The other day at Publix they had the large cans of Planter's Peanuts BOGO. I had not one, but two coupons I could use. One store coupon and one manufacturer coupon. This made these peanuts about $1 per can. Yeah! I came home with 4 large cans. I then remembered this recipe that I hadn't made in awhile. It's so easy and taste pretty much like my Bigmama's homemade brittle that she use to make all the time when I was a child.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup planters peanuts
Place sugar and karo syrup in a microwave safe bowl. Stir. Microwave for 5 minutes.
Stir in peanuts and the butter. Stir and cook for another 2 1/2 minutes. The recipe calls for 3-4 minutes but I found this to work better. Remove from microwave and add the soda and vanilla. Stir and immediately pour onto a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with Pam. Allow to cool completely. Break into pieces just the right side to eat. Store in an container with a good tight lid.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Roasted chicken with vegetables
We had dinner the other night with some good friends at Cracker Barrel. We decided to order the roasted chicken since it was only offered for a limited time. It was very good and I decided that it could be made at home easily. A few days later I was at Kroger and they had the whole chickens cut in half and marked down in price. Perfect chance to try this. I have a large braiser so it was perfect but you can do this in a dutch oven. I sprayed the pan with Pam. Then I laid the whole, half chicken in the pan. I had some Montreal chicken seasoning. I love the Montreal steak seasoning so I decided, why not. I shook the Montreal chicken seasoning over the half chicken, both sides but I left the skin side up. I surrounded the chicken with vegetables. I had potatoes, carrots, onion and an ear of corn that I broke in half. I placed this in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. I then lowered the heat to 300 and put the lid on the pan. I check the chicken with a meat thermometer every 20 minutes till it reached the desired temperature. Couldn't have been easier.
Now, with the left overs...Larry doesn't like left overs so I had to do something completely different if he was going to eat it. I put the deboned chicken and left over vegetables and drippings in a baking dish. I had green peas and frozen corn in the freezer so I added a little of both. I stirred in a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and added a little chicken broth so it wouldn't be too dry. I took my Pioneer baking mix and added about a half stick of melted butter and a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and enough milk to be a little wetter than you would have for biscuits. You need to be able to spread it. I poured it over the chicken/vegetable mixture and gently spread it out with a spatula. You don't want to mix it in at all. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until it's lightly brown. This made really good chicken pot pie.
If you happened to have poultry seasoning, it would make the dough extra tasty if you add a little but it's not necessary.
Now, with the left overs...Larry doesn't like left overs so I had to do something completely different if he was going to eat it. I put the deboned chicken and left over vegetables and drippings in a baking dish. I had green peas and frozen corn in the freezer so I added a little of both. I stirred in a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and added a little chicken broth so it wouldn't be too dry. I took my Pioneer baking mix and added about a half stick of melted butter and a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and enough milk to be a little wetter than you would have for biscuits. You need to be able to spread it. I poured it over the chicken/vegetable mixture and gently spread it out with a spatula. You don't want to mix it in at all. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until it's lightly brown. This made really good chicken pot pie.
If you happened to have poultry seasoning, it would make the dough extra tasty if you add a little but it's not necessary.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
John Wayne Casserole
When I saw this recipe the other day the name alone drew me to it. Then I saw the ingredients and I decided that I couldn't loose with this one. Here is my own easy version.
2 cups baking mix (I like Pioneer)
enough milk to form biscuit dough
1 pound ground beef
1/2 envelope of taco seasoning mix
medium size onion diced
canned green chilies or jalapenos depending on your taste
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
fresh tomato, maybe two depending on size
8 oz. of cheese. I used sharp. Use what YOU like.
salt and pepper
Add milk to the baking mix. I didn't measure but I'm guessing about 3/4 cup. You want it to form a dough that you would make biscuits with. Spray your casserole dish with Pam. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan. If you wet your fingers it will help.
Cook the ground beef. Drain and add the taco seasoning mix. Spoon onto the raw biscuit dough. Sprinkle the diced onion over the meat
Peel and slice fresh tomato and arrange the slices on top of the meat. Salt and pepper.
Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise and spread over the tomatoes.
Add half of the cheese just sprinkling it lightly over mayonnaise and sour cream mixture.
At this point I added jalapenos. I love the taste of Jalapenos but don't like the heat. I have discovered "tame jalapenos" that you buy in a jar in the pickle section. Larry said it was too much
jalapenos so next time I might dice then up and spread them out thinly. Feel free to use regular jalapenos in a jar if you like heat or just used the canned diced chilies. This really is personal preference. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. If you let it set a few minutes you can cut it into squares to serve. I just spooned it out. It was SO delicious that Larry told me to save the left overs and he really doesn't like left overs, normally.
PS...you can add the whole pack of taco seasoning if you like the meat more spicey.
2 cups baking mix (I like Pioneer)
enough milk to form biscuit dough
1 pound ground beef
1/2 envelope of taco seasoning mix
medium size onion diced
canned green chilies or jalapenos depending on your taste
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
fresh tomato, maybe two depending on size
8 oz. of cheese. I used sharp. Use what YOU like.
salt and pepper
Add milk to the baking mix. I didn't measure but I'm guessing about 3/4 cup. You want it to form a dough that you would make biscuits with. Spray your casserole dish with Pam. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan. If you wet your fingers it will help.
Cook the ground beef. Drain and add the taco seasoning mix. Spoon onto the raw biscuit dough. Sprinkle the diced onion over the meat
Peel and slice fresh tomato and arrange the slices on top of the meat. Salt and pepper.
Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise and spread over the tomatoes.
Add half of the cheese just sprinkling it lightly over mayonnaise and sour cream mixture.
At this point I added jalapenos. I love the taste of Jalapenos but don't like the heat. I have discovered "tame jalapenos" that you buy in a jar in the pickle section. Larry said it was too much
jalapenos so next time I might dice then up and spread them out thinly. Feel free to use regular jalapenos in a jar if you like heat or just used the canned diced chilies. This really is personal preference. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. If you let it set a few minutes you can cut it into squares to serve. I just spooned it out. It was SO delicious that Larry told me to save the left overs and he really doesn't like left overs, normally.
PS...you can add the whole pack of taco seasoning if you like the meat more spicey.
One Pot Pasta
I ran across this recipe just the other day and I had to try it just to see if it would work. Not only did it work but it was easy and delicious. Larry even liked it and he's not really a pasta fan. As always, this is my easy version of the original recipe.
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2/3 cup frozen green peas
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
2 zucchini, washed and cut into bite size pieces or thinly sliced
1/2 box angel hair pasta
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a dutch oven or other large pan, add about 2 1/4 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and thyme. Add spaghetti and then top with the mushrooms, peas and zucchini.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in parmesan and cream and serve immediately.
I think next time I might add cooked chicken or shrimp at the last minute.
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2/3 cup frozen green peas
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
2 zucchini, washed and cut into bite size pieces or thinly sliced
1/2 box angel hair pasta
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a dutch oven or other large pan, add about 2 1/4 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and thyme. Add spaghetti and then top with the mushrooms, peas and zucchini.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in parmesan and cream and serve immediately.
I think next time I might add cooked chicken or shrimp at the last minute.
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