Jalapeño Popper Dip

Ingredients:

1 4oz can diced jalapenos, well drained
2 fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers (seeds in-optional)
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cups shredded longhorn cheese
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (not the canned stuff)
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter melted
1 tablespoon fresh or dry parsley minced

Instructions

In a mixer or by hand, combine cream cheese and sour cream.
Add cheddar & longhorn cheese, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, and diced peppers, mix well.
Spoon into 8x8 baking dish, spreading evenly.
Blend bread crumbs, melted butter, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, and parsley, using a fork or your fingers, until crumbly.
Sprinkle the buttery crumb topping evenly over the cream cheese mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until hot and breadcrumbs are golden brown. Do not overcook.
Serve with bread, tortilla chiips or crackers.

***ORIGINAL IDEA FROM:

Linda Tylke Curren

✿´¯`*•.¸¸✿Follow me for daily recipes, fun & handy tips, motivation, DIY ideas and feel free to share your favorite things too:)
www.facebook.com/groups/loseweightwithlinda

Needs more water!

MADE FROM SCRATCH NOODLES:

1- beaten egg
2- TBS milk

1.5 tsp salt

1- c flour

Beat egg, milk, & salt.

Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.

Knead on floured surface until pliable.
Roll thin.

Let stand 20 min.

Roll up loosely and slice ¼ inch wide.

Unroll, spread noodles out, cover with a towel or paper towels.
Dry two or more  hours or store in a container, in a cool place, until needed.

Drop into boiling broth, soup, or salted water and cook, uncovered 10-20 min.
Makes 3 cups noodles.

For a big pot of soup,  X4 the ingredients, and cut the noodles big and wide, almost like dumplings.
You can make them thin, (they dry out faster) or for a white sauce, or an Alfredo sauce dish.

You can sprinkle into the flour: shredded cheese, herbs, cracked pepper, seasonings etc….
Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Try different types of flour

*********************************************************************

CHICKEN SOUP:

1-whole chicken--rinsed, giblets removed

1-gallon water

3-6 carrots--cleaned left whole

3-6 celery stalks--cleaned, left whole

1 whole sweet onion-- quartered

1-bulb garlic-- peeled, left whole

1 TBS Sea salt or other salt

ADD any of the following herbs & spices:
bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, pepper

Toss all in a big pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 4-6 hours or all day.

Add water as needed to keep chicken submerged.

Chicken is done when it falls apart.

Lift everything out with a slotted paddle or large slotted spoon.
Chop carrots and shred chicken or chop and set aside.
Bring broth to a boil and drop in noodles. Cook 10-20 min. until cooked through.
Add back chicken and carrots.
Simmer and stir, add some milk, flour or anything if you do not want a clear soup.

Over Finely Chopped Kale

We serve it over finely chopped Kale & sprinkle with red hot pepper flakes.

***Leftover Alert: It is better the second day after storing overnight in the frig.

Beer Chasin' Salsa (er-Tijuana Sauce)

Crack a Beer and get out the Kleenix!

This is not for the weak!

A neighbor lady from Tijuana taught me this recipe. It can be modified by using other kinds of peppers & chilies. It is great with pork, on chips, or a thin coat on bread for an after-Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich.

You really can't do anything wrong with this recipe if  you stick to the below base. Remember that "less is best" when it comes to the SALT and OIL. The more lemons the tarter, the more tomatillos the weaker (less tomatillos and more peppers = HOTTER).

When I have blackened the peppers in the house, everyone runs out the doors coughing so grilling them is best unless you have a great vent or another way that you blacken peppers.

You will Need:

4- handfuls of Serrano peppers (de-stemmed and blackened either on a grill or in a frying pan but if you do it in a frying pan beware--everyone in the house will be coughing!)

20- medium size Tomatillo (peeled, washed and boil till soft)

1-Large Onion of your choice peeled and chopped (sized for blender)

Set out Ingredients & Blender

1-2 Bulbs Fresh Garlic peeled,

3-6 Lemons (depending on your taste)

1-3 Tbs Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp-2 Tbs Salt

Blacken Serrano Peppers

Boil cleaned Tomatillos until soft

When cool enough Add EVERYTHING to the Blender except Salt (do that to taste)

Pulse and Blend until Smooth Add More Lemon Juice as needed

Can be Frozen

The darker
you char the peppers the darker the sauce

NO SOS! Easy Mess for Breakfast!

Chow! 

HOT OUT OF THE OVEN!

Mess it up the easy way! I have used this recipe for years. It can be (partially) made-ahead; Or it can be baked a whole day ahead (flavors blend overnight--just warm it slowly in an oven); it can be made in an iron skillet, electric skillet, crock-pot or the oven. 


Yes it does take a while to bake, but the aroma pulls everyone out of bed and into the kitchen without a word.

In a pan (or your iron skillet) simmer the following mess (except the shredded cheese) until heated through and bubbling:

2 cups of any kind of cooked meat (in this picture I used left-over cooked hamburger --so the prep-time was 10 min)

1 cup chopped or sliced sweet yellow onion

1- 14 oz can of ANY tomato-based salsa, fire roasted salsa, or the El Patio's...(I used, "Salsa Fresco--Salsa de Chile Fresco")

1- 4 oz can chopped jalapenos or chilies

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese--(keep this ASIDE for step three)

Remove from heat and/or keep in frig for the next day or: Place mixture into whatever you are going to bake it in.

Mix the following:

1 pkj "Jiffy" corn muffin mix (or 2 cups of made-from scratch cornbread OR 2 cups of Bisquick)
2 eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, (OR: cottage cheese, or any other kind of creamy cheese that you like)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

*****************

1/2-1 cup whole milk, butter milk, or 1/2 & 1/2 (add milk last--you want a pancake-like batter)

***Depending upon your altitude, you my need to adjust the milk accordingly. Higher altitudes may need more liquid.

Before Baking: Sprinkle meat mixture with sharp cheddar cheese (and/or sliced scallions)

Pour the above over the meat mixture. Cover and bake for up to 1 hour depending on altitude (knife inserted comes out clean).

Remove from oven, heat, or turn crock to low....sprinkle with any cheese-- longhorn is great.Cut, flip, and serve with salsa, picante, sour cream, jalapenos, sliced scallions, leeks, black beans, etc...

I poured the meat mixture into a baking dish and topped it with the cheddar, and then the batter

There are so many variations to this!

Meatless? No problem (use a veggie in place of meat just stir-fry it first, then simmer in salsa or fresco). 

You can use water instead of dairy, You can also substitute all the ingredients for low-fat. 

Other ingredients to add to the meat mixture: veggies, various onions and peppers, multiple kinds of meats, etc..
Other ingredients to add to the corn-bread mix: 1 can creamed corn, 1 can whole kernel corn, canned pimento, green or black olives, etc..Experiment and have fun!

Just make sure that the batter is the consistency of pancake batter before you pour it over the meat.

** This recipe can be multiplied like mad...just make sure that the batter is the right consistency.

Copyright 2012 by Soni Cido. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

The Holidays are Coming! "How to Cook for a Big Group"--With Stay at Stove Dad

Stay at Stove Dad: How to Cook for a Big Group

So I Am Also a "KP" in My Own Home!

Full Story at:  http://www.schistory.net/campcroft/messhall.html 

According to Joe Lipsius, the "Kitchen Police" were nothing more than the kitchen janitors. He writes:
"I remember with much pleasure my first encounters with the Mess Hall of Co C, 32nd Inf Trng Bn, IRTC, Camp Croft, SC, just outside of Spartanburg, SC... 

The Mess Hall had its bad side, though. That was when you had to work kitchen police, better known as "KP."  By some magic formula which was never explained, we all had our turn working in the kitchen in various jobs such as "firing the boiler", working the "pots and pans" sink, etc.  After three or four turns at "KP," I finally earned Sgt. Stout's respect to the point he offered to make me a cook if I wanted to work in the kitchen.  I said, "No thanks, Sarge, Sir.  I like the food and I don't mind the kitchen work, but I like close-order drilling and marching better so I'll stick to doing it." -JL

In my house, the "magic formula" showed up on my kid's a chore chart when I wasn't assigning myself to it.

Great Depression Cooking - The Poorman's Meal

Feeding the Masses

Do you or do you not feel that cooking for anyone but yourself is like, 'feeding an army'?  I do. But now after reading this blog, I think that, I might not be feeling that way so much anymore! Pancakes for a thousand? At West Point? where everything is perfect and disciplined?

Check this out:



http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/huge-food/army-food-0311

How many of us have never complained about a meal that we were served? Ditto.

