Cooking with KP

Kay's Mexican Cornbread

I have always loved cornbread, and Mexican cornbread is wonderful with a southwestern meal, chili, red beans and rice, or just because you want some. Here is my semi-homemade recipe.

2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix

3 eggs, beaten

1 can cream style corn

1 small can green chilies

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 cups Mexican or Fiesta blend cheese

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 Tablespoon canola oil or butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tablespoon of oil or butter in cask iron skillet and place in oven while it is preheating. Combine all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend until moistened. Remove skillet from oven and pour in batter. Return to oven and bake 50-55 minutes until golden brown and pulling away from sides.

Note: Because of the cream style corn and cheese, this cornbread will be moist rather than dry.

Fiesta Crockpot Chicken

There are lots of recipes that use many of these ingredients to make a wonderful crockpot meal. Here is my version. You can serve it as is or on a bed of rice--Spanish, white, or yellow. You can also add 4 cups of chicken broth to make Fiesta Chicken Soup!

1.5-2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (you could use chicken thighs as well)

1 medium onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

2 Tablespoons parsley, diced

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of Rotel tomatoes (mild or spicy--your choice)

Juice of one lime

1 package of taco seasoning, dry

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shredded, return to crock pot and cook for 1 more hour.

Serve with your favorite shredded cheese on top.

Meat and Potatoes Casserole or Strata

I found this recipe online and made a few adjustments to accommodate our tastes. It is so very comforting, and you can use almost any kind of ground meat—beef, turkey, pork, sausage, etc. Adjust it to your taste preferences and enjoy!

1-2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, ground pork, or, ground sausage
3-4 cups potatoes, cleaned, peeled and cut into thin slices,
2 cups mushrooms, fresh, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cans (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of mushroom, celery or chicken soup
½ cup vegetable, chicken or beef broth

1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon pepper
You may want to add some salt, but I don’t because many of the ingredients are salty.
2 cups Colby Jack or Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup parmesan cheese, grated (not the green shaker can)
1 ½ cup crispy fried onions
You may want to add some salt, but I don’t because many of the ingredients are salty.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Prepare your potatoes.
In a large skillet sauté onions, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil.
Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink. Add Worcestershire sauce during the cooking. Drain if necessary. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine soup, broth, cream, paprika, salt and pepper with a whisk.
Put a layer of about half of the potatoes across the bottom of prepared pan. They can overlap and should touch. Cover the entire bottom of the pan.
Next, pour about half of the soup mixture over top of the potatoes.
Then sprinkle half the meat mixture and top with half the cheese.
Another layer of potatoes.
Remaining soup mixture.
Remaining meat and then crispy fried onions.
Lastly add your cheeses.
Cover with lightly sprayed aluminum foil or lid and bake for 90 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Make sure to coat your lid or tinfoil in cooking spray so the cheeses do not stick to it.
Remove cover and bake 15 more minutes if making a strata. If you just want casserole, you stop cooking here.
Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve and enjoy!

NOTE: For a change of taste, try shredded Pepper Jack cheese instead of cheddar/Colby Jack.

Chicken O'Brian

This is not my recipe. My daughter found it on TikTok. It was posted under Kristen
Beamer (@marleysrose). It is wonderful with homemade mashed potatoes. Just spoon the sauce on top of the mashed potatoes and enjoy!

2 lbs. of chicken tenders
10 strips of bacon
McCormick Perfect Pinch Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning
Italian Seasoning
1 stick of butter (I only used ½ stick)
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pint heavy whipping cream

Cook bacon and crumble into tiny pieces. Coat the tops of all chicken heavily with McCormick and Italian Seasoning. Over medium high heat in a large skillet heat oil and butter until butter is melted. Add chicken seasoned side down. Sprinkle seasonings on the chicken to coat this side. After 3 minutes, flip chicken. Cook on other side 3 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet. Add bacon and heavy whipping cream, whisk together, and reduce to simmer. Add chicken back in and spoon gravy/sauce over it. Cook for 7 more minutes.

Easy Blueberry Muffins

This is one of the easiest muffin recipes I have ever found. I found it online and made 2 adjustments to my family's tastes. It makes 8 large head muffins or 12 regular. The perfect batch for breakfast. Whip up some today!

1 3/4 cup of self-rising flour

3/4 cup sugar, plus some for sprinkling the tops

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring or orange flavoring (we like the orange sometimes) If you don't have orange flavoring you can use 3 teaspoons of fresh orange juice.

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin cups/liners in baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat egg, add flour, sugar, oil, flavoring, and milk. With a spoon, stir together until all is mixed. It will be a thick batter. If you feel the batter is too thick, add a little more milk--but not too much. You want to spoon the mixture not pour it. Fold in blueberries. Divide the mixture into the liners. Go all the way to the top if making 8. If making 12, lower the level a bit. Sprinkle the top with sugar. If you have dusting sugar or coarse sugar, this is great. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean and the the tops are lightly golden.

I like to spread orange butter on mine when I get them. Simple mix a little orange juice with soft butter/margarine.

Kay's Chicken Pasta Primavera

Many people believe the pasta primavera is an Italian dish, but it isn’t. Primavera is an American dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables, invented in the 1970s in a cooking contest in Canada. This is my version of several on the internet. I have added the prepared mustard because of the rich flavor it adds.

2 cups uncooked penne or spiral pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed and lightly seasoned with garlic powder, pepper, and seasoned salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons minced garlic from store)
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 package (16 ounces) frozen carrots-broccoli-cauliflower blend, thawed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh—not the green shaker jar)
1 tablespoon spicy prepared mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken that has been seasoned with garlic powder, pepper and seasoned salt in 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil until chicken is no longer pink. Push to side of skillet. Add the other tablespoon of butter and the red bell peppers and garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Mix with chicken. Add the vegetables and reduce to low. Cook for 4-5 minutes. And cream and prepared mustard; cook until vegetables done but still a bit crisp.

Pineapple Blueberry Crunch (Dump Cake)

There are many versions of this dessert on the internet and in cookbooks. We have had lots of fresh blueberries lately, so we made this. It is sweet but not overly sweet. The freshness of the blueberries really comes through. It is great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or topped with fresh whipped cream.

1 can crushed pineapple (20 ounces, do not drain)
3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

¾ cup sugar
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (melted)
½ cup brown sugar
1 to 1½ cup pecans (chopped)

Heat the oven to 350 F.
Generously butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Put pineapple and blueberries in pan; sprinkle with ¾ cup white sugar.
Pour the dry cake mix over the blueberry mixture then drizzle melted butter over the dry mix. Sprinkle with ½ cup brown sugar and chopped pecans. Do not stir.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and pecans are slightly roasted/crunchy,
Serve and enjoy!

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.

This is not my recipe. My daughter found it on TikTok. It was posted under Kristen Beamer (@marleysrose). It is wonderful with homemade mashed potatoes. Just spoon the sauce on top of the mashed potatoes and enjoy!

This is not my recipe. My daughter found it on TikTok. It was posted under Kristen
Beamer (@marleysrose). It is wonderful with homemade mashed potatoes. Just spoon the sauce on top of the mashed potatoes and enjoy!