Leftover Chili Solution: Nacho Supremes

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Mom of 4

When I was a kid, I loved it when my mom had leftover Chili because she’d make it into this delicious meal. The homemade creamy cheese sauce MAKES this dish!

Nacho Supremes

Ingredients

1 stick Butter
¾ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
3-½ cups Whole Milk, Or More As Needed
2 pounds Velveeta Cheese
Yellow Corn Chips, To Serve
10 cups (or More) Warm Leftover Chili
Optional Garnish: Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Lettuce Shreds

Melt butter in a large family skillet. Slowly whisk in flour and salt until it makes a paste. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly and until thickened. Add cubed Velveeta and stir until melted. Add up to 1/2 cup milk more at the end to thin down the cheese if it’s too thick.

Serve over a plate of chips and Chili and garnish per your taste. Delicious!

Update picture: 2-15-13

Crock Pot Kraut & Bean Soup

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Mom of 4

This is post 2 for today, head back a post for Destiny’s post: “The Heart of Worship”.

I adapted this recipe from my good friend, Mrs. Baker’s blog. The second I saw it, I knew I HAD to make it. I am intrigued by sauerkraut and I have to tell you something….this is BY FAR, the number 1 best soup I have EVER MADE.

PROMISE me you will try this! I am not even kidding you, we GOBBLED it up! {As in 2 bowls each, including the kids!}

The Kraut cooks away to a sweet, mild flavor, which melds in your mouth with the smoky sausage, hearty beans and hint of dill.

Oh. My. Stinkin. Word.

I want to go make this again right now!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crock Pot Kraut & Bean Soup

4 cups Diced Unpeeled Potatoes
2 cans (14 Oz Each) Sauerkraut, Un-drained
1 cup Water (I added more because mine was too thick)
2 packages Kielbasa Sausage, Halved And Sliced
2 cans (15 Oz Each) Northern Beans, Pour Off Top Liquid Only
2 cans (15 Oz Each) Pork And Beans, Un-drained
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Dill Weed (I Did A Bit More, Yum!)

Boil potatoe cubes until slightly soft. Then, in an 8 Qt. crock pot layer potatoes, sauerkraut, water, kielbasa, then beans. Sprinkle brown sugar and dill weed over all.
Cover, cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are soft and forl tender. Make sure you stir a few times during cooking, adding another 1/2 c water as needed, if it appears too thick.

Oh my word, this is seriously my new FAVORITE soup! It was so sweet & savory, big enough to feed a crowd and is OH SO GOOD!

{This makes a HUUUUUGE batch, so it can be easily halved and put into a 4 Qt crock pot as well.}

Repeat after me, ok?

Fill in the blank with your name…….

I, ________________, do hereby PROMISE to give this soup a try, even though I think sauerkraut is stinky and gross because I love Tonya and I trust her Foodie Opinion.

See, that wasn’t so hard! Now go…….make this soup, then report back to me how much you loved it!

~T 🙂

Wild Rice & Potato Soup

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Mom of 4

Be sure to check out Post 1 for today: Old Timey Photos.

This is a family favorite! And it’s SO easy, just make some rice, open a few cans and dump! Creamy, hearty and delicious!

Wild Rice & Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 box (6 Oz) Uncle Bens Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package
1 package (5.4 Oz) Lipton’s Mushroom Rice, Cooked According To Packet
1 cup Diced Onion
2 cups Diced Celery
2 packages (3 Oz Each) Real Bacon Pieces
2 containers fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cans (10.75 Oz. Can) organic Potato Soup (Wolfgang puck is really good)
1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Celery
1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) organic Cream Of Mushroom
2 cans (10.75 Oz. Can) Chicken Broth
2 cups Shredded Cheese
1 quart Half-and-half

Cook rice according to directions on the packages; set aside. Sautee mushrooms, onions and celery in the bottom of a large pot (8-quart pot) over medium heat. Add all remaining ingredients (including the cooked rice) to the pot except the half-and-half. Heat through. Remove from heat and add half-and-half. Then place back on the stovetop over medium-low heat and warm until serving. Don’t boil or this soup will curdle. Makes a nice BIG batch!

Tastes best with a loaf of crusty French bread with an herb and garlic butter. Oh man, is it good together!

