Crockpot Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder

This is a super tasty and very easy crockpot chowder.  Fantastic for one of these beautiful spring days, get it mixed up the day before or the morning of and let it cook throughout the day.  

Ingredients:

-1 lb. ground beef

-1 cup diced onions {I used my garden onions, that I sliced in the food processor and froze for using throughout the winter}

-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese {I like sharp cheddar}

-5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled {I used about 1/2 cup real bacon bits/pieces}

-1/2 cup celery, chopped {2-3 stalks}

-1 cup chopped or shredded carrot {about 1 large carrot}

-2 cups potatoes, cubed {I used 3 small}

-8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

-4 cups chicken, vegetable or beef broth {32 oz.}

-1/4 cup flour {I used corn flour}

-1 cup milk

-3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced {I used 2 tsp minced dried garlic}

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

Process:
1. Brown ground beef, rinse and drain of all grease.

 2. In crockpot, combine celery, carrot, potatoes, broth, flour, garlic, salt and pepper.

I browned the frozen onions and then roughly chopped them before adding to the crockpot.

 3. Add drained beef, bacon, onions and cream cheese.

 4. Stir well.

 5. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

6. About 10-15 minutes before serving mix in milk and cheese.  Recover and cook for the remaining 10-15 minutes and enjoy!
{I forgot to take pictures just before serving; but it looked great and tasted fantastic!}

Cotton Candy Salad

This is a great salad for a summer barbecue!  Its very easy and is best made ahead so it can chill thoroughly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-14 oz. sweetened condensed milk {I made my own; recipe below}

-2 cups crushed pineapple, drained {I used one large can, I think 32 oz.}

-1 can cherry pie filling

-1 can strawberry pie filling

-12 oz. cool whip, thawed

-3/4 cup chopped pecans, optional {I left them out for the kids}

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk:

In a saucepan combine...

-3/4 cup sugar

-1/2 cup water

-1 1/8 cup dry milk

Bring to a boil and cook; stirring constantly for about 20 minutes, until thickened and smooth.  Use as called for.

Process:

1. Combine sweetened condensed milk, drained pineapple, cherry and strawberry pie filling in a large bowl.

 2. Mix well.

 3. Add cool whip and mix thoroughly.  {Also mix in pecans, if using.}

 4. Spread salad in serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Marinated Turkey Breast or Whole Turkey

The first time I made this recipe I used about 6 pounds of turkey breast.  This recipe is FANTASTIC, it keeps the turkey moist and super flavorful!

I was worried that roasting the turkey would allow it to dry out, but no worries.  It was awesome!

The second time I made this recipe I doubled the marinade for a bird of about 13 1/2 pounds.  

I don't buy turkey often; just because it tends to be drier and tougher than chicken.  Although I got this bird on a buy a ham get a free turkey deal around Christmas time.  You can't go wrong for that price!

The marinade did a great job both times!  I found this original recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

-about 1 tbsp fresh thyme {the original recipe called for fresh basil, but I always have my pot of fresh thyme; you could also substitute about 1 tsp dried thyme or basil}

-1/2 tsp pepper

-6 whole cloves

-1/4 tsp vegetable or canola oil

-1/4 tsp soy sauce

-2 tbsp lemon juice

-1 tbsp brown sugar

-about 6 pounds boneless turkey breast halves

Process:

1. In a bowl combine garlic, thyme, pepper and cloves.  Rub all over turkey breasts.

*For the whole turkey, I combined all the ingredients, except the turkey in a large 2 gallon ziplock bag.

2. In another bowl combine oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar.

3. Place turkey breasts in a container, pour marinade over turkey, cover, refrigerate and marinate for at least 4 hours.  {I marinated mine for 3 days.}

*For the whole turkey, place the turkey in the bag and turn to coat.  Place the bagged turkey in a large bowl and refrigerate to marinate.  {I marinated the whole turkey for about a week; it was mostly frozen; so it thawed and marinated in this time.}

Tip: If your turkey is frozen, run it under hot tap water until the packaging is loose from the bird. Then cut away the plastic wrapping.

4. After marinating place turkey breasts on a lightly oiled baking pan.

*For the whole turkey, place they marinated turkey on a roasting rack.  If you don't have a roasting rack, just place it in a large baking dish.

Tip:  I also like to tuck the wings under the breasts; it stops them from burning...

{I poured the marinade over the breasts; I wouldn't do this again, it just dried up and go crispy.}

 5. Bake turkey breast at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes; or until the center temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Tip: I poured hot water into the baking dish about every 10 minutes to stop the turkey from burning to the pan and also prevent it from drying out.

*For the whole turkey, I roasted it at 350 degrees.  I tented it with a piece of foil for about the first 1/2 hour.

After 1/2 hour of baking tented, this is what the turkey looked like.

*For the whole turkey you can put hot water in the bottom of the roasting pan and just check it occasionally to make sure it doesn't dry up.  

Caution:  Only add hot/boiling water to the pan/dish in the oven.  Cooler water could cause a glass or ceramic baking dish to shatter.  If using a metal pan, still use hot/boiling water; because cool water will bring down the temp of your oven and make the turkey take longer to cook.

Here you can see how the marinade go crispy.

*For the whole turkey, bake according to package directions or until the little red "gauge" pops up, if it has one; otherwise bake until the center of the breast meat reaches at least 165 degrees.

Note: The original recipe suggests grilling the turkey breasts; which I'm sure would also be great.

6. Allow the turkey to rest about 10 minutes and enjoy!

 7. Enjoy!  Super moist and delicious turkey!

And, YES that is a little Miss J's hand ready to dig in to the turkey!  She couldn't wait!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Beef & Hominy Casserole

Sorry, I didn't post last week!  I did a little slipping and sliding on the road and rolled over our small truck a couple Saturdays ago on my way home from a craft sale.  

Of course everything flew all over the field and had to be collected.  And thank goodness I am completely fine, I always wear my seat belt; I just had sore muscles for a few days.

I was driving at least 10 miles under the speed limit, but the road was super slippery!  And once the truck started sliding there was no stopping it.

Now on to the recipe post...

This is one of our favorite hearty recipes.  My husband swears to not like casseroles, but he never complains about this one.

The combo of ingredients is great and I always look forward to any leftovers.  Its great served with a side of cornbread, salsa, sour cream if you like and/or a nice fresh salad.

I found the original recipe in one of my Cooking Club magazines you can also find it online at their site here.  Enjoy, its a keeper!

Ingredients:

-1 lb. ground meat {I usually use ground beef}

-1/2 cup chopped onion {or about 1/4 cup minced, dried onion}

-1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper {really any color is great; I used a pint of my canned sweet peppers}

-2 (15.5 oz.) cans hominy, drained {you can use white or yellow or one of each; I usually buy the really huge can (the bulk one, the size of a big coffee can) and just weigh out about 30 oz. and freeze the rest for later use}

-14.5 oz. diced tomatoes {I used a pint of my canned crushed tomatoes}

-4 oz. chopped green chiles, optional {I use them if I have them, otherwise you could also substitute some diced jalapenos, fresh or canned}

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

-1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

3. Cook meat over medium-high heat until browned, drain and rinse.  If using fresh onion and pepper add meat, onion and pepper to pan and cook about 3 minutes.

4. Place hominy in a large mixing bowl.

5. Add meat mixture, {dried onion and both canned peppers, if using}, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

6. Mix thoroughly.

7. Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish.

8. Top with cheese {I used extra sharp cheddar and just used a knife to crumble it since it can be a bit tough to slice or shred, because its to crumbly}.

 9. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.

 Enjoy!