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Velma’s Chili from Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader

April 8, 2011 by Tiffany

Have you read the Mitford series books by Jan Karon? Father Tim and Cynthia feel like old friends and so do all the other characters that populate the small town of Mitford.

On my last library trip, I spotted the Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. It’s full of recipes mentioned in the books (Orange Marmalade Cake, anyone?) and also lots of excerpts. Food and stories is a hard combination to beat.

One recipe that caught my attention was Velma’s Chili. I did make a few changes to it. For one, I used half the meat it called for. Two pounds of meat for 6-8 servings sounded like too much. I doubled it and made a few other alterations as well. Here’s what you’ll need to make my version: [Read more...]

Filed under: Crockpot, Main Dish, Soup Tagged with celery, chili, chili powder, garlic, ground beef, kidney beans, Mitford series, onion, red wine, tomato sauce, tomatoes7 Comments

Beef and Bean Topped Potatoes

March 4, 2011 by Tiffany

This is a quick meal, except for the potato baking. But even that can be done in the microwave if you’re really pressed for time.

And there are a couple things you can do to make it even faster. Keep cooked ground beef in the freezer so it’s ready to go for recipes like this. You can also keep cooked bacon and onion in the freezer.

Or you can slow it down by putting the topping in the slow cooker until you’re ready for dinner.

Another bonus, this recipe is versatile. Vary the ingredients for what you have in your pantry. I don’t think you can mess this one up. Nearly anything goes.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Crockpot, Main Dish Tagged with bacon, baked potatoes, beans, cheddar, green chilis, ground beef, onion, tomatoes7 Comments

Freezer Meatballs – extra large batch

February 8, 2011 by Tiffany

88 meatballs. That’s a lot of meatballs to stash away in the freezer.

It boggles my mind, but somehow we have managed to eat all 88 meatballs and we didn’t even have company to help. Did I mention it only took us 3 weeks to polish them off? Yikes!

I used them for spaghetti/tortellini meals twice. And I had two recipes to try out that used meatballs. One of them didn’t turn out quite the way I’d hoped the first time, so I tried it again. My kids have revolted now. I don’t think I can feed them another meatball dish for a while.

But, I still think it’s a great idea to have homemade meatballs in the freezer. They taste much better than the store-bought kind and they are better for you too. You can use them for spaghetti, of course. But they’re also good in Sweet and Sour Meatballs over Rice and Meatball Subs.

Before we get to the recipe, I want to remind you about Virtual Freezer Cooking Day on February 19. On that Saturday, I’ll be in my kitchen cooking freezer foods and I’ll be checking in on Facebook frequently to hear what you’re cooking in your kitchens. Here are the details of the event. Be sure to RSVP. There will be prizes and giveaways involved!

Back to today’s recipe: Somehow I failed to take a picture of the finished meatballs. The ingredient photo is at the top of the post.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: frozen food, Main Dish Tagged with bread crumbs, eggs, freezer food, ground beef, onion, panko, worcestershire sauce10 Comments

Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice

January 20, 2011 by Tiffany

My ears perked up when I heard someone mention a fried rice dish that involved ham and pineapple. Any recipe that involves cubed ham gets my attention right now, since I have so much in the freezer.

My family likes the ham/pineapple combo in recipes, but I admit that this sounded a little strange. But I was wrong. The fried rice was full of flavor and we licked the platter clean. No leftovers to fight over.

I based the recipe on Vietnam Fried Rice, but I used pineapple juice in addition to the soy sauce to season and flavor the dish. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish Tagged with Asian, carrots, eggs, garlic, ham, onion, peas, pineapple, rice, skillet dinner, soy sauce14 Comments

Western Omelette Casserole

January 7, 2011 by Tiffany

For Christmas morning, I wanted to make a different type of breakfast casserole than the egg/sausage one I usually make. We have to have some kind of protein to counteract the cinnamon rolls, frozen fruit cups, and hot cocoa.

I set out on a search to find a recipe that suited me, but since I’m picky, I couldn’t find the perfect casserole. So, I created one based on several recipes. I knew I wanted ham, peppers and onions. And it needed to be something I could make the day before and pop in the oven on Christmas morning to bake.

