year and one that we have been working on, although half heartedly.

However, that's all in the past. We have been instructed to bring his blood pressure down and to bring it down now. As a result, we are working on a huge change in diet around here - including more healthy foods, less meat, and more vegetables, beans, and fruit.

Which is the long way of saying, here are a couple new recipes I tried tonight that were definite winners.



The first recipe is for crunchy baked chicken. Trust me - you'll want to try this one. So easy and so incredibly good. I could have eaten a whole flock of crunchy baked chickens.


Crunchy Baked Chicken

Makes 3 servings

2 oz Cornflakes, crushed
3 tsp sesame seeds
1.5 tsp Paprika
Salt & pepper
3 - 3 ounce thin chicken breasts
3 Tbsp skim milk
3 tsp margarine or butter

Combine first four ingredients and set aside. Dip chicken in skim milk; coat with cereal mixture. Place on nonstick pan and dot each with 1 tsp butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.

(Note - I was actually out of Corn Flakes today and I used Special K cereal instead. It was wonderful!)


These potato wedges are so simple, it is almost embarrassing, but whatever.


Oven Fries

Makes 3 servings

3 - 5 ounce potatoes
4 tsp olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper

Cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise. Brush with olive oil; sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees or until done.

(when I cooked these two together, I baked the potato wedges for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees and then turned the oven down to 400 degrees and added the chicken and cooked for the remaining 15 minutes.)

Hot Tamales and Tofu

Remember my Hot Tamale socks? I finished them a few weeks ago (finally) and didn't get around to posting a picture of them (not unlike how we haven't gotten around to grouting the kitchen floor either, so please try to ignore that.)



They are nothing special, but at least they are done.

Which brings me to the tofu. (wasn't that a smooth transition to a new subject??!!)


I found a really good recipe for a Peanut Butter spread made with tofu. WAIT! Don't run away. Stay with me here - I promise, it's worth it.


Peanut butter is so yummy but it is so high in calories that it's a diet wrecker. But it's so yummy. It also has a ton of fat. Did I mention that it's yummy?

This recipe is a perfect one if you've never tried tofu before or think you don't like tofu. It's great to spread on apples and celery.

Peanut Butter Dip


1/2 cup silken tofu (1/3 container)
1/2 cup peanut butter

Puree peanut butter with a blender or in food processor until smooth. Blend in the peanut butter until mixed well.

Use for apple dip, celery, etc.


Servings: 8
Serving size: 2 Tbsp.
Keeps 5-7 days in refrigerator

How About a Midnight Moon Over My Hammy?

There better be a fat tip in this for me.

If you know what I mean.

B.L.T. Y.U.M.

My first BLT of the year.

Toasted honey wheat bread

Hellmann's mayonnaise (of course)

Crispy bacon

and best of all . . .

The first tomatoes from my upside down garden.

I hope it is the first of many this summer.

It Has An Added Feature

Now that my kitchen back up and running (somewhat), I've decided that one of my favorite features of the new range top is that I have a cutting board that covers the griddle. I'm finding it so handy to have a cutting surface right on my cooking area so that I can just chop and toss ingredients right into the pan.

However, I discovered an added feature that I didn't see mentioned anywhere in the user's manual.

Yes, that is Vern. And he is cooking.

I'm not even going to tell him that he's on the wrong side of the range.

I'm Not Amish, But I Can Bake Bread

I love baking bread. There's something very nurturing about turning flour, yeast, and a handful of other ingredients into something warm and nurturing for my family. Something magical about watching the dough rise. Something therapeutic about punching it down and watching it rise to life again. And then there's the smell of bread baking in the oven and the simple pleasure of a slice of bread warm from the oven covered in fresh, real butter.

I've tried a lot of different breads with varying results, but currently this is my favorite for a plain, white bread.

Amish White Bread

Ingredients:
¼ ounce dry yeast (1 pkg)
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
2 ½ tablespoons shortening

6-7 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/8 to ¼ cup butter


Directions:
Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water (about 110 degrees). Combine sugar, salt, 2 cups water, and shortening. Stir in yeast mixture. Gradually add flour to form a soft dough. Mix with KitchenAid for 15 minutes with dough hook (speed 2). Let rise for about 2 hours. Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Let rise higher than pans (about 2 hours). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and brush with melted butter.

The original recipe called for dividing the dough in half and making only 2 loaves, but each loaf was so large that it wouldn't fit in my bread keeper.

I use my KitchenAid to knead the dough, but there's no reason you can't do it by hand if you are a traditionalist. Or by bread machine if you are more modern.

Myself? I like the combination of using a stand mixer for the heavy work and my oven for baking it the traditional way.

I should note that the last time I made this bread, I wrapped two of the loaves in waxed paper and put them into the freezer (after the first rise, but before the second rise). I was then able to just take out a frozen loaf, let it thaw and complete the second rise and then bake for a fresh loaf of bread - - - straight from the freezer.

Mmmmm. That loaf should be just about cool enough to eat now. A cup of tea, warm bread, and fresh butter. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Here at Uno Acres, when there is grilling to be done, it's a job for the man of the house.

On Memorial Day, we grilled steaks and ate outside on our deck. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to share one of our first meals on the deck with Jesse since he worked so hard to help us build the deck.

In honor of the master chef here at Uno Acres, I am sharing our special marinade for steaks.

Uno Acres Steak Marinade
Teriyaki sauce
Garlic
Brown Sugar (sometimes I substitute fresh honey)
Cilantro (sometimes I use this and sometimes I don't, so add it if you like)

Directions:Mix together and marinate meat for at least one hour.

Yes, it's really just that easy to turn your steaks into something memorable without all the artificial ingredients that bottled marinade contains.

Oh, and it tastes even better when someone else does the cooking.

Want to See My Buns?

This is not a cooking blog, although you wouldn't know it by this and the previous post. I'm definitely not the best cook out there (okay, I can hear my family laughing about THAT one!), nor am I the neatest cook, which seems to be a requirement for a cooking blog. Also, I don't actually have a kitchen right now, so that probably would be a fairly good thing too if you wanted to have a cooking blog.


Sometimes I occasionally run across a recipe that I want to share. And sometimes I don't have anything else interesting to say. Today, it's a little of one and a lot of the other (I'll let you decide.)


It was a beautiful day today, just right for grilling out, and I picked up some fantastic ground round yesterday at our local grocery, so we decided to make hamburgers. However, I forgot to pick up buns and didn't want to make another hour trip back and forth to town to buy them, so I scoured the internet (okay, not really - I just Googled it), and came up with this recipe.


Holy Hannah These Are Good Hamburger Buns!

1 1/4 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups bread flour (I used All Purpose flour because that's what I had on hand)
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Directions

Place all ingredients in pan of bread machine according to manufacturer's directions.

Select dough setting.

When cycle is complete, turn out onto floured surface.

Cut dough in half and roll each half out to a 1" thick circle.


Cut each half into six 3 1/2" rounds with inverted glass or a round biscuit or cookie cutter.


Place on greased baking sheet far apart and brush with melted butter.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.


That's it. Super easy and made with ingredients that are almost always on hand.


As you can see, after I rolled and cut my buns, they weren't especially pretty (I bypassed the "brush with melted butter" step)



After the rise, they looked much smoother (gosh I love my new oven and it's "bread proofing" setting, but if you don't have that on your oven, you can cover them and put them in a warm place to rise)


I brushed them with an egg white wash and sprinkled them with poppy seeds.


Ready for the burgers! Seriously, you have no idea how good these babies were.


And since this isn't a cooking blog and yet I'm still talking about cooking, I might as well add the recipe for the seasoning mix I used on my hamburgers. It's a copycat recipe for Fuddrucker's.

Fuddrucker's Hamburger Seasoning

2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle on hamburger patties before cooking.

Don't be stingy with this - sprinkle it on and then sprinkle more on. And then a little more for good measure.

I like to make up several servings of this and keep it in a spice jar so that it's ready to use the next time we have burgers.

My husband calls me a kitchen goddess. I say it's more like a goddess without a kitchen.

It's So Easy, It's Almost Embarrassing

Cool Whip.

Graham crackers.



Spread thick or thin.


Freeze.


See? I told you. So easy it's embarrassing.

But if you are feeling adventurous, go for the gusto and mix it up a little with chocolate or cinnamon graham crackers and different flavors of Cool Whip.



I think even Vern could make these.

If he didn't, you know, have me around to do those kinds of things for him.

P.S. No jokes please about why I have all this Cool Whip on hand.

Nuts

It's not as easy as it looked on TV.

First, drill through the two "eyes" of the coconut.

Drain the coconut milk.

Poor, sad little coconut!

OH NO!

Mmmm, fresh coconut.

Unfortunately, this is where it got a little sticky. Getting the coconut meat out of the shell was definitely a task that is best left to the professionals.

I'm waiting for the coconut fairy, or Alton Brown, to make their way to our house and finish the job.

Subs - Floors and Sandwiches

We've decided to take up the entire subfloor in both the dining room and the kitchen. There is still a lot of the original 30 year old linoleum that we weren't able to get up easily and quite a bit of the subfloor was damaged by water or simply in poor condition.

However, it's not going to come up easily. As if we had any illusion that it would go any other way.

