Sunday, July 19, 2009

Souper Chicken Thighs

1 package of chicken thighs (4 - 6 pieces)
1 (10-3/4 ounce) cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-3/4 ounce) cream of celery soup
1 (10-3/4 ounce) cream of onion soup
1 small onion chopped
Tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 soup can of water

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees. Smear olive oil over bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Lay the thighs on the bottom of dish. Sprinkle the chopped onion over the thighs.

Next, add the three cans of soup together in a large mixing bowl and add a half soup can of water to the mix. Stir until blended well and thinned out. Pour over the chicken and onions.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Remove foil and bake on 350 for another 30 minutes.

I made this last week and I only had 4 thighs in my package so I had extra room in my casserole dish. After I let the thighs cook for the first hour with tin foil, I added some left over green peas to one corner of the casserole dish and two chopped carrots in another corner. The soup gravy covered them nicely. When I put the dish back in the oven to bake for the final 30 minutes the carrots were partially cooked to semi tender. The peas were already fully cooked anyway so that didn't matter. This came out of the oven smelling like home made chicken pot pie without a crust! My daughter had been napping before she had to go to work and the aroma woke her up it was so good! I was making home made biscuits to go with it but she couldn't wait for them to be done. She dug into my chicken dish before I could even take a picture of it! Later my two sons were just as enthused over it.

I had some of the soup-gravy left over for the next day. So I used it to top off baked potatoes. YUM! Use your imagination on this one. You could spoon this gravy over rice or noodles or mashed potatoes or...sop it up with a biscuit!

P.S.... I don't add any salt to recipes that have this much regular soup because soup is already salty. I do add black pepper because I like it. You don't have to though. It's all about what you like.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Country Pie From Josh

My friend and fellow cook Josh just sent me this recipe and the easy gravy recipe below. Thanks Josh!

1 pound of extra lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1 14 ounce jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1- 1/2 cups minute white rice, uncooked
6 ounces velveeta cheese product, sliced (enough to cover the top of the pie)

Preheat oven 350. Combine meat and 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce and spread that evenly in the bottom of a deep greased 9 inch pie pan. Mix the remaining sauce and rice together and spoon that over the meat. Put the cheese on top of that and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes and then uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then drain off any fat. Cut the pie into 6 sections and serve. This sounds Yummy and easy!

No Fail Easy Gravy From Josh

1 can of cream soup (whatever flavor will match the dish your cooking) IE mushroom, chicken, celery, potato..

Drippings, cooking liquids, or stock for the dish you need a gravy

Mix the can of cream soup with the liquid. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until it is warmed through. Really great and Really fast!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Macaroni Salad

8 ounces of uncooked macaroni
1 chopped Bell pepper
1 chopped onion
2 stalks of chopped celery
2 grated carrots
1 small jar of pimentos
1 can Eagle brand milk
1 cup vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sugar

Cook macaroni as directed on box. Drain and cool. Mix pepper, onion, carrots, celery and pimentos. Add to macaroni. Set aside.

Mix together Eagle brand milk, vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over salad and set overnight in the refrigerator.

Mexican Style Corn Salad

This is a good side for all your grilling!

1 can Mexican style corn, drained
1/4 cup sliced radishes
1/2 cup prepared hidden valley ranch taco ranch creamy dressing

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until blended. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Makes 4 servings

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Tomato Basil Butter Sauce

Make the sauce first and set aside.

Sauce:

Melt one tablespoon of butter in a small skillet. Add 1-1/2 cups of chopped, peeled and seeded tomato. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1 minced clove of garlic. Cook over medium low heat stirring frequently until liquid is evaporated and mixture is thickened.

Remove pan from heat and stir in 3 more tablespoons of butter until mixture has a saucelike consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in 1-1/2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh basil. Makes about 1 cup

Salmon Steaks:

4 Salmon Steaks at least 3/4 inch thick
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Rinse fish. Pat dry with paper towels. Brush one side of fish lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Oil the hot grid to help prevent sticking. Grill fish, oil side down on a covered grill over medium heat 6 to 10 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, brush top with oil and season with salt and pepper, then turn and continue grilling until fish turns from translucent to opaque throughout. (Grilling time depends on thickness of fish. Allow 3 to 5 minutes for each half inch thickness.) Serve with tomato basil butter sauce. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with noodles if desired. YUM!

Old Time Coleslaw

2 heads green cabbage shredded
3 large red apples cored and chopped
2/3 cup sliced green onions
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

Toss cabbage, apples and green onions in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a small blow. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Makes about 12 servings