Dig in!

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Easy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole with Creamed Peas

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Mom of 4

This is the “real” post for today, I just had to share the first one because it totally cracked me up. 🙂

EASY CHICKEN & STUFFING CASSEROLE

Ingredients

8 whole Chicken Breasts, Cooked, Seasoned And Shredded (I like to use boneless thighs)
2 cans (10.75 Oz) Organic Cream Of Chicken Soup
2 sticks Butter
4 packages (6 Oz) Pepperidge Farm Dressing With Herbs
2 cups Sour Cream
3 cups chicken broth water from cooked chicken (Or Canned Broth If You Prefer)

Preparation Instructions

Boil chicken in a pot of salted water until done. Remove chicken breasts, reserving liquid. Place chicken in a medium bowl and shred with 2 forks.
Melt butter in a medium skillet with 2 packages of dressing mix. Add enough of the chicken water (or canned broth) to reach a thin consistancy, about 3 or so cups.
Put stuffing mixture into a lightly sprayed casserole dish. You will want a large 10×14 Pyrex or the deep pampered chef rectangle baker. Add shredded chicken, covering evenly. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup, spread on top of chicken layer. Place the rest of your dressing on top. Bake at 350* for 1 hr or until hot in center.

Enjoy with a side of Creamed Peas, they taste AMAZING together!

Yup, I said Peas.

You will eat them and you WILL like them.

Oh sorry, I thought I was talking to my kids for a sec. 🙂

Actually, I hate cooked peas, but I will eat these creamed ones. My kids eat an entire double batch in one meal. Yup, they are THAT good!

Quite wrinkling your nose, I’m serious!!!! Gone are the pale, mushy peas of years past. These are tender with a hint of crisp and maintain their GORGEOUS green color! I double the following recipe and the kids STILL gobble up every last bite. Just try them once and I’ll leave you alone, I promise!

CREAMED PEAS

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
½ teaspoons Sugar (optional)
½ teaspoons Salt
1 dash Pepper
2 cups Frozen Peas

Melt butter over medium heat in a 1 quart saucepan, and whisk in flour until well blended and smooth. Now very gradually stir in the milk. When milk is combined, add optional sugar, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sauce beings to boil. Stir and boil 1 minute. Add frozen peas and stir. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Do NOT overcook! Soggy peas will ruin this dish, you want them tender but firm.

Happy Supper!

(make the peas, be BRAVE)

This post shared with:

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

Mexican Dip Dinner

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Mom of 4

Dip for DINNER?! Yup! And boy were my kids excited about this one.

Mexican Dip Dinner

Ingredients

2 pounds Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
6 cups Liquid (use Drained Tomato Juice Then Water Or Chicken Broth)
1 cup Uncooked Brown Rice
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 teaspoons Salt
4 cloves Garlic, Pressed
15 ounces, fluid Tomato Sauce
15 oz. diced tomatoes, drained. Save juice!
2 cans (6 Oz Each) Tomato Paste
15 ounces, weight Can Of Pinto Beans, Rinsed And Drained

In a large pot, brown the beef with onion and garlic. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain grease. Add water, rice, *seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer UNCOVERED for 60-70 minutes.(less if using white rice) Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs and all the ingredients meld together.
Serve warm with tortillas chips for dipping and other taco garnishes of your choice, as well as Gringo Queso Dip (recipe below).
YUM!
This dish freezes well.

*Another option would be to skip the seasonings and do a Taco Seasoning Packet instead, I’m planning to try this next time around!

Gringo Queso Dip

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

1 block Velveeta Pepper Jack Cheese (16oz)
1-½ cup Whole Milk
1 cup Prepared Pico De Gallo
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
9 ounces, weight Frozen Creamed Spinach, Chopped
¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (more Or Less, Depending On Preference)

Cube the Velveeta into crock pot set on low until fully melted. Then stir in milk, (only a bit at a time, you may not use it all, ours got too runny!) pico de gallo, parmesan, spinach, and cayenne. Cook another hour or until creamy and heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

DIP, it’s what’s for dinner!

Y-U-M!

