Succotash

I wanted succotash to accompany the lasagna for hubby's birthday dinner tonight. I wasn't impressed with any of the recipes I found online, so I created this one on the fly with ingredients I had on hand. It's very basic but tasted absolutely incredible! Even picky daughter ate every bite. It's going into my permanent recipe file.

SUCCOTASH

2-3 slices bacon
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbl. dehydrated onion flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
15 oz. can diced tomatoes

In a skillet with a tight-fitting lid, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Reduce heat and add garlic and onion to bacon drippings in pan. Cook and stir until onion becomes soft. Crumble bacon and add to skillet with salt, pepper, corn, lima beans and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.

Serves 6-8

Crockpot Chili

Fall has definitely arrived! October isn't usually this cool here in Texas, but the weather is just fine and dandy for me 'cause I've been craving all my favorite winter dishes. Since it was a brisk 48 degrees this morning, I decided a pot of chili would be a welcome Friday night dinner.

The Ingredients:

Crushed tomatoes, beans, and spices. There's also ground beef and onions, which didn't make it into the picture because they were browning on the stove when I remembered to go get my camera. Doh!

This isn't true Texas chili because it's made with beans. Also, no self-respecting Texas chili would ever be caught containing ground beef. No sir! Authentic Texas chili starts off with stew beef or a big ole chuck roast cut into cubes. But for fast, out-of-this-world delicious, everyday chili, you can't go wrong with this.

Use whatever beans you happen to like: kidney beans, red beans, black beans, great northern beans, etc. I prefer pinto beans and/or chili beans. Today all I had was one can of pintos and one can of pork & beans, so that's what I used. It was a little sweeter than usual, but still tasted great.


Here's everything stirred together in my 4-quart crockpot. Sorry about the picture, I had to tip the pot to get good light.


If you asked 100 cooks, you would get 100 different recipes for chili. I just happen to think mine is the best of the lot. Looks good, doesn't it? Oh, and I didn't need the oatmeal this time, it was thick enough without.

I hope you'll try this recipe and that it helps to keep you warm and satisfied all through the fall and winter months.

Crockpot Chili

2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans pinto or chili beans
3 tbl. or 2 pkg. chili seasoning
1 tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup dry oatmeal (optional)

Brown ground beef and onions. Put all ingredients into crockpot (except oatmeal) and stir together, adjusting seasonings to taste. Cook on high/low 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oatmeal about 30 minutes before serving to thicken, if desired.

Heavenly Pie

This recipe is the result of a search for the perfect millionaire pie. It isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it's so delicious! I've been making this pie for so many years I can't remember where the recipe came from. I do remember the original recipe called for 'fruit,' so technically you could use whatever fruit you desire, but I use crushed pineapple exclusively. It's the perfect consistency and the flavor is out of this world. An added plus: you can use fat-free and reduced fat ingredients to make this pie and you'll have a 'heavenly' guilt-free dessert.

HEAVENLY PIE

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 9-inch graham cracker pie shells
1 can Eagle Brand milk
9 oz. Cool Whip
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

Combine cream cheese, milk and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Stir in pecans and pineapple. Pour into pie shells and refrigerate for several hours.

Meatball "Stone" Soup

Earlier this year I participated in a Betty Crocker Dinner Made Easy recipe test. Betty Crocker provided us with several recipes to choose from and I made the "Meatball 'Stone' Soup."

The Ingredients:

Italian style meatballs, diced tomatoes, beef broth, mixed vegetables, onion, potatoes and spices.

I didn't have the exact spices called for so I substituted garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper for garlic-pepper blend and since my can of tomatoes was unseasoned, I added some Italian seasoning. I thought I had a potato, but discovered too late that I didn't, so I added a can of diced potatoes, drained, at the same time as the frozen veggies.


This is how full my 4-quart crock pot was when all the ingredients had been added. The size was perfect; I wouldn't go any smaller.


Our whole family enjoyed this soup very much. Even my finicky 11 year-old ate it to the last drop. I've made this soup several times in the past few months and it is always greeted with enthusiasm.

