Chicken Roast

I found this recipe years ago in a cookbook I had borrowed from our local library. This meal was actually coined as "The Amish Wedding Dish" in the book and it caught my attention. I had to cut it down because it was a huge recipe.



water
1 whole chicken
2 qts. bread crumbs
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
2/3 tsp. parsley flakes
2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp celery salt
1/3 tsp garlic salt
1/3 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning

Cook chicken in large pot of water until tender about an hour.
Remove chicken from the pan and cool slightly.
Make sure you save broth.
Debone and remove skin leaving in big pieces.
Put chicken in the bottom of a roasting pan.
Brown bread crumbs in butter stirring constantly.
Combine these with all other ingredients.
Add enough of the broth in to make a very moist stuffing.
Pour stuffing over top of chicken meat in the roaster
and drizzle with some melted butter.
Bake 1 hour + 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden browned .
Serve with chicken gravy .

Fancy Brussel Sprouts

Okay since I enjoy brussel sprouts I'm posting this recipe. Traci actually grew some in her garden that were so sweet and tender awhile ago and shared them. They are so good for you ! I do however promise not to be offended if your not a fan of these little baby cabbages but only if you will forgive me for not liking eggplant! ( I just can not acquire a taste for eggplant. ) Not even fried and smothered with cheese and sauce. :)



1+ 1/2 lb. brussel sprouts
1 packet chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 bottle real bacon bits
1/2 cup real coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese (or glass jar variety)
sprinkle of salt and pepper




Boil brussel sprouts in water and chicken broth until fork tender.

Drain brussel sprouts and melt the butter over them.

Stir in the bacon bits and Parmesan cheese.

Add salt and pepper and serve.

Easy Taco Salad with Melted Cheese

We are having a great time spreading ourselves about the Internet world and we hope you are trying some of our tried and true recipes ! Stop by and let us know how we are doing sometime .


Our oldest grandson always requested my taco salad for parties growing up so I thought maybe I would post how I make my version. I have never liked a taco salad with cold shredded cheese in it so I don't use it. And I like to have mine with ranch made from the Hidden Valley package because it's so much better than bottled. But from there the choice is yours on what you prefer to put on. Make only what you know will get eaten right away though because the chips will get soggy. You can cut this recipe in half for a meal and make two large individual salads bowls if you desire to. And I'm thinking taco salad about covers all your basic food groups. lol It's yummy !!!!!


What you will need:

1 + 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 pkg.s taco seasoning mix
1+ 1/2 cups water
1/2 head shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes , chopped
1 diced onion
2 small cans sliced black olives
taco sauce , or salsa
sour cream
jalapeno peppers ( if desired )
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz (processed cheese)
1/2 cup milk
tortilla chips
ranch dressing
avocado chunks (if desired)

Brown the ground beef and add water and taco mixes. Cook stirring occasionally
about 10 minutes.
Melt the cheese and milk together in microwave or small pan.
Just before serving assemble the salad.
Spread some chips out on the bottom of a large platter .
Top the chips with the warm taco meat.
Drizzle a large spoon of the melted cheese over the meat and chips.
Sprinkle the onions on top and cover with shredded lettuce .
Spread tomatoes over top of the lettuce.
Sprinkle the black olives on.
Pour the melted warm cheese all over the top of the salad.
Serve with the remaining ingredients.

Creamy Hashbrown Potatoes

This recipe is for you Becca as promised !!!! I must give credit where credit is due so thanks go out to my niece Lisa H. for passing this one on a few years ago. She has the same appreciation for recipe sharing that I do so I know she won't mind a bit. This makes a nice dish to pass at parties.


Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes


1 2lb. package frozen hash browns
2 cups cubed American cheese (Velveeta )
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb crumbled bacon
1 lg. chopped onion
salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in 5 Qt. crock pot Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and pour over and mix well. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours.

Make it From Scratch Carnival

This week's Make it From Scratch Carnival was hosted by Rina the Mama Bear over at Gotta Little Space to Fill. Although I would advise stopping by her blog to get the full list of entries, I wanted to post a quick sample of some favorites here too.

These Lemon Meringue Cupcakes look soooooo good. Like seriously deliciously good.

They are just so cute aren't they? They are the creation of Liss, of Frills in The Hills. I think that they are delightful little cupcakes and I'm thinking that the men in my family would love them. (We have a few lemon fans among us)

Another post that intrigued me was a Blue Hubbard Squash Casserole recipe, posted at Local Nourishment. After working in the produce department of our local Wegmans for many years, I developed a taste for many fruits and vegetables that I wouldn't normally have tried. (I couldn't very well have given away samples of dishes without TRYING them could I???) Hubbard Squash never made it onto my list of "I've had that" vegetables. In fact recently I walked by one and thought that I'd like to give it a try but it's a very intimidating squash, quite large in stature and I would need a recipe to venture into it. Well, now I have one and I'll probably give it a try. Plus Hubby will like it because there's mozzarella cheese in it. (Get it, Hubby will like the Hubbard squash??? I crack myself up!)

