yummy caramel popcorn

I grew up in a house where popcorn was a staple.

Watching a movie? Let's have some popcorn.

Friends are spending the night? Let's have some popcorn.

Don't feel like fixing dinner? Let's have some popcorn!

And now, I have the same popcorn values. I usually stick to the butter and salted variety. But occasionally, I opt for caramel popcorn.

You really must try this recipe. It's gooey. And sticky. And delicious!

Caramel Popcorn

1/2 stick butter

2/3 c. brown sugar

4 T. maple syrup

1 pinch baking soda

Stir first 3 ingredients on the stove until they reach 210 degrees. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Stir and pour over popped popcorn. Not microwave popcorn. I'm talking about on the stove. Get out the oil. And the kernels. Your family will be so impressed with your skills!

Penne Pasta with Sausage in Cream Sauce

I realized that pretty much all my recipes in my sidebar are chicken. But I want you to know, that we do eat something other than chicken. Sometimes we venture out and have the other white meat...pork!

1 lb italian sausage

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb penne pasta

1 c shredded parmesan cheese

2/3 c dry white wine

1 14.5 oz can diced, peeled tomatoes with juice

1 c whipping cream

Melt butter with oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute til golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes.

Add sausage and cook through. Drain.

Add wine to skillet and boil til most liquid is evaporated,

about 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and simmer about 3 minutes.

Add cream and simmer 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Hope you like this yummy recipe!

And for the record, we do eat red meat. Sometimes.

creamy chicken and wild rice soup

We've had a cold snap here in Kansas and I've had a craving for soups!
This stick-to-your-ribs, hearty soup is a favorite. Probably because of the enormous number of calories and fat!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1 pkg. fast cook long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet (I use Uncle Ben's)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 c. heavy cream
sauteed mushrooms (I used one small can and sauteed them in olive oil)

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling. Stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms to the broth and rice. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

I served it with dill biscuits and fried cinnamon apples. Mmmm...so good!!

what's cookin' in my crock pot?

Well, on Tuesday, it was nothin'!!
There was a pork roast IN my crock pot. But it wasn't cookin'. It was just sitting there. All day. Ruined. What a disappointing thing to find after a long, hard day at work!

I absolutely love to come home to the smell of dinner cooking. So crock pots are the best invention for working moms, in my opinion. Easy. No work cooking. That's for me! So on Tuesday morning I put a pork roast in, along with some chicken broth to keep it moist. I turned it on low. Bragged to a coworker about the yummy meal I had planned. Just forgot one small detail.
Plug. It. In.

Today, however, there is something cookin' in my crock pot. At least I think there is. Chicken breasts. Tonight I'm cooking spicy chicken tortilla soup. A family favorite. And I put in enough chicken to also fix curry chicken salad. Yum!!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 onion
1 T olive oil
1 big can diced tomatoes (I run mine through the blender)
2 cans chicken broth
1 jar green enchilada sauce
1 small can green chilies
1 can tomato soup
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. worcestershire
1 t. tobasco (I just put in a dash or two)
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

Chop onion & brown in olive oil. Combine remaining ingredients together in a soup pot. Simmer at least an hour. Add warm chicken.

Serve with chips, sour cream and shredded cheese.

I got this recipe from Meg at whatever. It's super yummy!! And here's the chicken salad recipe, just in case you're interested:

Curry Chicken Salad

2 1/2 c. chicken, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/3 c. finely chopped celery
2 T grated onion (I run mine through a garlic press)
1/2 c. craisins*
1/2 c. miracle whip
2 T sour cream
3/4 t. curry powder
1/8 t. cajun seasoning

Mix chicken, celery, almonds, onion & craisins. Then combine miracle whip, sour cream & seasonings and pour over the chicken. Chill at least one hour.
Serve on croisants.
*I actually leave out the craisins and serve on multi-grain bistro crackers.

This post has been part of Thursday's Writer's Workshop with MamaKat. Now go check out what's in other crock pots.

more good eats

As I'm feeling a bit uninspired this morning, I thought I'd share a yummy, super quick, super easy recipe that everyone (that's important, ya know) in my family likes.

Smothered Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

garlic powder and seasoned salt to taste

1 T canola oil

1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1 c. shredded mexican cheese blend (I use cheddar)

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/2 c. bacon bits

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in. thickness (I just buy the thin chicken breasts). Sprinkle with garlic powder and seasoned salt. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil for 4 minutes; turn. Top with the mushrooms, cheese, green onions and bacon. Cover and cook 4 minutes longer until chicken juices run clear and cheese is melted.

That's it!! It's so quick, you need to have all your side dishes ready to go before you even start.

I got this recipe from Taste of Home. Enjoy!!

watermelon and crawlers

I bet that title caught your attention!!

Cruellers (which we pronounce "crawlers") are one of our favorite summertime meals. We eat them with watermelon, which makes us feel so much less guilty for eating deep fried bread!

This is an old family recipe from my dad's side.

The first time my mom had them she was at my grandparents' house. My grandma served watermelon and cruellers and my mom thought it was an appetizer or snack. Can you blame her? So she just ate a little, saving room for the big meal to come. Oops...that WAS dinner!

So here's the recipe, just in case you decide you want to try some "crawlers".

Cruellers

4 beaten eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. milk

1/3 c. melted shortening

3 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/4 t. nutmeg

Beat eggs and sugar til light; add milk and cooled shortening. Add flour sifted with salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix until smooth.

( It should look like this.) Chill.

Roll 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut in strips; twist or form into knots (which I don't do).

Fry in deep hot fat (375 degrees).

Drain on paper towels. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Dinner is served!

This is such a great summertime meal because you don't have to turn on the oven! I'm always looking for skillet and crock-pot recipes for hot days. It is a greasy mess though, hence the apron (which I made my senior year in high school, thankyouverymuch).