This really isn’t a new recipe. Almost everyone knows how to make super ultra processed Queso. It is the note at the bottom that gets me. I should note that most Lutherans are of Scandinavian descent and a comment often heard around the table is, “oh, looks like a Scandinavian dinner,” when all of the food on the plate is white. Needless to say, Lutherans don’t like the spicy. If you would like to purchase world’s blandest cookbook let me know.
Chile Con Queso
1 Ib. Velveeta, cut in cubes
1 can (1 4 oz. ) Ortega diced green chiles
1 can (1 Ib.) whole tomatoes. drained then chopped fine
1 T. dried minced onionsHeat all ingredients together in chafing dish over a boiler pan until cheese is melted and it is hot. Serve with corn chips. This is a popular appetizer with people who enjoy HOT foods!
Watch out! With one 4 oz. can of green chilies it might add flavor.
Our church is putting together a cookbook “fundraiser.” It really isn’t a fundraiser per-se. It was more that the kitchen/custodial staff wanted a cookbook and I volunteered I said that we needed to give the old ladies something to spend their money on and tell them it was going to a good cause. At the time we were fundraising the heck out of the congregation for the China trip and I came up with the idea that we could spend the money on new “furnishings” for the kitchen since it is going to get remodeled this summer. The old ladies liked this idea, but like any Lutherans they don’t work quick. I wanted to send the cookbook stuff off at the beginning of March and here it is late Junuary (it has been a horribly cold June around here) and I’m still not finished with the book. Sometime around April I crapped out and decided to go with a publishing company because I just can’t type all of the recipes myself.
There is much more to this whole cookbook story (including me purchasing a new scanner because my old one died), but my point was Jell-O.
If you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook you’ve seen a few random bits about Jell-O recipes. If you don’t know anything about Lutherans just know that Lutherans loves themselves some Jell-O molds. In fact, our church kitchen has a cupboard dedicated to nothing but Jell-O molds. Lutheran Jell-O molds nonetheless. They are the same as Catholic or Methodist Jell-O molds, we just use them more frequently.
When I mentioned that I was the one organizing the cookbook one of the quilters decided that we needed to include recipes from the old books too. Books no one has ever heard of or seen. But somehow the Widow Snustead (not her name, but it could be) had the last remaining copy and she marked it up for me with recipes that “should be included.” Knowing the Widow Stensruud I was not to argue and I went about my business photocopying parts of the old book. Then I began to scan the recipes.
Normally when I’m doing projects like this I put it all together and then go back and edit. That was my plan until I came across a recipe for Crab Salad. We’re from the Northwest, this might be good… if you are INSANE!
Crab Salad
2 small packages lime jello dissolved in 2 C. hot water
When partly set add:
1 C. cream, whipped
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 C. stuffed, green olives, sliced
6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 C. diced celeryAfter set put a crab louie dressing on the top and 1 C. flaked crab over the dressing.
Sounds delicious right? It doesn’t end there.
This morning I was going through a few more.
Chicken Gumbo Salad
1 pkg. lemon jello
1/2 C. boiling water
1 can condensed chicken gumbo soup
1 can tuna (or 1 C. diced chicken)
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 C. mayonnaise
3 T. minced green pepper
1/2 C. diced celery
1 T. grated onionDissolve gelatin in boiling water, mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into a 5 C. mold or 6 – 8 individual molds. Chill until set. Serve on lettuce, good for luncheons.
And one more just for good measure…
Delicious Sunshine Salad
2 pkg. orange jello
2 1/2 C. boiling water
1 small can crushed. drained pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small can frozen orange juiceMix and set in 9″ x l3″ pan.
Topping:
1 pkg. chiffon pie filling
1 C. whipping cream, whippedMake pie filling as directed on pkg. and add whipped cream. Spread over set jello. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top.
That last one was good up until the parmesan cheese on top. I have half a mind to do a regular feature of some of the most whacked out Lutheran Cookbook recipes since I have no less than 5 books.
Cross posted at Sprouting Off.
My neighbor went out of town for two weeks (please don’t rob his house). Before he left he asked if I could collect his mail and recycle his papers. I agreed since he is a nice guy. If he were an asshole I might steal some of the plants in his yard and replace them with crappy ones. Good thing he doesn’t have very many good plants and that he’s nice. Anyway, he also asked if we could use some fresh produce. Um, yes. We can always use fresh produce (she says as she ignores the 3200 square feet of vegetable garden and that every other week box of organic produce that comes to her doorstep). Why YES! Bring it on. He said that he gets a weekly CSA share from Zestful Gardens and that we are more than welcome to pick it up for the next two weeks. He would let them know that it would be us picking it up and that we would collect it at a church in the North end. The next day he arrives with a note about where to pick up the produce and other things. The note says he gets a full farm share, a greens share and 2 dozen eggs… on Tuesdays. As in every week. We weren’t sure what we were in for and we went to pick up the share and then to the farmer’s market.
