Slacking off again/random thoughts

I had another recipe planned for this week but I ended up going in a different direction with dinner last night and it didn't involve a recipe.

I've been on a good run with cooking and I hope it continues. We've had a lot of hits lately.

My grocery bill has been creeping up again. A large reason for that is that I'm excited about cooking and trying new recipes right now. Blogging and my cookbook addiction has its highs and lows and I'm sort of on a high right now. Probably because I'm stressed out about a lot of things and my cookbooks are an escape.

I'm getting swamped with cookbooks again. I think I need a bigger house.

I need to find some sort of farmer's market I can hit on Saturdays. I just haven't felt like going up to auction on Friday nights. I'm sure there are some farm markets that I don't know about hiding around here somewhere.

I'll be back on Monday.

Good stuff

Jamie’s Mexican Chicken and Tortilla Casserole
Paula Deen’s The Deen Family Cookbook Copyright 2009

One 16-ounce jar salsa (2 cups)
1 cup chicken broth
One 6-to-7-ounce bag tortilla chips
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 cups (3/4 pound) grated Montery Jack, or pepper jack

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the salsa and broth in a blender and process until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the tortilla chips with 2 ½ cups of the salsa mixture. In a separate bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining ½ cup salsa mixture.

2. In a greased 13x9-inch baking dish, layer one third of the chips, followed by half of the chicken, half of the sliced onion, and one third of the cheese. Repeat. Top with the remaining chips and cheese. Cover with foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melting. Serve hot.
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We were in kind of a rush last night when I made this. I didn't want to make it ahead of time, even though it was probably safe to do that. If I had topped this with sour cream and green onions it would have looked a lot more enticing but neither of those items was needed. This recipe even elicited a comment from my husband - 'This is good stuff.' I have to wholeheartedly agree. I loved the crunch of the (sweet onions) but if you aren't an onion lover, leave them out.

I used a medium salsa but this was still quite mild. Next time I may try a hot salsa or some jack cheese to up the heat factor a bit.

A lot of people have been talking about migas lately and this sort of reminds me of that, in the way that the tortillas soften up in the salsa mixture. Like my husband said, this is good stuff. This will be making many more appearances on our table.

I have to admit I bought this cookbook specifically for this recipe even though it was simple enough that I could have memorized it in the store (my sister will actually jot down recipes right in the store). I have an illness, remember. I'm sure I will make something else out of this book. I do question whether or not these recipes are all actually from Paula Deen's family but they seem like good recipes so it really doesn't matter. She has very generously spread the wealth and recognition throughout her family. She is either very nice or very smart. You probably won't see her family and old friends blabbing anything to the tabloids about her (not that they'd have anything to say). She even had her ex-husband on her show.

Question of the Day: Do you grate your own cheese or buy the preshredded variety?

On a roll with thighs

Oven-Fried Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs
Southern Living Annual Recipes 2006 Copyright 2006
also on myrecipe.com

8 bacon slices
8 skinned and boned chicken thighs
1 cup cornmeal*
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper

Arrange bacon slices on paper towels on a microwave-safe plate in microwave oven. Top with paper towel. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds to 1 minute or just until bacon is limp and heated through. (Do not fully cook bacon.)

Wrap each chicken thigh with a piece of bacon; secure with a wooden pick, if desired.

Combine cornmeal and next 3 ingredients in a bowl. Dredge chicken in cornmeal mixture. Arrange on a wire rack coated with cooking spray in a lightly greased broiler or roasting pan.

Bake at 350º for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done.

*Cornmeal mix may be substituted for cornmeal.
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Since I stocked up on boneless, skinless chicken thighs at Costco I've been finding chicken thigh recipes left and right. This was a simple but flavorful recipe. I really liked the cornmeal coating.

So, I have another bake sale coming up. What to make? Last time I made (boxed) red velvet cupcakes with canned frosting and Pineapple Gooey Butter Cakes. Both sold well but I'd like to do something different this time. I have great brownie recipes but it seems as if everyone always wants to sign up for brownies. As usual, I'm taking suggestions. So far I am thinking maybe squares of Chocolate Fudge Cake. Cupcakes are cute but I find slices of cake to be so much yummier.

I almost forgot - are any of my readers from Pennsylvania? I started a new blog based on another hobby of mine - family fun accessible from my area of PA. It's called The Central PA Family Fun Report and I'm looking for ideas and readers. If you have any ideas of places we can visit, let me know. If you know of anyone who is looking for family activity information in PA, please pass the link along.

Question of the Day: Is cornmeal a staple in your house?

Delicious and easy stew

Hobo Meatball Stew
Taste of Home Summer Slow Cooker Meals Copyright 2009 (Magazine)

1 pound ground beef
1-1/2 teaspoons salt or salt-free seasoning blend, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks I used Klondike Rose potatoes and did not peel them
4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

In a bowl, combine the beef, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape into 1-in. balls. In a skillet over medium heat, brown meatballs on all sides; drain.

Place the potatoes, carrots and onion in a 3-qt. slow cooker; top with meatballs. Combine the water, ketchup, vinegar, basil, and remaining salt and pepper; pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Yield: 4 servings.
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I usually try to resist buying these magazine-type cookbooks but I picked this one up at a discount in Costco. I have many slow cooker cookbooks but it's still hard to come by good slow cooker recipes. This magazine looked promising and this first recipe was all that I had hoped it would be and more.

I'm not usually a fan of meat-only meatballs but these turned out fine. I probably would add some bread or breadcrumbs next time I make this. It stretches out the meat a bit but it also just makes a more tender meatball, in my opinion. But like I said, these weren't bad. My son ate them with no prompting and without asking for spaghetti sauce or ketchup or anything!

I loved the vegetables and the sauce this made. The sauce was just right - not too ketchupy if you don't like ketchup. The vegetables came out perfectly. I used Klondike Rose potatoes for the first time and they were sooooooo good. I had never heard of them but my husband's grandmother ended up with them by accident and she only likes white potatoes (pickiest woman ever!) and she gave them to me. Their flavor was great but I especially liked the texture. They were creamy but they didn't fall apart or lose their skins in the stew, even after reheating it (I made this ahead of time, of course).

P.S. I am still finding old posts where Blogger has dropped tags. I'm not sure if these pop up in your readers when I fix and republish them but if they do, that is the reason.

Question of the Day: Have you discovered anything new in food lately?

I didn't bake anything new this weekend

I usually blog about my weekend baking on Mondays but it was a busy weekend so no new recipe today. I did need to bake something for my husband to take somewhere and I picked Glazed Chocolate Chip Brownies. I think this recipe is my son's favorite (especially when I sprinkle Sixlets over the top of them before the glaze sets).



I'll be back tomorrow.