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Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
2 tsp. dry onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. minced dry garlic
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
Instructions for Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Mix! If adding to ground beef, add 1/2 c. water and simmer 10 minutes.
Taco Casserole
2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1 small chopped onion
2 packages taco seasoning
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1 small package of flour torillas
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Place meat and onion in frying pan, cook until done. Pour off grease. Add taco seasoning mix, prepare as directed on packages. Let simmer until water is evaporated. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan lightly with PAM. Tear tortillas in pieces enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon in meat mixture. Cover with another layer of tortilla pieces. Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream together thoroughly, pour over tortilla layer. Add layer of shredded cheese. Bake at 350* F for 30-40 min. until heated thoroughly, and cheese is melted. Serve over lettuce, top with tomatoes. Serves 10-12.
Chicken Enchiladas
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup (could substitute 1 can for Cream of Mushroom Soup)
1 pint sour cream (2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/4 oz. chopped olives (1/2 cup)
1- 4oz. can diced green chiles
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
7-8 flour tortillas ripped into bite sized pieces
3/4 lb. grated cheese (Cheddar and Monterey Jack would be a good mix- just use what you have)
Preheat oven to 350* F. Grease the baking pan. Boil chicken until cooked all the way through. Cut into cubes. Mix the first 6 ingredients above in a bowl. Place half of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the pan, then half of the chicken mixture, then half of the cheese, then repeat the layers. Bake for 45- 60 minutes uncovered (no foil or anything on top).
Serves 8-10 people.
Another Chicken Casserole
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1- 8 oz. can water chestnuts (if desired)
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. Cornflake crumbs
1 c. mayonnaise
Boil chicken until tender; cut into small pieces. Combine in large bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking pan; sprinkle some more Cornflake crumbs on top. Bake at 350* F for 1 hour.
Chicken Bow-Tie Pasta Salad
Prep: 25 min
2 c. bow-tie or other pasta- dry
2 c. fresh broccoli florets
1 can cooked chicken (or you can just cook your own chicken and cut it up)
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes or 1 large tomato cut into chunks
1/2 c. Italian Dressing
1/2 c. shredded cheese- i.e. cheddar or Colby Jack
1/4 c. sliced black olives
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to the directions on the package, adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 2 min. of the pasta cooking time; drain.
Toss chicken, tomatoes, dressing, cheese crumbles, and olives in large bowl. Add pasta mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings.
[LOL, they say “can of soup” and I automatically convert it to read “left over gravy”.....
granny]
Hello Thread # 3 !
A Couple of Secrets From Country Cooks
The secret to making good, light, fluffy biscuits is to not handle the dough too much and to make the dough more on the moist side than the dry side. The more moist the dough, the lighter the biscuits.
The secret to making good dumplings is to roll out the dumplings and cut them and then let them sit for a few minutes before dropping them in the cooking pot. This allows the air to slightly dry the outer surface of the dumplings and then they won’t fall apart when they hit the hot liquid.
Anytime you can use buttermilk instead of sweet milk in bread, the bread will rise lighter and fluffier.
Never use liquid oil when making bread. You’ll end up with hard, flat dough.
Spoon Bread
SOPPERS & GRAVY
A traditional bread in the Blue Ridge is spoon bread. When mountain cooks were in a hurry and just cooking for family, spoon bread fit the menu.
Spoon bread is essentially the same batter as biscuit, except that it is more moist. Use self-rising flour, solid shortening and buttermilk. They are the only ingredients necessary.
Put 3 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a depression in the middle of the flour. Put a lump of shortening in it the size of a black walnut. Pour buttermilk in the depression and start stirring in the flour closest to the center, working out to the bowl. If the batter looks too dry, add a little more milk. The batter should be sticky but not liquid.
At this point you have two options as to how you want to cook your bread. You can grease and heat a cast iron skillet and cook it on top of a stove or in a fire place, on top of hot coals. You can also grease a baking pan and bake it in a 400 degree oven. The more moist the batter, the higher and lighter your bread will be, but if your batter is more moist it will take a little longer to bake. A tip to make the bread look smooth on top is to wet the top with a little water and smooth the batter with the back of a spoon.
It will take about 15 or 20 minutes to cook.
When done, turn it out onto a plate. No need to slice it, just break off the size hunk you want. It makes great “soppers.” Soppers are also a tradition. Soppers are bread broken up in small pieces. They are used to “sop” up gravy, primarily, but are also dropped in a glass of sweet or butter milk and eaten with a spoon.
GRAVY
Now if I give you a recipe for gravy, you’ll have a complete depression meal that many a mountain family has survived on in the past.
Many people associate gravy with meat but while grease is an essential ingredient, it’s all you need. You can save your bacon grease and make gravy from it. Many old timers made gravy just from lard.
Heat about 4 tablespoons of bacon or sausage grease in a cast iron skillet over a medium heat. When it is melted, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in about an equal amount of flour and blend it so there are no lumps of dry flour. Continue until this mixture bubbles.
If you cook this mixture longer the gravy will be browner. Add one and a half to two cups of sweet milk slowly, stirring continuously to prevent lumping. Stir the gravy with a large spoon so that the backside of the spoon is rubbing the bottom of the skillet at all times. Make sure you stir all areas of the bottom of the skillet to prevent sticking. When it gets as thick as you like it, remove from heat and pour over “soppers.”