Buckeye Pretzels

Mom showed me how to make these while we were there over Christmas.
Everyone enjoyed them.

A buckeye sandwiched between two pretzels and dipped in chocolate!  

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.
Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini

1 - 8 oz box spaghetti noodles
2 - cups cooked chicken breasts or leftover turkey
½ - cup chopped onion
3 - tablespoons butter
1 - tablespoon of minced garlic
1 - can cream of mushroom soup
½ - cup light sour cream
½ - 3/4 cup whole milk
½ - cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

While the noodles are boiling, melt butter on a low heat in a frying pan. Add garlic and onion. Saute for about 3 minutes.


Add soup, sour cream, milk, cheese and turkey. Stir over low heat, until noodles are done boiling. Drain noodles and add to the mixture. Toss well and serve immediately.


NOTE - This was very dry. I would double the amount of cream sauce.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of rice pasta)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk (I used lactose free)
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining Parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes - I used Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses.  Since it tasted "floury" to me, I also topped it with a light sprinkling of paprika and also Italian seasoning.

This made A LOT.  I got two pans for the freezer and one for tonight.  I hope we like it!

Note 2 - After making this, I can say that this really IS bland.  Not quite sure how to "step it up."

Sloppy Joes

I got this recipe from my neighbor, who apparently can't seem to cook for just one person.

15 lbs ground beef

6 medium onions, chopped

1 gallon ketchup

3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon chili powder

96 hamburger buns, split

Over medium heat, cook and stir beef and onions until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.  

Spoon 1/3 cup onto each bun.  

Yield:  96 servings.

Notes:  If you make a human-sized sandwiches, this certainly doesn't make 96 sandwiches.  It makes a lot, but the recipe can easily be halved.

Also, since I usually don't keep a gallon of ketchup on hand, sometimes I mix in BBQ sauce.  I just put in enough to make the hamburger wet, but not soupy.

This recipe freezes really well, too.

Spaghetti with corn, bacon & jalapeno

THIS IS AWESOME!  This is definitely going to be one of our new favorites.

1 pound fresh spaghetti
1 pound double-smoked bacon (small diced)
2 cups fresh corn
2 jalapenos (thinly sliced into rings)
1/2 cup parsley (roughly chopped)
Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt so that it tastes like the sea.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Render the bacon for about 3 minutes, until it begins to crisp.  Drain.

Add the corn and jalapeno bacon and cook for another 2 minutes, until the vegetables soften.

Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes. Remove the pasta from the pot and add directly into the bacon and vegetable mixture. Add a couple ladles of the pasta water, stirring to make a sauce.

Remove pan from the heat and add the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes:  I would use fewer jalapenos.  I also forgot to add the ladles of pasta water, but I don't think it was missed.  Cliff said to top with cheese.  I disagree.

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Enchiladas

This one took a bit of prep time, but everyone seemed to like it.

Enchiladas

4

cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken 

9

slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1

packet (1 oz) ranch dressing & seasoning mix

1

pouch (8 oz) Old El Paso™ roasted tomato Mexican cooking sauce (I couldn't find this.)

2

cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (8 oz)

20

Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch)  (I used large tortillas, and it only filled about 6 of them.)

Sauce

2

tablespoons olive oil

1/2

cup chopped onion

1

can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles

2

tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

2

cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

1

cup sour cream

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish and 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish.
• 2In large bowl, mix chicken, half of the crumbled bacon, 1 tablespoon of the ranch dressing & seasoning mix, the cooking sauce, and 1 cup of the cheese; mix well. Divide mixture among tortillas, and roll up, placing seam side down in baking dishes. Set aside. If you want to freeze the smaller baking dish of enchiladas at this point, cover the baking dish with foil, and label before placing in the freezer. Use within 1 month.
• 3In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil until softened. Add chilies, and cook until most of the liquid from chilies evaporates. Stir in flour. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
• 4Once broth is incorporated, cook another minute or until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream and remaining ranch dressing & seasoning mix, and simmer 1 minute.
• 5Remove from heat, and pour over enchiladas. If baking both baking dishes, pour the sauce over both; otherwise, pour all of it into the 13x9-inch dish. (To make just enough for the smaller pan of enchiladas later, divide the recipe for the sauce in half, ratios in the tips section below). Top with remaining cheese and bacon.
• 6Bake about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Cool 5 minutes before serving with garnishes.

Breakfast Casserole

 

1 lb. sausage (cook & drain)
9 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. salt
3 cups of milk
4 slices of bread (cubed)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can mushrooms, drained (optional)


Grease cake pan.
Place bread in the bottom of the pan.
Mix other ingredients and pour evenly over the bread.
Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake one hour at 350 degrees uncovered.