Category Archives: Dinner time!

Okay, I can never remember who says supper, and who says dinner, so this is the meal you eat at the end of the day

Dinner time!, Kids Favorites, Super Soups

Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

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One Sunday after church, we went to Chili’s for lunch with some friends.  My friend highly recommended the Chicken Enchilada Soup, which my husband and youngest son then ordered.  Hubby gave me a taste of his and I thought it was pretty good, then, when my little guy ate his, he asked for seconds and raved about it for days!  So I knew I needed to find this recipe.  And voila!  CopyKat Recipes had it!
1/2 C. Vegetable oil
1/4 C. Chicken base
3 C. diced Yellow Onions
2 tsp. ground Cumin
2 tsp. Chili Powder
2 tsp. granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 C. Masa Harina
4 qt. Water (divided) (I actually used 3 qts of water as we like a thicker soup)
2 C. crushed Tomatoes
1/2 lb. processed American cheese, cut in small cube
3 lb. cooked, cubed chicken
In large pot, place oil, chicken base, onion and spices. Saute until onions are soft and clear, about 5 minutes. In another container, combine Masa Harina with 1 quart water. Stir until all lumps dissolve. Add to sauteed onions and bring to boil. Once mixture starts to bubble, continue cooking 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. This will eliminate any raw taste from Masa Harina. Add remaining 3 quarts (here’s where I added only 2 more quarts rather than 3) water to pot. Add tomatoes; let mixture return to boil stirring occasionally.
Add cheese to soup. Cook stirring occasionally, until cheese melts. Add chicken; heat through. Makes 1 1/2 gallons or 16-20 servings.
Please note you must mix in the mesa harina into 1 quart of broth completely.  If you add the masa harina into the soup directly it will be difficult to mix in and may be lumpy.  If you feel 2 cups is too much masa harina I have made the soup with 1 1/2 cups successfully.
My family also asked for the “chippy things” that were sprinkled on top.  To make those, I cut several corn tortillas in half and then in thin (1/4 inch) strips.  I spread them on a cookie sheet, sprayed them a little Pam, and baked them at 475 degrees for 5-7 min (until crispy).

y.

Dinner time!, Super Soups

Garlic Soup

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My Mom emailed me this recipe.  And I admit, it does sound a bit scary.  However, my Mom was sending the recipe to a bunch of us because my 18yo (VERY COOL) nephew loved it so much and wanted the recipe so he could make this for himself.  I don’t know about you, but in my book, if it passes teenage boy taste bud tests, it’s gotta be good.  Plus it is very inexpensive to make.  So please, give it a try, and I promise, you won’t even be gagging on garlic fumes after eating it!
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. butter
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 
In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in butter until tender, about 2 – 3 min. 
Stir in flour until blended.  Gradually add broth.  Bring back to boil; cook and stir
for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 min.
Stir in cayenne pepper.    Yield: 4-6 servings.
Dinner time!

Gumbo

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Got this recipe from my friend, Jaleina.  It was in one of her family cookbooks, and her family is in Wyoming and gumbo is Cajun food, but this stuff is GOOD!  (rated an “Excellent” from my SuperHero!)

4 Tbs oil

2 Tbs flour

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup celery, chopped

1 lb shrimp (21 to 25), peeled and deveined

1 cup onion, chopped

3 links, hot links, browned and drained

2 cups okra, sliced

3 Tbs parsley

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tsp basil

1 tbs garlic clove, minced

2 tsp sage

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp ea. Salt and pepper

2 bay leaves

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

2 Tbs paprika

3 qts chicken broth

1 can (15oz) diced tomato

Over medium heat, make a dark roux of the2 Tbs oil and flour in an iron skillet.  Heat until DARK brown.   Put roux in a large pot over medium heat.  Add shrimp and cubed chicken.  Stir until coated and shrimp curl up.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices and bring to a simmer.
In separate pan, heat 2 Tbs and sauté okra, onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic.  You can also add 1-2 chopped jalapenos at this time.
When vegetables are tender, add this to the shrimp/chicken mixture.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for an hour or so.  Put in browned, drained hot links.
Serve over boiled white rice.
Serves 8

Dinner time!