This post shared with:

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

Tasty Tuesday

Ultimate Beans & Rice Linky Party

Savory Baked Spaghetti, again?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Mom of 4

Well, this is just plain embarrassing. I spend all this time preparing this blog post for you, only to realize……

I’ve already blogged this recipe.

What?

I suppose, it was bound to happen sooner or later, as much stuff as I have going on in my brain at all times. Jeepers. On the bright side, at LEAST I made it to the year mark before the first recipe repeat happened. 🙂

I suppose this will start to happen more and more as the blog grows. Plus, there are recipes that come up annually by season, so maybe this is something that I start doing regularly, you know, like a recipe flash back? A blast from the past? Maybe a Flashback Friday or something? Hmm, I’ll think on that.

Anyhow, I bet you’ll forgive my repeat once you make this! It’s GOOOOOD!!!! If you know me, you know I don’t like to repeat recipes much, but this one gets put in the rotation between new recipes.

SAVORY BAKED SPAGHETTI

A delicious alternative to plain old spaghetti . . . think lasagna style! Super easy and super good flavor!

Ingredients

16 ounces, weight Spaghetti Noodles
1 pound Ground Italian Sausage
4 cloves Garlic, Pressed
1 whole Onion, Chopped
1 jar (26 Oz. Jar) Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
5 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
2 whole Eggs
⅓ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
Italian Seasoning, to taste
2 cups Small Curd Cottage Cheese (Only 2 people in our family even like cottage cheese, but TRUST me, it just adds moisture, don’t skip it!)
4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Freshly Shredded Is Best!)

Preparation Instructions

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions; then drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook meat, garlic cloves and onions until meat is no longer pink. Drain grease if necessary. Stir in a jar of spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt and set aside.

In the now empty spaghetti noodle pot, melt 5 Tablespoons of butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Add eggs, whisk. Stir in parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to taste. Add drained spaghetti to the egg mixture. Toss to coat.

Place half of the spaghetti mix in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top with half the cottage cheese, half the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once.

Cover and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-25 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Dig in!

See that Ooey-gooey Cheesy Bread in the back of the photo?

BEST. BREAD. EVER.

And super easy too, this is one of those “Non-recipe” recipes with no measurements, just shake, schmear and spread to your liking.

EASY CHEESY BREAD

Leftover hamburger buns, or whole wheat french loaf, cut in half

Spread each half with butter and a generous amount of Garlic salt.

Spread with a nice layer of sour cream.

Sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese, like Colby Jack or Mexican Blend.

Bake 350* for 10 minutes or until melted.

DEEEEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!

Mmmm!

P.S. May I just take a moment to point out, that although this is not my finest food photograph moment, the Savory Spaghetti Bake photo taken for this post is still much improved over the one from last year, thankyouverymuch?

THEN:

NOW:

Better. Not great, but better.

I’ll take it! 🙂

This post linked to:

Vintage Cookery

On the Menu Monday

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

One Dish Pork Chop Potato Casserole

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Mom of 4

I am always drawn to recipes where there are 2 items in one pan…less dishes later! This Pork Chop Potato Casserole recipe comes from Gooseberry Patch’s New Cookbook, I found it on my friend, Brandie’s (aka The Country Cook) site and knew I HAD to make it……..

It’s a keeper!

One Dish Pork Chop Potato Casserole

Ingredients

8 whole Boneless Pork Chops, Seasoned As You Wish
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can 10 Oz. Cream Of Celery Soup
½ cups Milk
32 ounces, weight Hash browns, Thawed
Salt, Pepper And Garlic Powder, To Taste
1 can French Fried Onions
1 cup Shredded Cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. Season both sides of pork chops with salt, pepper, whatever you like. In a large skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in hot oil. Set aside. (They will not be cooked all the way and that’s ok, it’s headed to the oven next.)
In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cream of celery soup and milk. Stir in hash browns, salt, pepper and garlic powder, then half of the French fried onions. Spread hash brown mixture in an un-greased 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Top with seared pork chops, arranging so that none are over top another. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Add remaining French Fried onions and bake 5-10 minutes more.

Steam some green beans while this bakes and you have your whole meal just like that! Easy and delicious!

* Do not use too thin of boneless pork chops for this, they will dry out. Bone in would also be a good option but you will probably bake it longer.

Happy Cooking!

