15 Bean and Ham Soup

 

You will need: 

• 20 oz. Bag of Hurst's HamBeens Brand Cajun 15 Bean Soup Dried Beans with Hurst's Cajun Seasoning Packet Inside (don't use the whole packet, only use a heaping teaspoon of the Cajun Seasoning Packet towards the end of cooking time)  
• Package Farmland Brand Smoked Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces In Natural Juices, Fully Cooked, (I used a 1.25 pound package)
• 1 Can of diced tomatoes (undrained) 
• 1 Yellow onion chopped
• 2 Heaping teaspoons of minced garlic (refrigerated)
• 1/4 cup Chopped green and red bell pepper (I used frozen)
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• Sprinkle of pepper and salt to taste when done
• Splash of apple cider vinegar (splashed in the last 30 minutes of cooking to reduce gas)

Place beans on a dish cloth and inspect them to remove any debris from the beans, (I have on occasion found small pebbles in dried beans before, so I don't skip this step). 

Place beans in a large bowl, cover beans with water, soak overnight or 8 hours

Drain beans in a colander and place them in a large pot or dutch oven pot, cover with fresh water, add package of spiral ham slices and pieces with juices, add a teaspoon of sea salt, undrained can of diced tomatoes, chopped yellow onion, minced garlic, sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper, and the chopped green and red bell peppers. Bring to a boil and then cover pot with lid and reduce heat to medium and cook at a slow boil simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 4-5 hours, adding more water as needed and turning down the heat to low after the beans get tender. About an hour before serving and when the beans are fairly tender, add 1 heaping teaspoon of the Hurst Cajun Seasoning that is included with the beans in a packet, I didn't add all of the packet because I didn't know how it tasted, and I didn't want my beans and ham to be cajun spicy, I just wanted some good flavoring. Note: I used a slightly heaping spoon full of the seasoning measured with a small spoon from my kitchen utensil drawer- instead of an actual measuring spoon, to measure out the seasoning..... that amount of seasoning was perfect, for our taste, very flavorful, it didn't need the entire package. About 30 minutes before serving add a splash of  the apple cider vinegar and more salt to taste and pepper to taste. 

Serve with sweet cornbread, we used Jiffy Brand Honey Cornbread

Servings: 6 Bowls

This makes a delicious pot of soup  that would feed a crowd or allow for a lot of leftovers. I have to say this is on our list of very favorite soups of all time! It does not taste like a cajun soup, I guess because I did not use but a heaping teaspoon of the season packet included with the beans, but it just has great flavor.  

Enjoy!

Tip: I've read recently, that anything in the ingredients that is acidic should be added to dry beans in the last 30 minutes of cooking to cut the acid, make the beans soft faster as they cook and cut gas in the beans. I suppose in this recipe that the beans would be tender quicker, if waiting to add in the undrained canned tomatoes until the last 30 minutes or so of cooking. I added my canned tomatoes at the beginning of cooking and it turned out great, but I may try adding them the last 30 minutes of cooking next time to see if there's a difference and to see if the beans get tender more quickly.  I'll update this post at a later date to tell you if there was a difference. I will say that  adding the splash of apple cider vinegar during the last 30 minutes of cooking did cut the amount of gas in the beans and make a difference in digesting the beans easier. I've also read that not adding the salt until the last part of cooking helps the beans get tender faster as well, but I just wasn't willing to take a chance on the beans  being not salted enough, so I added in some at the start of cooking and then more to taste when tender and ready to serve. 

Quick Sweet Carrots

 

You will need: 

• 1 can carrots (undrained) 
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• sprinkle of sea salt
• sprinkle of cinnamon

In a small pot, place undrained carrots, brown sugar and sea salt and cinnamon, add more water if needed to just cover the carrots, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Quesadilla

 

You Will Need: 

• 1 chicken breast, cooked, deboned and chopped into small pieces,  (I used some rotisserie chicken that I picked up at the grocery store already cooked, but you can bake the chicken or use leftover cooked chicken you have on hand already) 
• 1 Crown of fresh broccoli, steamed until fork tender (to steam, cut off the tops from stems and place in a medium pot with about 3/4 cup of water, cover pot with lid and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and steam for about 5 minutes, drain and let cool slightly, until it is safe to handle, then chop into small pieces).
• Package flour tortilla shells
• Bag grated cheddar cheese

For  Salsa Chili Dipping Sauce, You Will Need:

• 3 Tbsp. sour cream (plus more for to top quesadilla, if desired)
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (or less, to taste)
• salt, pepper, garlic powder sprinkled to taste