Sloppy Joe BLT’s

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We love these!  And usually, instead of bread, we’ll use the tortillas and have wraps.  I’ve been told this is “deli-quality”.  The recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 lg tomato, chopped
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar
1/2 cup real bacon bits (found near salad dressing in grocery aisle)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
12 slices Italian bread (3/4 inch thick), toasted, or you can use tortillas instead for wraps.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomato, cheeses and bacon. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper; spoon over salad mixture and toss to coat. Spoon about 3/4 cup over six bread slices; top with remaining bread.

Serves 6

Dinner time!

Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

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This is an AWESOME summer meal.  And if you want to make it quicker/easier, you can always use popcorn chicken or chicken nuggets in place of frying up the chicken.  I also add a can of black beans to this, although kidney beans would also work well.

    • 6 tablespoons honey
    • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 2 teaspoons Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
    • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup corn flake crumbs
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 skinless chicken breast halves
    • 4 cups vegetable oil ( for frying)
    • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
    • 2 cups red cabbage
    • 2 cups napa cabbage
    • 1 carrots, julienned or shredded
    • 2 green onions, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
    • 2/3 cup chow mein noodles

Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat.You want the temperature of the oil to be around 350 degrees.Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with an electric mixer.Put dressing in refrigerator to chill while you prepare the salad.In a small, shallow bowl beat egg, add milk, and mix well.In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.Cut chicken breast into 4 or 5 long strips.Dip each strip of chicken first into egg mixture then into the flour mixture, coating each piece completely.Fry each chicken finger for 5 minutes or until coating has darkened to brown.

Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots.Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce.Sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein noodles.Cut the chicken into small bite-size chunks.Place the chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle.Serve with salad dressing drizzled over it or on the side.

Dinner time!

Sausage Jambalaya

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1/2 pound smoked sausage*
1/2 pound hot sausage*
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
3 ribs chopped celery
1/3 cup parsley flakes
8oz can tomato sauce
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked rice

*you could put any kind of meat that you like in here, I’m sure.

Slice and fry sausages for 15 min. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and parsley to sausage and cook 15 minutes more. Add tomato sauce and water, bring to a boil and cook 15 min. Add rice and seasonings. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 6

Dinner time!, Kids Favorites

Amy’s Veggie and Fettuccine Alfredo

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So, I’m on the hunt for tasty low protein food…. food my family will actually eat too. I was desperate for something tasty from what I had on hand (as I had not shopped low protein….this is something we’re trying again for hubby) This was a HUGE hit so I thought I’d share

2 Tbs olive oil

2 onions, chopped (left in fairly good sized pieces)

1 1/2 tsp sugar (to carmelize onions)

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 carrots, julienned (or just slice them thin)

1 small can of mushrooms WITH their juice

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp chicken bouillon (opt)

1/4 c butter

1/4 – 1/2 c flour

2 c half and half

1/3 c cooking sherry

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

fettuccine noodles, cooked

Heat oil in skillet. Add onions and after 3 min. add sugar. Cook until they begin to soften. Add peppers and cook about 5-7 min until softened and browned. Add carrots, mushrooms with their liquid, water and bouillon. Cover and cook 8 min until carrots are softened. Remove cover and continue cooking to evaporate liquid.

While noodles are cooking, melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour and mix with whisk, cooking for 2-3 min. Add half and half, sherry, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring continuously, until sauce thickens. Add Parmesan and mix in well.

Combine noodles, vegetables and sauce and serve. Yum! We had this with a side of salad. So good

Dinner time!

Should Be Illegal Oven BBQ ribs

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Found this recipe at food.com and LOVE it.  Served it often, even for catering, and it gets rave reviews.  I’ve posted a link to this recipe before, but didn’t see it on my page, so figured I’d have it written out here.  This is for 3lbs of ribs which would serve 4-6 people.

Ingredients 

    • 3 lbs pork back ribs
    • 1 (8 ounce) jars honey
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
    • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • 1 medium onions, grated or finely chopped
    • 12 ounces barbecue sauce
    • 1/4 cup white sugar

 

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients together in large roasting pan (i use bottom of turkey roaster).
  2. Cut ribs apart for easier serving.
  3. Mix together making sure to coat all ribs with this semi-dry paste.
  4. Spread ribs out evenly on bottom of pan.
  5. cover lightly with foil.
  6. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 1 hour.
  7. Turning or stirring occasionally.
  8. You can use broiler for these ribs, just watch more closely, and adjust cooking time.