Recipes

[walker]

I live in the midwest and Fall is here!  I am ready for some good ol' Comfort Food Meals! How about you? Care to share any favorite recipes?  Soups, Stews, Chili, etc.  I will start with this one I found in Mark Charles Misilli's recent cookbook....Easy Everyday Favorites.  Thanks, MCM, very good! (Page 86 if you have book.)  You could add your own favorite veggies...or, in my case, I had a package of frozen peas and carrots in freezer so used those.  Very good and best of all EASY!

HOMESTYLE CHICKEN POT PIE

1 (14.1 oz.)  pkg. refrigerated pie crusts

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" 

   chunks

1 cup frozen sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1 stick butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place chicken in a large saucepan with enough water to cover.  Over high heat, boil for 10 minutes.  Stir in carrots and peas and continue boiling for 2 minutes.  Drain in a colander and set aside.  Don't worry about thawing the veggies first, since you don't need to!

In the same saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and cook onions for 5 minutes or until tender.  Add flour, celery seed, salt, and pepper and whisk for 1 minute or until golden.  Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk and cook until thickened, stirrring constantly.  Remove from heat, and stir in chicken mixture.  Place 1 pie crust in a 9" deep-dish pie plate.  Pour chicken filling into pie crust.

Place second pie crust on top of mixture; seal and flute edges.  With a knife, cut 4 (1") slits in top of crust.  This will allow the steam to escape while cooking and prevent the top crust from getting soggy.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Let sit 5 minues before serving.

(I place this on a cookie sheet into the oven in case it bubbles over.)

[Annabellethecat66]

I used to cook a lot when my girls lived at home and my husband was alive.  But not much anymore, except in Fall and Winter.

I have been told I make good lasagna.  I also make home made vegetable beef soup.  A few other things here and there.  Just in the Fall and Winter.

The key ingredient into everything I make is Spatini Spaghetti sauce mix (a dry ingredient).

You'd be surprised how many restaurants put some of this into their comcoction.  

In fact you can now only get it restaurant size (which is huge).  I have to special order it.

Other than that....I've never been known for my cooking.  I guess we survived so that says something.  Ha!

[walker]

Here is another Chicken Pot Pie recipe that makes two pies.  It is from Taste of Home and also very good..make one, freeze one or extra for more people.

GOLDEN CHICKEN POT PIE....2 PIES

4 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 4 breasts)

4 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and 

   drained (or veggies of your choice)

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can cream of onion soup, undiluted

1 cup whole milk

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspooon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pkg. (14.1 oz.) refrigerated pie pastry

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the first 11 ingredients; divide between two 9" deep-dish pie plates.

Roll out pastry sheets to fit the top of each pie.  Place sheets over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.  Cut slits in top.  Bake until golden brown 35-40 minutes.  (tip..place on cookie sheet or put aluminum foil under each dish in case it bubbles over)

Freeze option:  to freeze, cover and freeze UNBAKED pies up to 3 months.  To use, remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw).  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pie on a baking sheet; cover edges loosely with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350.  Remove foil and bake pie until golden brown or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165 degrees (about 50-55 minutes longer).

[walker]

Annabellethecat......I had not heard about the Spatini Spaghetti Sauce Mix....will look for it but did see it on Amazon as well.  Thanks for mentioning it....sounds like I have been missing something good.

[momtochloe]

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@walker wrote:

Annabellethecat......I had not heard about the Spatini Spaghetti Sauce Mix....will look for it but did see it on Amazon as well.  Thanks for mentioning it....sounds like I have been missing something good.

---

@walker  I was just snooping around and found a link to a copycat recipe for that sauce mix if you are unable to purchase it:

https://topsecretrecipes.com/spatini-spaghetti-sauce-mix-copycat-recipe.html

Thanks for the heads up @Annabellethecat66!

[DiAnne]

Homemade soup is my fall comfort food.  Made my first batch last week (Poblano, Tomatillo and Shrimp Soup).  Bowl of soup with a warm buttered roll and I am happy!

[Annabellethecat66]

@momtochloe I have all of the Top Secret books and have given them as gifts.  I've actually made that.  Here's a quick version of 'my story'.  Now you know I'm not good at quick...but here goes.

OK, so my friends and I used to use Spatini for everything.  I make my own sauce but put the seasoning in for...well..seasoning.  My best friend is such an amazing cook she's been told she'd be sponsored if she wanted to open a restaurant....she taught me about using it.

So, all was well...until...they stopped, just stopped making it.  I couldn't find it anywhere.  I called the company and they said , "Try Dollar Stores".  Yep!  That's what they said.

So, for months I'd go into any Dollar store I saw....nothing, zip...

So one day I googled it and found out where I could buy it but it was restaurant size!  It's big!

So now I just buy these very, very large bags.  They last forever.  I've given them to friends and my daughters (two use them).

Anyway, where was I?  Oh!  OK!  But while looking I actually put all of those ingredients together from the Top Secret book.  It was exhausting....(I thought so).

Have you ever used that book?  I've made the Ranch dressing from the book that Outback makes....I've made several things from the book.

Sometimes it's weird things you put in there but most of the time it is the same.  I've even actually (years ago) spoken to the guy who makes the books.  It was before he became very famous and he was doing promotions.  I don't even remember how it happened but I do remember that...good old Todd Wilbur.

So, it's just easier to buy those huge bags.  I put it in meat loaf (it's amazing for meat loaf).

You have to go easy on it though because there's quite a bit of sodium in it.  Never add salt...not good.

So, that was kinda sorta short.  (That's a terrible sentence...isn't it).  My English teacher would be screaming at me.  

I used to love to diagram sentences.  If I were to re-read some of my posts you'd think I was drunk.  Never drink!  Ha!

I type exactly like I talk...scatter brained.

You'd go crazy if you were my friend.  I've been told I talk in riddles.  Friends say....."Sounds like .....what??"

But thanks for the heads up.  It's too bad none of us can go and 'talk' somewhere else.  I think we'd have a lot of fun.  I know I'd keep you guys laughing.

Actually @ECBG and I are friends.  We've emailed, talked on the phone and done facetime.  She's amazing!  She's also very, very beautiful.  I don't want to say anymore about her (telling her business) except to say she has a wonderful kinda Southern accent (can you tell I'm fond of her).

She'd tell you how ding dong I am.  Ha!

Take care.  Just got me some of the Farmer Jon's popcorn Friday.  I love to lay in bed, watch TV and eat...

So, if you hear about a lady found in bed with food all around her...that'd be me.

Have a wonderful weekend.

[ECBG]

@Annabellethecat66I'd LOVE to taste your Italian dishes!   Mmmmmm.......

Love ya Girl!

[Harpa]

Great recipe, @walker!

Just a quick sausage or hamburger soup, which I made yesterday. DH ate practically the whole thing!

Italian poultry sausage (break in pieces after you remove the casing)

chopped onion

cubed potatoes

can of stewed tomatoes

Saute onion in EVOO, add meat, tomatoes & potatoes.

For broth: 2 cups of boullion and ... I always boil the potatoes alone to remove any starch ... potato water, a little sherry never hurts - season however you like.

[Free2be]

I want to make this cabbage roll soup recipe tonight for the frist time.  I like that it calls for a little brown sugar like my favorite regular cabbage roll recipe does.  It should be good, the photo sure looks good.  I may switch out a little tomato soup for some of the tomato sauce to add more flavor and add a dash of worcestershire sauce.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
• 2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons parsley

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until beef is browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, rice, bay leaf and brown sugar to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.

5. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition facts and photos are at Dinner at the Zoo dot com.