Recipe from my friend Barb

Hi WEEC listeners,


My friend Barb is such an encouragement to me.  She loves butterflies, & every time I see one, I think of her.


I apologize for the lateness of this post.  Last week was "killer."  :-)  But here it is....


Coca Cola Salad


1-6 oz. pkg. cherry jello
1-6 oz. pkg. strawberry jello
1 jar maraschino cherries
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1- 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp.
24 oz. coca cola, room temp


Drain juice from cherries & pineapple & save the juice.  Mix the softened cream cheese with the pineapple.  Add cherries.


Mix dry jello and juices in a large pot.  Heat & stir until jello has dissolved.  Allow to cool & add coke.  This may foam up.  Allow the foam to go down & add this mixture to the pineapple/cream cheese mixture. Pour into  9x13 pan.  Chill until firm.


Barb says this goes great with sandwiches or even as a dessert.

                                         Confectionately  Yours,

Sue

Breakfast Burrito

Hi, I’m Sue Murphy and I’ve found a place to share recipes with the Circle of Friends.

My son Andrew has taught me a few lessons over the years.   He is not interested in cooking, but he is interested in eating on a regular basis.  I have watched him throw almost any kind of meat and cheese together in a tortilla, nuke it for a minute in the microwave, and dunk this quesadilla into Ranch dressing or Hot wing sauce and make a meal of it.

If he adds some fruit and veges to the mix, it makes for a fairly well balanced meal.  It gave me an idea this week to make a breakfast burrito using what I had leftover from Sunday dinner.  I had roasted a chicken, baked some potatoes, and made a chef salad.

There were ham chunks left over from the salad, a quarter of an onion, eggs, grated cheese, and those baked potatoes in the fridge.

 I heated an iron skillet with some vegetable oil and cut up a potato in small pieces.  I even left the skin on.  I chopped up the onion in small pieces and tossed it into the skillet with the potatoes and ham chunks.  I did add a little butter to the mix, too.  It adds great flavor.

As the potatoes browned, I beat together a couple of eggs.  I added the eggs to the skillet, turned the heat way down and allowed them to cook through.  I added some cheese, then seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.  Cheese can be very salty, so I wait to season until I’ve tasted the dish.

A flour tortilla heated briefly for 30-40 seconds in the microwave and a generous spoonful of the skillet mixture, and some salsa from the pantry made for a quick and filling breakfast.  I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee while listening to Circle of Friends on WEEC.

What a great way to start the day!!  I am Sue Murphy…and I am Confectionately Yours.

Daddy's MACARONI AND CHEESE


8 oz. elbow macaroni
8 oz. Velveeta (pasteurized process Cheese spread)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk 2-4 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
1-1/2 c. milk


Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 6 min's or until it's still a little on the firm side.
It will cook through when baked. 8oz=6-1/2 c. cooked.


Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour. Incorporate the evaporated milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Add the rest of the milk, stirring constantly with whisk over medium heat until thickened. Salt lightly to taste. The cheese will also be salty so keep this in mind as you season.


Spray a 2-1/2 qt. casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place 1/2 of the macaroni in the dish, top with 1/2 of the Velveeta, cut in very small chunks, and ½ of the white sauce. Repeat layers and top with the sharp cheddar.


Bake in a 350° oven for 40- 45 minutes until cheeses are melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve immediately.


Sauce will thicken as it sits, so add a little milk when reheating casserole.


Note: My dad made the best mac and cheese in the world-or maybe it just seemed that way a bunch of hungry kids. The "blue box" just can't compete with this. Be sure to salt the water well-pasta is bland without it. Feel free to add ham chunks or your favorite cheese as part of the mix. Velveeta melts so smoothly that it should at least be part of the sauce.

Roast Lemon Chicken

ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN


1 whole chicken, 3-5 lbs. 
1-2 tsp. lemon -pepper seasoning
1 lemon
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 c. butter, softened
Preheat oven to 425°. Remove zest from lemon and mix with softened butter. Squeeze  juice out of lemon and mix 1 T. with the butter and zest. Salt and pepper the mixture as desired. Place chicken in a roasting pan and remove the neck and gizzard; discard.


Separate the skin from the chicken starting at the neck. Avoid piercing the skin, if you can. Using your fingers, slide most of the butter under the skin. (This is messy work.)


Rub the rest of the butter all over the surface of the chicken. Place in roasting pan, breast side down. Sprinkle liberally with the lemon-pepper, and season with the salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes; then turn the chicken over. Sprinkle the rest of the lemon juice over the top and season with this side the lemon pepper and salt.


 Bake for 1 hour, until meat thermometer registers 170° or until juices run clear when the meat is pierced. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Leftovers are good for sandwiches, pot pies or salads.


Note: I also like to roast a chicken using only garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sometimes simple is the best. De-fat the drippings by skimming the fat off the top or refrigerating until the fat solidifies. Add to a gravy mix as part or all of the required liquid and you will have a topping for mashed potatoes that will be
hard to beat.

Chili

CHILI
2 lbs. ground beef 
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like it hot)
2 (16-oz.) cans tomato sauce 
4 (16-oz.) cans pinto beans
1-1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 med. onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 c. water
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 can diced green chilies
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
2 tsp. cumin
3 T. chili powder
Salt, to taste
Sharp cheddar, grated
Fritos Corn Chips
Brown ground beef over medium heat and drain fat. 


Add the rest of the ingredients in a large pot and simmer over low heat. Stir every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours(the longer,the better) or place in crockpot on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Top with fritos
and cheese when serving.  Makes at least 3 quarts.


Note: A chipotle pepper is a smoked jalapeno and is usually in an adobo sauce. There are several in one can and I divide out the peppers with sauce into snack size plastic bags (enough for this recipe). I place the tiny bags into a freezer bag and you got it...I freeze them for future chili. Be sure to date and label bag so you can find it when you need a chili fix.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE
THUMBPRINT COOKIES


Topping
1 c. sugar 
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 c. evaporated milk 
1-1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. margarine 
1-1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine milk, margarine, vanilla, and egg yolks; blend well. 
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut.
Reserve 1 & 1/2 cups topping and set aside for adding to the cookie batter.


Cookies
1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix 
1-1/2 c. topping 
1/3 c. margarine
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, margarine, and the reserved topping. 
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes for easier handling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. 
Make indentation in center of ball; fill indentation with 1/2 tsp. of topping. 
Bake @ 350° for 10 minutes or until set. Cookies will spread a bit. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.
Note: This is like a mini German chocolate cake. Feel free to use the topping as the frosting for German chocolate cake, because that is exactly what it is.

                                        Confectionately  Yours,

Sue