Tasty Tuesday: Christmas Memories

While we were home for Christmas, Preacher Man found a container of leftover chili in my Mom’s refrigerator. He proceeded to talk off and on about how good that chili was for the rest of the trip. During our super cold (for Texas anyway) snap in January, I made chili a couple of times and each time he’d ask, “You need to get that chili recipe from your mom. That was the best chili!”

Finally he wore me down, and I called my mom to get the recipe. Once I wrote down the recipe, I looked at the list of ingredients and thought, “This chili recipe has some of the craziest ingredients in it!” I made it and had to agree with Preacher Man….it is the best chili.

Ingredients:

2 pounds hamburger meat

1 small onion

1 bell pepper

1 tsp. cilantro

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 packages of chili seasoning mix (or enough to use with two pounds of meat)

16 oz. can tomato sauce

16 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 can beef broth

1 can Coke

16 oz. can Bush chili beans (I bought mild)

10 oz. can of refried beans (I could only find 14 oz. cans, so I just used 2/3 of the can.)

Directions:

Cook the hamburger, onion, and bell pepper until the meat is browned and the vegetables are soft in a large pot or Dutch oven. Drain the meat mixture. Add the seasonings, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and Coke. Bring to a boil. Stir in the chili beans and refried beans.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

I have to eat a little crow about this chili. I really, really liked it, but I’ve always stated firmly and with authority that I DO NOT LIKE BEANS IN MY CHILI. Well, I actually don’t mind the beans in this chili, probably for two reasons. First, there are not that many beans in this chili compared to the amount of other stuff. Second, the beans in this chili are not those huge, nasty kidney beans (my apologies to all kidney bean lovers out there!). So don’t be afraid to give it a try, even if you are not a beans in the chili lover.

Making Christmas memories that last a life time through delicious food in the tree house,

My Favorite Things: Pie Procreation

Being from the South my top two favorite pies are Pecan Pie and Chocolate Pie, so imagine my joy when Preacher Man and I stopped at a little café on the Arkansas-Oklahoma line to discover a culinary treat I’d never seen before: Kentucky Derby Pie. In case you’ve never heard of it either, it’s what would happen if Pecan Pie and Chocolate Pie had a baby. So now you know why it’s on my list of… 

Here is what you need to make a Kentucky Derby Pecan Pie:

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust (instead of the pasty shell I made my Press in the Pan Pie Crust. Great pie crust recipe that involves no rolling pin!)

First, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Next, stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then place a loose piece of foil over the entire pie and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pie is set.

I only make this pie around the holidays because if it stayed in the house for very long I would eat it ALL!!!!

Kentucky Derby Pecan Pie

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

First, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Next, stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then place a loose piece of foil over the entire pie and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pie is set.

Putting a new pie in first place in the tree house,

My Favorite Things: As American As. . .

Apple Pie.

While my mom and dad were staying with us for Thanksgiving, I asked her to do a couple of guest recipes for me, things that I don’t necessarily like to eat, but I know that others love to eat these dishes from my mom’s kitchen.

I don’t like to eat anything apple so it’s definitely not my mother’s cooking ability that makes me pass on her apple pie. In fact, it smells divine while it’s cooking, and according to Preacher Man, it is the BEST apple pie you will ever eat. And Preacher Man is not a fan of desserts so this is high praise indeed.

So why is this recipe included in My Favorite Things blog series this month? Because cooking in the kitchen with my mom IS one of my favorite things to do even if I don’t always eat what we cook.

I do feel the need to give a quick warning before sharing the recipe with you. This is definitely not healthy and it’s not something you should eat every week, but the holidays is generally the time that we all splurge a bit and enjoy some desserts and treats that we don’t indulge in the rest of the year.

Here is what you need to make Skillet Apple Pie:

{We totally forgot to take a picture of the ingredients before we started cooking. Thanksgiving Day was a little crazy to be taking pics for a blog post.}

2 refrigerated pie crusts

2 pounds of Braeburn apples, peeled and chopped or sliced

2 pounds of Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped or sliced

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

First, put apples in a large pot with just enough water in it to cover the bottom and cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat stirring frequently. According to my mom this allows the apples to partially cook before putting them in the pie so that there is no crunch left to the apples when you serve the pie. As you can see from the picture my mom chops her apples, but if you slice yours thin enough, then this step would probably not be necessary.

