Creamy Oatmeal

 

• ¾ cup old fashioned oats
• 1½ cups water
• 1½ cups your milk Toppings 
• 1 t. cinnamon

Bring to boil and cook low for 15 minutes.

Any fun toppings - berries, 

Christmas Chocolate Mouseee

 

Christmas Chocolate Mousse

Michele McNinch gave recipe  to Martin & Shauna Harker –

served at Thurs. a.m. Sealer’s gathering 2024

 

Note: I 3x this recipe to make 17 6 oz. serving dishes

 

*In top of double boiler melt:

3 cups miniature marshmallows

½ cup milk

1 4 oz. Hershey Chocolate bar, broken

(I used Hershey Milk Chocolate Symphany bar.  Next time I think I will use the regular Hershey bar.)

 

Stir over hot water in double boiler until melted and cool.

 

Whip 1 cup of whipping cream and fold into cooled chocolate mixture.  Pour into small dessert dishes and chill.  When ready to serve, garnish with a daub of whipped cream (I used a spray can of whipping cream) and further garnish with a small candy cane or a piece of fresh holly.  (I used a raspberry or strawberry on top of the whipped cream.)

 

Makes 6 servings

 

Option:  Put a whole almond in one of the individual servings of mousse.  The person that gets it receives a gift. 

 

 

*I just used a larger pan and a bit smaller pan that would fit into the larger pan to create my double boiler effect, bringing water to a boil in the larger pan.  The water went about halfway up the side of the smaller pan.

Delicious Pot Roast

• 3 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast (see note for other options)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons onion powder or granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ cup beef broth
• ¼ cup liquid from jar of pepperoncini (I used a little vinegar and water)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon paste (optional – see note)
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 4 to 6 pepperoncini (didn't use)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Place the roast in the insert of a 6- or 8-quart slow cooker.
• In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, parsley, onion powder, dill and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the beef.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the beef broth, pepperoncini liquid, cornstarch, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and bouillon paste (if using). Pour over the beef. Turn the beef once or twice to coat in seasonings and liquid.
• Place the butter pieces and pepperoncini on top of beef.
• Cover the slow cooker on cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender. Remove the pepperoncini and shred the beef with two forks right in the slow cooker, tossing the beef with the cooking liquid/gravy. Add additional salt, to taste, and toss with the beef and sauce, if needed. Return the pepperoncini to the slow cooker, if desired.
• Keep warm until ready to serve. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or rice or on buns.https://www.melskitchencafe.com/mississippi-pot-roast/

 

Canned Green Beans with Bacon and Onion

 

Ingredients

• 2 strips bacon chopped
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease
• ⅓ cup onion chopped, yellow or purple
• 1 can green beans about 15 ounces
• a little brown sugar

Instructions

• In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan.
• Drain bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan.
• Add the onions, cook until translucent.
• Drain half of the liquid off of the canned green beans.
• Add the green beans and half the liquid into the pan with the onion.
• Cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated.  Add a little brown sugar!
• Add bacon back into the pan. Stir to combine.

Fettuccini (yummy)

 1 T. butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. chicken broth, divided
1 c. heavy cream
1 lb. chicken
salt and pepper to taste
2 T veg oil
2 T. chopped basil or much less if using dried
8 oz. Fettuccini pasta, dry

Melt butter over low eat, and add garlic and cook.  Add a few sun-dried tomatoes or fresh tomatoes if desired plus 3/4 c. chicken broth.  Increase to med heat and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered about 10 minutes until tomatoes are tender  Add cream and bring to a boil--stirring.  

Simmer until sauce is thickened.

Salt and pepper chicken.  Warm oil and sauce chicken.  Cook about 4 minutes on each side.  Transfer to board.  Keep warm.

Bring 1/4 c. chicken broth to boil stirring pan juices.  Reduce slightly and add to cream sauce.  Stir in Basil.  

Cook fettuccini in salted water -- about 10 minutes.

Add chicken to cream sauce and serve!!

Caramel Sauce

 1 c. sugar
6 T. butter
1/2 c. whipping cream

In a light-colored saucepan, heat l cup sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted and amber in color.   (I sometimes skip this step and just go to the next)  

Whisk in 6 T. room temperature butter.  Mixture will bubble

Pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream slowly and whip carefully

Once smooth allow to cool before storing. 

Store in covered jar for up tot two weeks.

Caesar Salad Dressing

1/2 c. mayo
2 t. Dijon Mustard
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra light olive oil, not extra virgin
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 c. mayo, 2 t. Dijon mustard, 2 t. Worcestershire sauce, grated garlic, 3 T. lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Whisk to combine

While whisking vigorously slowly drizzle in 1/2 c. olive oil.  Once all olive oil is in, continue whisking until it's well incorporated.  Add parmesan and whisk again.

Transfer to a mason jar, and cover

Lola's Layered Chicken

8 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts
Put Swiss cheese slices on each piece and cover with 1 or 1 1/2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Sprinkle over 1 pkg. stove-top stuffing.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix over that.  Drizzle l cup milk around edges ad corners.  Dot with butter.  Cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Jane's Taco Soup

 1 lb. hamburger, cook and drain

1 large onion, minced

1 can pork and beans

1 can tomato sauce (large)

1 quart tomatoes

2 carrots, cut up

2 stocks celery, cut up

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

2 1-2 diced potatoes

Simmer all day in crock pot and serve with chips, cheese and sour cream

Shepherd's Pie

Mel's Shepherd Pie   I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe Blog.  Sooo many good recipes and yummy things to eat.

Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: 8 servings

 

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 1hour hr 10minutes mins

Total Time: 1hour hr 30minutes mins

Ingredients

Potato Layer:

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4-5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ - 1 cup milk
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg yolk

Meat Filling:

• 2 - 2 ½ pounds ground beef, turkey, lamb, or sausage (or a combination of any)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 large carrots chopped small, about 1 cup
• 2 cloves garlic, finely pressed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 ¼ cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 teaspoon fresh
• ½ cup frozen corn kernels
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray (I've also used a slightly smaller ceramic casserole dish with good results, too, just makes the layers slightly thicker).
• Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so (it will depend on how large or small the potatoes are cut) until the potatoes are tender.
• Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes lightly. Add the butter, milk (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed), Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder. Mash together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the egg yolk until combined.
• For the meat and vegetable mixture, in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground meat, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes or so. Drain any excess grease from the mixture.
• Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the corn and peas.
• Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top all the way to the edges of the pan creating a seal over the meat mixture. Sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar over the top of the potatoes.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the casserole is bubbling. Let it rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Multi-Tasking: the ingredient list looks daunting but I promise this all comes together quickly. While the potatoes are boiling, I start the meat and vegetable mixture - multi-tasking is your friend.

Meat: you can use a variety of different ground meats here. I've made this once with just ground turkey and another time with a combination of ground beef and sausage. Yum! Danielle, who sent me the recipe, uses ground lamb and sausage which would also be delicious (ground lamb is a bit hard to find where I live).

©Mel's Kitchen Cafe — https://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/