This post shared at:

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Sausage, Beans & Rice: Cheater Style

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Mom of 4

Thanks for coming to post #2 for the day. I have to admit, I totally cracked myself up when I was drawing those pictures of me in the garage for the “Scared Silly” post. I’m easily amused I guess. Anyhow, now that you are done reading , it’s time for a recipe!

You know I am Anti-box or “Cardboard Food” as we call it, but every once in a while, when I am out of time and ideas, I grab a box of Family Sized Zatarain’s

Then I make this…..

One of Dale’s favorites!

SAUSAGE, BEANS & RICE

(Click here to be taken to Tasty Kitchen to print)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 stalks Celery
1 whole Medium Pepper, Chopped (any Color)
2 cloves Garlic, Pressed
1 whole Onion, Chopped
1-½ pound Smoked Sausage, Sliced And Halved
½ cups Tomato Sauce Plus 2 Tablespoons Water
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley Flakes
1 whole Bay Leaf
Dash Of Ground Cayenne Pepper
2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Kidney Beans, Rinsed And Drained (I soak dried beans overnight, if I have time then cook the next day!!!!)
1 cup Basamati Brown Rice, Prepared According To Package Directions
1 box (12 Oz.) Zatarain’s Red Beans And Rice, Cooked According To Package

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare both the brown rice and Zatarain’s Beans and Rice according to package directions. Set aside.

2. In a large Family Skillet, heat the olive oil. Add celery, pepper, garlic, onion and smoked sausage. Cook over medium heat, about 10 minutes, or until sausage is somewhat browned.

3. Add the tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, add the drained and rinsed beans and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

4. Add your already cooked rice to your skillet and stir. Keep warm until serving.

Easy & delicious!

Updated photo 1-21-2014

This post linked to:

Ultimate Beans & Rice Linky Party

Peppered Beef & Snow Peas with Brown Rice Bake

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Mom of 4

Another 2 post kinda day, I’m telling you I have been hitting the New Recipe JACKPOT! I hardly ever have so many keepers. What a good problem to have.

Hungry for Chinese food? Skip Chinese take out…now you can make your own!

Easy and oh-so delicious!

Peppered Beef & Snow Peas

from One Lovely Life

For Stir Fry:
2 pounds Strip Steak, Thinly Sliced Across Grain
½ cups Soy Sauce
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced (don’t Skip This, It Adds Great Flavor! Peel And Mince Remaining Pieces And Freeze For Another Use)
2 teaspoons Cracked Pepper
1-½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
Pinch Of Red Pepper Flakes
8 ounces, weight Snow Peas, Ends Trimmed Off
4 whole Green Onions, Sliced
4 Tablespoons Oil
5 Tablespoons Water

For stir-fry:
In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, black pepper, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Add steak strips to the marinade and toss to coat.

In a large family skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil over high heat. Add snow peas and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Heat 2 more Tbsp of oil. Add beef strips and green onion to skillet (squeeze steak strips out to leave as much of the marinade in the bowl as possible). Cook on one side 1 minute without disturbing. Flip and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink. Remove from skillet and set aside with snow peas.

Using the same skillet, pour in remaining marinade and add 5 Tbsp water. Allow marinade to come to boil until thickened. (get it nice and hot to kill any raw meat germs) Return peas and beef to skillet and toss with sauce.

Serve over baked brown rice. YUMMY!

———————————————————————————————————–

I have always struggled with sticky rice, not matter how much I rinse the rice, watch the pot, carefully fluff with a fork….my rice is sticky. YUCK!

But, that was before I found this recipe for Brown Rice that you bake in the oven. It turns out perfect everytime!!!!! YAY!

Brown Rice Bake

1-½ cup Brown Basamati Rice

2 cups Chicken Broth

½ cups Water

½ teaspoons Salt

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine brown rice, chicken broth, water and salt in a 8×11 baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before removing foil and fluffing with fork.

Dig in! It was so good there is not one speck left…..guess I better double it next time! 🙂

Happy Cooking!

P.S. Pop on over to This Chick Cooks today, she is featuring our Mexican Chicken Salad with Chili-lime Dressing. Thank you for sharing our recipe!

