Donna's Autumn Chicken Casserole

Makes 9-12 servings.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breast, boiled with onion and celery, de-boned and cubed
1 large can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 rounded teaspoon Jamaican curry powder
2 cups chopped broccoli tops (you can substitute Broccoli Normandy Blend (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) )
3 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (do not use bottled lemon juice, it makes this dish taste bitter)
1/4 - 1/2 red pepper, diced. Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped pepper to sprinkle on top before serving.
2 scallions (green onion), snipped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup seasoned cornbread stuffing
1/4 cup almonds, sliced, slivered, or chopped
1 package puff pastries(sheet style or individual pastries)

Directions

Combine chicken, soup, curry, mayonnaise, lemon, chopped broccoli, and red pepper; heat in large pan. While cooking up the creamy chicken mixture (with broccoli) , cook up 2 cups of rice (pre-cooked measure). Place cooked rice in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour creamed chicken mixture over top of rice. Top with cheese, dry stuffing mix, and almonds. Bake 30 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Top with grated cheese, dry stuffing, almonds, snipped scallions, and 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper. Serve.

Optional
 After cooking top with 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper and 2 snipped scallions.

Substitutions
Previously roasted, cubed, and frozen Turkey can be used in place of chicken in this recipe.

Roger's Sunday Sunshine Salad

This is a great cool fruit salad to accompany a crock pot supper. Both can be prepared ahead of time.

Ingredients

1 Small Box Lemon Gelatin
1 Small Box Orange Gelatin

1 Can Grapefruit Sections, Drained, and Reserve Liquid

1 Can Crushed or Tidbits Pineapple, Drained, and Reserve Liquid

1 3/4 cup Boiling Water

1+ Cups Ice

Reserved Liquid with water added to make 1 cup

Directions

Drain cans of fruit, reserving the liquid.  Bring water to a boil. Dissolve gelatin completely in water. Mix reserved liquid with water to make one cup. Stir liquid into ice in a large bowl. Pour gelatin over ice mixture.  Stir with slotted spoon to thicken. If desired, use more ice to thicken quickly. Stir in fruits.  Pour in 9 x 13 glass dish and chill at least 1 hour.

Optional

Donna's Sunday Sunshine Salad~ Add one can drained mandarin oranges.

Steamed Veggie Lunch

This makes a tasty midday repast. 


Ingredients
1 Potato, Scrubbed and Quartered
1 Small Yellow Onion, Sliced
1 Large Carrot, Quartered or a Handful of Tiny Gourmet Carrots
1 Handful String Beans
Fresh ground pepper.


Directions
Clean, slice, vegetables and place in steamer basket. Steam until vegetables are tender.  Arrange vegetables on plates and top with fresh ground pepper.  Also great chilled!

Donna's Country Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is a savory simple chicken salad sandwich.

Ingredients
4 Steamed Chicken Breasts or Boiled (with onions and celery), Cubed
1/3 Cup Celery, Diced
1/8 Cup Yellow Onion, Diced
Mayonnaise to consistency
1 Dash Garlic Salt

Directions
Steam or boil chicken breast until tender.  If boiling, add sliced onion and celery to add flavor, but discard the steamed vegetables when making the chicken salad (vegetables can be saved and added to a soup stock).  Cut chicken into small cubes. Add freshly diced raw celery and onion, sprinkle with garlic salt and mix well.  Add mayonnaise until desired spreading consistency. Spread on dinner rolls, cream puffs or sliced bread. Can also be used as an appetizer served in a baked wonton shell, on a Triscuit cracker, or rolled in a tortilla with lettuce and sliced on an angle.

Donna's Ranch Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is Donna's Ranch Chicken Salad recipe and we have used variations of this at Princess Circle meetings and as finger food at special events.

Ingredients
2 cans chicken breast (drained)
1 tablespoon Real Bacon bits
1/8 cup chopped celery
1+ tablespoon mild cheddar cheese finely grated
Ranch dressing (made from Hidden Valley Ranch packet)

Optional-
1 scallion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely shredded lettuce

Directions
Drain chicken and shred chunks. Add bacon, cheese, celery, optional ingredients) and mix well. Add ranch dressing to desired consistency. Serve on crackers, rolls, white or wheat bread (or both), pita bread, or tortillas.

Note: This can be mixed with grapes (red or green, cut in half), nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pecans) and tossed with salad greens, or pasta (rotini, rigatoni, farfelle, macaroni, mostaccioli, etc.).

Great Grandma Julia's Lye Soap

My grandmother used her mother's recipe to make soap and used it to clean her laundry.

Ingredients
3 Pints Water
1 Can Red Seal Lye
2 quarts Melted Lard, Warm
1/2 cup Ammonia
1/2 cup Borax

Directions
Boil water and lye.  Cool until warm.  Stir in melted lukewarm lard.  Add ammonia and borax.


"Use Caution When Working with Lye"
This link explains how to work with lye safely.  
http://farmgal.tripod.com/lyesoapconcoctions.html

Buttery Breakfast Biscuits

(biscuits before baking)

When I was a little girl my mother used to make baking powder biscuits and cut them out with a floured drinking glass. I do not have her recipe. These make flaky, tender biscuits and can be eaten as a bread with dinner or can be used as a base for a meal or dessert. This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Old Fashion Baking Cookbook. I have used this recipe since 1990 when the cookbook came out. I have usually made this with whipping cream, but it also works well with milk. I always double the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Whipping Cream, Light Cream, or Milk

Directions:
In a bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt (I use a wire whisk). Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the dry mixture until it looks like crumbs. Make a well in the middle and pour in liquid all at once. Stir lightly with a fork until well moistened.

On a lightly floured counter (I use a pastry cloth) dump contents of the bowl. Flour hands and knead by gently folding and patting the dough 10-12 times. Dough will be very soft and sticky, add a little flour to make it easy to pat out into a thickness of about 1/2. Cut out with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, I prefer heart shaped. Dip cutter in flour between cuts. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove immediately from baking sheet.
Serve hot.

Makes 10-12 biscuits.