Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice

 Large recipe!

• 4 chicken breast halves, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed/chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into chunks
• 2 large onions, cut into chunks
• 32 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets
• 3 T. olive oil
• ¼ t. oregano
• 1 t. basil
• 1 t. parsley
• ½ -1 c. chicken broth or water

In large pan, (I use a large 4 qt pan - the one I used for the deer stew) slightly boil frozen chicken just enough so you can cut it into cubes.  Discard all but 1 c. broth.  Heat oil in pan, add chicken, garlic, and other spices.  Lightly salt chicken.
While chicken is browning, cut up red peppers and onions.  Add to pan.  When chicken is brown enough, add at least 1/2 c. broth or water, and pour 32 oz bag of broccoli into pan.  Stir, pushing broccoli to the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to medium to cook broccoli for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
Serve over white or brown rice, with rolls brushed with garlic butter.
Of course I had to make oven potatoes for those who didn't want rice.  =)

Homemade Vegetable Soup

This recipe has been moved.
Find it here!  =)

Delicious Pinto Beans

Wash and look thru beans, removing any bad ones.
Cover in several inches of water in pot with lid to soak overnight.
--OR the fast-soak method - bring to boil, cover and let simmer 10 minutes, turn off heat and let set for an hour.
Drain water and rinse beans.
Note - 1 lb dry beans = about 2½ cups dry, about 8 cups cooked.

Crockpot

Put into crockpot, and fill with fresh water 1 inch or so from top.  Add a piece of hamhock or any other meat you like.  Cook on high for about an hour-and-a-half, turn on low for 6 hours.

Stovetop

Add hamhock, beans, and fresh water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn on low, covered for about 3 - 4 hours.  Add a little water if it gets low.

Add salt to taste when beans are fully cooked.

►Serve with pan-fried cornbread.  Yummy!  =)
We mix cornbread as usual, and fry in a pan with a little butter.  We like it this way because you get more of the outer crust.

Some people like to cook pintos with chopped onion, or a couple of jalapeño peppers with seeds scraped out and discarded (wear gloves!), and/or a few peeled cloves of garlic.

Upside-Down Chicken/Broccoli Pizza

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 2 c. cubed chicken, not cooked
  
• 2 t. Italian seasoning
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. pepper
• 4 oz. mushrooms, optional
• 3 cups (16 oz. frozen bag) cooked broccoli, chopped
• ½ c. ranch dressing (leaving this out next time)
  
• ½ c. white Alfredo sauce (using 1 cup next time)
  
• 2 c. (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 11-oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 egg, beaten
  

~Preheat oven to 400º.
 ~If you have one, use a skillet with oven-safe handles.  Heat oil in skillet, add onions, mushrooms, seasonings, and chicken.  Cook until chicken is cooked through.
~Cook broccoli, drain.
~After chicken is cooked, stir in broccoli, ranch dressing, and Alfredo sauce.
~In oven-safe skillet, sprinkle cheese over mixture and remove from heat.  Or pour mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on top.
~Unroll dough and lay over top of skillet or casserole dish.  Fit dough over the edge of pan and cut off corners of dough.  Create a crust by rolling any excess dough down, and then stuffing along inside the edge of pan.  (My edges that were higher browned first.)
~Brush with beaten egg and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Source:  adapted from Hidden Valley Ranch recipe in Woman's Day magazine.

I knew JohnDavid probably would not like this, so I made him one without sauce. (I cooked more of everything in the recipe)  He liked it. (ETA: not as much as I thought.  Prob just make him a pizza next time =) I topped it with the dough I cut from the edges.  His was done in 16 minutes.
The dough was much bigger than I realized, and it would easily cover a rectangular dish, with leftovers for JohnDavid's.  I still have a little in a zip-loc baggie in the fridge.  2/12/10 ETA:  I looked again at the pizza dough at the store, and saw another tube, and realized I'd gotten the thin crust -- slimmer, longer tube.

I didn't care for the slight ranch taste, and will probably use all the Alfredo mix next time.  I bought McCormick's, and it makes one cup.

Deer Stew!

With the help of my brother-in-law who loves to hunt and is a great cook, we made this fabulous deer stew tonight. Mmmmmm!

• 3 lbs deer stew meat, drain blood, don't rinse
• one large onion, chopped into small chunks
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed/chopped (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)
• about 2 T. seasoning salt
• about 1 t. salt
• 2 T. olive oil
  

Add oil to large non-stick pan and turn burner to medium heat (6:00 position).  When oil is hot, add in meat and thoroughly sprinkle on seasonings.  Add in onions and garlic.  Cook together, uncovered, until meat is browned, about 20 - 25 minutes or so.

Then add to pan:

• 1 package Lipton onion and mushroom soup
• 1 large (26-28 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (26-28 oz) of water
• 3 T. Worcestershire sauce (I added this to the recipe - SO much better!!)

Mix w/ whisk, turn on low (9:00) for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, covered.

Now you'll need to transfer to a large soup pot.  Add any vegetables you like.

• 5 lbs red skinned potatoes, cut into chunks (I don't usually about 3 lb)
• 4 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces (I didn't have any in these pics)
  
• 2 12-oz bags of baby carrots (or 10-12 large carrots, peeled and sliced)
  
• 1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms
• Add about 2 cups of water.  Vegetables should not quite be covered.  

Stir as best as you can - it will be full with not much liquid!  Some liquid will come to the top, but will not cover the vegetables.

Cover and cook on medium-low (7:30) for about an hour or hour-and-a-half.  This allows time for the heat to build to a low boil (takes awhile) and for the vegetables to cook.  Deer stew will be done when vegetables are tender.  Makes about a gallon and a half.  Great served with rice and/or biscuits. 

Tastes best when made a day ahead.
We cooked it tonight, and we will eat it tomorrow at lunch.  But we did sample a bite or two.  =)

Re-heat on med-low (7:30) for about 45 min or more while making biscuits and/or rice.
Yum yum!!!

Creamy Chicken Soup

This recipe has been moved.

You can find it here.  =)