How to make Hawaiian Haystacks

Hawaiian Haystacks! It seems like if you stick a pineapple on it, it's called Hawaiian. LOL, but this is such a wonderful dish. I know my sister in law made it for us many many years ago. Then I haven't had them since. It's been 10 long years since these have graced my palette. Some friends had us over for dinner and this is what she served. I have craved them ever since that night! What was I thinking never to make them. I finally did it and I'm so glad I did! The basic ingredients is chicken, cream of chicken, rice and any topping you wanted to put on it!

Hawaiian Haystacks


Sauce: 2 cans cream of chicken soup 2 cups chopped cooked chicken 1 cup chicken broth Mix and heat. Toppings (in order): Rice chow mein noodles chopped tomatoes chopped celery chopped green,red,and yellow peppers, cheese, pineapple, mandarin oranges, olives, almonds, coconut,etc.

Mix the cream of chicken soup with the chicken broth on medium heat. Add cooked chicken (shredded or chopped).

Place a scoop of rice into each bowl. Spoon one to two ladles full of sauce over the top of each scoop.


Set out toppings in small bowls on the table. Add cheese first, so it will melt, then other toppings, to individual taste. Although it may seem strange to combine pineapple and coconut with savory flavors.

Italian Baked Pork Chops

YUM YUM IN MY TUMMY TUM TUM! We haven't had pork chops in a very long time! I think swine is definitely the under appreciated other white meat! I mean... I'm just saying!

My trick to ensuring that pork chops are always tender and moist is to boil them completely covered in water in a skillet. I will cook them almost completely done where there is showing just the slightest shade of blush or pale pink! (Think Steele Magnolias, if you are too young to know that movie. I can't only say, Sorry)

I then remove the skillet from the stove and drain the water and take rinse the pork chops. The following recipe is for 8 servings.

2 TBL. spoons dijon mustard
2 TBL spoons olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Please add more oil or mustard to form a crust like consistency when applying to chops! This recipe was created on whim and I added things as I went. When you get into it, you will be able to see and adjust to what looks right to you.

Preheat oven to 400 degress and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together. Apply to both sides of the pork chops and place on parchment paper.
Bake 10 minutes or until just cooked through. It will form a slight crust texture. If you wish you could flip the pork chops over and cook again until just crusted or at this point, they are ready to be removed from oven. Let rest 5 minutes.

I served this with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes!

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I went to a luncheon and brought this heart warming soup! It was thick, rich and delicious! I doubled the recipe and it served 8 people perfectly, when doubled. The original recipe can be found here.
The perfect presentation would have been to serve it into bread bowls! But, I was being cost efficient and didn't find it necessary to spend $4 on a bread bowl when we had homemade rolls there as well! It was very good and I would definitely make it again!

Recipe Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, melted ( I added more
1/2 medium onion, chopped (Instead, I replaced with  minced onion powder) My husband doesn't like the texture of onions.
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half ( I added more, it will depend how thin or thick you like your soup)
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned (this time I omitted the carrots)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar (Again, I added more, all of these things are to taste.)

I also added a bit of garlic powder to taste. I would start with 1/4 tsp.
Directions

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.  Garnish with fresh steamed broccoli and sprinkle with cheese. Serve with crusty roll or in a bread bowl.

Home made Steak Tacos

Yadira has come to spend her Spring break with us and she has spoiled me from ever reaching for a pre made taco again!! I'm so sad! These are delicious and I wondered why I didn't just fry up my own tacos!

The pico de gallo is delicious! I'm eating it with everything.

Steak Tacos served with pico de gallo, spanish rice and refried beans!

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed (We had left over steak from the night before)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 and 1/2 tablespoon chile powder

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 package of corn tortillas

Can you just taste the goodness?

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a well-seasoned ridged grill pan (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until beginning to smoke, then brush with oil.
2. While pan heats, pat steak dry and stir together spices and salt, then rub all over both sides of steak.
3. Grill steak, turning over once, 9 to 11 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

Because my steak was left over, it is NY Strip and ribeye and I sliced it thin and small to stretch it to feed all of us.
4. Cut steak thinly steak across the grain. Serve with tortillas and toppings. Because my steak was a left over. I made up the seasoning and quickly heated the meat with it for flavor!

MAKING THE TORTILLAS

Prior to frying the corn tortillas. Place a few tortillas on a microwave safe dish and place a damp paper towel over the top. Heat for 20 seconds or so. We just want these soft and pliable so they do not crack when folded.

Once tortilla is heated add a table spoon or two of the meat to the center of the tortilla. You don't want to over stuff with meat because the tortilla should fold over easily, while in the pan.

 You will want to use a fork to keep the top from unfolding. You may place more than one in the frying pan. You want to the oil to sizzle but not reach it's smoking point.

REMOVE from pan and place on paper towel to remove excess oil. Continue frying the remainder of the tortillas until all the meat is used.

