Thursday Recipe - German Pot Roast

My kids told me I had to post this recipe so I don't lose it. The meat was tender and flavorful and dinner was a great success. It was also really easy. The slow cooker did most of the work.

German Pot Roast

1 - 1 1/2 lb bottom round steak, thick cut
1/2 c. sliced onion
1 c. baby carrots OR carrot slices
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles
1/2 c. hot water
1 T. beef bouillon
2 T. brown mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
dash ground allspice
1 bay leaf

Put steak in bottom of a small crockpot - I used a 1.5 qt pot. The meat should fill the crockpot about 1/3. Put onions and carrots around the sides of the meat. Spread the pickles over the meat. Mix water, bouillon, mustard, salt, pepper, and allspice together; then pour over the meat. Drop in the bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the carrots are tender and the meat falls apart.

If you want to thicken the gravy -
30 minutes before serving, break the meat into chunks and stir everything gently to mix. Stir 2 T. cornstarch into 1/2 c. cold water until smooth, then stir into the hot gravy in the crockpot. Cover and let cook on high until gravy is thickened.

Thursday Recipe - GF Chicken Pot Pie Gravy

So I wanted chicken pot pie, but I didn't want to bother with the crust. Or with turning the oven on. I ended up throwing everything in my crockpot. Delicious, easy, and bonus, no heat from the oven. I tossed rice in the rice cooker to go under it but you could do mashed potatoes or biscuits or whatever you want.

GF Chicken Pot Pie Gravy

1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 chicken breasts, about 1-2 lbs, cut in bite-size chunks
1 c. sliced mushrooms, OPTIONAL
1 T. bouillon OR 1 cube

1 t. dried parsley

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

2 c. hot water

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. cold water

1 c. frozen peas

Dump the onion, carrot, chicken, and mushrooms in a medium crockpot, 1/5-2 quart size should be fine. Sprinkle parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper over the top. Pour the 2 c. hot water on top. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

1 hour before serving, stir cornstarch into 1/2 c. cold water. Pour into chicken gravy. Stir well. Add peas. Cover and cook for another 45-60 minutes, until thick and hot. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, biscuits, toast, quinoa, or whatever you like.

Thursday Recipe - Spaghetti ala Carbonara with Karina Fabian

Please welcome guest chef, Karina Fabian to The Far Edge of Normal!

Karina Fabian, former Air Force officer, mother of four and wife to the best man ever, writes science fiction, fantasy, comedic horror and whatever else comes to mind. Her books are a blend of high stakes and low humor, running the gamut from serious novels about nuns working search and rescue operations in space to the comedic trials of Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator. She’s rebooting her DragonEye, PI series, which involved a dragon working as a private detective in the Mundane world. Her blog features a long-running Star Trek parody: Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, where the adventures are crazy and the humans even more so. Check out her website at http://fabianspace.com

Here's her story behind the recipe - 

One of the things I most looked forward to when joining the military was going overseas. Of course, I had not counted on meeting the man of my dreams only five months before I was assigned to San Vito, Italy! Rob and I met in January and got engaged in March, and I left the countryin May. I returned in November to get married and go back again. 

He was also an officer in the Air Force, and assigned to Texas. Thus began our two-year, intermittent honeymoon, where we saw each other for two weeks every six months, with half the time me traveling to the US and half him traveling to Italy.

One of his favorite Italian dishes was spaghetti ala carbonara – who can resist bacon and pasta? – but I was hard pressed to find a good recipe. Fortunately, one of my fellow flight commanders, a first generation Italian-American, understood the importance of good cooking in a marriage, and gifted me with a lovely Italian cookbook that had a great recipe. I’ve adapted it slightly over the years to the recipe you see here. It’s simpler, but still as good. How do I know? We’ll be happily married 28 years in November, and have four kids!

