Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup hot water
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Cheddar)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tomato, chopped
fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

1. In a Dutch oven, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.
2. Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into Dutch oven, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

submitted by Veda Maples

Creamy White Chili

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 cans (15 oz) Great Northern beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
½ cup whipping cream
In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink.
Add beans, chilies, broth and seasonings.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and cream.
Serve immediately.
**chicken can be substituted with lean turkey polka kielbasa sausage
**you can use any combo of white beans (white beans, white kidney beans, or great northern beans)
submitted by Heather Harper

Corn Chowder

5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium potatoes
Water
2 cups milk
1 can creamed corn (17 oz)
1 cup white sauce
Dash of pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP butter

Fry bacon until crisp, crumble.
Sauté onions in bacon grease.
Add potatoes (diced) and enough water to cover. Cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes.
Combine milk and white sauce in pan. Cook until thick. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper. Add to potato mixture and heat thoroughly.
To serve top each serving with crumbled bacon and butter.
Serves 6.

submitted by Leslie Small

Apple Cider Punch

Ingredients:

6 cups apple cider

2 cups orange juice, cranberry-raspberry juice, or orange-mango juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 750-ml bottle sparkling white grape juice

Directions

In punch bowl, large pitcher, or pitchers combine apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Slowly add sparkling white grape juice. Serve immediately.

Ritz Salad

I made this for a BBQ last night and a few people asked for the recipe. It's so simple and pretty dang tasty so here you go:

Crust (x's 2...it's goes on top and bottom)

2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
2 sticks of butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar (x's 2)

Melt 1 stick of butter in microwave and add 1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers and then mix in 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Place in 9X13 pan

Middle:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 large tub Cool Whip
1/2 cup frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate (I thawed my in the fridge the day before)

Top Crust:

(same as bottom crust) Put on top and place in fridge for atleast an hour before serving.

Carmel Scone Syrup

1 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda

In a medium sauce pan over medium to medium high heat, mix the first four ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda.

Serve with butter with your favorite scone recipe.


We had this after a baby blessing we went to on Sunday. It was so good. They also had some cinnamon and sugar mixed together to sprinkle over it too. It was so good that I had to share the recipe. They used the Honeyville Farm scone mix and it was to die for.

Basil Pork Chops

Okay, this one is our very most favorite pork chop recipe. I use the loin center cut but not sure that matters. I also double the recipe for my family.

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 TBSP oil (I use olive) -- divided (1 TBSP for cooking, 1 TBSP for the rub)
4 pork chops 1/2 inch thickness (if yours are thinner you can cut the time down?)

Mix ingredients together to form a rub. Put on both sides of pork chops. Fry in remaining oil for 7-8 minutes per side. YUM! We have made this for guests a few times and everyone loves them.
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One of our old neighbors use to make this...
1 1/4 cup water
1 package of onion soup mix
pork chops

Place pork chops in baking dish and cover with water/soup mixture. Bake at 325 for about one hour.
This was tasty and my kids love it but the sodium is too high for me so we don't make this one very often.

Help wanted...

does anyone have any good pork chop recipes?

Chewy Soft Pretzels

Recipe and picture from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

These were so good I couldn't stop eating them!

Makes 8 pretzels

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

7/8 to 1 cup (7 to 8 ounces) warm water*

Topping:1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth, and quite slack. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it will make your pretzels splotchy.Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown. I only bake one baking sheet at a time and let the other rest while the first is in the oven.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Zuppa Tuscana

Zuppa Tuscana
1 pound Italian sausage
2 large sliced potatoes
1 large chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
2 cups chopped kale (or spinach)
2 cans chicken broth (or 2 bullion cubes)
1 quart water
1 cup heavy cream (or 1 can evaporated milk)
1/4 tsp red pepper (optional)
1/2 can Bacon Bits or bacon (optional)

Cook sausage. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth,
water, garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until
potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt, and
pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through
and serve.

We had this tonight and it was delicious!
Sorry my picture isn't prettier!