Creamed Potato and Pea Stew

I used to work at a diner in Idaho and they occasionally served creamed potatoes and peas. And they where so good. In my vain attempts to recreate them I have made some pretty tasty dishes, though none have been quite the same as the ones from Rexburg. I decided to add some cooked shredded chicken to make it a complete meal, a complete meal I might add, that everyone loved. 

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 - 3 c. frozen peas

2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 c. flour, mixed with enough water to make a thin paste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the chicken breasts in the boiling water and cook until the meat is cooked throughout, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. Simmer the water down until it is reduced slightly. Add 2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes (to taste). 

Which together the cream cheese and some of the liquid until smooth. Set aside. Add the potatoes, pepper, and garlic to the boiling water and simmer until tender. When the potatoes are cooked add the frozen peas and simmer until the liquid is heated throughout. Add the cream cheese mix and the flour paste and cook, stirring until thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through. Taste the sauce and check for seasoning adding more chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, or garlic as needed. I seasoned my plate with my favorite Mortons Nature Seasons.

Bread Machine Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/2 c. water

2 Tbsp. oil

1/3 c. honey

2 c. white flour

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 - 2 tsp salt
(My page says 2 but I think I only used 1)

1 Tbsp bread machine yeast

1 tsp dough enhancer

Place all the ingredients in your bread machine in the order listed. 

The settings I used where Whole Wheat, 1.5 lb loaf, and light crust.

Hot start and met it do its thing!

This loaf puffed up nicely and was light and fluffy.

Fruit and Oat Muffins

This was created to use up a whole bunch of different odds and ends in my kitchen, so it's a jumble of flavors. My kids loved them and all had several right away and all of them where gone within the hour.

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. honey

1 egg

2 brown bananas, whole

3/4 c. white flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 oz. apple sauce

Preheat the over to 350

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. When combined, beat in the honey, egg, and 2 bananas.

Next beat in the soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

Then beat in the white flour, whole wheat flour, and oats. Add the apple sauce and mix just until combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350. I only had to bake these for 15 minutes because I used mini muffins. This made 3 1/2 dz. mini muffins.

Candy Easter Eggs

Our first guest recipe from fellow blogger Cecilotta. 

And a picture to help put things into perspective. 

If we were really lucky at Easter-time our mom would make these eggs for us. They are fun to give away, and especially fun to eat, and they look nice on the table while drooling children wait to slice them.

While a little time consuming to make, they really are not hard at all and well worth the effort. Especially if you have people in your house with allergies, you can make sure these are safe to eat.

With Easter only a little over a month now is a great time to start getting ideas together to celebrate.

4 c. white sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. water

1/3 c. - 3 oz (about 3) egg white

(Make sure there isn't ANY yolk in the white or they wont beat right)

Orange - Peanut Butter - 1 c. creamy peanut butter

Blue - Chocolate Nut - 3/4 c. dark chocolate melted + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

White - Coconut - 1 c. flaked coconut
1/4 - 1/4 c. melted white chocolate
Splash of coconut extract

Yellow - Maple Nut - 1 Tbsp. real maple extract + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

Pink - Fruit and Nut - 1 c. candied fruit + 1 c. walnuts

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook syrup to 261. Remove from heat, let stand until bubbles stop.

Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Slowly add, in a thin stream, sugar syrup and beat until gloss is gone. Fold in desired flavor. Shape into eggs, you can make them small or large. Let cool, chill.

Coat with chocolate by dipping the egg into melted chocolate and use your hands to coat. Place on a tray lined with wax paper, place a confection flower in to top to indicate what flavor it is. Let set up at room temperature and then chill to firm.

Delicious and Fluffy Pancakes

I don't ever really like pancakes all that much and I like these. 

They are slightly dense, but also still very light.

1 c. flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. half-an-half

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, very soft but not melted

1 - 2 Tbsp. Da Vinci English Toffee Italian soda and coffee syrup

1 tsp white vinegar

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl combine the half-an-half, egg, butter and syrup. Mix the liquid mixture into the flour and stir well to combine. Stir for 2 minutes to get rid of the lumps. Stir in the vinegar just until combines. 

Cook in a hot nonstick pan over medium heat until dark golden and easy to get the spatula under to flip. Cook on the other side until done.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

 This was taken from Baby Center. Next time I think I am going to broil the chicken right after I add the sauce for a minute to get the sauce really sticky. All the ingredients in this freeze, just throw everything in a bag with the raw chicken and freeze. I haven't done it though so I have no idea on cooking time if you don't thaw it first.

2 lb. chicken breasts

Salt & Pepper

1 c. honey

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Hot cooked brown or white rice

Combine the honey, soy cause, onion, ketchup, both oils, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour a little into the bottom of your crock pot. 

Trim the chicken of anything you don't want to eat later. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the crock pot and top with remaining honey sauce. Stir once to coat the chicken in the sauce. 

Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours until the chicken is cooked. Combine cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste. Remove the chicken from the crock pot leaving the crock pot on. Immediately stir the cornstarch into the crock pot and return the lid. Cook on high for an additional 10 minutes. While the sauce it thickening chop the chicken into bit sized pieces. Make sure the sauce is thoroughly thickened before combining or it will taste chalky.

Toss the chicken with the thickened sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Beef Stew (for the freezer)

A traditional beef stew needs a few modifications to be frozen, but it is possible.

The main things are potatoes and flour thickened sauces dont freeze well. 

For the flour I simply didn't thicken it with anything, you can add a flour paste at the end of reheating to serve if you want it thicker, I plan on just serving it as as.

A to potatoes I just left them out. I plan on serving this over rice, baked potatoes, or pasta

but you could boil a pot of potatoes chunks and stir them in at the end. 

10 lb of beef, cubed

8 large carrots, cut into thick coins

4 large onions, diced

10 stalks of celery, sliced

2 family sized can cream of anything soup

1/2 c. dehydrated onions

8 beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp granulated garlic

black pepper

6 c. frozen peas

2 can corn

2 disposable turkey sized foil roasting pans

(I used the cheapo kind that where 13 inches x something, not the biggest but the cheapest)

Toss half of the beef, carrots, onions, and celery in each pan. Add 1 can of soup to each pan along with 1/4 c. dehydrated onion, 4 beef cubes, 1 tsp garlic, and black pepper sprinkled across the top. Add 3/4 c. of water and stir everything together. Cover with tin foil and bake at 290 for 2 hours. Stir everything, recover the pans with the tin foil and bake at 350 until the meat is tender, about 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Stir 3 cups of peas and 1 can of corn into each pan. Let cool to room temperature and divide into serving sized pan. 

I got 6 pans out of this recipe. You can make the portions a little smaller than you think since this is served over something the meal will be bigger than just what is in the pan. Cover the top with tin foil and freeze fat. Once the pans are frozen solid you can stack them on top of each other in the freezer. 

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To Serve
Leaving the tin foil on top of the stew, bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the gravy is bubbly. If you freeze in a plastic baking pan or tupperware this can be reheated in to microwave. Cook for a few minutes, stir, and then cook again, stirring every few minutes, until hot.