And the recipe -

Spaghetti ala Carbonara

Spaghetti

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

¾ or 1 package of bacon (preferably thick cut), cut into one-inch squares

½ cup shredded Italian cheese (Italian mix will do; otherwise – parmesan & pecorino)

¼ cup heavy cream or canned milk

1 tsp black pepper

3 Tbs dry white wine (optional)

5 Tbs olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

Feeds 4-6 people

Prepare Spaghetti (or any pasta) according to instructions on box.

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and sauté the garlic until brown. Discard the garlic and add the bacon. 

• With wine – cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and boil it off. Don’t let it get crispy. Set aside.
• Without wine – cook 2-5 minutes until the bacon is a little softer than how you like it. Set aside.

In a large bowl (big enough to hold the spaghetti when done) beat the eggs and egg yolks. Add the cheese and the pepper. Mix, then add the milk. Go slowly on the milk until you get a consistency you like. (We prefer more egg and less milk at our house). If the bacon is warm but not too hot, add it and some of the olive oil.

When the spaghetti is done, drain it thoroughly, then add it to the mix. Toss well. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs partly so you get a yummy, thick sauce. Serve immediately.

Thursday Recipe - Ranch Chicken and Baked Onions

So this isn't quite a recipe. This is more of a plea for help. I never realized how many dishes had potatoes, tomatoes, and/or peppers in them. That includes chili powder and paprika. I was at an Indian restaurant with friends the other night and EVERYTHING on their menu had potatoes and/or tomatoes except the pakora. So I settled for eating pakora for dinner. Except it had peppers in the spice blend. Indian food is off my menu, unless I can figure out how to cook it without peppers.

Tonight, my kids are planning biscuits and gravy. No problem, except sausage has red pepper in it. I either get to make my own sausage with ground pork, or find something else for dinner.

Anyone have favorite recipes that are sans tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers? Please share them with me! Black peppercorns are fine, but not any of the other chilies or peppers. Eggplant is off the menu, too, but it's a lot easier to avoid.

I made Ranch Chicken last night that turned out pretty good. We wrapped it into tortillas and added baked onions, lettuce, and sour cream.

Ranch Chicken and Baked Onions

2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (the thin-sliced frozen ones are great because you don't have to thaw them and they cook more evenly than the lumpy ones)
1 large red onion, sliced into thick rings
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. salt
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. dried dill weed (not seeds!)
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 c. GF bread crumbs, or dried bread crumbs of your choice, ground up croutons work well

Heat oven to 400°F.

Arrange chicken into a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish. Place onions in a covered casserole dish.

Mix garlic, onion, salt, parsley, dill, and black pepper. Sprinkle over the chicken. Sprinkle 2/3 c. of bread crumbs over the chicken. Sprinkle the other 1/3 c. on the onions. Put the lid on the onion casserole.

Bake the chicken uncovered and the onions covered for about 30-45 minutes, until the onion is very soft and the chicken is done.

This also works with tilapia or other fish fillets instead of chicken.

Thursday Recipe - Chicken Piccata

So I ran across this recipe for Chicken Piccata the other day and had to try it out. Of course I couldn't make it the way it said because of food allergies, so I did it my way. I like the way it turned out. It's basically sautéed chicken breast in a creamy sauce flavored with lemon and thyme and capers. Serve it over pasta and you have a tasty dinner that doesn't take long to make.

Chicken Piccata

2 T. oil
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 lemon, sliced
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 T. chicken bouillon
3 c. warm water
3-4 T cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
3-4 T. capers

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over med-high heat. Add chicken, lemon slices, and thyme sprigs. If using dry thyme, don't add it here! Sauté until chicken is browned. Turn heat to med-low. Remove lemon slices and thyme sprigs and discard.

To the chicken chunks, add salt, pepper, bouillon, and warm water. Cover and cook until chicken is just barely done, usually about 10 minutes depending on how big your chunks are.

Remove lid and turn heat back up. Stir cornstarch into cold water and add it to the sauce when it is boiling. This is just to thicken it up.

Stir in capers, simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Serve over pasta or rice with extra capers as a garnish.