The only down side to this is if you are not careful with heating the oil it can leave your house with a fried oil smell. But, it is definitely worth the satisfaction of preparing!

Grilled Dinner

This is a recipe we use frequently during the summer months. It is quick, easy, and the best part - no cleanup!

Grilled Summer Veg with Kielbasa

Serves 4

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

~8 small red potatoes, quartered

Baby Carrots

2 ears corn, cut into fourths

one yellow squash, sliced in 1 inch pieces

one zuccini, sliced in 1 inch pieces

one lb kielbasa sausage sliced into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces

2 Tbls butter

Seasoned salt such as McCormicks Garlic and Pepper seasoning

Soak the potato and corn in water about 45 minutes before you plan to prepare this dish.

Pull out a layer of Heavy Duty Tin Foil large enough to fold over ingredients with several inches to spare. Place the corn, potaotes and sausage in the center of the foil. Tope with the onion, squash and zuccini. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with seasoned salt.

Fold the foil up from both sides and then fold the foil closed at least three folds to seal in moisture and steam. Form triangles of foil at each end and then fold in several times to seal.

Place the foil package on a hot grill, seam side up and cover grill. Let the vegetables cook about 20 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is. Then turn for an additional 10 minutes cooking time. (Cooking time depends a lot on your grill, so watch them close the first time and adjust as necessary.)

A few notes: It is important that your squash and zuccini be sliced large and placed on top of the other vegetables to prevent their overcooking. For larger groups you can make this dish in a disposable aluminum roaster pan and seal the top with foil. In this case I stir the vegetables about 20 minutes into cooking and then add the squash and zuccini to avoid overcooking.

Broccoli and cheese turnovers

OK, this was a trial dinner. This was all we had in the freezer to make. I had two packages of broccoli and cheese and 2 Pillsbury butter crescent rolls. I emptied the contents of the broccoli and cheese into the pan and heated it through and broke open the crescents and added the broccoli mixture to the crescents and sealed all edges.

Popped into the oven on 350 and baked to the directions on the can of the crescents.
These turned out AMAZING! If I had chicken on hand I would have boiled 2 breasts and added it to the broccoli and cheese mixture.

The family loved it. They are not big broccoli eaters but these two dishes went over very well.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Me or my family really enjoy enchiladas. Bill and Spencer are the only ones who usually order these. I have tasted many enchiladas before and none of them have me raving or dying to try another one for at least a year! EXCEPT for these!! My entire family loved them and we look forward to eating them again!I prefer the sour cream sauce as to the tomato base. One of my biggest griefs with enchiladas were they were soggy and the texture!. This one is a FIVE STAR in my book.



Chicken Enchiladas in Sour Cream Sauce
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
18 corn tortillas
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 cups shredded cheese (your choice)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup minced finely cut onion
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies

In a large bowl, combine cheese, onion, 1 can chilies, 1 cup sour cream and chicken. Set aside.
Fry tortillas in large skillet, one at a time in hot oil for 5 seconds, each side.

Drain tortillas in between paper towels as you cook them. Spoon a good size portion of chicken mixture onto all tortillas, rolling them and placing them seam side down in large greased baking dish.

In sauce pan, melt butter then blend flour into butter to make a roux. Add chicken broth and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sour cream and 1 can green chilies. Be careful not to boil.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Immediately,set oven to BROIL and cook for another 5 minutes (be careful not to burn)Enchiladas are done when sauce in the center is bubbling. Serve with side of rice or beans.

Stuffed Manicotti

I had these growing up all the time. I rarely make them for my family because I had issues with ricotta. I can say my issues are resolved with ricotta and I like it again. My family LOVED LOVED these. I will definitely make them again and they are a great dish to make for company. My pictures do this no justice. Had I been making this for company they would have been very pretty and the sauce would have been drizzled on it just perfectly. NO company HENCE no fancy schmancy stuff. Just good eating.

Manicotti shells. There are 14 shells to a box.
Homemade speghetti sauce or your favorite from a can or bottle.
15 oz ricotta
2 cups mozzerella
2 eggs
1/2 lb. sweet italian sausage. ( 3 or 4 sausage links, squeezed out of its casings)
1 lb. lean ground beef.
3 TBL. garlic herb seasoning.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 garlic cloves minced

Boil salted water. Add shells to water and boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Do not over cook. Remove from boiling water and add cold water.
While shells are boiling. Brown sausage and beef. Drain off any fat.
In a large bowl mix ricotta, meat, and seasonings, along with 2 eggs and mozzerella.
Combine and mix well. Drain noodles and begin stuffing from one end and then flip and stuff the other. Making sure they are even through out.

Place in baking dish or 9x13 pan. Add a little sauce to the bottom of baking dish. cover completely. Add shells on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over shells and top with more mozzerella cheese. Cover with foil and bake in over for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove foil covering and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I doubled the recipe and used 2 boxes of shells along with the large container of ricotta and just added things to my liking.

Cornbeef and cabbage

St. Patty's day Dinner.