Mix ahead of time and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve

Other Toppings You Will Need:

• A soft ripe avocado (mash the avocado to make guacamole dip, cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, mash the flesh with the back of a fork and mix until semi- smooth, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste). Make the dip just before serving. 
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• honey mustard (optional dipping choice)   

 In a medium bowl, mix the cut up chicken with the chopped steamed broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, set aside. Turn stovetop heat to medium high, place tortilla in skillet, 

 Sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortilla, then add the chicken broccoli mixture over the cheese, then top again with cheese

Fold the flour tortilla in half and turn down heat to medium 

Cook until golden brown turning with a spatula as needed, to desired crispness

 Serve with dipping sauce, guacamole, sour cream or even honey mustard. My husband liked dipping his quesadilla in a mix of salsa chili dipping sauce, guacamole and sour cream.  I thought the guacamole tasted the best with it along with sour cream, but I did like the salsa chili sauce too. I thought the honey mustard was good with it also though for a different taste. These are also good with no dipping sauce.  

After making the first quesadilla, I decided to make it a little different to speed up the cooking process, so I'm sharing this way of doing it as well, you will need a large spatula for flipping it.... 

Place one tortilla in skillet, sprinkle cheese on the whole tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Next, add the chicken broccoli to the whole tortilla, then top with cheese, next place another tortilla on top 

Tip: You want there to be an even amount of cheese on the tortilla and enough cheese along the edges of the tortilla to hold it together, but not so much cheese that it oozes out as it cooks and comes out of the sides of the tortilla and burns on the pan. 

Tip: You are layering in this order; the tortilla, the cheese, the chicken broccoli mixture, the cheese, then lastly another tortilla.

Cook until bottom is golden brown and slightly crispy. With a large spatula flip the tortilla and cook the other side until golden brown, remove from skillet and place on a large plate....

Let cool on a plate for about a minute or two, then use a pizza cutter to cut the quesadilla into slices. 
 

Recipe makes about 4- 6 whole quesadillas, (depending on how thick you make them).

It makes 4-6 servings

Enjoy! 

Crockpot Boneless Turkey Breast

 

You Will Need:

• 3 lb. Butterball Boneless Turkey Breast (Savory Herb or Regular)
• Salt, Pepper, Poultry Season

Thaw turkey breast in refrigerator for 2 days before ready to cook. Remove netting from turkey breast, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little poultry seasoning,  place turkey breast in a lightly greased crockpot slow cooker. Put slow cooker on high for 10 minutes then reduce heat to low. Cook for 4 1/2- 5 hours, until meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Remove from slow cooker and place on platter. Let stand on platter for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Turkey will be moist and delicious! 

Enjoy! 

SOS

 

You Will Need:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 small yellow onion chopped up
• 1 small can (8.5 oz).  LeSueur sweet peas drained and set aside (don't go cheap on the peas, buy this name brand)
• 2 heaping tablespoons flour 
• 2% or whole milk start with about roughly 2 cups and add more as needed for desired consistency 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• sprinkled garlic powder to taste
• toasted white bread 

Brown ground beef with onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a skillet on medium-high heat. Once browned, drain excess grease, leaving a little grease, return meat to the skillet, stir in flour and mix well, then begin adding in the milk, turn temperature up to medium-high until it gets bubbly, stirring constantly. Add more milk as it thickens and keep stirring. Once it's reached desired consistency add drained peas and turn down heat to medium low, stirring occasionally until peas are heated. At this point you can add water or milk if it begins to get too thick. You want it to be the consistency of a thick white gravy, not soupy. Serve on opened face toasted white bread. Add more salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. 

Enjoy!  

Old Fashioned Dressing

 

       Please overlook the photo of my dressing. It tastes much better than it looks! Of course, I forgot to get a picture of it on my plate with the fixings and before cutting into it.....and so there you have it, maybe I can get a better picture of it next time I make it and I'll try to update the photo when I make it again. At the request of my oldest son.... here's the recipe....

First, cook a small chicken or hen in a large pot with a little bit of salt and pepper and covered with water, ( I used a cornish game hen, it was frozen and I thawed it in the refrigerator a couple of days before I needed it).  Bring it to a boil and then slightly cover the pot and reduce the heat until it is at a slow boil, cook it for about 40 minutes or so, or until when you poke a fork into the thigh there is no blood, when done, set broth aside for the dressing. 

 While waiting for the chicken or hen to cook,  you can cut up 1/2 cup onion and 1/2 cup celery and cook in about 1 to 2 Tablespoons of butter, until tender, set aside, you will add this to the Dressing. (tip: you can cut up onion and celery a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator. 