Thursday Recipe - Chowder Base

I have neglected to post this recipe. Clam Chowder is one of my all-time favorite soups. This recipe is a great base to build on for many types of soup. Feel free to add in clams for clam chowder, corn for corn chowder, or whatever else you like.

Chowder Base

2 T. butter
1/2 c. onion, chopped small
1/2 c. diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small carrot, diced small
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 T. chicken boullion
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
4 c. hot water
2 c. milk or cream
2 T. cornstarch

Melt butter in a large pot. Add onion. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until onion is soft. Add celery and garlic. Cook for another  minute. Add in carrot, potatoes, chicken boullion, salt, pepper, and water. Cover and simmer for about an hour, until vegetables are tender.

Mix milk and cornstarch. Stir into soup. Simmer on low for about ten minutes until soup thickens. Adjust seasonings if needed.

*For clam chowder - add 1 can of clams with the milk.
*For corn chowder - add 1 can of corn with the potatoes, do not drain

Thursday Recipe - Sweet and Sour Chicken

My daughter loves Chinese food, and most of it is fine for her. But the breaded dishes aren't and those are what we love the most. So when I ran across this recipe, I had to adapt it to my cooking style and tastes and try it out. It was delicious. It takes a bit of work, but the end result is good.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1/2 c. sliced onion
1/2 c. sliced red bell pepper
1/2 c. sliced green bell pepper
2 c. sliced carrots
1 c. pineapple chunks
1/4 c. oil
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
1/3 c. garbanzo bean flour
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. ginger

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Spread onion, peppers, carrots, and pineapple in the bottom. Set aside. Heat oven to 350° F.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Put chicken, garbanzo bean flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a large plastic bag. A gallon-size one works great. Shake well until the chicken is evenly coated. Pour in the egg. Shake it around until the egg is evenly distributed. I found this works best with partially frozen chicken.

Drop about 1/3 to 1/2 the chicken into the frying pan. Use tongs to separate the pieces. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to brown. Flip the pieces over and cook another 3-4 minutes. You don't need it cooked all the way through, just browned and the coating set. Move the chicken to the baking dish when it is browned. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Stir well. Pour over the chicken and vegetable mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes. Serve over hot rice. Garnish with chopped green onions if you want.

Thursday Recipe - Beefy Potato Soup

This was one of those throw-it-together-and-hope-it-tastes-good dinners. Yep, it tasted great, good enough that my daughter wants me to remember the recipe. So here it is. It's also easy - chuck everything in a crockpot and let it cook all day.

Beefy Potato Soup

1 lb lean hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size chunks
1 c. mushrooms, washed and quartered
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. dill weed

Brown hamburger and onion in a large saucepan until hamburger is cooked and onion is soft. Drain off the grease, then dump the meat and onion into a large crockpot. Add potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, and spices. Add just enough hot water to cover everything. Stir it gently, then cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Stir well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Cover and cook on low for another 2-4 hours until potatoes are very soft.

Goes well with fresh bread.

Thursday Recipe - Squash and Sausage Stir Fry

This is a quick, easy dish, perfect for lunch or dinner on those days when you don't want to bother with much but still need something healthy and delicious. The key is in choosing the right squash.

I used delicata in my recipe. It's a winter squash, so orange insides and stores well, but it has a tender enough rind that you don't have to remove it. Most winter squash, like butternut or

Delicata squash - this site has seeds for sale

acorn, has a very hard rind. If you want to use those varieties in this recipe, you will need to peel them first. Most any of the yellow or orange squashes will work in this recipe. Experiment to find the flavor you like best.

Squash and Sausage Stir Fry

1 T. butter
1 small winter squash, delicata preferred
1 apple
2 pre-cooked sausage patties OR 1/4 lb. cooked sausage, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Slice into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside.

Slice the apple into quarters. Remove core. Slice into 1/4 inch slices.

Cut the sausage patties into bite-size pieces.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add squash, apple, and sausage slices. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, until the squash is tender and everything is hot through.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over brown rice. Makes 2-3 servings.

