Corn Chowder

This is probably more of a winter recipe, but I eat things all summer that allow me to use a slow cooker that doesn't heat up the whole kitchen. I had leftover ham I was trying to use, and this was perfect. I actually normally make it with bacon, but the ham was just as good.

Corn Chowder

(Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 can cream style corn

1 can regular corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red pepper, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, or one cup diced ham, whichever you prefer

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir together. Cook on low for 8 hours. Mash potatoes with a masher or fork before serving. Stir well, then serve.

It tastes great topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Confetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

I have been on a cookie baking kick lately. So, thanks to my recent obsession with cookies, here is another amazing cookie recipe that is really pretty simple.

Confetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients (Cookies)

2 boxes of Funfetti or Rainbow Chip cake mix

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Mix eggs and oil together thoroughly in a separate dish, then stir into cake batter. Drop dough into small, rounded teaspoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely before adding icing.

Ingredients (Icing)

¼ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. milk

Several drops of food coloring (if desired)

Directions

Cream butter and shortening together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating well and scraping down sides of bowl often. Add milk and beat until light and fluffy. If it appears too dry, add more milk.

Beat in food coloring, if using.

Finally, ice the bottom of the cookies, then stick them together like a sandwich.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been trying for literally seven years to perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe to be just right for my taste. I have tried countless alterations in ingredients and amounts. I do not like hard, crunchy cookies. I like moist, soft, and chewy ones. It has been quite a quest of looking at many other people's recipes and combining them to come up with one that is just what I wanted. But, I am proud to announce I think I finally have it right. By using a combination of margarine and shortening, using dark brown sugar, and more of it than white sugar, and by adding a seemingly odd ingredient- cornstarch, these things really made the difference in texture.
So, here it is...

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

½ cup margarine, softened 

½ cup Crisco

3/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

2 eggs 

2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon milk 

2 cups all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a mixer, cream together butter, Crisco, and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add eggs,vanilla, and milk and blend in. Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely. 

Makes around 3 dozen. 

Southwestern Cheesy Corn Dip

This is a very easy, delicious dip. My mom gave me the recipe several years ago. It was from a magazine, but I'm not sure which one. The original recipe did have cilantro in it, but my husband hates cilantro, so I leave it out.

Southwestern Cheesy Corn Dip

Ingredients

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut up into cubes

1 can Mexicorn (corn seasoned with peppers) drained

1 medium red onion, chopped

3 small jalepenos, seeded and chopped

½ cup sour cream

Directions

Mix Velveeta cubes and corn in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 min. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended, and serve with tortilla chips.

Baked Mexican Chicken

This is a very simple, but tasty and healthy recipe.

It tasted great with Spanish rice, and probably would be good with some refried beans on the side as well.

Baked Mexican Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

½ cup taco seasoning

1 cup salsa

Vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll each chicken breast in taco seasoning until fully coated. In skillet in oil, cook coated chicken breasts until lightly browned on each side. Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top each chicken breast with ¼ cup of salsa. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with Spanish rice. 

I used this Betty Crocker Spanish rice recipe. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-spanish-rice/7eb8a35c-2e2f-4977-b194-e1ebf3002025

Easy Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies

I know it's been awhile. It's not that I haven't been cooking and baking, I've just been making things I already posted.
So, this week I found a recipe for cream cheese cake mix cookies. The featured cookies I think used a white or yellow mix with chocolate chips. But, the recipe stated any type of cake mix could work and could be paired up with different types of chips, candy, nuts, etc. So, the wheels started turning in my head immediately. I came up with all sorts of combinations that I wanted to try, beginning with this one. I have always adored red velvet, so I tried this one first, and was not disappointed.

Easy Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

- 1 box  red velvet cake mix - 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature - 1/4 c butter, room temperature

- 1 large egg

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 bag white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Beat in cake mix a little at a time until it's all blended. Stir in white chocolate chips. Drop into rounded tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are brown.

Chicken Parmesan

 So, I have to start by saying that chicken parmesan is pretty much my favorite food ever. I have been making it for so long I actually had to dig out the really old recipe I used to use that I never even have to look at anymore, and then adapt it to the ways I have changed it over the years. But, I really can't remember the last time I had to read a recipe to make it. I decided that I needed to write down how I make it, though, so that it could be shared and enjoyed by others. So, here it is, the recipe to what I consider my #1 comfort food. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

¾ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp. pepper

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 8-10 chicken tenders)

Vegetable or Canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of a 10 inch skillet)

1 (16oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (plus more if you are serving spaghetti on the side)

1 (8 oz.) package mozzarella cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

Desired amount of spaghetti or other pasta to serve as side

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together bread crumbs, garlic powder, and pepper in a bowl, and set aside. In another bowl, add egg and milk, and beat together with a fork.

If you have the tools to pound the chicken breasts next, I like to do this because it makes them extra tender, but it’s not necessary. If not, continue on by pouring enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 10 inch skillet, and turn on low.  Dip the chicken breasts into the milk/ egg mixture, then roll them in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook on low until just brown on one side, then flip over and cook until brown on the other side.  In the meantime, pour ½ of the jar of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, and spread out evenly. When chicken is browned on both sides, remove from skillet and set on top of sauce in the baking dish. Bake for 20 min., then remove from oven. Top chicken breasts with remaining sauce, then the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  Return to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve with hot cooked pasta and additional spaghetti sauce.