Olé Y'all!

GREAT recipe! We had this for dinner last night and I wanted to get up and dance the Tango! This make a very hearty casserole - the three of us ate like pigs and there was still a half of casserole left. Very quick and easy. The only thing I might change is adding some chopped green chilis next time for a little "kick"...

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crust (use 1 of 2 crusts)
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace Chunky Salsa 
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
1 package (24 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn
2 large cans White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Let the pie crust stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or until easy to handle.

Stir the salsa, soup, sour cream, cheese, corn, chicken and beans in a large bowl. Spoon the chicken mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Unfold the pie crust on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pie crust into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Place the pie crust over the chicken mixture.  Trim the excess crust from the edge. Cut several slits in the crust.

Bake at 400°F. for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

To serve, spoon into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped fresh tomatoes.

Happy Fall Y'all!

I can almost smell it in the air! Well, not really. But I am sniffing around for it pretty much every day now! I. LOVE. FALL. Y'ALL. It is my absolute favorite season, with pumpkins, leaves, apples, ghosts and witches...it is just THE BEST.
I came across this cake recipe, and it will get you in the mood for cool evenings by a fire! I like the idea of spice cake, and I really don't want it any other time of year.
This has a rich, caramel colored butterscotch frosting that is the perfect partner with the spices in the cake itself. I chose to use a bundt pan, but I think you could make it in a tube pan or even two round cake pans and frost in-between if you wanted too.

HARVEST  CAKE 2-1/2 c. sifted cake flour 3-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 3/4 c. shortening 1 c. milk 1 tsp. vanilla 1-2/3 c. brown sugar, firmly packed 3 eggs, unbeaten Stir shortening to soften. Sift dry ingredients. Add brown sugar. Add 3/4 cup milk and mix until all flour is dampened. Then beat 2 minutes. Add eggs and remaining milk. Beat 1 minute longer. Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes or until done. Cool completely before frosting. QUICK BUTTERSCOTCH FROSTING: 1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed 3 tbsp. shortening 3 tbsp. butter 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 c. milk 1 1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar Combine brown sugar, shortening, butter and salt in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add milk and cook over low heat 3 minutes. Cool completely. Add confectioners' sugar and add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until creamy.

Camp Hutson!

Yeah, baby! I. Love. Camping! Can you hear it? The wind blowing softly through the trees, the smell of a fire crackling in the firepit, Jimmy Buffet playing in the background... And LOTS of ridiculously de-lish-ious camping food!
We are packing up early this afternoon and heading out to the big outdoors! Woo-hoo! This should be an extra special treat - we are camping at Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Just a short walk from the beach! This is the perfect time of the year for beach activities because the weather is mild, the sun casts long shadows across the campgrounds, the touristas are gone, and - most importantly - the bugs are minimal (or, at least, I hope they are!).
In the celebration of the up-coming parking of the "Prowler" at the hunting club for the next several months, my husband purchased the mack daddy luxury of travel trailer luxuries...a Sony 26" HDTV!!! Ok, so there might be a connection with "waiting for the right deal to come along" and football season, but hey, I am not complaining! What better way to watch the Gators than relaxing in my little home on wheels!
I don't have a particularly new dish to prepare this weekend, but I will share the menu at my next post...so, for now, see ya on the flip side of travel trailer bliss!

Short Week!

Ok, so the best thing about a 3-day weekend is the fact that you end up with a 4-day work week! How much more awesome could that be???
I completely enjoyed my holiday...I finally got to totally spoil my newest 12-week old niece,
Abby. She is so tiny, petite and just plain perfect. We completely have a connection! I have the honor of becoming her Godmother at her Christening ceremony next month. I am a Southern Baptist, so this is completely new to me, but I am thrilled!
We also spent the weekend getting the camper ready for our camping trip to Ft. Clinch next weekend. All the food is bought and in the camper fridge, the menus are all written out, and everything else is stocked and ready to go with the exception of clothes, which I am sure I will have ready in the next day or so. Camping has become my "total getaway". I love the fact that I don't have any more responsibility than just eating and relaxing! Ft. Clinch will be a wonderful end-of-summer destination. It is right on the beach, and there are tons of activities - hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, shelling, touring the fort...I had better enjoy this trip because soon very soon my precious, delightfully decorated camper will get confiscated by my husband and son to be parked at their "hunting camp" for the winter. I am scared of how it will look when I get it back in the spring!
To finish off my weekend, I made a delish recipe for supper last night and just have to share it with you! It is a Spanish dish, and FULL of flavor! I served it over Spanish rice and it definitely lived up to flavor and passed the teenager test - he loved it! Enjoy!


Basque Chicken

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 to 4 pounds chicken breasts, with bone and skin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
3 to 4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, sliced or 2 roasted red peppers
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Spread onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan. Cut each chicken breast in half. Sprinkle chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side up, in pan. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, red peppers and broth. Continue baking 35 to 40 minutes, basting chicken occasionally, until chicken juices run clear. Serves 8

Last of the Best!

I can't think of anything I love better than a good, home-grown ripe tomato fresh out of the garden. During the height of the growing season I can be just as happy with a juicy tomato, mayonnaise and white bread sandwich as any steak from the finest steakhouse! Now that the season for tomatoes is sadly coming to an end, it is time to take advantage of what's left of this versatile and delectable produce with some fresh salsa! And just in time to serve it along with your favorite corn chips this weekend as college football kicks off and so does the tail-gating! Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

4 cups diced tomatoes

3/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1-2 jalapeno pepper - seeded and minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Julie and Julia

Two words: GREAT FLICK.

My mother and I treated ourselves to a steak at Longhorn and a matinee. First, the filet with the fontina cheese sauce was absolutely delish! And secondly, the matinee was a delight!

I always thought of Julia Childs in the Saturday Night Live skit that Dan Akroyd did years ago when he portrayed her cutting her finger and hilariously splurging blood all over the set. (which, by the way, this skit is featured in the movie).

On her television show she always seemed very fru-fru and proper, and as a young adult, Duck Confit didn't impress me in the least. I thought her comical and cooking food that I would never eat.

As I watched her story unfold in the movie, I found myself yearning to read her cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking. The Paula Deen of her day, Julia perfected rich creams and literally used tons of butter! A cook after my own heart! I haven't defined myself as "loving" French food, but quite honestly, I haven't eaten or prepared French food - unless, of course, french fries count!

Her love of food and her desire to teach others learn to cook really spoke to the foodie in me. So - listen up family and friends - a wonderful Christmas or birthday gift for me would be her cookbook!

I encourage everyone who has an obsession with cooking (and/or eating) to GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It is a wonderful feel-good story that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for this amazing woman who brought so much to American cooks!