Poppyseed Chicken

My family has been sick with some kind of virus for the past 2 weeks, over and over and over again. It has left me searching for some serious comfort food. This is one of my favorite comfort foods and although it has sour cream, seems to have soothed some aching tummy's.

2 cups sour cream (16 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 ts. poppy seeds
2½ cups cubed cooked chicken
1¾ c. butter flavored cracker crumbs
½ c. melted butter
In bowl, combine sour cream, soup and seeds. Stir in chicken and pour into a greased baking dish. Combine cracker crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
I serve mine with steamed or roasted asparagus and a salad.

Recipe from Milcy Paris

Manhattan Meatballs

Celebrating the Superbowl next weekend? Well.. I usually am, whether I like it or not.
Here is one of my favorite crowd pleaser recipes, of course you cant have man parties without man food.... !

2 lb. ground beef
2 cups bread crumbs
½ cup chopped onions
2 eggs, beaten
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. salt
1 jar (10 oz.) apricot preserves - if you cant find apricot, I have used orange marmalade and it's just as good
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 med can crushed pineapple

Preheat oven 350. Make meatballs by combining first 7 ingredients. Cook meatballs in oven for 30 minutes. In saucepan, combine preserves, pineapple and bbq sauce. Cook until combined, about 7 minutes on medium heat. Pour over meatballs. Cook an additional 30 minutes on low. Serve with toothpicks.
These work well in the crockpot too. I make the recipe as directed and pour it all into the crockpot, but make sure to put on lowest setting or warm, because it will burn if left too long.

Wild Rice Soup

Not your traditional wild rice soup - this soup has more of a tomato base.

1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16 oz wild rice blend (i use Lundberg Wild Blend - wild & whole grain brown rice)
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken breast (i usually have cooked and saved a couple of extra breasts during the week - it makes the cooking time much faster.)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3.5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a Dutch oven (or other 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned and crisp. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
Add onion and carrots; cook until softened. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste.
Add rice, thyme, broth, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until rice is tender, about 50 minutes.

Stir in vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve immediately.

Note: If you prefer to leave out the bacon, skip step 1, and cook the onions and carrots in 1 tablespoon olive oil.
If the soup becomes too thick during cooking, add up to a cup more water.

Chicken Tostadas with Salsa Verde

flour tortillas
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack or monterey jack cheese
2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1 cup jarred green salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped plus 2 tablespoons cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
shredded iceberg lettuce
diced tomatoes


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tortillas; bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together chicken, salsa, 1/4 cup cilantro, and cumin. Spoon mixture evenly over tortillas; bake until heated through, about 8 minutes.
Top with lettuce, tomato, and extra salsa. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

serve with spanish rice and black beans

(adapted from an everyday food magazine recipe)

Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 T instant espresso powder
2 cups (10 oz) hazelnuts (skins removed), coarsely chopped
--preheat oven to 275 degrees, to remove skins, place raw, shelled hazelnut in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until skins crack, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam 5 minutes. Rub the nuts in the towel between your hands until most of the skins have come off.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in hazelnuts.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden about 12 minutes. Rotating sheets halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes 3 dozen
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Icebox Butter Cookies

• 3 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Egg wash, (optional): 1 large egg white, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• Decorating sugar and sprinkles, (optional)

1. Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half; form into two 2-inch square logs, each approximately 5 1/2 inches long. Wrap logs in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough crosswise, 3/16 inch thick; carefully transfer slices to baking sheets.
5. If decorating, brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack.
6. Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Chocolate Streusel Bars

here's another one of my GG's recipes:

In a large bowl combine:
1-3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup fine coconut
1/2 cup cocoa

Cut in 2 cubes butter until crumbly.
Measure 2 cups and set aside.
Press remaining mix in a greased 9x13.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a large mixiing bowl:
Beat 1 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened, until fluffy.
Gradually beat in:
1 can sweetened condensed milk until smooth
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla - Mix well and pour over crust.

Combine 1/2 cup chopped nuts with remaining mix and sprinkle on top.

Bake 25 minutes 350 degrees or until bubbly.
Cool.
Cut and store covered in refrigerated or freezer.