Cheddar Chowder

Here is a tasty chowder recipe that I found many years ago in a Kraft cookbook. It has become one of our family favorites and it's easy, too.

In a medium size saucepan, put 2 cups water, 2 cups diced red potatoes, 1/2 cup sliced carrots, 1/2 cup sliced celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. (I love the celery, but my family asks me to leave it out, so I boil the celery in a small saucepan and add it to my bowl only.) Bring this mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Do not drain.

While the vegetables are boiling, melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan. Then add 1/4 cup flour, stirring well. Pour in 2 cups milk and stir until thickened. Next add 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese and stir until well blended. Add 1 cup cooked, cubed ham and stir until well blended. (I usually buy a package of precooked ham, but left over ham works, too.) Now add the vegetable mixture, water and all, to the cheese mixture. Stir till heated, but not boiling. Serve at once with toasted french bread.

Fathers Day Omelet

I want to wish all of the fathers out there a Happy Father’s Day. The dad at our house requested an omelet for his father’s day breakfast and at our house the person honored gets to eat off of “the red plate”. (We have “the red cup”, too.) I thought I would share his favorite omelet with you.

I make a four-egg omelet and we share it. First I melt some butter in a small non-stick skillet, then I sauté some chopped green onions and sliced fresh mushrooms until they are tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Next I put four eggs in a bowl and stir vigorously until well blended.

In a medium non-stick skillet, add some more butter. When the butter is melted and hot, pour in the eggs. Cook until most of the egg is set. Then add the sautéed green onions and mushrooms on one side. Also, add some grated cheddar cheese. Fold over one side of the omelet and cook for 30 seconds, then flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds. That way the cheese on the inside will melt nicely.

Next I cut the omelet in half and place on plates. Garnish with extra cheese and serve it with salsa if desired.

Chicken Taco Salad

Here is a recipe that is good anytime, but especially a nice one to have during those hot summer months when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen. It is easy to throw together and all you need are a few ingredients. 

I start out with a mixture of red lettuce (my new favorite) and iceberg lettuce. The red lettuce gives it a little bit more color and it is better for you anyway. I distribute it evenly between plates. Next comes the chicken. I like to use leftover chicken from a previous baked chicken meal, but you can boil a few chicken breasts or even use drained canned chicken. Place the chicken on top of the lettuce.

Then for more color and taste, I add avocado slices and tomato wedges. Top with shredded jack cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. 

For the dressing, I use Ortega medium taco sauce, but you can use any brand that you like. Personally, I prefer the mild taco sauce best, but it can sometimes be hard to find. The original recipe calls for crushed tortilla chips to be sprinkled on top of it, but we serve the chips on the side.

Blog-sitting

My kitchen has been very uninteresting lately, but with good reason. Brett and I are going on vacation! This isn't your typical vacation either. We will be taking 5 weeks to drive across the country and back and see everything in between that we've never seen before. We'll visit Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Boston, Niagara Falls, Seattle, Redwood National Park, and much much more. I'm so incredibly excited, but it has meant a lot of planning, hence the neglected kitchen. The picture is just a portion of the food we are taking on the road with us (those Mariani dried cherries are our new favorite snack...delicious!!!)

Now you've probably heard of dog-sitting or house-sitting while someone is on vacation, but this may be the first time you've heard of blog-sitting. Since I won't be cooking on vacation, I thought I would put my blog in some very trustworthy hands while I am gone...my Mom's! She is an excellent cook (aren't I always saying that nothing compares to Mom's cooking?) and her repertoire is different from mine. She's a little nervous about doing the blog, so please be patient. I'll pop in from time to time, (maybe if I eat something delicious on the road) but for the most part she's in charge. I'll miss you all and see you in July...but in the meantime...enjoy my mom's food!