Yet most soldiers have always had a reason to complain. Since the beginning of organized military, feeding the soldiers has sometimes been such a huge task, that keeping them healthy, satisfied, and full, ranked last priority (if at all) on the mess hall to-do list.

Back in the day, and even now, military meals have either been ignored, completely dismissed, or the brunt of hundreds of jokes.

A former Veteran told me that when he was in service 47 years ago, most cooks and meals were referred to as, "Gut Cheater". Another man at a VFW dinner told me, "The word was, and still is, 'anything will go down with Tabasco'." A round of laughter broke out as those at my table joked about military meals of the past.... if they could be called "meals". Nutrition was never a concern, but filling the gut was the goal even if it was not always possible. Overweight soldiers were unheard of because overeating and lack of exercise just didn't happen. And many had suffered starvation.

These days, however, body fat is a concern for the military. According to Jim Gourley via blog: http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com, "...one in every three service men or women are obese". 

Even if overeating is not the culprit, lack of exercise, cheap, low-quality food, and available junk food is. 

In Fort Rucker, Alabama, I've

In Fort Rucker, Alabama, I've seen cooks throw lard on the short-order grill line. Is it too much to ask to get something without trans fats, please?

STARBUCK

4:59 AM ET

June 3, 2011

Growing up in the 60's and 70's it was very common for a parent to say to a child, "Do NOT take more than your stomach will hold!" OR "There are starving kids in China!" (some parents said, "Africa"-- my parents preferred China for some reason.

Photograph with caption "Cafeteria Lines in Mess Hall

 at Naval Barracks Area," U.S. Naval Ammunition 

Depot, Hastings, Nebraska., 1944?

Taking a closer look we can see that the sign on the wall 

says

that 'any wasting of food will be followed with disciplinary 

action'. (can that advice even be comprehended by kids 

these days?)

Help Feed Someone Besides Yourself

I have been in the situation where I did not know how I was going to feed my family. I can live on apples and potatoes but children need nutrition.

Even though I had always given to food shelters and food drives over the years, when it came my time to get help, it was not so easy.

Check out the link Below. Snickers is willing to give out two meals to every bar code that you enter. Watch for "specially marked" bars.


http://www.snickers.com/default.htm


Here is their partner:

http://feedingAmerica.org/

Kitchen After-Laughs

Kitchen disasters are fun stories to tell and to hear about. I call them, "after laughs" because nobody laughs 'till long after the disaster.


My worst kitchen disaster was when I was about 23 years old. I started 4T of oil and three kernels of popcorn sizzling around in a heavy pan (for those of you who have no idea how to make popcorn grandma's way, you wait until the three kernels pop, then you add a cup of corn and swirl it around until it is popping like crazy, reduce the heat and keep shaking until the popping stops).


Because I had a mild case of 'attention deficit' (before it made the news and after I found out that it can come in handy when one has screaming toddlers) what do you think that I did right then?


Guess.


I went outside to help my son and I forgot to go back into the house.


Soon the black fog came rolling out of the kitchen window, I ran to the scene which, by now, was flames shooting two feet above the pan! and like a silly young girl, I grabbed the pot, ran outside with it, and flung it down into the gully!


Thankfully, I did not trip over the dog with the scorching oil and nobody was burned. 
I was able to repaint my kitchen that week to cover the horrible smell.


However, my four-year-old son had to enlighten all the neighbors, my family, and friends as to why I was painting my kitchen.
"Momma almost burned down the house and all she was making was a snack!"


Years later, I learned that in a case like that, a lid dropped on it would have stopped the drama quite quickly with little risk to me, my son or the dog.

Camp Cooks and Lumbarjacks

Taken from: Wexford County Historical Society & Museum online album

I am always amazed when I think about the days when providing a meal was so much more than prepping food and turning a knob. And in a camp like this, the cook was under a lot of pressure to satisfy...these men worked hard and burned food faster than race cars and gasoline.

Progressive Dinners

A "Progressive Dinner" is when a group of 6-15 people get together and go as a group from house to house..eating a full-coarse meal along the way. 

Four people (or couples) agree to welcome and serve in their home, one portion of the four coarse dinner to the guests.

The appetizer at the first home

The dinner salad at the second home

The main dish at the third home

The dessert at the fourth and final home

It really is a lot of fun! It is not that big of a deal to prepare just one portion of a meal even if it is for up to ten people. It's a great way to make new friends and get to know each other better.

The Smithsonian published this excellent article about the history of the soup kitchen (public mess hall).

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2010/12/count-rumford-and-the-history-of-the-soup-kitchen/

And then there are those who believed that Al Capone set the first Soup Kitchen in motion:

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1660.html

YOU decide. I like both ideas.

Well, the season of major messing is over! Eggnog, Spinach Pom Poms and lots and lots of snacks were in the hall every turn of the Holiday! Here is hoping that 2012 turns out all good things for you, yours, and the Mess Hall Cook Book :)

The Satisfaction of a Pot Well Done

For those of us who feel that cooking for others "completes" us, a pot well done has many meanings...

To a health expert, 'well done' means the absence of parasites and the dangers of illnesses caused by eating under-cooked food.

But to a cook like me, a 'Pot Well Done' means, everyone loved the meal and went away wishing I had made more! that's when we pat ourselves on the back and say, "well done"!

FUEL FOR THE TROOPS

While scrambling to feed the family, we forget that our family isn't the only hungry bunch on the block...do you ever wonder about those who defend our freedom?
The military troops must be fed as well. Usually, when we hear the word "troops" we picture fighting, and explosions...but how do they fuel themselves with the strength that they need to withstand war? Who does that? what do they eat? How does the food get to them?

I will have stories about today's Military Mess Halls-but while searching,I stumbled upon Bob Hersey's K Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment site. He answered most of my questions about military dining experiences.
http://www.ktroop.com/messhall.htm

He is also featured here:
http://www.seabeecook.com/cooks/

Bob Hersey's stories put me right in the mess hall with him and his connoisseurs, even though it was years and years ago-during the Vietnam War. Bob's cooking experiences, (from the time he was 12 years old!), warmed my heart, made me laugh, and brought tears to my eyes. To my delight, I found a useful recipe! Large quantities, yes. But it won't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to down-size the portion.
The longer it cooks, the better it is:

My Not So Famous "S-O-S"
****************************************************
"Shucks-On-A-Shingle" - you translate. Every GI since Hannibal crossed the Alps has eaten or at least encountered SOS. It is best described as a plate of mouse droppings in wallpaper paste served over burnt toast. It's actually quite good (but remember I lost my taste buds in the war).

Start with 10 pounds of ground beef (hamburger). The fatty kind is best. Brown the beef in a large saucepan with salt, pepper, finely chopped onions and a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce. This next ingredient isn't in any of the Army's cookbooks but I always added a generous portion of cooking sherry. If I didn't have sherry I would add cognac. Once browned, add a cup of water, a cup of whole milk and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of bread flour. This thickens the mixture. Lower the heat and cook slowly for about 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick add more milk. If it's too thin add more flour. Hint: It's best if the final product is a little on the "thin" side because as it sits in your mermite can, it will thicken up. Serve over toast or better yet, hot biscuits. Any leftovers may be used as brick mortar by the engineers.
****************************************************

Live, Love, Laugh

"Live, Love, Laugh!" This is always my theme when feeding my family. We may not always get along, or agree with each other-but the one thing that I insist upon, is that everyone enjoy the meal.

This year, for Thanksgiving, we were blessed by several generous people who brought food, made dishes, and came to share it with us. While we had our meal at 7 p.m. here at the house, we began the day of feasting at 11:30 a.m.-at a little Pub up the road who puts on a free meal each year. We played pool, met new people, and hung out and laughed with old friends.
Then, we moved on to the next pub-which is a large, new log building...this dinner was fancier and more hushed-even candle-lit...but not as much fun-however, the food was unreal!

Back at home-we forgot how long the potatoes take...it was ok, by the time they were ready, we really did have an appetite again.
Three hams, a huge turkey, tons of sides and pies...
Caos, noise, loading of the plates...talking with full mouths and going back for seconds...loading pans to send home with guests.

I looked around me and gave thanks for my crazy, loud and noisy life :)

Feed the Crowd

A friend of mine, Stephen, came by today and made the BEST meal for our family! It was fast & easy-but the best part-SOOOO GOOD!! AND for the mess hall-this recipe can be multiplied unlimited!


STEVEORITOS :)

FRY: 1# Bison Burger or Beef Burger (drain if needed)
Add and Warm Through: 1 pt of salsa non-chunky (hot,med.or, mild)
1 can of Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeno

Sprinkle tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese; microwave for a few seconds to melt. Smear a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt on tortilla & add a few spoonfuls of meat mixture.

SAPORIFIC!!!