This recipe linked to:

Wonka Wednesday

This Chick Cooks

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Lark’s Country Heart

On The Menu Monday

Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

Everyday Sisters

Spoon Burgers & Brain Clearing

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Mom of 4

Ten years ago yesterday, the world changed forever when the 9/11 attacks occurred. No matter who you are or where you’re from, never forget the lives lost and the sacrifices made on that day.

I was a nanny for 5 young children. Their mom and dad had flown to Chicago and I was alone with the children for the week. I remember being so scared at the large responsibility of these children’s lives. I remember wondering what was going to be attacked next, was war going to break out all over the nation?! Their parents were unable to leave Chicago as all flights were obviously cancelled until further notice. I do believe after hours and hours of searching, they were able to find a rental car to start the long drive home. Here is the Scripture passage that brought me comfort that weekend, as I prayed it over America:

Psalm 35
“O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
Declare war on those who are attacking me.
Put on your armor and take up your shield…come to my aid.
…..disgrace those trying to kill me; turn them back in confusion.”

It’s hard to understand why God would allow something like this to occur.

“I believe God is deeply saddened by {9-11}, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

May God have mercy on our fallen Nation as she defies Him at every turn.

Heavy thoughts to start a Monday, so a couple deep breaths and some happier notes before I go:

Thank you to my facebook friends for your prayers this weekend! I shot my first ever wedding, interviewing for a “2nd Shooter” position. It was SO much fun! Daunting, but fun. My hand is permanently in a camera shape though and I think I have like 4 blisters too! Shooting for 12 hours is EXHAUSTING!!!!! Kudos to you wedding photographers, no wonder you charge so much! 🙂

All of the shots we took belong to the Photographer, so I turned over all the memory cards full of photos to her. She said when they hit her website I could share them with you though! Here is a picture of my computer screen as we speak:

I can’t wait to see the rest. I’m nervously waiting “The phone call” where she critiques my work. She’s a close friend of mine, so I know she’ll be gentle with me! 🙂

The Food side of 4littlefergusons is growing, and I’m excited! Last week, nearly 100 extra views from someone featuring our recipe for Italian Beef Sandwiches. Man, are those ever good!!!! If you haven’t made them yet, you are MISSING OUT!

Over the weekend:

EVERYDAY SISTERS voted our Twinkie Cake top 3 for Yellow week.

Head on over and check it out. These Sisters are always cooking up something good! Thanks, Everyday Sisters!

We were also mentioned at Sumptuous Spoonfuls Pizza Party, along with a bunch of other yummy ones that I need to try!

Excerpt: “I don’t know how she did it with all the chaos in her household, but the 4 little Fergusons brought 3 kinds of pizza. My favorite was the Herb & Garlic Asparagus Pizza….”

She was referring to the pizza in this post: “Try My 3 Pizzas”.

Hmm, how DID I survive that crazy night with my sanity in tact? Just barely, if I recall!

Thanks Sumptuous Spoonfuls!

Speaking of food, I have a new, simple recipe for you. I made these this summer when we just arrived home from 2 weeks in Florida. As you can imagine, my cupboards were bare, and so was my fridge!!

Spoon Burgers were popular back in the 30’s during the days of the Depression. This is a simple supper and easy on the ol’ grocery budget. It was actually a delicious, filling meal!

Spoon Burgers

from Savannah’s Savory Bites

Ingredients

2 pounds Venison, Bison, Beef Or Ground Turkey
Salt And Pepper
⅓ cups Flour (I Did A Generous 1/3 Cup)
2 cans (10 Oz. Size) Campbell’s French Onion Soup
Whole Wheat Rolls Or Small Hoagie Buns
Your Favorite Cheese, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

Brown meat with salt and pepper. Drain fat. Stir in flour. In a small saucepan, add soup and boil about 20 minutes to reduce liquid by half. Pour over hamburger and serve warm on whole wheat buns with your favorite cheese—Provolone, Havarti, Gouda, Swiss, Velveeta, whatever floats your boat! Serve it up with french fries and a veggie and you are set!

Welp, that’s it from here…. All blah’d out in one big, rambling post. I gotta tell you, after that wedding, I AM WIPED OUT. Thanks for letting me clear my brain!

Happy Monday!

This post linked to:

Wonka Wednesday

This Chick Cooks

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage