Cheesy Corn and Chicken Chowder

After writing yesterday's blog post, I decided to dig through posts I've written in the past. I did it for no good reason, because I had plenty of other things I should have been doing.
Anyway, I came across this one, http://paula-queenofmycastle.blogspot.com/2010/11/today-i.html amongst others, and realized I mentioned a chowder that I made that day and haven't made since. Someone even asked for the recipe in the comments, and I apparently just ignored that.
On a weird note, I get an email this morning from someone who just commented on that same post, written over a year ago and wanted that recipe too. What are the odds?

So, I was forced to dig through cookbooks, bookmarked web sites etc until I found said recipe. I finally found one in one of my Goose berry Patch cookbooks (Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets) that is titled: Country Chicken Chowder.
You may be asking, "How did you know this was the recipe you used? It's not the same soup as what you described?"  I'll tell you how I knew. The page in the cookbook with this recipe on it has food splattered over it. It's all the evidence I need.

The recipe in the book is this:
Country Chicken Chowder
Ingredients:
2 T butter
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
2 10- 3/4 oz cans cream of potato soup
1 1/2 C chicken broth
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 C frozen corn
1 t dill weed
1/2 C half and half.
Directions:
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden. Place chicken in a slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients except half and half. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shortly before serving time, turn off slow cooker, stir in half and half. Cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until heated through. (serves 8)

I'm sure I cut that recipe in half. No way the three of us needed that much soup. I also must have added some cheese in there at some point. (thus the "cheesy" part of the name)
I know I didn't add dill because that's just not like me.

So, in the post so long ago, I described it as delicious. I'm making it next week. I will let you know if I still like it. If any of you decide to make this before I do, let me know how it turns out. Clearly, I've lost my mind.

I am a Winner… Again!!

I just heard from Cris over at GOODEness Gracious that I have won yet another Gooseberry Patch cookbook!  This one is Quick and Easy Autumn recipes!  What a wonderful deal    One of my favorite parts of living in New England this year was that I actually got to experience autumn. It’s definitely one of my favorite seasons and I’ve missed it so much. I love the cooler weather after a long summer and I crave those yummy comforting flavors of fall. So, needless to say, I’m uber excited to receive this book. It’s the third one I’ve won from various fabulous bloggers. I’m so thankful!
If you haven’t heard about the book, or Cris’ wonderful blog, check them both out here .  In the last several days, Cris has made a sampling of recipes from this book and has shared recipes and reviews on her blog.

In other news, my husband’s name came out on the 06 command list this morning.  We have been anxiously awaiting word on where we would go from here this summer, and since we’d not heard even a hint, I figured his name was on that list.  He will be taking command of the big engineer brigade at Fort Lewis. We are so excited and honored to be following some awesome people in that brigade.  We don’t know details of dates or what job he will take until the command is open, but we should hear something soon. Since it’s a large Army post, I feel like they will send on us on early and give him a staff job there until the change of command date.
I’m so proud of him and everything he’s accomplished. It will be nice to go play with the Army again and serve Army families.

Super Bowl Sunday Goodies

Yesterday was a great day in so many ways. First, the Packers won. My husband is a happy man. Secondly, we had great football food. I so heart football food (aka bar food).
I recently ordered the cookbook “Mr. Sunday’s Soups” by Lorraine Wallace, wife of Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace. I heard him on TV talk about his wife and how she made him a pot of soup every Sunday that he enjoyed after he finished his weekly talk show. You know I had to order it. I’m not sure there is anything more comforting than a yummy bowl of soup, especially this time of year.
As I was checking out this book I found SO many soups I want to try. Not only does this book have delicious looking recipes, but it has wonderful stories of the Wallace family. 
For Super Bowl Sunday I decided to make Mrs. Sunday’s “Buffalo” Chili.  Lorraine Wallace describes her family’s tradition of game day fun including Buffalo chicken wings so she decided to make a chili that featured those same tastes. This soup was delicious. Nick and I both gave it a thumbs up. I didn’t even try to get Alex to eat this because it has sauce in it. God forbid the child have anything with any flavor in it.
Here is the recipe for
“Buffalo” Chili
From Mr. Sunday’s Soups cookbook by Lorraine Wallace
Ingredients
3 TBS canola or vegetable oil, divided
4 lbs. ground light meat turkey
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 TBS butter
1 1/4 C Crystal Hot Sauce or your own personal favorite (use a buffalo flavor sauce for this)
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with juice
8 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
One 7 ounce can diced green chilies with juice
1/3 C tomato paste
1 1/2 TBS red pepper flakes
3-4 C crumbled blue cheese, and/or grated mild Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish
Directions
Place a large, heavy pot of Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 1/2 TBS of the oil. Add half the turkey, season with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring and break up the meat, until browned. Transfer to a bowl with slotted spoon. Add the remaining 1 1/2 TBS oil to the pot and repeat the process with the remaining turkey. Return the first batch of turkey to the pot, with any accumulated juices.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the hot sauce. Add the hot sauce mixture to the turkey, along with the broth, tomatoes and their juice, and the garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until reduced by a third, about 1 1/2 hours.
Stir in the green chilies and their juice, tomato paste, and pepper flakes and simmer to cook off the raw flavor of the tomato paste, about 15 minutes more.
Ladle into shallow bowls and scatter with the cheese of your choice. Serve immediately.
YUMMY! I used blue cheese because I love it with anything buffalo sauce flavored. I also cut this recipe in half because it was so large. It still gave us plenty for leftovers.
With this, I made a recipe that I found on my Gooseberry Patch calendar. The month of September has a recipe for a Hoagie Bake that I made once and Alex has raved about ever since. He requests this every week so it was a football treat for him. The recipe follows.