The result was exactly what I hoped for. The green and red pepper made it look Christmasy, but it would be good for any brunch. It would also make a good breakfast-for-dinner meal. I didn’t get a photo of the ingredients, but here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Breakfast Tagged with bell peppers, Breakfast, brunch, cheddar, cheese, eggs, french bread, green pepper, ham, holiday, italian bread, onion, red pepper18 Comments

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker

January 6, 2011 by Tiffany

I could have called this 3-point BBQ Chicken, because I was literally tossing things into the slow cooker from across the kitchen. No stirring. No mixing. No thawing took place.

We were in a hurry to get out the door at 7:25am. I grabbed a bag of frozen chicken breasts and dumped them in the slow cooker. Then I tossed other ingredients in, based on the Pulled Pork recipe. I didn’t stir or mix, just turned the pot on and let it cook.

We came in that evening to wonderful smells, so much better than if I’d just used bottled BBQ sauce. I quickly shredded the meat and served it on buns. This was the meal we tried out popcorn as a side dish. It had been a crazy, busy day and popcorn was the fastest thing I could think of. I’m pretty sure I threw some apples and/or carrots on the table too. Some nights you’ve just got to get everyone fed. Can I get an amen?

Here’s what you’ll need. No ingredient photo this time, because I was in such a hurry when I made it. [Read more...]

Filed under: Chicken, Crockpot, Main Dish Tagged with barbeque sauce, brown sugar, Chicken, dry mustard, garlic powder, ketchup, liquid smoke, onion, oregano, slow cooker, taco sauce, vinegar, worcestershire sauce28 Comments

French Bread Pizza

December 29, 2010 by Tiffany

This is a guest post from Crystal at Crystal and Comp.

We love this at our house. It is beyond simple, takes less than 30 minutes from prep to table, and is an excellent alternative to traditional pizza that is easy to personalize for everyone’s taste.

You’ll Need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish Tagged with cheese, french bread, garlic, green pepper, mozzarella, olives, onion, pepperoni, pizza sauce, sausage11 Comments

Bean and Bacon Soup – Ready in 10 Minutes

December 28, 2010 by Tiffany

This soup is really just assembly only, as long as you’ve got the bacon and onions in the freezer. It’s a good one to keep in mind for those nights when you really don’t have time to cook, but everyone needs to be fed.

The bacon, onion and tomatoes add a lot of flavor to the beans. It reminds me of the flavor of Italian Sausage and Bean Soup.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, Soup Tagged with bacon, butter beans, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, oregano, pinto beans, Soup15 Comments

Bramble Beans

December 21, 2010 by Tiffany

A friend gave me this recipe years ago. I make it every once in a while and we like it. The only reason I haven’t shared it with you before is that it isn’t very photogenic. Some of my past attempts to photograph it have been dismal.

One reason I like this dish is that it can be cooked on the stove top or in the oven. I’ve never tried it, but I bet it would work in the slow cooker too.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish Tagged with baked beans, brown sugar, ground beef, ketchup, kidney beans, mustard, onion, pork and beans, vinegar10 Comments

Potatoes and Ham ala Julia Child

December 20, 2010 by Tiffany

I’ve been reading Julia Child’s book My Life in France. That led me to order “The French Chef”, her cooking show on PBS, from Netflix. What fun!

I have to say that I’m surprised how many of the recipes she shares are accessible for the average cook at home. I’m not sure why it surprised me, because that is who she wrote for. She aimed to bring French cooking to American kitchens.

This dish is based on one that Julia Child shared on her TV program. She used smoked sausage in hers, but I substituted cubed ham. I don’t remember what kind of cheese she used. I admit that I have some more tweaking and trying to do on this recipe. The sauce didn’t thicken like I’d hoped. I’m pretty sure I did it like she said, but something didn’t work. It may have been that I used milk along with the half & half. Julia Child said that would work, but I only have 1% milk instead of whole.

However, the taste was wonderful! I could really taste the potatoes. You know how sometimes they are just there and you don’t really notice them? Not so with this dish. The ham was a nice complement and it was all underscored with Swiss cheese, garlic and onion.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]