Creamy Corn

One of my friends made this a few years ago and I tried it out yesterday for Thanksgiving meal... Yummy and easy! (But terribly unhealthy, I'm sure..)

Ingredients:

2 cans corn
1 large sweet onion (chopped)
1 T olive oil
4 oz. cream cheese
Red pepper (to taste: I used about 1/2 T)
Seasoning salt (to taste: I used about 2 t)

Directions:

First,   saute the onion in the olive oil - use medium or medium-low heat, so the onion won't brown but become translucent. This might take 10-15 minutes, but is worth it.
Meanwhile, drain the corn and mix with the cream cheese in a medium pot.  When the cream cheese has melted, and the onions are ready, mix in the onions and seasonings.  Enjoy!

Thayne's Favorite MORE!

After previously screwing this recipe up twice (mainly because I wasn't following Thayne's instructions or a written recipe), I managed to correctly make it last night in honor of Thayne's "birthweek". Third time really is the charm, YAY! So this recipe is according to Thayne's closely followed instructions last night:

Boil one package of macaroni noodles. Meanwhile, next in the cast of characters in another pot are:

1 onion
1 green pepper
4-5 celery stalks

Slice 'em, dice 'em, and saute 'em in a little oil and/or Worcestershire sauce (makes the onion less tortuous for the eyes).

Add in ground beef and brown it. We are always out of tomato sauce, so instead, add in 2 cans tomato soup and 1 can of diced tomatoes (Mexican if you've got 'em). Mix in a can of corn as well. Season with 2 TBSP chili powder (yes, 2 TBSP) and some dashes of cumin, paprika, and garlic powder. Stir in cooked macaroni and top with shredded cheese. This makes a large batch so expect some leftovers if you have a small family.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This probably isn't a healthy soup but my excuse is that it will help us with some additional padding in the cold winter season. I even lowered the excessive amount of butter from the original recipe (you're welcome)!

1-2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked with a dash of chili powder (either microwave or cook in a separate pan)
1 Onion
1 green pepper (optional)
1 pint Half & Half (I hope to experiment with milk someday, I'll let you know how that turns out)
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
4 c. chicken broth (bullion granules + water work fine)
1 c. cheese (plus some for garnish)
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with or w/out chilis)
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1-2 cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed (we like black beans and kidney beans)
Taco Seasonings (packet or homemade - chili powder, cumin, paprika, mustard, Mrs. Dash)
Sriracha chili paste (optional, but Thayne loves to add it)

Saute onion and green pepper in butter. Add Half & Half. Slowly add in and WHISK flour. Add chicken broth, cheese, cooked chicken, tomatoes, and seasonings. Rinse beans in a collander and add. Add drained corn. Season with taco seasonings and Sriracha (optional) to make it as hot as you dare.

Serve with tortilla chips, a little more cheese, and a small dollop of sour cream to cool it down.

Alison's Taco Soup

This recipe is an amalgamation of three different taco soup recipes, therefore, I might as well call this one my own (need just a little ego stroking today, thank you very much). It has quickly become one of our favorite and quick soups.

1 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper
ground beef
1 can kidney beans + liquid
1 can corn + 1/2 liquid
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
taco seasonings (One of those packets or your own favorite combination. Ours is chili powder, cumin, mustard, paprika, and a little Mrs. Dash (she's like my third grandma).)
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream

Saute one onion and half a green pepper (optional) in a little Worcestershire sauce. Add ground beef and brown. Add taco seasonings. Add beans, corn, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Simmer until ready to serve. In your own bowl, sprinkle on some shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.

Shepherd's Pie

I'll post this since we made it for dinner a few weeks ago at Mom & Dad's. Such a good comfort food!

Pre-heat: 350º

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 packets brown gravy
12 oz. mixed vegetables (corn, peas and green beans are good)
2 lbs potatoes

Half fill a large pot with water and set to boil.

On a low to medium heat setting, cook the onions until the onion pieces are soft and translucent. Then brown the ground beef in the same pan at the same heat setting.

While the onions &/or meat are cooking, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces (small enough that they will cook quickly but shouldn't spend a lot of time on this) and dump them in the water.

Make the brown gravy - boil a cup of water and stir in the gravy until it thickens. The ground beef should be done. Pour in the gravy, and add the vegetables. Stir until it's all mixed and the veggies are warm.

Distribute the mixture evenly at the bottom of a casserole dish. Make the mashed potatoes -- drain the potatoes, and mash (with butter and milk, as desired). Layer the potatoes on top of the meat mixture.

Pop uncovered in the oven for about half an hour.

Chicken Divine Alternative Rock #1

For a little while, we had to avoid feeding eggs to Lizzy due to a luckily short-lived allergy. That meant avoiding some salad dressings like Mayonnaise. Oh dear, mayonnaise is in daddy's Chicken Divine! Well, have no fear, we'll just oust from the recipe! I also experimented with a few other changes. We were out of broccoli, the main and really only veggie in the dish. Well have no fear, we'll just use some other veggies like oh, a can of corn and a can of green beans!

2 cups cooked rice
1-2 chicken boobies, cut up and cooked (sorry, old habit from my Aunt Jane)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 large dollops of sour cream (hehe, I love the word 'dollop'!)
A splash or two of milk
Handful or two of cheese
1 can corn
1 can green beans
Curry powder (daddy would be heartbroken if forgotten)
Mrs. dash (addicting stuff)
Lemon pepper (also addictive)
Any other seasonings you see fit to use
More cheese

Layer the cooked rice into a 9x13 pan. Mix together soup, sour cream, milk, cheese, veggies, seasonings, and chicken in a bowl and spread over rice. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top (mustn't forget or else I'll be heartbroken). Warm in oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is gooey. Now devour the divine stuff!

Chicken Corn Chowder

Saute in butter until tender:
3/4 c. chopped celery
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter

Add:
1 3/4 c. milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can corn
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. salt

Heat until chowder is hot but not boiling.