The Zestful truck parks in a church parking lot and like any other CSA they put out their wares and a board that says what that week’s share is. You then go through and fill your bags. We walked away with 2 giant bok choi, 2 head of endive, 1 bunch of radishes, 1 bunch of chard, 1 bunch of chives, 1/3 pound of snow peas, 1/2 pound of snap peas, 1/2 pound of salad greens, 1/2 pound of spinach (that was the farm share). We also got a Chinese cabbage (the greens share) and 2 dozen eggs. Needless to say we didn’t buy any vegetables at the farmer’s market.
To add to it we have bunches of spinach (leftover from his last week share and our garden), 3 bunches of radishes (leftover from his last week share and our vegetable box), mustard greens, salad mix (from our vegetable box and the gobs from our own garden), kale, spring onions, spring garlic and carrots.
The question is, what do I do with all of this? I’m going to get another farm share next week and our vegetable box and I have stuff coming ready in my own garden. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I can only eat so many salads a day. I may have to add a 3rd breakfast salad.
So give me your best suggestions. Given everything in my fridge, give me your best recipes. Help me out here. What would you make with all of this stuff?
I committed to finishing the 101 in 1001 project and well… I’m failing miserably at a few of my goals. The whole walk 5 miles a week thing isn’t going so well and I didn’t have the opportunity to make a new bread in March.
I did get the chance to try a few new recipes and so far that is going good. Of course ask me again when I get to the “A Man, A Can, A Plan” cookbook (don’t ask, it’s better that way).
This week, despite spending the past two days on the couch I was able to (with assistance) make Chicksicles out of Alton Brown’s “I’m Just Here For the Food.” This isn’t so much a cookbook as it is a manual on how to cook. It just happens to have recipes in it.
Chicksicles are like a combination of kebabs and satay. They were fairly simple to make except I broke the cardinal rule of cooking and didn’t read the whole recipe prior to starting. I missed the part where it said refrigerate overnight. I skipped that part. I also skipped the part where it said sesame oil since evidently I was out and didn’t know it.
Overall, I like the dish. Next time I would have the trusty husband grill it on a lower heat. The marinade did not like the high heat and blackened. The boy ate some of it, but I think he just wasn’t that into meat tonight, or food for that matter. I would give it a 3 out of 5 on the cook again scale.
Tuesday Night Supper is was a regular feature at Sprouting Off. I’m working on Sprouting Off, really I am. The purpose of Tuesday Night Supper was to give dinner recipes that were easy to make and that used fresh in season vegetables. The reason that this particular post is showing up here and not there is because… well it doesn’t contain any vegetables.
I lent out my book The Gluten Free Gourmet and as soon as I did I wanted to start eating gluten free again. Oh well. One mom was telling me about a recipe for chicken tenders made with corn flakes. I’m pretty sure it was the preschool director, but I’m not 100% sure. Anyway, I decided to give them a try since it sounded good. Here’s what I did and it’s not gluten free because I was lazy. The boy also helped make dinner so commentary on small child with sensory issue commentary is included.
Cornflake Chicken
Disclaimer: we don’t eat large quantities of meat and the place we buy chicken breasts from happens to sell very large ones so a 1/2 breast feeds all 3 of us.
1 - 1/2 breast boneless skinless chicken cut into strips
2 cups cornflakes
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t. season salt
1/2 t. chicken bouillon
1/4 t. black pepper
2 eggs
cooking spray
Place the cornflakes in a zip top bag and give to a small child to obliterate into corn flake bits. While he is doing that cut the chicken and remind him every 2 minutes that he need to keep crushing the corn flakes and that he can help with something else in a minute. Pour crushed flake bits into a shallow dish (pie plate or soup plate works) and have child add flour, season salt, bouillon and pepper.
Have small child assist with the cracking of the eggs. Be sure to allow extra time for hand washing in between egg cracking should any egg residue happen to fall upon the child’s hands in the likely event that he crushes the egg against the countertop. Whisk eggs while child is washing his hands.
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray for good measure. Have child dip the chicken in the egg and then cornflake mixture and then place the coated chicken on the baking sheet. You may want to pour yourself a glass of wine prior to this especially if your child has sensory issues and insists on flicking the egg corn flake goo all over the kitchen walls. Repeat with all chicken strips.
Spray the tops of the chicken with a little cooking spray and place in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. In the meantime explain to the child that he is now finished in the kitchen and that he should vacate the space. Pour yourself another glass of wine because of the following whine-fest about not letting him help with anything.
When chicken is cooked praise child for a job well done and serve with other various dinner side dishes.
