Rice Dressing

My best friend, Susan, has been begging me to post this recipe...  She used to love being at our house when Marion cooked this dish with a roast.  I had forgotten how DELICIOUS it is!  You should smell my house right now. 

Ingredients:

2 cups raw rice

2 cans Campbell’s Beef Broth (Bouillon)

1 cup water

¼ stick melted oleo

Small bunch green onions

1 small can water chestnuts

1 small can sliced mushrooms

Directions: 

Combine rice and liquid in large greased baking dish and bake covered loosely with foil.  Bake this at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

As the rice cooks, saute small bunch chopped green onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms in ½ stick oleo.  Here's a picture of the saute:

Blend lightly with cooked rice.   Simply DELICIOUS!

 Nesi can't stop wagging her tail...

YUMMY!

Mmmm, Mmmm, Good!

Well, I'm sure you've all seen CNN and The Weather Channel and know they are now using the "B" word... yes, BLIZZARD conditions in St. Louis.  So, definitely time for some chicken noodle soup.  I went to the local grocery before the ice started coming down and got this recipe for my soup (it's only 115 calories per serving, so Jenny would be proud!):

Ingredients:  1 (32 oz) carton chicken broth; 2 cups water; 1 medium carrot; 1 medium celery rib; 1 medium onion; 1 tsp dried marjoram; 1 bay leaf; 1/4 tsp pepper; 2 cups cooked chicken; 1/2 cup uncooked egg noodles; 2 tbsp fresh parsley

1. In a large pot, combine broth, water, carrot, celery, onion, marjoram, bay leaf and pepper.  Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium-high; return to boil.  Add chicken, noodles and parsley. Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 15 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.

Here's a picture of my YUMMY bowl of soup:

Might I add, my husband has lost his mind!  He's trying to "stay ahead of the storm" by clearing our cars and driveway every hour or so.  Here's proof:

Hugs to everyone... from the FROZEN LAND...

Aimee

Good news... Bad news...

Well, the GOOD NEWS is... it is actually above freezing in St. Louis today!  With the "warm" temperature, I decided to make some bone-warming stew... because the BAD NEWS is... it is going back down tomorrow and they are predicting the biggest snowfall of the season next week.  Sigh.  So, I thought cooking something with a Texas town in the name would make me feel better... so here it is...

SAN ANTONIO STEW

2 lbs beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp Tony Chachere's Original Seasoning
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 med onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl dried parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (10 1/2-oz) can beef broth
3/4 cup water
1 (8 oz) jar chunky picante sauce
1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 (16 oz) bag fresh baby carrots
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups frozen corn kernels

1. Shake stew meat in bag with flour and Tony Chachere's.
2. In a skillet, brown meat in 1/4 cup hot oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute over medium heat.
3. Place beef mixture into slow cooker and add seasonings, broth, water, picante sauce, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and corn.
4. Cook on Low for 6 hours.

Serves 6 to 8.
From "Slow Cooking in the Fast Lane" by Julie Kay

Here's a picture of it right now... it will be ready for supper!

YUMMY!

The Party's Over...

Well my faithful blog followers, the party's over.  Michael Anne is SO skinny, I need to stop this cooking/eating/blogging craziness!  So, here's my dinner for tonight: 

Need I say more?

When I'm about 5 to 10 pounds lighter, I'll be back.  But, don't worry, I'm still hard at work on Marion's cookbook.  I promise it will be ready for Christmas! 

Love,

Aimee

Patti's Broccoli Salad

I must say this was probably my Christmas favorite... here’s the recipe – so easy and so good!

4 cups broccoli (cut into small pieces)

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped pecans

1 granny smith apple, chopped

¼ cup raisins (sometimes I used cranberries or craisins)

8 pieces of bacon (sometimes I use just 4 pieces)

Dressing:

¾ cup Hellmans Mayo

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbls Vinegar

·         Mix salad, except bacon

·         Mix dressing in separate bowl and chill

·         Before serving add bacon to salad

·         Toss salad with dressing

Chili Roll

This was a Christmas appetizer favorite that Marion served at Michael Anne’s... a little spicy, but delicious! 

Ingredients:

¾ lb processed cheese

1 3-oz pkg soft cream cheese

2 pods garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

About 1 ½ jar chili powder

¼ tsp onion juice

¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp red pepper

¾ cup finely chopped pecans

Directions: 

Have cheeses at room temperature; mash processed cheese and add cream cheese, blending together.

Add all other ingredients, excluding chili powder and pecans. 

Mix well and stir in pecans.

Roll mixture into 4-inch rolls, approximately 1 ½” diameter to fit round crackers; roll each in chili powder.

Place in refrigerator or freezer.

When using from freezer, allow 1 ½ hours for thawing.

Slice and serve on round crackers.

Another Christmas favorite was the hat that Patti got in the gift exchange:

And, here's the book that was the inspiration for us all:

Happy New Year!

Blue Cheese Biscuits

Betty (who lived on Michael Anne’s street) served these when Mike and Marion played bridge at her house.  They are great served with breakfast, or as a snack when playing bridge or watching a movie!  Craig and Stephanie are watching ALL THREE of the Lord of the Rings, so they needed a snack... here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 4oz pkg crumbled Blue Cheese

1 can Grand Biscuits

Directions: 

Melt the butter and blue cheese together in an 8” x 12” glass baking dish.  Stir thoroughly and spread evenly over bottom of baking dish.

Cut each biscuit into four pieces and lay on top of cheese mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve with a fork to break apart and remove from dish or in a lined bread basket.

These are really YUMMY... and SIMPLE to make!