Just One Person

As a military wife of 20 years, we set up housekeeping no fewer than 8 times in those 20 years!!  Moving that often meant cleaning out the excess & starting over in a strange new place. Finding a new church was always high on the priority list because we knew the one for us would supply friends, like-minded believers, who would give us a sense of home & family away from the one we left behind in Mississippi.

The friendliness of the folks was our first impression of whether a church would be considered as our place to settle in & serve the Lord wherever Uncle Sam sent us.

We were stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, LA some 20+ years ago.  As we visited one particular church, my husband & I had the perception that it was a very friendly church.  In reality, as we looked back, we realized that only ONE person was mainly responsible for this.

My friend, Kim, had lived in the area for quite some time, & was also a military wife.  She made it her priority to find us in each service & engage us in conversation. She was interested to see how the unpacking was going.  She brought HER friends over to us to meet us, & gave valuable insight for shopping, playgrounds for the kids, & maneuvering through the military base & town new to us.

Isn’t it amazing what ONE friendly person can accomplish?  Hospitality in its simplest form is just sharing what you have.  Maybe that is just a smile of welcome to someone who feels as if no one cares or taking some goodies over to your neighbor when you’re abundantly blessed with more than you need.

Kim probably will never know this side of heaven what impact her friendliness had on me, but won’t it be great that we will have Eternity together to praise Jesus for the blessing of the friends HE places in our lives on this earth.

I'm sharing today the recipe for Ham & Sausage Jambalaya.  This is an easy Louisiana recipe you might just want to share with a new friend the Lord brings your way.

                                         Confectionately  Yours,

Sue

Hospitality 101

Hi WEEC listeners.....today's Segment.  Happy Monday!!

A Pastor was coming for Sunday dinner.  The lady of the house planned her menu, shopped, cleaned, and prepared all week for this event.  She wanted everything to be just perfect for her guest.

She could hardly sit through Sunday school and the Worship hour as she ran these last minute preparations through her mind.  The family left as soon as the last amen was uttered to put the final touches on this special dinner.

As they sat down to ask the blessing on the meal, the pastor asked the youngest child, a boy, to say “Grace.”  The child looked down shyly, not saying a word, but the kindly pastor gently prodded him, “Go ahead, son, just say what you hear your mother pray.”

The little boy bowed his head and said, “Dear Lord, WHY did I invite all these people over for dinner??”

Does this sound like your actual thoughts when you entertain??  I confess, I’ve have these same feelings!!!  And I really do love having company over.  But it CAN be stressful!!!

In my younger days, I could cook, clean, and entertain in the same day.  As I have grown older, I plan my menu and cleaning schedule so that I can spread out the preparation over time.  As much as I love to cook, a fussy menu adds extra stresses that makes me wonder WHY did I ever invite all these people over for dinner.

Truly, I have learned that it is the sharing of oneself and the fellowship with those you love that make the time together enjoyable.  And simpler really is better!! Some of the best times I’ve ever had were over delivery pizza and a bottle of pop.  You don’t have to be a good cook or love to cook to entertain.

If YOU are comfortable with what you serve, your guest will be, too.  Figure out what is your style-paper plates, fine china, or somewhere in between, then relax, and have someone over for dinner soon.  You just can’t get to know folks until you make time for them.

Here is one of my "go-to" recipes for company.  Everything can be made in advance & assembled just before popping in the oven.  Add a salad & some rice and you have a complete meal.


ENCHILADAS
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced 1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. onion, diced 
5 c. chicken broth 

1/2 c. flour
1 (4-oz.) can green chilies

10 flour tortillas
chicken soup base
3 c. Monterey Jack cheese,
grated cilantro,dried

Cook chicken until tender in 6 cups water and enough soup base to make a rich broth.
Allow to cool. Cut up chicken in small chunks. Save broth.

Whisk flour and sour 

cream into 5 cups broth until smooth. Add chilies and heat, stirring constantly until 

thickened. Set aside. 

Mix chicken, 2 cups cheese and onion together. Heat tortillas in 

microwave, a few at a time, to soften. Place a generous tablespoonful of mixture in 

tortilla and roll up.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray. Place filled tortillas seam 

side down in dish. Pour sauce over, making sure you cover all the tortilla. Top with 

cheese and any filling left over. Sprinkle cilantro on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 

minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Serve with rice. Yield: 10 

enchiladas

Note: It's amazing that such simple ingredients yield such delicious results. You can
make all of this ahead of time by filling tortillas and covering with plastic wrap. Make
sauce and refrigerate until time to bake. Do not add sauce until just before baking. Do
these freeze well? Yes, they do...but keep sauce & filled tortillas separate until baking time. Leftovers reheat 

well in microwave.

I’m Sue Murphy….and I am Confectionately Yours.