Next, melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. We used my 12-inch skillet for the blog post because my mom actually prefers a bigger skillet for this recipe, but a 10-inch works great as well.

After butter is melted add the brown sugar to the skillet and mix well. Let the butter and sugar cook over low heat until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove skillet from heat and place one of the refrigerated pie crusts on top of the brown sugar and butter mixture.

By now the apples should have finished softening, so add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the apples.

Stir gently to coat.

Pour apples into the skillet.

Place the second pie crust on top of apples and cut slits in the top to vent.

Liberally sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Dish it up and serve with vanilla ice cream. By the way, this is a great apple pie to make for a crowd because it will serve a lot more than a regular apple pie.

Skillet Apple Pie

2 refrigerated pie crusts

2 pounds of Braeburn apples, peeled and chopped or sliced

2 pounds of Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped or sliced

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

First, put apples in a large pot with just enough water in it to cover the bottom and cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat stirring frequently. Next, melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. After butter is melted add the brown sugar to the skillet and mix well. Let the butter and sugar cook over low heat until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Remove skillet from heat and place one of the refrigerated pie crusts on top of the brown sugar and butter mixture. By now the apples should have finished softening, so add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the apples. Stir gently to coat. Pour apples into the skillet. Place the second pie crust on top of apples and cut slits in the top to vent. Liberally sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

The smell of cinnamon baking is one of my favorite things in the tree house,

Chelli

Tasty Tuesday: Simple Man

Last year was the Year of the Muffin in our house. Our homeschool co-op met on Friday mornings each week, and I needed a quick, grab and go breakfast since we live 30 minutes away. Through this situation I started searching out muffin recipes to try each week. Quite a few of them became family favorites including the Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins and Banana Chunk Muffins that I’ve already shared on the blog.

Well, Preacher Man would eat these “fancy” muffins as he called them, but finally he asked me, “Why can’t you just make a simple, basic muffin?” These muffins were born from that request.

Here is what you need to make Apple Spice Muffins:

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (We prefer chunky applesauce.)

¼ cup butter, melted

½ cup plain yogurt 

Toppings (because I couldn’t just leave it simple, but they are really good without anything extra):

Powdered Sugar Glaze (Mix 1 Tbsp. milk and ¾ cup powdered sugar. Drizzle over muffins after removing from oven.)

Streusel Topping (Mix ½ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, ½ stick softened butter, ½ tsp. cinnamon in a bowl with a fork or your fingers. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.)

First, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices in a medium bowl.

Add the egg, applesauce, melted butter, and yogurt to the flour mixture.

Stir until just blended.

Spoon into a greased muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

For this post I added the powdered sugar glaze from above. Yummy!

Apple Spice Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (We prefer chunky applesauce.)

¼ cup butter, melted

½ cup plain yogurt

Optional Toppings:

Powdered Sugar Glaze (Mix 1 Tbsp. milk and ¾ cup powdered sugar. Drizzle over muffins after removing from oven.)

Streusel Topping (Mix ½ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, ½ stick softened butter, ½ tsp. cinnamon in a bowl with a fork or your fingers. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices in a medium bowl. Add the egg, applesauce, butter, and yogurt. Stir until just blended. Spoon into the muffin pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for five minutes in the pan.

Preacher Man was a happy, simple man in the tree house,

Chelli

Tasty Tuesday: A True Original

We’ve been having a Potter-thon around here this week, so I’m a little slow on the blog. This week I wanted to share a recipe that I’ve been making since Preacher Man and I first got married. It started out as a totally different recipe, but I tweaked it and tweaked it until it’s become a creation all my own. It uses a handful of ingredients and is a simple recipe to make. And, of course, it tastes delicious!

Here is what you need to make French Dressing Chicken:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half length-wise

1 bottle French dressing

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. paprika

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

First, place chicken breasts in a plastic storage bag and add French dressing to coat. Next, let marinate overnight in refrigerator. If you forget to let marinate overnight in refrigerator (usually me!), let marinate for a few hours at least.

Combine flour and paprika in a shallow bowl and stir to combine.

This next step gets your hands pretty messy {aren’t all the best foods messy} so be prepared. Take dressing-coated chicken breasts out of the plastic storage bag and roll in flour mixture until covered.

