Card #55

The past couple of weeks it seems it is winter everywhere in the USA. The only people that seems to have pleasant weather are those in the southwestern parts.

But, the rest of the year they have very, very hot weather so I think maybe its okay that they have a break from that while the rest of the states freeze and have rainy and overcast weather. Anyway, this week I am sharing this and that recipes of things that I think everyone will find at least one they will want to try. I hope that you do and I hope that you enjoy it.

Love,
Gloria

Deviled Crab

5 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced parsley 1 pound backfin crab meat 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs Make a white sauce with 3 tablespoons of the butter, flour, mustard and milk; stir in lemon juice and parsley. Fold in crab. Spoon into six ceramic crab shells or similar utensils. Mix bread crumbs with remaining 2 tablespoons butter (melted) and sprinkle over crab mixture. Before serving, bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until hot and topping is lightly browned--about 20 minutes. Serves 6.

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Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Bundles

1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm® Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets) 1 jar (12 oz.) Franco-American Slow Roast Turkey Gravy 2 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey or chicken 1/2 cup cooked vegetables (peas, corn, green beans or carrots) 2 cups prepared Pepperidge Farm® Stuffing, any variety 1/2 cup cranberry sauce THAW pastry sheets at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 400F. Mix 1/2 cup gravy with turkey and vegetables. UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll each sheet into a 14" square and cut into 4 (7") squares. Place 1/4 cup stuffing in center of each square. Top with about 1/3 cup turkey mixture and 1 tbsp. cranberry sauce. Brush edges of squares with water. Fold corners to center on top of filling and pinch edges to seal. Flute edges if desired. Place on baking sheet. BAKE 25 min. or until golden. Heat remaining gravy. Serve with bundles. Serves 8.

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Easy Meat Loaf

2 lb. lean ground beef 1 pkg. (6-1/4 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Beef 1 cup water 1/2 cup catsup, divided 2 eggs, beaten Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the catsup. Shape meat mixture into oval loaf in 12x8-inch baking dish; top with remaining 1/4 cup catsup. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour or until center is no longer pink. Makes 6 servings.

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* Just a note about the next recipe. For many years since I was a young girl just learning to cook and trying different things I always noticed recipes for split pea soup and something about the name just turned me off. However, about 4 or 5 years ago I was looking for a recipe for soup on a cold winter day and decided to finally give it a try just to see what it was like. Much to my amazement it was sooooooo delicious.

So, if you have never tried split pea soup, give this one a try. It is different and so very good I think you will like it.

Williamsburg Split Pea Soup

8 cups (2 L) water 1 lb (450 g) yellow split peas, washed and picked over 1 ham hock, about 1 lb (450 g) 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 celery rib, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1 lb (450 g) smoked sausage such as Kielbasa Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Chopped chives for garnish Combine the water, peas, ham hock, onion, celery, and carrot in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered until the peas are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the ham hock and allow to cool. Remove and discard as much fat, skin, and gristle as possible and remove the meat from the bone. Chop the meat into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces. Puree the soup in an electric blender or food processor until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the ham. Brown the sausages in a skillet over moderate heat until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the sausage into 1/4-inch (5 mm) slices and add to the soup. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve garnished with chopped chives. Serves 6 to 8.

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Red Beans & Rice
(Crockpot or stove top)

1 pound dry red beans 2 quarts water 1 large onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 bunch green onion 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 t. thyme 2 t. garlic, minced 1 pound kielbasa smoked sausage, sliced 1 T. salt 1/2 t. cayenne pepper 3 c. rice (makes about 6 cups cooked) Wash beans. In heavy pot, bring beans & water to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook 1 hour. Transfer beans to large crockpot. Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT rice. Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for about 7 hours. Cook rice about 30 minutes before serving. Serve red beans & sausage over rice. Serves 6.

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Chicken and Dressing Casserole

2 pks. (about 20 - 24 oz.) Cornbread stuffing 3 # to 3 1/2# Chicken 1 c. Sour Cream 3 c. Chicken broth 2 T. Corn Starch Salt and Pepper to taste Mix dressing as directed on pkg using chicken broth instead of water. Line 9 x 13-inch pan with 1/2 mixture. Stew chicken, reserve liquid. Debone chicken and place on top of stuffing mix in pan. Stir a little broth into the 2 T of Corn Starch until smooth. Gradually add rest of the broth and the sour cream. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Place balance of stuffing mix on top. Pour 1/2 c. chicken broth over casserole. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. This will easily serve 8. I make a gravy with the remaining broth.

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CHILI CON CARNE

1 lb. lean ground beef 1 can tomatoes & diced chili peppers (Hot or Mild- I like the Mexican style that has lime juice and cilantro) 1 can Peeled diced tomatoes (no salt) 1 can tomato paste 1 can light red kidney beans, undrained 1 envelope Chili seasoning mix (mild or hot or a combination of both) 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2" pieces) 1 green pepper, chopped (1/2" pieces) 1 1/2 tsp sugar pepper, Italian seasoning, oregano, crushed red pepper, cumin, hot sauce: to your taste In a large pot, over medium high temperature, fry the ground beef with the onion and green pepper for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients; bring to a boil, lower the temperature and let it simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.

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DELUXE MASHED POTATOES

4 to 5 large potatoes (about 2-1/2 pounds) 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon chopped chives 3/4 teaspoon onion salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon butter or margarine Paprika, optional Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until tender; drain. Mash until smooth (do not add milk or butter). Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, chives, onion salt and pepper. Spoon into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Dot with butter; sprinkle with paprika if desired. Cover and bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4-6 servings

I hope you will enjoy these recipes.  As I have told you before, should you be looking for a special or "forgotten" recipe, please let me know and I will join the search with you.

Visit the pantry for the archives