Nancy’s Kitchen

This is a traditional dinner from when our children were young. It’s quick and easy and can be made up ahead of time. This can be made with either canned chicken or canned tuna. (Of course fresh chicken would also be good.)

Chicken Noodle Casserole

While cooking noodles in boiling, salted water, Combine in a separate saucepan & heat:

1 can of chicken pieces with liquid

1/2 small onion (fresh or dried) minced

celery seed to taste

black pepper to taste

1 can Campbells Cream of Celery Soup

poultry seasoning to taste

Drain noodles, stir in chicken mixture, pour into casserole dish. Gently break/crush potato chips (we use Lays’ Sour Cream & Onion) and scatter over the top of the casserole.

Bake at 350º for ½ hour or till bubbly.

Serve hot with veggies and fruit.

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Our friend, Joni Van Bumble, introduced me to this recipe She spreads it on top of chicken breasts, then bakes it 1/2 hour, flips the chicken over and cooks 10 more minutes.  Serve over pasta.   Mmmmm.  :-D

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Margie’s Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:

· 1 box yellow or lemon cake mix

· 1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

· ½ cup oil

· ½ cup Bailey’s Irish Crème / Crème Sherry

· 1 cup sour cream

· 1/3 cup poppy seeds

· 4 eggs

Instructions:

· Pre-heat oven to 350º f.

· Blend all together

· Pour into greased & floured bundt or tube pan

· Bake 350º f. for 50-60 minutes

· Cool in pan for 10 minutes

· Remove from pan

· May sprinkle with powdered sugar

· Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 24 hours.

· Will keep several months in freezer and weeks in fridge.

· Serve cold.

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Here is a “Praise the Lord” recipe that I created one day when my sons were young.  It was one of those days when I could not think of what to make for dinner, and I just looked in my cupboards and pulled this together.  Thanks, Jesus.    (Steve, Sean & Bob, this is not the same recipe I got from Carrie, but close to it.)  Adjust amounts of ingredients to taste and to size of casserole you want to make.  This serves 4 to 6.

Tuna (or Chicken) – Noodle – Vegetable Casserole, October 1979

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 large can of chicken with water in the can
• 1 can  condensed cream of chicken or mushroom or celery soup
• 1/2 can water or milk
• 2 Tbsp butter
• several dashes of poultry seasoning
• chicken bouillon (1 cube or 1 pkg)
• chopped celery
• chopped or shredded carrot
• chopped onion
• peas or corn
• cooked noodles

Mix together and put into baking dish

Top with potato chips or herbed stuffing

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at 350º. (Done when mixture bubbles)

Serve hot with fruit salad and bread.

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This recipe came to me from my mother, Peggy, and probably also from my sister-in-law, JoAnn.

Brown in 1 c. butter (2 sticks):

• 3/4 c. diced onion
• 3/4 c. chopped celery

Add & mix together in large bowl:

• 2 large packages Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing Mix

Add & mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/2 c. hot water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
• 2 slightly beaten eggs
• cooked wild rice (1/2 c. before cooking)

Stuff loosely and Cook Turkey immediately.

Refrigerate remaining dressing until 1 hour before turkey is done.

Add to remaining dressing:

• 1/2 c. turkey drippings from the pan
• 1/2 c. broth from cooking giblets
• 1/4 c. chopped cooked giblets (optional)

Mix well and put into greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.

Cover & bake at 325º for 45 minutes OR at 375º for 30 minutes.

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Thanks to my Mom-in-law, I have enjoyed these pickles for many years!  If you’d like to try them, just use this recipe and send me a jar full! 

Sterilize & keep hot: 9 to 12 pint jars with lids and rings

Mix together: 7 lbs.  cucumbers, sliced thin; 4 lbs. onions, sliced thin; ½ c. salt. Cover with cracked ice & let stand for 3 hours Drain well.

Pickling mixture: 5 c. sugar, ½ Tbsp whole cloves, 2 Tbsp. celery seeds, 2 Tbsp. turmeric, 3 Tbsp. mustard seed, 5 c. vinegar.

Add cucumbers and onions to pickling mixture. Heat just to a boil and till pickles start to change color. Seal in HOT sterilized jars.

Makes 9 to 12 pints. Remember to send me a jar full!    You can send Mom a jar full, too!

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This is an internet email recipe I received and then tweaked.  It needs more real-time testing, so let me know what you think — what’s it need?  How did it work for you?   This would be a good take-to-work cake if you mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then mix them just before baking in the office microwave!

This reminds me of when we used to make a cake in small coffee cans.  I think you can put an 8×8 cake into 2 coffee cans.  Hmm.  I’ll have to check on that!  Cans bake in a regular oven, though, not the microwave!

Jesse and I made this today for his 4th birthday!  Mmmm. 

