Balsamic-Glazed Carrots

I was surprised that my husband liked these carrots. I assumed he would not like the balsamic vinaigrette. I enjoyed this recipe also!!

10 carrots (1 1/4 lb), peeled, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Cook carrots in boiling water in large saucepan on medium heat 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, cook dressing, sugar and butter in small saucepan on low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Drain carrots; return to saucepan. Add sauce; stir. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until carrots are heated through and evenly coated with sauce. Sprinkle with parlsey.

Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I really like this recipe. I got it from www.bhg.com. I used canned chicken, dried cilantro, pecans, bread I had in the house and lettuce. I think you could replace the bread with lettuce to make a wrap.

1 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped sweet onion (1 large)
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt and ground black pepper (optional)
10 sliced sourdough bread, toasted
10 slices tomato
3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
Pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered for 13 to 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes more or until golden. In a large bowl, combine onion, chicken, walnuts and green onion. Add mayonnaise, cilantro and lime juice; toss to coat. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper. Place about 1/2 cup chicken salad on each of five bread slices. Top each with two slices tomato and some of the spinach. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices. If desired, secure each sandwich with a skewer and garnish with an olive. Makes 5 servings.

Slow Cooker Hoppin' John Chowder

I have seen the name Hoppin' John recipes everyyear but never did anything about it. So this year I decided to make it. When researching to find out about this soup I discovered it can be made with sausage or ham. This should be eaten at midnight. The person who finds a coin in their bowl receives good luck in the new year. We enjoyed this recipe and my husbands brother and sisters had not tried it before. I cooked it on top of the stove and it worked out great.

1 1/2 cups instant white rice
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 (15.5 oz) cans black-eyed peas with liquid
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed beef broth
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup water, or as needed

Prepare rice according to package instructions and set aside. Meanwhile, combine the ground beef, green pepper and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently and crumbling beef until no longer pink. Drain off grease. Place the rice and beef mixture into a 5 quart slow cooker. Add the black-eyed peas, beef broth, diced tomatoes with green chilies and enough water to cover everything. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours.

Memories

Christmas 1961
This is my younger brother and myself sitting on Santa (my Dad)'s lap.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe in the book "Call Me Mrs Miracle" by Debbie Macomber. I love sugar cookies and was very curious about this recipe since it's made with brown sugar rather than white sugar. They are very good with an obvious brown sugar taste. Watch Debbie Macomber's "Mrs Miracle" and "Call Me Mrs Miracle" movies on the Hallmark Channel.

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or grated lemon peel

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vani9lla; beat until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until combined. Shape dough into two disks; wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets iwth parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator. Cut disk in half; cover remaining half. On a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; reserve trimmings for rerolling. Place cookies on prepared sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake 10 to 12 mintues (depending on the size of the cookies) until pale gold. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and rerolled scraps. Makes about 48 cookies.

TIP: Decorate baked cookies with prepared frosting or sprinkle unbaked cookies with colored sugars before putting them in the oven.

Thanksgiving Quesadilla with Cranberry Cream Dipping Sauce

I got this recipe from Food Network Sandra Lee. It was something new to try with leftovers. Depending on the size of tortilla used, it makes alot, so share it. We felt it was a little dry. Maybe add some gravy to it.

1 cup small diced leftover turkey breast

1/2 cup leftover stuffing, broken into small pieces

1 cup shredded Cheddar

2 large flour tortillas

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Put 1 flour tortilla into the pan. Cover with half of the cheese, then a layer of turkey, a layer of stuffing. Top with the remaining cheese and cover with another tortilla. Cook for 3 to 4 mintues and flip. To flip, put a large plate on top of the quesadilla in the pan. Put your palm on the plate and flip the pan upside down. Put the pan back on the stove and slide the quesadilla back into the pan. Cook until the cheese is melted, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir together the sour cream and cranberry sauce in a small serving bowl. Cut the quesdailla into 8 wedges, transfer to a serving platter and serve with cranberry sour cream.

Green Tomato Muffins

This is a fabulous recipe!!!! I found this at eclectic cook.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 1/2 cups green tomatoes, seeded and chopped

brown sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Greas and flour muffin tin or line with paper cups. In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and mix well to combine. Gently stir in the buttermilk. Stir in the flour mixture and fold in the tomatoes. Fill the muffin cups with the batter. Generously sprinkle the muffins with brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Muffins should be golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin will come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Green Tomato Chili

I found this recipe at Cooking With Michele. I was lost because her recipe did not have beans, so I added some. I thought her amount of Poblano peppers was too much, so I added only 1/4 of 1 pepper. I wasn't too excited with the flavor so I added 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies. I will not be making this one again.

First brown 1 pound ground beef with 1 onion, diced. Add about 2-3 cups of diced Poblano and banana peppers (small, thin - skinned ones - if they are thick - skinned you will want to roast and peel them first), 1 cup diced red tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups pureed green tomatoes. Add standard chili seasoning blend - a good amount of chili powder (1-2 tablespoons), cumin (2-3 teaspoons), coriander (1 teaspoon), salt and pepper - plus a little cayenne for a kick but leave that out if you don't want it hot. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. You'll never know there are green tomatoes in the mix.