Thursday Recipe - Cheesy Rice Dinner

This was one of those "I have leftovers, what can I make?" meals. It turned out pretty tasty. Feel free to change up the leftovers however you want. It's a great one-pot meal.

Cheesy Rice Dinner

3 c. cooked rice (brown works well in this and is healthier)
2 c. cooked broccoli, chopped small (or use frozen mixed veggies, or leftover green beans or brussels sprouts or asparagus or whatever you've got)
1/4 c. bell pepper, chopped small
2 c. shredded cheese (use whatever you've got, we mixed about six varieties because I was cleaning out all those little chunks left in the fridge)
2 T. dried parsley or 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped small
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. salt
2 c. milk
2 eggs

Toss everything together except the milk and eggs. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Beat milk and eggs together, then pour over the top of the rice mixture.

Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes, until it is bubbly and browned on top. Sprinkle with more cheese if you want. Serve nice and hot.

Feeds 4-5 normal people, or two teenage males.

Thursday Recipe - Italian Meatloaf

This is a variation on the basic meatloaf. Make it into meatballs to go with your spaghetti. Or just eat it with noodles on the side.

Italian Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
2 c. oatmeal
2 eggs
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 c. onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. sweet bell peppers, finely chopped
1/4 c. mushrooms, chopped up
2/3 c. spaghetti sauce
1 t. Italian seasoning

Mix everything together. Use disposable gloves if you've got them, it will help keep your hands from smelling like garlic.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Mound the mixture into the casserole. Sprinkle the top with parmesan and extra herbs if you like. Bake uncovered at 350° for 55-65 minutes, until the mixture is no longer pink in the middle.

Serve with garlic bread, noodles, and green salad. Serves 6-8.

Thursday Recipe - Meatloaf

I have no idea why I haven't posted this recipe yet. Maybe because it's such an old standby I didn't think I needed to post it. I mean, meatloaf, how can that be exotic and sexy and fun to cook? It's comfort food, though. And very tasty.

My daughter told me a while back that she had no idea that meatloaf is usually made with bread crumbs until she was in college. We always used oatmeal. I had oatmeal in my pantry, but bread crumbs? Never. My mom used oatmeal, too, probably for the same reason. It worked when we were dealing with food allergies. I had one child allergic to oatmeal when he was little, though, but that's a whole different story. I'll just mention that mashed potatoes do not work as a binder in meatloaf. Still tasty. Rice can work as a filler, but only if it's cooked first. Now I'm getting off topic. On to the recipe.

Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
2 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. finely minced onion
2 eggs
1/2 c. barbecue sauce
1/4 c. ketchup

Mix everything together. This works best if you squish it in your hands. Wear those disposable food gloves if you've got them.

Lightly grease a 9-inch loaf pan. Pat the meat mixture into the pan. Bake at 350° for about an hour until the edges are toasted and the meat is no longer pink in the middle.

Serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side.

For meatballs - shape into balls. Place on a baking sheet, the kind with a rim, and bake at 400° for 12-20 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Once they are no longer pink inside, they are done. Glaze with a mixture of 1/2 c. jelly and 1/2 c. barbecue sauce.

Thursday Recipe - Ham Bean Soup

No, not "ham beans" but ham and bean soup. We had ham the other day, spiral cut with the bone in the middle. The bone makes tasty soup, so don't throw that away. And if it has chunks of ham still on it, even better.

This soup is best made in a slow cooker or crock pot. Long, slow simmering really pulls the flavors out. So make it the day before you want to eat it, or start it the night before.

Ham Bean Soup

2 c. dried white beans, like navy beans
1 ham bone
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced, use the center of the bunch with the leaves for best flavor
2 bay leaves
1 t. Italian seasoning
2 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper

Rinse the beans under cold water several times. Put the beans in a large saucepan. Add enough water to generously cover them, about 6 cups. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and let the beans sit for an hour.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add 6 c. of fresh water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hours until the beans are tender. You can do this in a crockpot - cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours or overnight.

