Yummy Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery (2-3 stalks)
1-1/2 cups carrotts, sliced
2-1/2 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 15 oz can evaporated milk
4-5 chicken bullion cubes
2-3 quarts water
1 lb cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup potato pearls or flakes, for thickening
In your favorite soup pot, saute the onion and celery in the butter until they are softened. Add 2-3 quarts water, carrots, potatoes and chicken bullion cubes. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until veggies are soft. While that is simmering, cook the bacon in a frying pan. I like to slice it in small pieces while it is still a little frozen and then fry it–that way it is all ready crumbled and cooks pretty evenly. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to drain. Now, back to the soup pot. Add corn, cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk. If you want to you can add potato pearls or flakes at this point to make it thicker. Let chowder simmer 5-10 more minutes. Serve with warm rolls or bread. If you know you will be eating all of the soup at one meal, you can add all the bacon to the soup. I don’t like soggy bacon, so at my house, we add our own bacon to our individual bowls. *This chowder will definitely warm you up on a cold evening. It also makes an easy dinner to take to someone who is sick or struggling.

Coconut Curry

If you like curries, you will love this!

--and it is not too spicy for kids--

COCONUT CURRY
1 1/2 lb chicken or pork (I use Chicken) cut into chunks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
1 large onion, chopped in to 3/4″ pieces
1 or 2 red bell pepper chopped into 3/4″ pieces
2 medium carrots, julienned and cut to 2″ length (julienned means cut into skinny long pieces like straws.)
1 can sliced water chesnuts
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp grated ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger powder. (I use a little less then a tsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (can do more or less depending how much heat you like. For kids I would suggetst just a couple shakes-1/8 tsp)

THERE IS A LOT OF *CHOPPING INVOLVED IN THIS RECIPE, BUT IF YOU ARE A FOOD NERD LIKE ME, YOU THINK IT IS FUN!

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Braise the chicken at medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken into a large sauce pan, leaving the oil in the frying pan. Shake the can of coconut milk before opening. Add to the chicken and place the saucepan on memdium heat.(sorry I forgot to take a picture of the sauce pan with the chicken bathing in the coconut milk.) Add the vegetables and all spices to the fying pan. Stir well. Saute until the vegetables start to brown.

(I had to saute my carrots seperately because my pan was too small. If your pan seems too full, do the sauting in two batches.)Transfer the vegetable mixture into the sauce pan, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes. Serve over white rice. (If your curry seems a little thick you can thin it out with more coconut milk or chicken broth. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup of hot water and 1/2 a chicken bullion cube.)

…Serves 6-8.

*Sometimes I can find a fajita peppers and onions mix on sale in the freezer section at the grocery store. They all ready have cumin and chili powder in them. I have used them in place of the peppers, onions, chili powder and cumin before and it turned out great and was less work.

Chilli and Bean Taco Meat

I am always trying to figure out how I can add a little more nutrition to my meals and also keep them cheap and tasty. Beans are a great source of fiber and protein and make a great filler for things like chili and taco meat. I use this meat mixture for Navajo Tacos and for Haystacks. Haystacks are just like Navajo Tacos but you put corn chips on the bottom instead of a scone. You can just use chili for the meat mixture on the tacos, or even just plain homade refried beans, but this is our favorite way to eat them.

1 can of your favorite chili or 2 cups of leftover homade chili
1/2 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
1 can refried beans or 2 cups homade refried beans

Combine cooked ground beef, taco seasoning and water. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add chili and then stir in the refried beans. You may need to add more water. You want it to be the consistancy of chili. Once it is all combined heat through and serve as haystacks or navajo tacos.

Scone Dough (Navajo Tacos)

Okay people. I am a sucker for a good scone! And these are the bomb. Got the recipe from my sister Merry.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. powdered milk (if you don’t have powdered milk just do 3/4 cup warm milk and 3/4 water instead of 1 1/2 cups warm water. I put the milk in the microwave to warm it up.)
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour (I use at least 1 cup wheat flour)
Deep pan for frying with 1-2 inches of oil.

Let yeast disolve in water and milk, add honey, stir in dry ingredients, let rise until doubled. Pull off pieces, pat flat with floured hands and fry in oil, in a frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Serve as Navajo Tacos by layering with, cheese, Chili mixture, Lettuce, tomato, sour cream, green onions, salsa, and anything else you like. You can also just serve them with soup or with butter and honey, or butter and cinnamon and sugar. YUMMMMO!!!

Easy Crock Pot Fajitas

This recipe couldn’t get any easier. And to top it off it is super good! If you feel like you don’t know how to cook, start with this recipe and you will feel pretty proud of yourself. You could also use this meat mixture for a yummy taco salad.

2-3 large chicken breast
1 can pinto beans (Don’t drain) or two cups cooked pinto beans + 1/3 cup water
1-1/4 cup salsa (I like to use 1/2 red salsa and 1/2 green salsa)
1 large onion sliced wedge style (optional)
1 green or red pepper sliced wedge style (optional)
Tortillas
In a large crock pot add chicken (may be frozen,) beans and salsa. Cook on Low 6-8 hours or high 4 hours. You want the chicken shred easily. If you want onion and green pepper in it, add them about 1-2 hours before you plan on serving the meal. You can put them in earlier they just get soggy. Using two forks shred the chicken. Serve in tortillas with your favorite toppings. We like: Sour cream, salsa, grated cheese, tomato, lettuce, and olives.