My Cheesy Obsession: Cheesy Potatoes

This is my aunt's recipe. I'm not sure where she got it. The fact that it came from my estranged aunt only subtracts slightly from the SUPER DELICIOUSNESS that is...CHEEEEEEESSSSYYYYY POTATOESSS!

2 lb. package frozen OreIda hash brown potatoes ("Southern Style", not shredded), thawed
1/4 c diced onion
1 can cream of chicken soup - undiluted
1 lb sour cream
4 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
8 oz cheddar cheese, keep some aside for topping (amount is up to you)
dash ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for one hour. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Remove from oven and serve! nom nom nom

Texas Hash!

This dish sounded absolutely disgusting to me until I gave in and finally tried it. Mikey's mom used to make it all the time and he begged for over a year before I caved.

1 lb ground beef
3 lg onions, chopped
1 lg green pepper, chopped
1 can (16 oz) whole tomatoes (I like to use Diced Tomatoes w/Mild Green Chilies, add 1/4 can extra water)
1/2 c uncooked reg. rice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder, heaping
1/8 tsp pepper
Garnish however you'd like. I LOVE LOVE LOVE cilantro and cheese.

Cook and stir ground beef, onions and green pepper in 10 in skillet until beef is browned; drain. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid) and remaining ingredients.Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer; stirring occasionally until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed- about 30 minutes.

** For a family of 5, double all ingred. except ground beef. <3>

"Everything" Chicken

I'm tired of oven fried, marinated grilled and gravy smothered chicken. Tonight, I needed something new, so I searched food.com and found this. I love making bagels, especially everything bagels so I thought these sounded scrumptious! It took less than 30 minutes from start to finish and is definitely a keeper (duh, I'm not adding it to the blog for no reason)

Of course, I don't measure anything, so I'll give you the measurements that were given on food.com.

3 tablespoons instant minced onion
3 tablespoons garlic flakes
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoons black pepper (they called for 2 tbsp)
1 tablespoons coarse salt or 1 tablespoons sea salt (they called for 2 tbsp)
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 375 f. In a bowl (I used a ziplock bag) drizzle the tenders with olive oil, coating completely. Mix all other ingredients to create the seed mixture in a separate bowl. Dip each tender into the seed mixture, making sure to coat completely. Place on an ungreased baking pan. Once all chicken tenders are covered, bake for 10-15 minutes, or until juices run clear. Enjoy!

Not My Grandmother's Chicken n Dumplin's

Now, I was taught by my VERY southern grandma how to make dumplin's. Also to- "NEVER STIR 'EM" because they'll stick to each other and the pan. I remember begging her for what seemed like forever to teach me. All the while, her excuse was that hardly any of the grand kids (I think there are 28 grand kids and multiple great grand kids on this side of the family) can make them. Most turn into "rocks" or "slime" or "just not right." The reason for this? Possibly because she literally cooked with a teacup, a hand full and a pinch of this and that. That's her recipe. No joke.
I cook very much the same way, which is why it's hard for me to actually measure, write them down and put them on these "interwebs." Please note, this isn't her recipe (you probably couldn't make it anyhow), nor is it remotely similar. I didn't hand make the dumplings. I added veggies. I didn't cook an entire chicken...but tenders instead. Today, I wanted a thicker stew-like version. I want it to stick to my ribs- more than it normally does...it's standard practice to have a bowl, sit a minute, undo your pants, get up and jump up and down while on your way to get another helping. nom nom nom delicious.
Here goes.

4 boneless chicken breasts (6 I used boneless/skinless chicken tenders)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (yes, even I sometimes use "cream of crap" soups, but RARELY)
2 cartons reduced sodium chicken stock
1 onion, medium, chopped
2 whole carrots, chopped (to my taste)
2 whole celery stalks, chopped (to my taste)
2 tsp butter
1 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 10 oz cans biscuits (I used Grands Jr-Flaky)
salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot, over medium heat, add chicken, soup, stock, veggies, butter, celery salt and thyme. Cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are no more than barely crunchy. Remove chicken and shred/chop/whatever you'd like to do and return to pot. About 90 minutes before serving, remove biscuits from can, flatten one by one and cut each into bite sized pieces. Add to pot, individually, to keep from sticking. Stir after every few biscuits have been added. At first, biscuits will start to spread out (like marshmallows when heated), but they'll go down. Cover and bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until "dumplings" are no longer doughy. Put on your stretchy pants, serve and enjoy!


NOTE for those who can make their own dumplings, I think I'll actually make them instead of using biscuits this time, but it was pretty easy this way.

***Can be used as a crock pot recipe***
Add all ingredients except biscuits. Cook on high 5-6 hours. 90 minutes before serving, add biscuits as instructed above.

Grandma is probably rolling over in her grave. LOVE YOU GRANDMA!

Easiest, Most Scrumptious Pumpkin Muffins EVAH.

I was searching for a pumpkin bread or muffin recipe the other day that had any number less than 3 eggs. Most call for 4. I had 2. Boo hoo hoo. ANYWAY, on Food.com (formerly recipezaar.com) I found one! It called for ZERO eggs! WOOT! (Believe me- when you eat these things, you'll catch my excitement!)

The original poster stated that she acquired the recipe from a Weigh Watcher's meeting. GAG! But, alas, unlike most of the other healthy (read: ICKY) muffins, these haven't caused me to become good friends with The John, aka toilet.

Without further adieu, THE EASIEST MOST SCRUMPTIOUS MUFFIN RECIPE EVAH!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 18 oz. box cake mix, suggested: yellow, white or spice

(I used Dunkin Hines Butter Recipe Golden*)

*Because I used a non spiced mix, I added the following

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

.5 tsp nutmeg, ground

.5 tsp ginger, ground

Mix all ingredients until creamy. I'd suggest using a stand mixer as your arm will become VERY tired. Divide into lined muffin cups. *** Bake as directed on the box. I got 22 muffins.

***To jazz up the place, I decided to top the muffins, pre-baking, with a Crumb Topping recipe from the same site.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

In a separate bowl, mix ingredients, using fork or pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Top each muffin as evenly as possible.

http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-muffins-12521

http://www.food.com/recipe/caramel-apple-pie-with-crunchy-crumb-topping-3577

(Sorry about the poor picture. I hate posts without pictures, but I didn't anticipate putting this on the blog.)

I've started a business!

See? To the right? It's a "Page Badge" from Facebook. The new business is called Black Lotus Massage. Awesome. If you have a Facebook page, you should "like" my Facebook Business Page. Super Awesome.

So Good Chicken n Rice Tortilla Soup

3 tbsp olive oil

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 med carrot, chopped

1/2 med onion, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

4 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

w/ green chillies AND juice

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock, plus 3 cups

1 cup cooked chicken, diced

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

1/2 tsp cumin powder

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, etc.

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan. Add celery, carrot, onion and sauté until onion is nearly translucent. Add lime juice and cilantro, cook about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes with chillies and their juices and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced to half. Add cumin powder, chicken stock and rice. Heat, uncovered until rice is tender. Add remaining 3 cups of chicken stock, then add diced chicken. Cover and simmer. (I cooked for hours, until we were ready to eat). Spoon into bowls, garnish and enjoy!