Hoagie Bake
GooseBerry Patch monthly calendar
Ingredients
2 8 oz. tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, divided
1/3 lb. sliced salami
1/3 lb. sliced pepperoni
1/3 lb. sliced deli ham
1/3 lb. sliced Swiss cheese
1/3 lb. sliced provolone cheese
4 eggs, beaten and divided
grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Directions
Flatten on tube crescent rolls and press into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Layer salami, pepperoni, and ham over the top of rolls. Top with Swiss and provolone cheeses. Brush half of beaten egg evenly over cheeses; cover with remaining rolls. Brush remaining egg over crescent rolls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil; bake for an additional 20 minutes. Slice into squares.
I cut the eggs in half. I found that 4 eggs was way too much.
Alex loved this so much that I sent part of the leftovers to school with him today for lunch. It doesn’t hurt that it’s so easy to make. You can literally throw this together in a very few minutes.
Enjoy!!

Project 365!/Farmgirl's Chicken and Dumplings

Yesterday's photo.

This was taken yesterday afternoon, after we'd had about two inches of snow fall the night before. It was 29 degrees outside with a windchill of 19 degrees. Yes, those are sailboats in the water. BRRRRRR. Those are some die hard sailors.

Today's photo:

Progress made so far on the project. Yes, it's painful. No, it's not finished.

Tonight's meal was The Farmgirl's Chicken and Dumplings from the Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cookers, Casseroles and Skillets.
You take 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cube them.

Mix in one 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegtables.

Dice an onion and throw them all in a crockpot.

Add 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth.

You're supposed to cook this on high for two hours then mix your dumplings and add them to cook another 30 minutes. However, at the end of two hours, it just didn't look right to me. It didn't look cooked enough, if that makes sense. The broth was thin, the onions weren't cooked well and it just didn't taste done. So, I transferred it to a pot on my stove. I guess those old southern chicken and dumplings were haunting me and I had to bend to the pressure. I cooked it a while on the stove and finished it there.

I forgot to take more photos because I was stressed at this point and worried that I had ruined the dish.

I mixed more broth with bisquick and added spoonfuls of the dough mixture on top of the pot of chicken and veggies. I cooked them for another 30 minutes and served.

The verdict was two thumb's up. I was amazed that Alex had never even heard of chicken and dumplings. Poor yankee kid. He needs more southern food, obviously. Nick LOVED them. Next time, I will cook them a little longer in the slow cooker and try to leave it there. Once the dumplings were added, the broth thickened right up and it was very lovely. I did add salt and pepper. Next time I will add some fresh herbs I think. Parsley for sure.

Here is the recipe.

Farmgirl's Chicken and Dumplings, GBP Slow Cookers, Casseroles and Skillets

Submitted by Vickie Chisom, Hardy, VA

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

16 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables

1 onion, diced

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

1 1/2 cups buttermilk biscuit baking mix

Directions

Combine chicken, vegetables and onion in a slow cooker. Set aside 1/2 cup plus 1tablespoon broth; pour remaining broth into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 2 hours. Stir biscuit mix with reserved broth until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over hot chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on high setting for 10 minutes; uncover. Cook for an additonal 20 minutes, until dumplings are done. Serves 4 to 6.

Weekly Menu/New Recipe/Gooseberry Patch cookbook winner!

Wow, that's a lot for one post! I have a lot to say today.
First, let me announce that I have been informed that I won another Gooseberry Patch Cookbook!  Jen over at Jen's Fun Little Things recently hosted a giveaway that someone else won, but never claimed. Sooo.. I was second place and I gratefully accept! She is sending me one of their new cookbooks, Homestyle in a Hurry.  If that title doesn't fit me, nothing does. I do love homestyle cooking but to make it in a hurry works even better! I'm so excited. I can't wait to receive this new book and get started on it.