Place ham bone in a large slow cooker. Add beans and the rest of the ingredients. Add extra water if needed to cover all the beans and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours until the meat is falling off the bone and the vegetables are very tender. Remove all pieces of bone and the bay leaves from the soup and throw them away.

Stir and add more salt if needed. Serve with crackers or fresh bread.

Makes about 3 quarts of soup, enough to feed at least ten people and still have some leftovers. Unless those people are teenage males.

Thursday Recipe - Berbere Seasoning and Ethiopian Inspired Pork Stew

I was looking for something different for dinner the other day. So I did what I usually do. I started browsing ethnic recipe sites. That's where I came across a recipe for berbere seasoning (the original is here). It's an Ethiopian seasoning blend. I tried something similar years ago and remembered it was good so I decided to give it a go.

I made a few changes and threw together the stew as a watchagot stew, as in, "What do I have in the fridge and the pantry?" Feel free to mix it up however you like.

If you're looking for something different than the usual, give this one a try.

Berbere Seasoning Mix

4 t. chili powder
2 t. paprika
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cardamom
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves

Mix everything together. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 4 T.

Ethiopian Inspired Pork Stew

1 T. oil
1 lb boneless pork, cut into stew meat size chunks (trim off the fat if you want)
2 T. berbere seasoning mix
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 c. diced onions
1/4 c. jicama, peeled and diced, OPTIONAL
2 t. salt

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add pork. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, just until it starts to brown. Sprinkle berbere seasoning mix over the meat, stir to coat. Cook for another minute, until the spices become very fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. The pork is NOT COOKED at this point, but it will be by the end.

Meanwhile, put everything else in a large saucepan. Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Stir in the pork. Cook over medium low heat for 1-3 hours, until the vegetables are tender. The sweet potatoes should mostly disintegrate into the stew and help thicken it.

Add salt to taste. Makes about 8 servings of stew.

Thursday Recipe - Chicken Gravy

We showed up home late the other night. And hungry. I needed something I could throw together in a hurry that wouldn't take much thought. I came up with this creamy chicken gravy. I did a non-dairy version a while back; this is the full dairy and flour version. It turned out very satisfying. We served it over bread, but you could use rice or mashed potatoes or waffles.

Chicken Gravy

2 T. oil
1/2 c. sweet onion, sliced thin
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. dried marjoram or basil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
3 c. milk

Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the chicken breasts. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until the chicken is mostly done, anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on how big the chicken pieces are and if they are frozen or not. Remove the chicken and cut up into bite-size pieces. Add chicken and onions back to the pan. Add flour and spices. Stir around until the chicken is coated.

Turn heat to low. Add 1 c. of the milk. Stir around until the flour is mostly mixed into the liquid, the better you mix them, the fewer lumps you'll have. Add the rest of the milk. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil.

Serve over toast or rice or mashed potatoes or ...

Thursday Recipe - Marble Potatoes with Bacon

So our local grocery store here carries little tiny potatoes. They are pricey, but hey, every once in a while I have to splurge. Plus, they come in a variety mix that includes purple potatoes. I think they were called marble potatoes because they were almost small enough to be marbles.

The store also carries the most divine bacon. It's an "ends and pieces" package of a maple bacon that is almost ham, not bacon. Lots of meat, not so much fat.

Between those two ingredients and a new crockpot I had to try out, I came up with this recipe. It was delicious. Especially with a little salt and pepper and butter.

Marble Potatoes with Bacon

About 3 cups of small potatoes, marble or new reds or whatever you have that's really small. You could also chop up some bigger potatoes into chunks.
1/3 c. onion slices
1/2 c. bacon chunks
1/3 c. hot water

Get out a small crockpot, 1-2 quarts. Drop the onions and half the bacon in the bottom. Dump in the potatoes. Dump the rest of the bacon on top. Pour in the water. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until potatoes are fork tender.

Thursday Recipe - Hawaiian Beef

Slow cooker recipe for you. It worked pretty well, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping to re-create. I've been looking for a sweet tomato beef recipe that my neighbor taught me to make years ago. It had pineapple, bell peppers, raisins, and a bunch of other yummy stuff in a ketchup based sauce.