Cornbeef and cabbage in a slow cooker.

3 to 4lb corn beef brisket
1 large head of cabbage, quartered and cored
1 large bag of baby carrots
8 med to small potatoes

Add vegetables to bottom of slow cooker, add meat on top and pour 2 cups of water into slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours. Everything will turn out tender and delish!

PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS

Philly Cheese Steaks

2 lbs lean roast beef from the deli
1 lb provolone cheese
4 green bell peppers
2 large sweet onions
1 large container of mushrooms
2 pkgs. hoagie rolls

Brown roast beef on electric grill adding a slice of provolone to it. Chop meat slightly.

slice peppers, mushrooms and onions. Saute' each seperately in their pans with a stick to a half of stick butter. Cover until tender.

Assemble your sandwhich. Add A-1 if desired and any or all toppings. Enjoy!!!
This is a great meal to have with a group.

Hamburgers

This is an easy night for us! and well we have this junk food occassionally. I love to make a hamburger and load it with everything I can possibly think of. We have tomatoes, onions, pickles, lettuce, pineapples, cheese, jalapenos, and Bill even fries and egg. By the time you add all of your favorite toppings this burger is fit for a king. We did not have fresh ground sirloin. We used ::eek:: frozen hamburger patties. Pretty easy simple meal. Serve with a salad or vegetable and fruit.

The secret to getting your cheese to melt on a burger is to cover your burger with a lid or pot and it will melt the cheese on top. I saw this done on one of the food network shows.

Pot Roast

I made this crockpot recipe on Monday night because Aden had practice and Kai had to be at practice at 5pm and I chose to work during the morning. I knew our family would be hungry and I would be tired so I started this baby at 4:30 am, in the slow cooker. It was delish!

A friend of mine gave me this recipe. It's very good and oh so easy. It's very tender and juicy and being the meat lover that I am, I truly enjoy this meal. The best part is you get several meals out of this. Sometimes I make empanadas with leftover meat, some veggies and pie dough. Other times I make tacos or burritos. You can make whatever you want and lots of it. 4lbs is plenty 'o meat. Enjoy!

Pot Roast recipe:
4-5 pound boneless roast - trimmed
2 large onions
carrots, celery, and new potatoes (as many as you would like)
salt and pepper
flour
1 lipton onion soup mix
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/3 c. maple syrup
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 cup water
Arrange vegetables in slow cooker. Season roast with salt and pepper and lipton soup mix and rub all over with flour. Place roast on top of veggies. Whisk last 6
ingredients and pour over beef. Cover and cook on LOW 12 hours or HIGH 8 hours.

Chilli

This is our family's base recipe for chilli. We basically like it plain with no extras added to it except for a little more heat.

1 or 2lbs. lean ground beef
1 large can red kidney beans
1 large can dark red kidney beans (drained)
1 packet McCormick chilli seasoning packet
2 large cans tomato sauce
chilli powder
Toppings:
sour cream
shredded cheese

Brown ground beef in skillet and drain off fat.
Add seasoning packet and follow directions.
Pour all contents of cans into a large stock pot and then add meat.
Simmer on stove top or in crockpot until hot. Add extra chilli powder to add flavor to your liking. At times, we may add a can or two of corn.

Serve with cornbread or rice. Add toppings if desired.
Cornbread is jiffy mix.

Shrimp Alfredo

2lbs fetuccine noodles
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 Tbl. garlic herb powder or fresh roasted garlic
1 8oz bag parmesan cheese
1 8oz bag 3 cheese (parmesan, romano, asiago) or you can use the 5 cheese blend
(You may grate your own cheese. I would have but this is a huge time saver.
2 tbl. cream cheese
Lightly salt water bring to a boil and add noodles. Bring to boil. Drain noodles.

While water is coming to a first boil prepare the sauce.

Alfredo Sauce

This sauce is so good. It tastes just like Olive Garden's recipe. It is also so simple and easy to make. Once you try this you will NEVER buy the store bought things again. I looked at two recipes and I combined what I liked between the two and made it my own. I have made alfredo sauce before and it was very runny and thin. I like using the combination of whipping cream and evaporated milk. Most recipes only call for one or the other. USE BOTH!

In a skillet or large pot add whipping cream and evaporated milk and one stick butter. Heat and stir and bring to a simmer. When butter has melted add your cheese. While stirring constantly. The longer your sauce can simmer the better it will be, remember to stir your sauce occassionally. The consistency will be thin but as it cooks it will continue to thicken. If your sauce is runny. You can add additional cheese. This is my preference or you can add the cream cheese. I don't care for the slight taste that the cream cheese lends to the sauce.

Your sauce will be ready when it coats the back of a cooking spoon nicely or you can see the consistency change.


You may add any meat or eat this plain with the fetuccine. We chose to have shrimp.
Peel and devein your shrimp. Once your noodles are about done. Throw your shrimp into the pasta water. Let shrimp cook for 2 to 3 minutes until orange.

Serve with salad and breadsticks!