Cleaning Out the Clutter

With 20 years as a military wife to my credit, I have seen the advantages of going through our belongings on a regular basis and purging the excess or unused items.  A military family is allotted just so much weight allowance for their household goods.  Any excess and they pay the difference.

When my husband took a civilian job, we did this less frequently because we moved less often.  It is still a good idea to go through closets and storage at least once a year.

Lately, I have been praying God’s help with organizing my life better.  This has been foremost in my heart since I began the process of downsizing 32 years of accumulating stuff.  Finding what I need when I need it prevents extra stresses in my life & getting rid of stuff I do NOT need clears clutter, also stress reducing.

Spiritually speaking, I also think one needs to evaluate the clutter of emotions & irritations with others or situations in life that can prevent us from seeing the blessings from God.  We can lay our burdens at His feet & praise Him for His willingness to lift them from our shoulders.  God can bring peace of mind even when things are weighing us down, & He LOVES to hear our praise.

I'm sharing a crockpot recipe for chili that can cook all day while you tackle just ONE clutter filled area of your home.  A good dinner & the satisfaction of job completed and a life just a little more organized will be your reward.

FIRESIDE CHILI
3 lbs. ground beef
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 T. bacon drippings
2 c. hot water
1 (10-oz.) can tomato puree 
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Tabasco 
3 heaping T. chili powder
1 tsp. ground mustard
2 large onions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1/2-1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp. salt

Brown meat & onion; add bacon drippings and cook 5 minutes.

Add hot water, tomato puree, Tabasco, onion and garlic. Simmer 30 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and simmer slowly for 1-2 hours or 8 hours in crock pot.

Start with the 1/2 tsp. of oregano and increase to taste. This dish freezes well for 3-4 months. 
Serves 8.

Note: You may notice this chili has no beans. When we lived in Texas, the "natives"
claimed "real" chili was all meat and seasonings. Feel free to decrease meat by half
and add two 1 lb. cans beans. The flavor is not compromised in the least.

                                         Confectionately  Yours,

Sue

Cheeseburger Buns

Hi WEEC listeners,

Today's post is for Cheeseburger Buns-a soft roll filled with cheeseburger flavor.  I use Saf-Instant Yeast and always get good results.  If you have a heavy duty mixer, you can put on the dough hooks & make it in the mixer.  If you have a bread machine, this can be done on the dough setting, but decrease the  yeast to 3 tsp. as the machine setting is usually around 90 minutes.  Remove, fill as directed, & proceed with the recipe as given.

CHEESEBURGER BUNS

5 tsp. rapid rise yeast 
1 egg
1/2 c. warm water (110°-115°) 
1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. warm milk (110°-115°)
 1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
3-4 c. all purpose flour
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, egg, shortening, and salt plus 2 cups flour. Beat with mixer until smooth. 
By hand, stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Placed in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Cheeseburger filling

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef ,browned and drained
1/3 c. ketchup
8 slices American cheese
1/4 c. onion, chopped
In a skillet, cook beef and onion; drain well. Add ketchup and allow to cool a bit. Punch down dough and divide into 16 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out dough into 5" circle. 

Fold cheese slices in half and then again, to make 4 pieces.  Place 2 pieces on center of dough, then add 3 T. of beef mixture. Bring dough edges to center; pinch edges to seal. Place pinched edge side down on a greased baking sheet. Spray with butter flavor non-stick spray, cover with clean cloth and let rise until
doubled, about 20-30 minutes.

Bake @ 400° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush hot rolls with melted butter as soon as they are removed from oven. Yield:16 sandwiches
Note: Please try this recipe. Kids and adults just love it! A trick for determining if dough has doubled is to put it in a clear plastic container with high sides sprayed with nonstick spray. Put a rubber band around the container at the level of the dough.
When the dough is twice as high as the rubber band, it has doubled in size.

Anytime Breakfast Tacos

Hi WEEC listeners,

As promised, the recipes I talked about on last week's segment, but was unable to post until now. 

I hope you enjoy this "egg-stra" special dish with someone you love.  :-)  (And forgive the bad pun :-)

ANYTIME BREAKFAST TACOS

1 lb. sausage (hot or mild)
6 eggs, beaten
1 (32-oz.) bag frozen hash browns
1 green pepper, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pkg. flour tortillas 
Butter or cooking spray
1 jar picante sauce

Brown sausage and drain. Add hash browns, peppers, onions, celery, and eggs. 
Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. 

Top with cheese and return to oven until melted. 

To serve, place tortillas, 4-5, at a time on a plate. Cover with a
damp paper towel and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. 

Place a large spoonful of sausage mixture into the tortilla. Add picante sauce, if desired.

Note: Taco filling may be placed in crockpot on warm or low setting if you are making this for a large group or if folks are eating at different times. 
You may also place warmed tortillas in a separate crockpot covered with a clean damp cloth on top to prevent them from drying out.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchaladas

Hello WEEC listeners,
This recipe is the one referred to in today's radio segment.  I have served this so many times over the years.  It is a great make-ahead dish.


SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
 1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. onion, diced
 1/2 c. flour
5 c. chicken broth
10 flour tortillas
1 (4-oz.) can green chilies
 chicken soup base
3 c. Monterey Jack cheese,grated
cilantro,dried


Cook chicken until tender in 6 cups water and enough soup base to make a rich broth.  Allow to cool. 


Cut up chicken in small chunks. Save broth. 


Whisk flour and sour cream into 5 cups broth until smooth. Add chilies and heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside. 


Mix chicken, 2 cups cheese and onion together. 


Heat tortillas in microwave, a few at a time, to soften. Place a generous tablespoonful of mixture in
tortilla and roll up. 


Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray. Place filled tortillas seam side down in dish.


Pour sauce over, making sure you cover all the tortilla. Top with cheese and any filling left over. Sprinkle cilantro on top. 


Bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Serve with rice. Yield: 10 enchiladas




Note: It's amazing that such simple ingredients yield such delicious results. You can make all of this ahead of time by filling tortillas and covering with plastic wrap. 


Make sauce and refrigerate until time to bake. Do not add sauce until just before baking. Do these freeze well? Yes, they do...but keep separate until baking time. Leftovers reheat well in microwave.


I have also created a wonderful soup with leftovers that uses leftover sauce, rice, chicken chunks & additional chicken broth.  Start with whatever sauce you have, add rice & chicken in amounts desired, & add enough broth to get to the consistency you wish. Top with dried cilantro or parsley & monterey jack cheese.

Crockpot Roast Beef

CROCKPOT ROAST BEEF
3-4 lb. roast beef, trimmed of excess fat 
3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into
1 env. onion soup mix chunks
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
 3-4 large carrots, peeled & cut into chunks 
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste) 
3-4 stalks celery, cut into bite size pieces


Place roast, soup mix, cream soup, and seasonings into crock pot. Add 1-1/2 cups water. Cook on high for 3 hours, then add vegetables.


Continue to cook for another 3-4 hours until meat is tender and vegetables are done. If you won't be home all day, place all in crock pot with the vegetables on top and cook on low setting for 8 hours.
Serve with hot cornbread, butter, and sweet tea.


Note: I know this recipe seems simplistic, but most good recipes really are the result of good seasoning and proper cooking times. I use the leftovers for the base of my vegetable soup. Add a can of green beans, diced tomatoes, corn, pinto beans and/or frozen lima beans(I like their texture better), and additional liquid with some beef soup base and simmer for 30 minutes.

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.

Let's Talk Turkey!!

• 
  
  
  
  Recently a listener called into the station with a cooking question.  I thought I’d address this in case anyone else had this issue.  Marie of Piqua wondered if I had any tips for moist turkey. I’m pleased to say, “Yes, ma’am!!”
  
  
  I actually cook my turkey the day before I serve it.  I roast the bird very simply, seasoning with salt & pepper, covering it with a tent of aluminum foil.  I place 1-2 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of roasting pan.  An inexpensive meat thermometer is my roasting buddy. When it registers 165 degrees, the turkey is done.
  
  
  To test for internal temp, insert the thermometer into the meatiest portion of the turkey breast, making sure you are not touching the bone.  When the turkey is done, I allow it to rest for 30 minutes.  I slice it with an electric knife, and place the slices in an ovenproof pan. I place the bones and skin into a soup pot as I go along.
  
  
  When I have removed all the meat, I take those juices in the bottom of the pan, skim off the fat, and pour that broth over the turkey meat. Then I refrigerate my turkey to be reheated in its juices later.  Since it sits in those flavorful juices, the turkey remains moist.
  
  
  I re-heat my prepared turkey at 350⁰ until warmed through, about 30 minutes.
  
  
   The bones and skin are covered with water and heated to simmering.  I add some roughly chopped celery, leaves and all, an onion quartered, and some pepper. I hold off on the salt just yet.
  
  
   I simmer this to for an hour or so. You can even do this in the crockpot, and just let it cook all day.   Remove all the solids, and strain the broth.  Skim off the fat.
  
  
  I use this low sodium broth, and mix it with the commercial turkey gravy packets found in the seasoning aisle of the grocery store instead of the water it recommends.  Your mashed potatoes will never find a better topping than this!!
  
  

Weight of Bird	Roasting Time (Unstuffed)	Roasting Time (Stuffed)
10-18 lbs	3-3.5 hours	3.75-4.5 hours
18-22 lbs	3.5-4 hours	4.5-5 hours
22-24 lbs	4-4.5 hours	5-5.5 hours
24-29 lbs	4.5-5 hours	5.5-6.25 hours

• The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) at the thigh.