Clam Chowder

From the kitchen of:  Lisa

2-3 Lg potatoes, peeled and diced
1 med onion, diced
1-2 stalks celery, diced
6 slices bacon, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. Dill weed or dried parsley
1/8 tsp. paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 c. Whole Milk or Half n Half
2 cans chopped or minced clams

Cook potato and celery in boiling water for 10 minutes. In Dutch Oven or Stock Pot cook bacon, onion and garlic til browned. Add seasonings and flour to bacon and onion. Cook over low heat until smooth an bubbly. Add drained potatoes, celery and milk. Bring to boil over med -low heat. Boil one minute. Add chopped clams with juice and heat through. Don’t over cook clams they will get tough. Serves 4-6.

For Potato-Cheese soup instead of Clam Chowder, omit clams.
Turn off heat, add 6-8 slices of American Cheese.

After I put it in the bowls I crunch up crackers in the soup, more for the kids to make it thicker so it is easier for them to eat.  Now, if only I’d had a loaf of extra sourdough bread…mmm!

November Menu

Tacos
Meatloaf
Southwestern Lasagna
Mushroom & Ground Beef Stroganoff
Vegetable Beef Soup

Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Broccoli Rice
Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Tuna Mac
Clam Chowder

Carolina Crockpot Pork
Smothered Pork Chops

Green Bean Casserole

I found this on the Food Network, compliments of Paula Deen.  My only cooking responsibility this year is the Green Bean Casserole so I thought I should make it the best Green Been Casserole ever.  If it turns out that this recipe isn’t it, I’ll always wish it was, lol.

Green Bean Casserole

1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced green beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings
Pinch House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning, to taste, to the onion mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Black Forest Braised Pork Chops

Found at Target! The great thing about this recipe on the site I linked is that you can change the servings to what you need!

What you need:
• 2 tablespoons Market Pantry™ Butter
• 1 (20 ounce) package boneless pork chops center cut
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cuts™ Chopped Onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beer
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

What you do:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown both sides of pork chops in butter. Remove chops.
2. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic and salt to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Stir in flour until well mixed. Stir beer into vegetables, mixing well.
3. Return pork chops and any accumulated juices to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Stir in parsley.

 My husband made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!  The juices with the fresh mushrooms topped the pork chops on the plate, mmmm!  He served it with stuffing, cream corn, and asparagus.  We will definately have it again!

Honey Butter (from Alton Brown)

I am making scones today and thought I’d actually look up a recipe for honey butter. Sounds tough right, honey and butter? I found this recipe from Food Network, specifically from Alton Brown, for Honey Butter. I made it and sampled it and it is divine! Here you go!

Honey Butter
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: The Case for Butter
1 pound butter
1/4 cups honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hardware:
Dough scraper
Standing mixer
Parchment paper or plastic wrap

Cut the butter into chunks using the dough scraper.

Place butter into the mixer’s work bowl and beat at low speed, using the whisk attachment to loosen the butter. Increase the speed to medium and add the honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In case you are keeping track…

For those of you who read a while back about my boycott with the dishwasher, I found out that I really can live without it.  And I still am.  That’s right folks, you heard it here, I have a perfectly good dishwasher and I wash all my dishes by hand.  I always know where my dishes are (besides the ones that are authorized to be carried about the house by little people), they are in the cupboard and drawers where they belong.