We had our last official meal in our old kitchen/dining room/living room. I made meatball sub sandwiches. I can't believe I spent all those years buying crappy grocery store meatballs. They are so easy to make and so much better.

Meatballs

*2 slices white sandwich bread (crusts discarded), torn into small cubes
*1/2 cup buttermilk or 6 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons sweet milk
*3/4 pound ground beef chuck ( or 1 pound if omitting ground pork below)
*1/4 pound ground pork (to be mixed with ground chuck)
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
*1 large egg yolk
*1 small clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
*3/4 teaspoon salt

*Ground black pepper
*vegetable oil for pan-frying (about 1 1/4 cups)

1. Combine bread and buttermilk in small bowl, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix all meatball ingredients, including bread mixture and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Lightly form 3 tablespoons of mixture into 1 1/2-inch round meatballs; repeat with remaining mixture to form approximately 14 meatballs.

3. Heat 1/4 -inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat in 10- or 11-inch sauté pan. When edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles, add meatballs in single layer. Fry, turning several times, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, regulating heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking. Transfer browned meatballs to paper towel--lined plate; set aside. Repeat, if necessary, with remaining meatballs.

To make the meatball sub sandwiches, I remove the meatballs from the pan, drain the oil, and add pasta sauce, scraping the "bits" of browned meatballs from the bottom of the pan into the sauce. Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve on hoagie buns.

Hit the Deck

Finally, most of the undercarriage of the deck is done, and they have finally reached the point where they can start on the decking. There are still a few things to figure out for the base of the deck like the grill bump out and the wrap around steps, but I think the guys needed to see a little visual progress today.

They’ve been working late into the night – long after it turns dark. Thank goodness we don’t have many neighbors because they would surely think we have gone mad.

Jesse will be here only four more days (wow, that has gone fast!) so I think the next few days (weather permitting) are going to be busy trying to complete the deck before he leaves.

Here’s a super simple crock pot recipe that we are having tonight and it’s just perfect for busy days and cool evenings. It’s always a hit at my house.

Italian Beef
Mix in crock pot:
1 (1 ¼ oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 t. oregano
1 t. red paper flakes
1 t. basil
1 t. dried parsley
1 large clove garlic, smashed
¾ cup water

Place on mixture:
3 lbs. Roast –(I usually use a rolled beef roast or a chuck roast – whatever is on sale!)

Cook on high all day, or until meat is tender. Turn it over every now and then if you can. If not, that’s okay too! Shred the meat, let it simmer in its own juice for a while, and serve on buns or hard Italian rolls.

Have a Heart Attack. . . On a Plate

We’re going to a fall party tonight. That might not seem like a thing to mention to most people, but it’s a big event for us. Because Vern has worked midnights and weekends the whole time we have been married, we rarely almost never never get to go to parties. It just so happens that a coworker is having a party and Vern is on vacation. Yippee.

Here’s what I’m taking to the party. It’s my favorite dip and one I affectionately call Heart Attack on a Plate. It may clog your arteries, but it is oh so worth it.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 lb. bacon fried crisp and crumbled
1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, chill, and serve on pieces of toast or crackers.

I’m Going to Let You in on a Little Secret

A “secret recipe” that is.

Just trust me on this, okay? If you want an easy, low fat, filling, recipe that will win friends and influence people, you do not want to miss this one. I know it looks like a lot of stuff, but really, it’s not and I bet you have everything on hand right now.

You cannot screw this up . . . unless you add something funky like leftover lunchmeat. So don’t do that. But pretty much everything else goes.

A Whole Lot of Salsa Going On Chicken Soup

Skin, bone, and cut in 1” chunks (or buy it already done for you!)
3 whole chicken breasts

Heat in heavy pot/dutch oven
1 T. canola oil

Add chicken to pot, along with:
2 C. chopped onion
1 C. green pepper, chopped
2 large clove garlic, minced
¾ cup water

Sprinkle with a little salt; Saute, stirring occasionally, until chicken turns white:

Add:
2 cans (14 oz) Mexican or Chili-style tomatoes (I like to use Rotel, even though they are smaller cans – I just use 3 cans or add more salsa.)
2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained
¾ cup chunky style salsa (I usually add more salsa – and we prefer HOT salsa, but any kind is okay!)
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 cans (15 oz) Chicken Broth (or fresh stock if you have it or equal amount of Chicken bullion)

Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (or more if time permits – or you can wait!)

Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese, sour cream, etc.
(Can thicken with 2 T cold water and 1 T cornstarch while cooking if you like thicker soup)

You can add as much, or as little chicken, salsa, beans, onions, peppers, etc. as you want. Make it thick or thin. It's all good.

But don't add old, leftover lunchmeat. You would think this goes without saying, but sadly, it doesn't in some cases.