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/

Freeze Dried Aroma Packs for Christmas giving

Wonderful Aroma for Christmas 

Einkorn Crust and Apple Pie

 

Ingredients

Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 c All purpose Einkorn flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c frozen butter*
• 1/3 c ice water

Caramel Apple Pie Filling

• 8-10 granny smith apples depending on size
• For Caramel Sauce
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 T all-purpose einkorn flour
• 1 c sucanat or preferred sweetener
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 water

Instructions

Instructions for the crust

• Combine the einkorn flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
• Use a cheese grater or salad shooter to grate frozen butter into the flour mixture.
• Mix until the grated butter is coated with flour, then make a well in the center.
• Add ice water to the well and combine just until flour is absorbed and a dough is formed. You may have some flour left at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t overmix.
• Chill the dough covered in the fridge for 30 min-2 hours before using.
• This recipe makes enough for one 9 inch pie with a top and bottom crust.

Instructions for the filling

• Peel, core, and slice apples.
• Simmer apples in a pot with a little water for 5-7 minutes until slightly softened*.
• While the apples are softening, start on the caramel sauce.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. When it is melted, whisk in the flour.
• Add the water, sucanat, and cinnamon.
• Simmer the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
• Strain the juices from the apples and then combine the apples with the caramel sauce.
• Let the apple and caramel mixture cool in the refrigerator until at least room temperature. It is
• important not to rush this step, or your pie crust will melt as you assemble the pie.
• Once the filling is cool, you can use it in a pie, store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it.
• Bake assembled pie at 425 F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F and bake for another 35-45 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.
• This recipe makes enough filling for one 9 inch pie. I recommend baking the pie on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil to catch any juice or butter that escapes.https://www.ancientgrains.com/recipes/caramel-apple-pie-with-einkorn-crust/?mc_cid=976b2617ce&mc_eid=2fa04f8819#recipe

Yum Lemon Curd

 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

• ¾ cup white sugar

• ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed

• 3 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions

• Gather all ingredients.
• Combine lemon juice, sugar, butter, eggs, and lemon zest in a 2-quart saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling, until mixture starts to get thick and bubbles rise to the surface, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from the heat; transfer curd into a large bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin forming. The curd will thicken more as it cools. Store in the refrigerator.
• Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

12 servings per container

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• Amount Per ServingCalories138
• % Daily Value *
• Total Fat 9g14%
  • Saturated Fat 5g25%
• Cholesterol 67mg23%
• Sodium 19mg1%
• Potassium 39mg2%
• Total Carbohydrate 14g5%
  • Dietary Fiber 0g0%
• Protein 2g4%

---

• Vitamin C8%
• Calcium11%

* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Freezer Friendly Thanksgiving

 Freezer-friendly Thanksgiving dishes to make ahead | CNN

Einkorn sourdough biscuits

https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/sourdough-biscuits-long-fermented/#wprm-recipe-container-21965 

Ingredients 

• ▢8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks (113 grams)
• ▢2 cups all purpose flour, 280 grams
• ▢1 cup sourdough discard, 285 grams
• ▢1 tablespoon sugar, 12 grams
• ▢1/2 cup milk or buttermilk*, 122 grams – You can also use water
• ▢1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢3/4 teaspoon salt, 4 grams

Instructions 

Long-Fermented Sourdough Biscuit

• Chop up cold butter into chunks or grate with a cheese grater. Add the butter to a large bowl.
• Add flour to the butter.
• Cut butter into flour. I usually just use my hands to massage the flour and butter together until it starts to form a ball, but a pastry blender works really well, too.
• Add sourdough starter, sugar, milk or buttermilk.
• Stir until nicely incorporated.
• Place a clean tea towel or plastic wrap over bowl and allow to sit at room temperature at least 8-24 hours.
• The next day, add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the fermented dough.
• Mix everything together well.
• Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut biscuits.
• Place onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a glass baking dish.
  For a little added height, you can allow the biscuits to rise again for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm place before baking.
• Bake biscuits in a 400 degree oven for 14 -20 minutes.