Far Above Rubies

A super yummy frosting recipe and a Chili recipe I "made up"

{ 04:28, 2006-Nov-2 } { Posted in Recipes } { 0 comments } { Link }

I made a cake for a Harvest Party last week, and I decided to "fixify" the frosting recipe to save time.
It was a spice cake with raisins and grated apple. I fixified that recipe, too, by simply using Duncan Hines cake mix (ALWAYS the moistest) and adding in the raisins and apples, and a little grated carrot, too. It was superb.
For the frosting, here is the simple but fabulous recipe...

Fabulous Pumpkin Cream Frosting

2 cans any brand of Cream Cheese Frosting

1 can pumpkin

As much pumpkin pie spice as you want in it

Whip together with electric hand mixer. Doing it by hand won't blend in the pumpkin very well unless you have the forearms of Popeye.

Enjoy!

SHANNON"S SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CHILI
Half a dozen chicken thighs or drumsticks
3 cans great northern beans
1 can chicken broth
half a bulb of garlic (Yes, I said half a whole entire bulb, folks)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
cumin to taste
large can green chiles
chili powder and garlic powder to taste

Throw it all in the crockpot on high til chicken is cooked (you can put chicken in rock frozen if you want to), remove chicken and take meat from bones, chop, and put back in pot, cook another hour on low. Viola!

Call Me Julia

{ 12:37, 2006-Aug-21 } { Posted in Recipes } { 3 comments } { Link }

I am walking around with an inflated ego tonight.

My husband has been praising me to the skies about my salsa. Yes, I admit, it IS the bomb-diggity-do. I am absolutely shameless in stating that I have never tasted salsa as good as mine!

I didn't plan on making it. I had no inclination to make it (I was hoping my mom would make some of hers and bring me a jar). BUT...yesterday mu husband brought me home 2 10 pound bags each of Big Jim chiles and Anaheim chiles, roasted fresh, plus a bushel of farm stand ripe tomatoes. I surveyed the loot with a mixture of dismay and excitement. The smell of roated chiles and off the vine fresh tomatoes is incomparable. And my mouth began to water for chips and salsa.

But so MANY??? I should not be surprised. My husband does everything big. He IS big!

So make salsa I did, for several hours. I have no canning equipment, but I just ordered a starter set off e bay last night, so it should get here before the veggies spoil, I hope. I will freeze some of the chiles for later batches of salsa and for rellenos, and I'll have to make some marinara sauce with the rest of the tomatoes, but I made about 2 gallons of salsa put away in the fridge, awaiting canning.

Okay, I'll let you in on my salsa recipe. The word recipe is subjective, because I don't go by amounts in anything. If you make this, you have to adjust the amounts to your liking and heat tolerance. I will give approximate amounts, for about a half gallon batch.

SHANNON'S AWESOME SALSA

Tomatoes. Don't insult me and your taste buds by using store bought ones. You deserve better. I used about 15 tomatoes, of medium size.

Onions. I used one large white onion. WHITE, not yellow! Store bought is fine. I have never observed much difference between farm fresh and storebought.

Green Chiles. If you like your salsa milder, use Anaheims. If you like to BRING THE HEAT, use Big Jims. I advise you get fresh roated ones from a farmer's market stand. They cannot be beat.

Jalapenos. Optional. my husband likes it spicier, so I used 3 japs. I cut off the tops, sliced them lenghtwise, scooped out the seeds and membranes (leave them in if you're insane) and roasted them for 20 minutes or so at 350, which brings out their sweetness and flavor.

Cilantro. Also optional, because some people think it tastes like soap. I love it. I chopped up a handful. Don't use that heinous herb in a tube junk...it stinks.

Lime juice. The juice of one lime is sufficient

Salt and pepper, and cumin. A couple of dashes of salt and pepper, and about a tablespoon of cumin. I like to use cumin seed better, but I was out.

Olive oil. Just a swirl around the bowl.

Okay, my secret ingredient. You may not think it's so secret, but no other recipe I have come across for salsa has it. My mom told me to put it in, and I thought she was crazy, but trust me, it makes the difference!

Drum roll................

Rice Vinegar. Not regular, not apple cider, not red wine....RICE vinegar! It gives it a zip and a snap you'll love. No jarred salsa tastes like this.

So, if your husband descends on you with enough produce to feed a small country for several days, try it!

Easy Recipe your kids will love

{ 03:19, 2006-Jul-21 } { Posted in Recipes } { 1 comments } { Link }

Here's a recipe for a highly nutritious dish that my whole family enjoys different ways. It's extremely high in B vitamins, a complete carb/protein meal, and it's really tasty! I learned this recipe from a great lady.

BROWN RICE AND LENTILS
3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup lentils of any kind
2 packets taco seasoning (I use low sodium)
3 cups water

Cook in crock pot on low for about 5 hours, but do keep an eye onit the first time you make this to gauge how hotly your pot cooks and how fast the liquid soaks up. You want a very little liquid left to make a kind of a sauce- the dish shouldn't be bone dry.

I usually double the recipe and store it to eat all week long. For breakfast, it's yummy scooped over scrambled eggs and topped with salsa. For lunch (or a light dinner) you can scoop it into taco shells for a meatless meal. My favorite way to have it is to put some in a bowl, top with shredded cheddar, chopped onion and tomato, a dollop of sour cream, and some tabasco sauce.