Next, I want to share a recipe with you that I tried last week from my other Gooseberry Patch book, Slow Cookers, Casseroles and Skillets. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to cookbooks.

The recipe is Grandma's Beef Caserole and was submitted by Eva Jo Hoyle of Mexico, MO

Ingredients

2 lbs stew beef, cubed

1/4 C all purpose flour

10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1.35oz pkg onion soup mix

4 oz can whole mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup red wine or beef broth

12 oz pkg medium egg noodles, cooked

Directions

Put beef cubes in a plastic zipping bag. Add flour; seal bag and shake to coat well (I added some salt and pepper to my flour) Brown beef in a heavy skillet that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray; drain. In a slow cooker, combine beef with remaining ingredients except noodles. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours, or high setting for 5-6 hours. To serve, spoon over cooked noodles. Serves 6.

*I added a little more red wine later because it looked a little thick to me.

In spite of the mushrooms, (I used sliced mushrooms in a jar because that's what I had) Alex gave it a thumb's up. He just ate around them. Nick also gave this a thumb's up so I figure I have a family winner! I'm always excited to get their seal of approval after a new recipe. I'm definitely be adding this one to my favorites because it's so stinkin' easy. I made a loaf of bread (a recipe that I'll share later) with it and that too, was a huge hit.

I'm back on track with my weekly menu and it certainly makes life so much easier.

This week's menu follows.

Sunday:  The Pioneer Woman's Rib-eye steak with whiskey cream sauce, The Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes, Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls, and steamed broccoli. I had to add the broccoli since it's a PDub carb/carlorie fest!

Monday: Farmgirl Chicken and Dumplings from GBP Slow Cookers, Casseroles and Skillets

Tuesday: Spaghetti and salad (I have a meeting that night)

Wednesday: White wings with the trimmings  White wings are a Texas restaurant favorite that I've been trying to duplicate since leaving there over four years ago.

Thursday: Hoagie Bake from my GBP kitchen calendar.

Friday: I'm leaving this open because of the potential for leftovers.

Saturday: We have friends in town and we'll go out to eat.

I will share the new recipes as I try them out this week.

Have a happy Sunday!

Italian Beeef Hoagies

As the weather continues to get colder, I keep going into "comfort food" mode. I recently bought one of the Goose Berry Patch cookbooks. This one is "Slow Cookers, Casseroles and Skillets"  Right up my alley because I do love the slow cooker, especially with this weather. There is just something about walking into the house and smelling something delicious cooking when it's cold and nasty outside.
This recipe was under the category "Just 5 Ingredients!"  Which is even more up my alley. The simpler, the better is my motto!

Here is the recipe:
Italian Beef Hoagies
Ingredients
3 to 4 lb beef chuck roast
2  .6 oz pkgs zesty Italian salad dressing mix
2 C water
24 oz jar pepperoncinis, drained and liquid reserved
15-18 hoagie rolls, toasted and split
Garnish: shredded provolone cheese
Directions
Slice roast across the grain into 4 pieces and trim any fat. Place in bottom of a slow cooker. Mix together dressing mix and water; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until tender; use forks to shred beef in slow cooker. Slice pepperoncinis into rings and add to slow cooker along with reserved liquid from jar. Cover and cook for a few more minutes, until heated through. Serve beef on toasted rolls, topped with cheese. Serves 15 to 18.
**notes**  I cut this recipe in half. I didn't need that many sandwiches. I used about a 1.5 lb roast and one pack of dressing with one cup of water. I used larger rolls to make a big momma sandwich! I also smeared garlic butter on the rolls before I toasted them and used sliced provolone cheese. I didn't add the peppers and juice to the meat, because of my picky eater. I added them just to mine and Nick's sandwiches.
Alex took one bite of his sandwich and said, "This is GOOD!"  Score!  This one is a homerun. I did some oven fries with them and called it a day.

As promised, more photos of my Christmas decor (including a photo of the finished tree)

Ok, I could do better with this photo.. I will take another one and try to include the WHOLE tree.

Fuzzy photo, sorry about that. This is the top of my china cabinet. I love Santas and have several!

I got these cute "skates" at The Christmas Tree Shop.  I love them! I wish I had gotten the mittens too. Live and learn. There is a Hawaiian Christmas Gecko next to them :)

Tonight is a playoff game for Alex's football team. Oy, as if the season wasn't long enough. Nick and I are working the concession stand. I figure it's warmer to be up moving around than sitting on concrete bleachers. If we win tonight there is one more game on Saturday, otherwise we're finished. I'm torn about how I want this to end!