This is the recipe, exactly as it was provided to me by Betty Crocker with my changes in italics. It doesn't need to cook as long as the recipe recommends. It turns out fine at 6-7 hours instead of the original 9-11.

MEATBALL STONE SOUP

Prep Time: 10 Min
Start to Finish: 10 Hr 10 Min

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs
1 can (28 oz.) Progresso® diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
(or 1 can (28 oz.) regular diced tomatoes, undrained plus 1 tsp. Italian seasoning blend)
1 medium potato, chopped (1 cup)
(or 1 can diced new potatoes, drained)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cans (14 oz. each) beef broth
1/4 tsp. garlic-pepper blend
(or 1/8 tsp. each garlic powder and black pepper)
1 bag (1 lb.) Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables

1. Spray inside of 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix frozen meatballs, tomatoes, potato (if using canned, wait until adding frozen vegetables), onion, garlic-pepper blend (Italian seasoning blend) and broth.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9 to 11 hours (6 to 7 hours).
3. Increase heat setting to High. Stir in frozen mixed vegetables (and canned potatoes). Cover; cook 1 hour longer.

6 servings

1 Serving: Calories 375 (Calories from Fat 170); Total Fat 19g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat nc); Cholesterol 120mg; Sodium 1670mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugars nc); Protein 31g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A nc; Vitamin C nc; Calcium nc; Iron 24%
Exchanges: 1 Starch, 2 Vegetable
Carbohydrate Choices:

2008 © and ®/™ of General Mills

Betty Crocker Kitchens® Tips: "Stone Soup" is a children's folktale that tells an optimistic story of townspeople sharing ingredients from their cupboards and an actual stone to make a pot of soup. We used some of the same ingredients -- but not the stone! -- and cooked them in the slow cooker.
Make this hot and hearty soup the main course of a simple meal. Sprinkle the soup with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and serve with whole-grain rolls or assorted crackers. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Easy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

I love this recipe for Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese so much I decided there was no better kick off for this blog than to share it with everyone. This is adapted from a Paul Deen recipe, which you can find at the Food Network website: Creamy Macaroni and Cheese.

The ingredients:

Macaroni, cheese, butter, milk, sour cream, cheddar cheese soup, ground mustard, salt and pepper.

The original recipe used 3 eggs, but I wanted a creamy texture, so I left them out. Also, I love the combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Monterrey Jack. The original recipe called for sharp cheddar only.


This is after everything has been stirred together and before turning on the crockpot. See those lumps of gloppy, melted cheese in there? About 2 hours into the cooking process give it a good stir and it will all come together beautifully. Also, please ignore my ancient but trusty crockpot. It's around 25 years old and still going strong. We're looking forward to many more happy years together.


Yum, yum, yum! Doesn't that look delicious? Those golden brown patties are salmon. Stay tuned and sometime in the near future I'll post the recipe. They're super quick and easy.

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE

2 cups macaroni
1/2 stick butter
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese*
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk

Cook macaroni. Melt butter and cheese in a saucepan over low heat. Stir all ingredients together in crockpot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook on low 2 1/2 hours. Top with 1/2 cup more cheese and cook 30 more minutes.

*Use any cheese you like. I use 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 Monterrey Jack.

Welcome!

My name is Sila. Welcome to my blog!
My intention is to make this exclusively a cooking blog, but I may post other things from time to time. One promise I can make -- I don't discuss religion or politics. Ever.

If you're looking for recipes for fancy, gourmet food, you should look elsewhere. What you will find here are delicious, family friendly recipes for down home comfort food made with simple ingredients easily found in any grocery store. I use store brands whenever possible, as I'm also always looking for ways to save money.

I tweak and reinvent recipes from many sources -- magazines, cookbooks, product labels, Internet, etc., but many of my source materials have been lost. I give credit whenever possible, but if you are a cookbook author or magazine publisher and you see one of your recipes here, please let me know so I can give proper credit or take it down.

When I have time, I will include a few pictures to show how things should look, but I'm not a photographer. My main focus will be on the food, not the photos.
There will be many recipes, few pictures.

Bon Appetite!