Place chicken in a 13x9 baking dish.

Drizzle chicken with melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

My favorite thing about this chicken is the breading. The flour combined with the French dressing makes a sweet and tangy breading that is divine!

French Dressing Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half length-wise

1 bottle French dressing

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. paprika

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Place chicken breasts in a plastic storage bag and add French dressing to coat. Let marinate overnight in refrigerator. Combine flour and paprika in a shallow bowl. Take dressing-coated chicken breasts out of the plastic storage bag and roll in flour mixture until covered. Place chicken in a 13x9 baking dish. Drizzle chicken with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Lots of originality takes place in the tree house,

Chelli

Tasty Tuesday: A Standing Invitation

Today I’m sharing a family recipe that’s been around for a while. My great aunt used to make this for every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Don’t ask me why this dish went with all of those foods, but it did. It’s so good and might seem a little out of place when lined up next to turkey and ham at holiday dinners, but if Mexican Chicken Casserole wasn’t there it just didn’t seem right. To this day it has a standing invitation at these holidays.

Here is what you need to make Mexican Chicken Casserole:

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped

1 onion, chopped

½ bell pepper, chopped

1 can Ro-Tel

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups Mexican cheese

1 package taco-flavored Doritos (I couldn’t find these so I used enchilada flavored instead.)

1 ½ cups chicken broth

First, cook chicken. You can do this a couple of ways: roast it, boil it, or slow cook it. I slow cooked mine in the crock pot all day. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the broth. 

Next, sauté onion and bell pepper until tender.

 Mix soups, Ro-Tel, chicken broth, chicken, onions and peppers.

Spray bottom of a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Crumble up about half of the chips and cover bottom of the dish.

Place half of chicken mixture on top.

Sprinkle with half of the cheese.

Crumble up the last half of the chips and sprinkle on top of cheese.

Layer the rest of the chicken mixture and the cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

While my great aunt passed away a few years ago, this dish always makes me think of her. It’s so delicious that I don’t save it just for the holidays, but we eat it throughout the year.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped

1 onion, chopped

½ bell pepper, chopped

1 can Ro-Tel

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups Mexican cheese

1 package taco-flavored Doritos

1 ½ cups chicken broth

Cook chicken. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the broth. Sauté onion and bell pepper until tender. Mix soups, Ro-Tel, chicken broth, chicken, onions and peppers. Spray bottom of a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Crumble up about half of the chips to cover the bottom of the dish. Place half of chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Crumble up the last half of the chips and sprinkle on top of cheese. Layer the rest of the chicken mixture and the cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Great Aunt Lenora lives on in the tree house,

Chelli

Tasty Tuesday: Variety is the Spice of Life

Mashed. Fried. Baked. Roasted. 

However you want to cook them I LOVE potatoes. But some methods are healthier than others. This potato recipe is so good. I love the blend of spices, the crispiness of the potatoes, and the flavor of Parmesan cheese, so I’m sharing with all of you.

Here is what you need to make Parmesan Potato Wedges:

4 medium or 1 pound of potatoes (I used a mixture of golden and sweet potatoes.)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. Cajun seasoning

½ tsp. parsley flakes

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

First, peel or scrub your potatoes. I peeled the sweet potatoes and scrubbed the golden potatoes, but left the skin. Cut each potato into eight wedges.

Next, place potatoes in a gallon size resealable bag. Add oil; seal bag and shake to coat.

In another resealable bag combine the cheese and the seasonings.

Add potatoes a few at a time and shake to coat.

 Place potatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes and bake for another 15 minutes.

The result is a flavorful side dish that is healthy and yummy.

Parmesan Potato Wedges

4 medium or 1 pound of potatoes

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. Cajun seasoning

½ tsp. parsley flakes

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Peel and/or scrub your potatoes. Cut each potato into eight wedges. Next, place potatoes in a gallon size resealable bag. Add oil; seal bag and shake to coat. In another resealable bag combine the cheese and the seasonings; add potatoes a few at a time and shake to coat. Place potatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes and bake for another 15 minutes.

I'm linking up with The Weekend Potluck at Frugal Family Favorites, so click over there and see what other goodies you can salivate over.

Feeling good about potato variety in the tree house,

Chelli