Chicken and Ham Veggie Soup

I love soup on cold days and I was looking for a way to use up some of our leftover ham from the holidays.  This is a very flavorful soup.

4 C chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 large onion chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 C carrots chopped
1 14 oz. package frozen corn
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1  can petite diced tomatoes
3/4 C chopped ham
1/4 C ketchup
1/2 TBS sugar
3 TBS red wine vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp dried marjoram (I used Oregano)
2 TBS taco seasoning.

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot.  Add uncooked whole chicken breast, onion and celery.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add carrots, continue simmering for 15-20 more minutes.  remove chicken from pot and let cool slightly.  Shred chicken and put back in pot.  Add all remaining ingredients, cover and simmer on low for 30 more minutes.

***Crockpot version
Cube chicken and brown in frying pan.  Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until veggies are tender.

Three Beans and Bacon over Rice

The best way to describe this recipe is it  tastes just like Bush's Baked Beans or Pork n Beans.   

1/2 lb Bacon cut into small pieces ( I used turkey bacon)
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 C Onion
1/2 C Ketchup
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp-1/4 C Dijon Mustard
3 cans of different beans, rinsed and drained ( I used black, pinto and northern white beans)
1/2  C beef broth
4 C cooked rice

1. Fry bacon until crisp.
2. Brown hamburger and onion and drain.
3. Add next 7 ingredients and simmer on stove for 1 hour.

Serve over cooked rice.

Sweet Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes

This has been an awesome summer addition to our dinners.  There is just something great about tomatoes and sausage together!  Even my three year old had multiple servings.

6 links Whole Ranch Sweet Italian Sausage (I just used the horseshoe shaped ones I get from Sam's or Costco)

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 large garlic cloves finely chopped

3 TBS fresh oregano finely chopped (or 1 TBS dried oregano)

1 pound of zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 pound mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half (I only had red)

1/2 C chopped fresh basil (I used about 1 1/2 tsp dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare sausages according to package directions, either in a sauté pan or on the grill. While they are cooking, heat olive oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds, then add zucchini and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

When sausages are cooked, cut into large bite-sized pieces and add to pan along with tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a large platter and serve.

**The first time I made this I followed the directions as outlined above.  I felt like between the olive oil and the grease from the sausage in was a bit to much.  So the second time I did not use the olive oil.  I just cooked the sliced sausage pieces until heated through and then add the remaining ingredients and followed the remainder of the recipe as above.

Dirty Rice

I can't take credit for this recipe.  My sister Michelle passed this one on to me and it was delicious!

 Thanks Sis.

Dirty Rice

1/4 cup Oil

1/4 cup Flour (rice or sweet rice flour)

2 oz Butter

1 Onion finely chopped

2 Garlic cloves crushed

1 Green Pepper

1 Celery Stalk

6 oz of Chicken breast cubed

8 oz of  Sausage Sliced (I used Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa Sausage)

2 tsp Chicken Stock Powder

1 tsp Tabasco Sauce

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1/2 tsp White Pepper...I just use Black

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

2 Cups Long Grain Rice

3 Cups Chicken Stock.

Heat oil in pan, when hot, sprinkle with flour, mix together and whisk for 3 or four minutes, (whisking continuously) until the mixture is nut brown in color, but not burnt. Remove the roux from the pan to stop further cooking.

Heat the butter in a pan and add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery. Cook stirring often for five minutes, or until the the veggies are soft, but not browned. Transfer to a plate.

Add the chicken and pork to the pan and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Return veggies to the pan and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in the Roux, Stock Powder, Tabasco, the garlic and onion powder and the herbs and spices. Stir well for a minute or two.

Then stir in the rice and chicken stock. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring often for thirty minutes, or until the rice is tender. Serve immediately.

Crock Pot Ribs

Crock Pot Ribs

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. baby back ribs (We use boneless pork ribs)
¾ tsp. black pepper
¾ tsp. white pepper ( did not use)
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup dark brown sugar ( I used light brown)
¾ tsp. ground oregano
1 T paprika
1½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ cup barbecue sauce

Directions:

Cut ribs into sections small enough to fit inside your crock pot. Mix all remaining ingredients except barbecue sauce to create a dry rub. Rub all over the ribs and place them in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove ribs from crock pot and brush with barbecue sauce.
Serve with extra napkins and try to wait until you get to the table before digging in.

Dutch Oven or Crock-Pot Potatoes

This has to be one of our favorite summertime meals. We have always made these in the dutch oven, but I wanted to try them in the crock pot and see how it turned out. Both ways are a huge success.

This is one of those meals that I don't really measure. I just make according to how many people I will be feeding. For our family of five this is what I used.

Ingredients

1 lb sliced smoked sausage, smokies, or cooked, cut up bacon
5-6 potatoes, diced
1 C sliced carrots
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
Mushrooms (optional)
Garlic (fresh minced or powdered, season to taste)
Italian seasoning (season to taste)
Pepper (season to taste)
Grated cheddar cheese

1 stick butter sliced-for dutch oven
1/4 stick butter sliced and nonstick spray-for crock-pot

For dutch oven-
Place sliced butter, carrots and onions in dutch oven. Cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Add potatoes, celery, sausage/bacon, and seasonings. Cover and cook over hot briquettes until veggies are tender. Takes about one hour to one hour thirty minutes. Generously cover with shredded cheddar cheese.

For crock-pot-
Spray sides of crock pot with non stick spray and place sliced butter in the bottom. In a medium size bowl, place everything except cheese and mix well. Place in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
Cover with grated cheddar cheese and serve as a main dish with a side salad or serve it as a side dish with barbecued chicken.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork or Chicken

This meal requires a few hours in the kitchen, but well worth the effort! I came across this recipe on another blog I was reading, Family Favorite Recipes. It is not a GF blog, but a lot of the recipes could and can be converted to GF. My husband likes pork and the kids and myself like chicken, so the first time I made this, we used pork and then tried it again another night with chicken. Both were a success. My mom has tried it using a roast and said it tasted great. We made it tostada style as well as taco style. With the tostada style, I lightly browned the tortilla on a griddle until crispy, and then topped with rice, beans, meat, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream.

This one is with the pork, served with the Cilantro Ranch and tortilla chips.

SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can RED enchilada sauce (I used Rosarita, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Corn Tortillas for serving finished pork on

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 C of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

BLACK BEANS
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

For the taco style, I warmed the tortilla up on a griddle, filled it with rice, beans, meat and cheese. I then folded the tortilla in half and placed in the oven on a baking sheet and broiled it on high until it was golden brown. I removed it and topped it with tomatoes.