Next make the Egg Bread, Preheat Oven to 375 degrees 

For The Egg Bread You Will Need:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Pollard's Fine White Corn Meal ( or Hoover's White Corn Meal)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• sprinkle of salt

Mix above ingredients and bake in a greased iron skillet or baking pan for about 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Then crumble the egg bread into an extra large bowl, use a biscuit cutter or fork to crumble it up well. 

Now You Are Ready To Make The Dressing

For The Dressing:

Add the cooked celery and onion to the bowl of crumbled egg bread, add a little salt and pepper to taste, add in some of the chicken (or hen) broth slowly and a little at the time, until it is a little bit soupy, season more the taste. Tip: If mixture gets too soupy you can add in some crumbled white bread to absorb some of the broth. Next, pour it into a 13x9 inch greased casserole dish or baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 45-55 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with the chicken that you boiled, or turkey or ham and all the fixings!

Enjoy! 

     This recipe is a 5th generation recipe... it goes back to my Dad's Mama's Mama. I got it from my Grandma C. (dad's mama), in 2013, when she was 86 years old. She is now 93 years old. I am so happy to have this delicious dressing recipe. Grandma didn't have an actual recipe to give me, because she's always just made it the way her mama did... and she'd learned by watching her mama make it.... but she gave me instructions over the phone and I wrote everything down according to her instructions and she'd say,  "put in about this much and about that much." She had just done it so many times, I don't think she really measured it. But anyhow, the instructions she gave to me makes it turn out great and it's not hard to make. 

     My grandma was a simple cook and she taught me how to cook back when I was a teenager, (many years ago). I spent a lot of time with her in her kitchen and I will always cherish the time spent with her way back then. I hold those days very close to my heart.  She is a beautiful, sweet and humble lady. She's precious....one of the most soft spoken, and patient people that I know. Below I've included a scanned picture of her when she was a young lady. I'm so glad to have this picture to include with the recipe.

I'm so happy to have this recipe to pass down to the next generation so that they can cook it too! 

Banana Bread

 

You Will Need:

• 1 stick butter (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
• 2-3 ripe bananas (mashed)
• 2 cups  all purpose flour (sift after measuring)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs. Add mashed bananas to the sugar mixture, alternately with dry ingredients. Add nuts and vanilla extract. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan bake 1 hour or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of loaf. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Coconut

 

You Will Need: 

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter (softened)
• 1 stick margarine (softened)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips semi-sweet
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees,  line cookie sheet with parchment paper,  combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, set aside, in a large bowl combine butter, margarine, sugars, until smooth, add vanilla extract, and eggs, stir well until blended, add flour mixture, when blended well add mini chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by Tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets, cook 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cookie racks. 

Makes about 36 cookies

Enjoy!

Italian Chicken and Bean Soup Slow Cooker

 

You Will Need:

• 1/2 stick of butter
• medium yellow onion
• 3 tsp. minced garlic (or 3 garlic cloves chopped)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 (15 oz) cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans) drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenderloin strips
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• grated parmesan cheese to garnish

In a skillet saute the onion and garlic in butter, place chicken in slow cooker add onion and garlic and other ingredients, (besides the spinach and parmesan cheese). Cover, cook on high 15 minutes then reduce heat to low and cook 5 hours, take out chicken strips and shred with two forks, add it back to slow cooker, then add the spinach, cook another hour or so, until the spinach is cooked and tender. Salt and pepper to taste, place in bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese. 

Serve with buttered Italian or French bread or toasted garlic bread

Enjoy!

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken With Coconut Rice

The chicken in this recipe is cooked in the slow cooker, the coconut rice is made on the stove top

You Will Need: 

• 2 lbs. chicken chicken tenderloin strips
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 to 4 green onion (chop and separate white bottom from the green tops)

 Add chicken to slow cooker, stir together pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce, and whites of the onion in a small bowl, pour over chicken and stir. Turn slow cooker on high for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to low, cook for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks at the end of cooking. Before serving, add in the green tops of the onion. Serve with Coconut Rice (Recipe Is Below)

For Coconut Rice You Will Need:

• 1 cup jasmine rice (or other white rice) 
• 1 (15 oz.) can of coconut milk (unsweetened) 
• water (as needed) 

Combine can of coconut milk with rice in a medium pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stir; if rice is not tender, add a little more water and continue cooking until rice is tender and water is absorbed, continue stirring frequently until rice is done).

 

Serve with savory bacon green beans and crescent roll.

Enjoy!