Here's try #1:

Hawaiian Beef

1 large onion, cut into strips

2-3 lb top round steak or roast, cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 large bell peppers, cut into strips

1 c. crushed pineapple

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 T. ground ginger

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. hoisin sauce

1 c. ketchup

1 t. ground black pepper

Layer everything into a large (5-6 quart) crockpot or slow cooker in the order given. Slap the lid on and let it cook on high for 1-2 hours. Give it a good stir, then cover and cook for another 4-6 hours on low.

Stir well before serving over steamed rice.

Toppings:
chopped peanuts
sliced almonds
shredded coconut
chopped green onions
mandarin oranges
raisins
pineapple tidbits

Thursday Recipe - White Chicken Chili

I served this for dinner the other night. Very tasty soup. My daughter was upset when I told her it was White Chicken Chili. Then she tasted it. Her face lit up in a smile and she said, "I love this soup! Why didn't you just call it tortilla soup?"

Similar soup, but not quite the same.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb dried white navy beans
1 T. butter
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilis
1 T. chicken bouillon
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
6 small corn tortillas

Rinse the beans and pick out anything that isn't a bean. Sometimes, stuff gets in the bag like rocks. It happens. Put the beans in a 3-4 quart saucepan and cover with cold water. Set aside to soak overnight. (Or use a quick soak method: wash the beans, cover with hot water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let them sit for an hour.)

Drain and rinse the beans again. Put back in the saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours until the beans are mostly cooked.

While the beans are cooking, heat up your trusty 4-6 quart crockpot. Dump the butter, onion, and chicken into it. Cover and cook on high for about an hour, until the chicken is mostly done and the onions are soft.

Dump the beans into the crockpot with the chicken mixture. Add everything else, EXCEPT the tortillas. Add enough water to barely cover. Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

An hour before serving, tear the tortillas into smaller pieces. Dump into the soup. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for about an hour.

Serve with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, and shredded cheese.

It takes a long time to cook, but most of that is just simmering. It's a great all-day recipe that doesn't keep you in the kitchen.

Thursday Recipe - Orange Rice and Baked Salmon

My neighbor made a version of this years ago. I loved the taste enough that I tried to re-create the recipe. I think I'm finally close with this version. It goes really well with salmon.

Orange Rice

2 c. short grain rice, it cooks up sticky but you could use regular rice if you really wanted to
3 1/2 c. hot water
1 11-oz can of mandarin oranges
2 t. caraway seeds
2 t. salt

Mix everything in a 2-qt casserole dish. Bake at 425°F for one hour, or until the rice is tender. Stir gently before serving to distribute the caraway seeds. The oranges will fall apart, but that's supposed to happen.

Baked Salmon

2 lb frozen salmon fillets, more or less
1 t. dried dill weed
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 lemon, optional

Don't bother thawing the salmon, it cooks quite well straight from the freezer. Arrange salmon in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the dill and pepper. Slice the lemon, if you want it, and arrange the slices over the fish.

Bake at 425° for 25-35 minutes, until the fish flakes easily when you take a fork to it.

I like these together because they taste great together and you can bake them both at the same time, just put the fish in after the first 20 minutes or so of rice baking time and they should finish at about the same time.

Add steamed broccoli and fresh fruit and you have a delicious, healthy dinner that's easy to throw together.

Thursday Recipe - Hot Dog Casserole

This is a take on a dish my neighbor brought over years ago. Just don't do what my son did and use hot dogs that have been sitting out for two days. He's in the bathroom dealing with the consequences of that bad decision. He's three days shy of turning 18 so he's plenty old enough to know better.

Hot Dog Casserole

1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
3 c. milk
2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. box macaroni, cooked and drained
12 oz package of hot dogs, sliced

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook until bubbly. Slowly stir in milk. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and green chilies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with macaroni and hot dog slices. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes until very hot and bubbly.

Serve with a salad and cookies for a fast easy dinner. You can make the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate for up to three days before baking.