In a microwave-safe coffee mug,  mix together:

4 Tbsp flour (not self-rising)

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp baking cocoa powder

dash of salt

Add & mix well:

1 small egg

Add & mix well:

3 Tbsp milk

3 Tbsp oil

small splash of vanilla extract

Stir in (optional):

3 Tbsp chocolate chips /or/

3 Tbsp chopped nuts

Cook in microwave on HIGH (1,000 W) for 5 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.  The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but it’s OK.

Allow to cool a little, then tip out and ice if desired.

EAT!!   (serves 2 or 3 if you want to share)  I sliced it and iced the slices like cookies!

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Richard and I were introduced to this recipe when Beth’s mom fixed it for us back when she & Bob lived in the beach house at Sandbridge. I got a fresh chicken on sale the other day, so I fixed this for Richard and myself today. Ahhhhh….

Wear an apron as this is an especially messy marinade and may stain clothing. Mix all ingredients together and put in large bowl. Add frozen (or thawed) chicken and let sit overnight in refrigerator.

Note: c = cup, Tbsp = tablespoon

1/4 c dark brown sugar 1/4 c soy sauce 1/4 c molasses 2 Tbsp sesame oil (I used safflower, as I had no sesame on hand) 2 Tbsp vinegar 1 Tbsp sweet basil (I used “Mediterranean Basil” which smelled light & sweet) 1 Tbsp ground ginger 4 cloves minced or pressed garlic 3 c water

Before roasting, stuff chicken with a raw onion. Tie legs, wings and neck flap closed. Put in a shallow roasting pan and bake uncovered at 400º for 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours (for 4-5 lb. bird). Baste occasionally with marinade or with pan drippings. About 3/4 of the way through baking, clip ties, baste, and continue cooking until bird is completely done. Chicken is done when legs move freely. Remove chicken from roasting pan and place on platter to cool about 1/2 hour before slicing.

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I’m surprised I haven’t posted this recipe yet! This is the recipe Richard’s Mom’s Mom (Margaret Anderson) brought with her from Scotland. That’s right, Richard is 1/2 Scottish and Steve, Sean & Bob are 1/4 Scottish! (Actually, our sons are a bit more than that since my mom’s family also has some roots in Scotland.)

I’m making these cookies today for a tea next week. Yes, you can freeze the cookies. Ice them after you’ve thawed them out again. I wanted a cookie-cutter for a nice small round cookie. I did not have one. Richard was headed to Lowe’s for some “man stuff” and asked if I needed anything. I told him I needed a 1 1/2″ cookie cutter. Well, sure enough, he brought one home to me!! It’s a 1 1 /2″ drain extension from the plumbing department! Works great! Not bad for $1.50!

OK, Here’s the recipe:

Scottish Shortbread

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Baking time: 13-14 min. Makes about 3 dozen.

Combine slightly in large bowl:

3 sticks of butter (yes, real butter) – soft, not melted:  works fine with salted or unsalted butter – your preference 3/4 cup white sugar 3 cups white flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dump on counter and mix with hands. No flour needed. Chill dough in fridge if weather is hot If chilled, slice dough into 3/8″ slices, then cut. Roll to 3/8″ thick, cut.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil – no greasing necessary. Space cookies about 1 1/2″ to 2″ apart in all directions.

Bake until almost golden at 350º for 13-14 minutes. Larger cookies will take about 15 minutes. Trust your eyes more than the timer!! 350º on one oven may be more or less on another. Should just barely have a tint of golden on the edges. Texture should be flakey and layered.

Remove from baking sheet immediately. You can lift the foil right off and set it either on the counter or on cooling racks. After a few minutes, remove the cookies from the foil and let continue cooling directly on the cooling racks. These cookies are very delicate, so handle with care.

If you wish to ice the cookies, use a powdered sugar frosting or Portsmouth Frosting. Ice cookies lightly. They are very sweet already!

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Hi! I prepared a recipe for dinner tonight from a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me early in our marriage (some 35+ years ago!). I’ve not prepared it before, but Richard said, “I’ve not eaten this for years! My mom used to make this.”

So, I’ll give you the recipe, from the 1961 edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Casserole Cook Book.

Deviled Egg – Ham Casserole

Deviled Eggs: 6 hard-cooked eggs 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (1/2 tsp salt – did not use this & it was plenty salty without it) dash pepper

White sauce: 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups milk 1 cup shredded process cheese 1 cup diced cooked ham 1 cup frozen peas, broken up (I used frozen corn) 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Devilled Eggs: Halve eggs. Remove yolks, mash with next 4 ingredients; refill whites. Arrange eggs in ungreased baking dish (10″ x 6″ x 1 1/2″ – I used 9″ round x 1 1/2″).

Sauce: Melt butter; blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk; cook and stir till thick. Sir in cheeese, ham and peas. Pour over eggs. Combine crumbs and butter; sprinkle over.

Bake at 375º for 15 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Potential adaptations:

I think this would be good with some curry.

Use chipped beef instead of ham.

Also, serve with hot, buttered toast and fruit.

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