Cooking with KP

Kay's Hash Brown Casserole

This is a recipe I adapted from one on the back of Shur Fine Hash Browns. Great for pot luck dinners.

16 oz. thawed hash browns or one box hash browns, hydrated for 15 minutes in hot water
2 T butter, melted
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
8 oz. French onion dip
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake 8 more minutes.

Strawberry Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

This is my version of a recipe I found online. It is in my oven right now and it smells heavenly. Try it either as a loaf or as individual muffins. You could also substitute blueberries for the strawberries and use white chocolate morsels instead of dark.

2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup of strawberries, chopped(I sprinkled one tablespoon of sugar over the strawberries and let them sit while other items were mixed)
2 c self-rising flour
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 T milk
1 c dark chocolate chip morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add all ingredients except for strawberries and chocolate. Mix on low with mixer. Fold in strawberries and any juice given off while sitting. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into loaf pan or muffin tin which has been sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Bake 1 hour if loaf pan. Bake 35 minutes if muffins. Bread is ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Mexican Chicken Dip

I got this recipe from Taste of Home. I changed a few small things, but is very good.

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded taco blend or Mexican blend cheese
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies ( I use mild because I don't like things to spicy)
1 envelope taco seasoning
Tortilla chips or corn chips

In a 2-qt. microwave-safe dish, combine the first eight ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-5 minutes; stir. Microwave, uncovered, 3-4 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with chips. Yield: 3 cups.

Kay's Spanish Chicken

Here is a recipe that Mike and I enjoy very much. It is great served with rice. Also, it is very easy and the taste is amazing.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
10-12 white mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper to season chicken
1/2 tsp garlic powder to season chicken
1/2 tsp seasoned salt to season chicken
1 21 ounce can diced tomatoes

3 medium Roma tomatoes, finely diced (you can remove seeds if you like)

In a large skillet, heat oil. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown them in oil. Add all other ingredients and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid and cook 30 minutes. This is so tasty and healthy.

Serve over pasta, rice, or potatoes.

Cornflake Crusted Pork Chops or Chicken

Apparently, all the rest of the world has been enjoying cornflake crusted pork or chicken for years. I finally discovered it and love it. It is so easy and so great tasting.

3 cups of corn flakes, crushed
1 stick of margarine
6 large boneless pork chops or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
garlic powder
pepper
honey, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking pan in foil and spray the top of foil with cooking spray. Place crushed cornflakes in pan you can dip meat into.Melt margarine and place in large pan you can dip meat into. Season both sides of meat with garlic powder and pepper. Dip meat in melted margarine so both sides are coated and then dip into cornflakes. Place meat on foil covered pan. Bake for 1 hours. You don't need to turn meat. It will be crispy on both sides. This is amazing with a drizzle of honey on the top.

Mayonnaise Biscuits

Don't let the name change your mind, you don't taste mayo. What you do taste is wonderful and moist hot biscuits that are great with a little jelly or jam. I got this recipe from David Venable, on QVC. The recipe has been around for years, but I had never heard of it until now. In fact, I just made them for breakfast today.

2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Drop by spoonfuls in greased muffin tin. Bake 14-16 minutes. Makes 12 wonderful biscuits.

Easy One Skillet Casserole

This is a recipe from Betty Crocker that is quick and easy to prepare and very tasty. It is requires only one skillet for easy clean-up, too!

1 lb. lean hamburger meat
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In cast iron skillet, brown hamburger meat with onions and bell pepper. Drain any fat from mixture. Add bbq sauce and let simmer. In mixing bowl, mix bisquick, water, and egg. Pour over meat mixture. Bake 18 minutes uncovered. Sprinkle on cheddar cheese and bake 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

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Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.