Chorizo Sausage

With the ground pork in my freezer, I am trying some sausage recipes on a smaller scale to see what I think. This one wasn’t my favorite, but I want to remember how I did it. On the other hand, it made a KILLER chili last night for supper!

2 pounds ground pork

1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon each: oregano & cumin

1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/2 Tablespoon each: onion powder & pepper

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Mix together well by hand or in a stand mixer. Freeze or use within 2 days.

Bacon Jalapeno Biscuits

I needed something to go along with the pot of chorizo chili for supper and had just chopped up the last of the jalapenos from the garden. So here is the result…

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup shortening or lard

1/4 cup crumbled bacon

2 Tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1 cup milk

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening or lard with a pastry cutter. Stir in bacon, jalapenos and cheese. Add milk and stir until just combined.

Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with butter.

Chicken & Green Beans with Peanut Sauce

I picked a whole big bowl of green beans from the garden today, parboiled them, and stir-fried them with some chicken breast. Over rice it was a super delicious and easy supper! And you could smell the peanut butter throughout the entire kitchen… mmmmm!

Peanut sauce:

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Whisk it all together until smooth and set aside.

Just sauté some cut up chicken breast (about 3 or 4) until it is no longer pink. Throw in some fresh parboiled or frozen green beans and stir-fry them until they are hot. Add the peanut sauce and heat through. Serve over white rice.

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

This is a simplification of a recipe I found on Pinterest. I am going to write it in steps so that no one will be as confused as I was when I made it. It has quite a few steps (but still less than the original recipe) and dirties quite a few bowls but, thankfully, it was worth it in the end… My quest for the perfect blueberry muffin may be over???

 

Step one: Combine 1/4 cup sugar and the zest of 1 lemon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step two: Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl. Mix in 3 Tablespoons melted butter until it turns into pea-sized pieces.

Step three: Mix 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Step four: Whisk together 2 eggs and 1 1/8 cups sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup melted butter and whisk until combined. Whisk in 1 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Step five: Take the lemon/sugar combination and sift out the lemon zest through a fine sieve, reserving the sugar for topping the muffins. Stir the sugary lemon zest into the flour mixture.

Step six: Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg/sugar mixture. Mix until it is just combined. The batter will be very lumpy. Don’t worry, you don’t want to mix it too much!

Step seven: Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, toss them with 1 Tablespoon of flour before folding in.

Step eight: Fill 12-15 prepared muffin cups. Top each with streusel and a bit of the lemon sugar. Bake at 425 for 17-20 minutes or until the tops are firm and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and another 5 minutes on wire rack. Eat warm.

Family Sized Chicken Pot Pie

One little round chicken pot pie from the freezer section is never enough to fill me up, much less one of my guys. One homemade 9” pot pie doesn’t cut it either. So, this time I made one in a 9x13 baking dish and it did the trick!

I got this recipe from a sweet friend, Mary, who makes it all the time for her clan. But she got the recipe from her mom, Carolyn. They were the two who inspired me to get over my fear and make a darn pie crust! Thanks you two!

A batch of my mom’s pie crust (recipe HERE) made enough for the pot pie and a single crust dessert pie, too.

Roll out about 1/2 the dough for the bottom crust and line the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Fill with 6 cups diced cooked chicken, 1/2 bag of thawed frozen peas & carrots, 1 cup of thawed southern style hashbrown potatoes.

Make a gravy.

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

6 cubes or teaspoons of chicken bouillon

4 Tablespoons dried minced onion

salt & pepper, to taste

3 cups water

3 cups milk

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in onion and bouillon. Whisk in flour. When it bubbles, quickly whisk in water and milk. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly.

Pour gravy over filling in crust.

Roll out top crust and place on top of your pie.

Bake at 425 for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

It didn’t turn out very pretty (I”m still new at the pie making thing) but it tasted great! We served it in bowls because it seemed pretty runny but it thickened right up!

Now this is comfort food!

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This pie combines my favorite dessert (pie) with my hubby’s favorite dessert (chocolate chip cookies). I think if we were ever to get married again we’d have this instead of cake at the wedding… ;o)

First make up a single pie crust. I used my mom’s pie crust recipe. It turns out great every time!

Line 1 9” pie plate with the rolled out crust.

Then make the cookie filling:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread into pie crust.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until dark golden brown.

Let cool to room temperature and serve thin slices with a glass of cold milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Blackberry BBQ Sauce

Behind the fence in the backyard is completely overgrown with blackberries which means a freezer full of blackberry jam every summer! The best way to get rid of the extra is to make Blackberry BBQ Sauce.

1 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup blackberry jam

1 teaspoon mustard

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Mix it in a small bowl. Use as you would any other BBQ sauce.

I poured mine over a beef roast in the crock pot and cooked it on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Shred the beef and serve on hamburger buns.