One of the things that I've tried to establish at our house is a Mexican food night. I've tried to include on Mexican recipe each week and thus far it's worked well. We like Mexican food and it's not hard to make healthy versions of such things. Obviously the post for Homemade Refried Beans at Prosper & Be in Health stood out to me immediately as being helpful. And of course this post for Homemade Enchilada Sauce from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker was of interest to me also.

These are just a few of the posts, and as always there were non-food posts that were awesome also, so be sure to stop over and check out the whole carnival!

Potato Soup with Ground Beef

This is the recipe for Potato Soup my Mother always made for us and it uses ground beef instead of ham . It's simplicity at it's best. It's so good with crusty buttered bread for dipping . In fact I'm thinking I need to make this soon now that fall is upon us. If your cooking for one or two I am sure you could cut this recipe in half. I personally think soup is better the next day after the flavors blend in the refrigerator . Thanks for stopping by our blog and "Happy Fall Ya'll !!!!"


2 stalks, chopped, celery
2 medium onions, chopped
1 + 1/2 lb.s ground beef
6 large potatoes, cubed
8 cups water
salt and pepper

Brown ground beef in 6 qt. pan over medium heat leaving it chunky. Drain grease off the beef and add in the celery, water, onions, and salt and pepper and simmer about a half hour over low heat.

Meanwhile cube potatoes and add to soup. Bring it back to a simmer and cook another half hour or until potatoes are tender and season again with salt.

Tossed Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This is our delicious go to salad for any occasion when we want only to serve one dressing . I never fail to get asked for the recipe whenever I take it anywhere. Just make the dressing ahead and keep it chilled until you dress and serve your salad. Add whatever you like to the salad . I sometimes will throw in pecans or croutons or top it with a sliced piece of chicken as a meal if I'm in the mood. If you want to keep the dressing on hand or are making it for a big party just double the recipe and shake before you pour . It's a sweet and sour dressing that seems to please every one's palate.

1 washed head of lettuce, shredded
1 bag of colorful baby lettuce greens
1 container of grape tomatoes
1 cubed chunk of monterrey jack or provolone cheese
1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

Dressing:

Mix in your processor or blender until sugar dissolves:
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp . garlic powder
2 tsp.s poppy seeds


Gradually pour in:


1 cup canola oil while processing until it's thickened and pour into a salad cruet
or shaker container. Chill.

Split Pea Soup

I enjoy a rib sticking soup as a meal in the cooler weather so I throw this soup together and make a muffin or homemade bread to go with it. But " To puree or not to puree, that is the question ? ..... I don't puree my soup although the recipe says to but if you prefer it that way instead just remove the hock and process the soup. Then add the ham off the hock and some heavy cream if you like it to the soup afterwards.



1 8 oz cup dry split peas , rinsed and sorted
1 small meaty ham hock
8 cups water
4 tbls. butter
1 med. chopped onion
2 potatoes ,peeled and cubed
2 stalks chopped celery
salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Place the peas in the water with the ham hock and simmer 2 hours on low heat stirring occasionally. In a small pan heat the butter and cook all the vegetables until slightly tender. Add those to peas and cook til beans are tender about an hour. Add salt and pepper. Remove the bone to cool and take meat off it. (puree the soup if desired at this point) Add ham meat to the soup along with the heavy cream and serve. Serves 6 to 8 people

Scalloped Potatoes with Kielbasa

I like to change things up a bit sometimes so I make my scalloped potatoes with kielbasa sausage on occasion . It's quite tasty. Just peel, rinse, dry and slice as many potatoes to the size casserole dish or pan you need. Of course if your making a huge pan add extra butter too. Be sure you make them in a deep enough pan to they won't bubble over in your oven.


You will need:

amount you desire of thinly sliced potatoes ( peeled )
1 pkg lean kielbasa or turkey kielbasa, slice as much as you feel you need
1 large onion , sliced
1 stick butter , cubed
1 tbls. flour
salt and pepper
Whole Milk to cover entire casserole.

Butter your dish and alternate layers starting with potatoes, then onion, more potatoes, kielbasa, flour sprinkled over , and cubed butter spread around. End with a last layer of potatoes with more kielbasa on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper . Pour milk over them to completely cover and bake about 2 hours or more for larger pan until potatoes are very tender in a 350 degree oven. ( Smaller casserole might get done sooner).

Remove from oven and let stand to cool and thicken up a bit about 15 minutes before you serve them.

And here's a hint. If you have never tried throwing a dab of butter in a fry pan and frying leftover scalloped potatoes until browned on both sides you should try it ! It's yummy.