Easy Thursday Dinner

It’s Thursday. Kind of a ho-hum day. The work week is almost up, then comes the weekend work. Blah. What’s for dinner when you don’t feel like cooking? This is the easiest ever midweek meal. Sure to please even your pickiest of eaters. And…you can cook it like a pro…without breaking the bank!

Ingredients:

1- (4_1/2-5 pound) roasting hen. OR 3 cups cooked prepared chicken

1/2 c butter (margarine or butter blend if you prefer)

2- c onion finely chopped (vidalia onions if you can get them are perfect)

1- ea (small)green, bell pepper chopped finely

1 16oz loaf Velveeta cheese cut into small cubes

1 8 0z pkg finely shredded monterey jack cheese

1 can Rotel brand chilies and tomatoes (for the kids use the mild variety, or leave it out all together and substitute one can diced tomatoes.)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 small can chopped mushrooms (drained)

1 can petite english peas (drained)

1/2 tsp salt

1-16 oz pkg regular spaghetti (cooked AND drained)

TOPPING:

1 cup dried seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 stick butter softened

juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

In large Dutch Oven, place hen in with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce to simmer and ignore for 45 minutes to 1 hour. ( I usually do this the day before, but if you’re pressed for time, cooking the same day works). Remove chicken from the pot, reserving the broth. Let cool slightly, pick from bones and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside. If you’re using canned or prepared chicken, obviously skip cooking it.

Preheat oven to 350°, grease a 4-6quart baking dish well.

In a large skillet, melt butter ,add onions and bell pepper cook just till onion is transparent and peppers are tender (about 5 minutes). Transfer to large mixing bowl unless you have a chef size skillet.

Add 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, cheese, rotel (or diced tomato), mushroom soup, salt and chicken. Stir well until cheese is completely melted. Add in spaghetti, mushrooms, and peas and toss well. Turn into prepared casserole dish.

Stir breadcrumbs, softened butter and lemon juice together. Spoon on to casserole.

Bake 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve with your favorite salad on the side and warm toasty garlic bread.

Easy Cheesy!

You Won’t Believe This

Southern Women have always been admired for their ingenuity and frugal ways. Just about this time each year when I was growing up, I spent a few months with my grand parents. They were truck farmers (they took their home grown veggies and fresh laid chicken eggs to the farmers market every day) Tomatoes were filling the vines, weighing down the plants, and fried green tomatoes were a compliment to almost every meal. But, granny had a special way with dessert, and here’s a wonderful “pound” cake with a unique ingredient. You’ll love it!

You’ll need a large bunt type or tube pan for this recipe. You probably will have some left over batter, so have a couple of small loaf pans ready just in case. Be sure to butter and flour your pans well. Also, this recipe calls for REAL butter. I’ve not tried it with margarine or any substitutes. Go ahead and splurge. Its worth it!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

2 ½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 ½ cups diced green tomatoes

1 cup golden raisins (soak until plump)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well (batter will be soft). Stir in tomatoes, raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Spoon Browned Butter icing over cake (recipe below).

Brown Butter Icing:

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

In a medium saucepan over low heat melt butter. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until butter is lightly browned. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Somebody told me Paula Deen loves this recipe and has used it on her Food Network program. Well, she’s a  good southern woman, so I imagine it was handed down to her just as it was to me.

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