OVER THE TOP GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Are you tired of the same ol' green bean casserole that's been around for 100 years? If you still love it, then my apologies. But for me, it's gotten a bit blase'. I was SO thrilled when Monica (my daughter in law) walked in with this dish yesterday, for Thanksgiving dinner! I heard she was trying something different. And this was just over the top! You REALLY need to try this one! It's amazing. You'll have a hard time not picking at the croutons though, until dinner is ready!

OVER THE TOP GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

* 3 pounds green beans
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 loaf crusty Italian bread
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
* 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
* 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake), sliced
* 2 shallots, sliced
* 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp, they will be cooked more in the oven. Drain them and set aside. Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the green beans with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Tear the bread into 2-inch pieces, put them into a bowl, and add 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well to coat and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake just until the bread just starts to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, add the remaining thyme and chives, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the green beans and stir well. Put the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish, top with the croutons, and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. Bake until everything is hot and bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

Have you ever made a pecan pie? I love it but had never personally made one, until this year for Thanksgiving. And now, it's going to be a yearly thing! It got rave reviews, especially from my Honey! I guess I always thought pecan pie was difficult, or too expensive, but neither is the case. If you like it all, don't hesitate to try this recipe - it's a piece of cake. OOPS! I mean a piece of pie! *hehe*

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

4 Tblsp butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tblsp flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup light Karo syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan halves (roughly chopped - or whole, it's your preference)
1 (9") pie crust

Preheat oven to 325. Cream the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Add the Karo syrup, eggs and vanilla, then fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or utnil firm to the touch.
Serve the pie warm or cool.

*One thing I noticed as I was scouring the many recipes, out there, for pecan pie. The argument over whether to leave the pecans whole or roughly chop them. I've always felt that roughly chopping them, helps them stay in place better on top of the pie as you're cutting into it. I like pecans with each bite, and if they are whole, chances are, that won't happen as you're eating it. So for my pie, I roughly chopped them. But if you prefer them whole, by all means, leave them that way!

SWEET POTATO CRUNCH

Here's a favorite Thanksgiving recipe of ours. The first time I had this was at a friends house. I begged her for the recipe, I could not believe it was sweet potatoes! It is just absolutely delicious and gets requested every year for Thanksgiving. The crunchy topping is just to die for!

SWEET POTATO CRUNCH

6 cups mashed sweet potatoes (I use canned)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
4 eggs
Cinnamon to taste

Beat all ingredients, except melted butter, until creamy, and with as few lumps as possible. In a 9 x 13 pan, pour melted butter. Place sweet potato mixture in pan on top of butter, do not stir.

TOPPING:

2 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted (more as needed)
2/3 cup flour
Dash of salt and cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together until moist and crumbly. Sprinkle topping over potato mixture until evenly covered. Bake at 350 for about 45 min., or until topping is lightly browned.
Let it sit for abotu 10 minutes before serving.
ENJOY!

COMPANY CORN

Looking for a way to jazz up your boring dish of corn? Then you will like this recipe! It has a bit of a zing to it. I made this Sunday for my Guinea pig family! LOL The women liked it, the men folk - not so much. But it's hard to get anything new or different passed the men! They like their food the "usual" way! Me, I get sort of bored with the same ol', same ol'.
I do have to tell you though, that this dish is best when it is warm and fresh. Don't make it and then leave it sit. If you are serving buffet style, it would be best to put a warmer under this. Once it starts to cool off, it's not so good.

COMPANY CORN

2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen corn, cooked according to pkg directions
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup butter, cubed
2 Tblsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried savory
1/2 tsp. white pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cook corn according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the parsley, salt, savory and white pepper.
Drain corn. Add to onion mixture in skillet. Stir in sour cream and lemon juice. serve immediately.

APPLEBEE'S BLONDIE

Have you ever had a Blondie from Applebees? Does this look yummy? Well it's not the right recipe! LOL I have been to at least 20 different sites looking for a copy cat recipe for the Blondie like Applebees makes. And NONE of them are right. Most of them say the sauce is: butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and nuts. But that can't be right because Applebees sauce is white, thick and has a slight tartness to it. The sauce for the recipe I made on Sunday was "close" but still not quite on the money. The Blondie recipe itself, was TOTALLY wrong. So I'm still on a quest for the RIGHT copy cat recipe for Applebees Blondie! I won't rest until I find it and make it. My family and I all love that dessert! They humored me on Sunday and said it was good, but I'm a big girl - they wouldn't have hurt my feelings if they would have told me the truth! LOL I knew it was blah and not the right one.
I'm off to hunt some more! ~*sigh*~

SUBSTITUTES IN A PINCH

Don't you hate running out of something right when you need it? Especially when it's late and you don't feel like driving to the store, to get more, even if it is only 4 miles! I'm like that. I HATE running out of needed items. But..... occasionally it happens.

Last week I let my self run out of 2 things: dishwasher soap and spray starch!

A quick google search gave me a recipe for homemade dishwasher soap, but who keeps "borax" in their house? Not me. I did find one suggestion to add 3 Tblsp of baking soda to the dishwasher to wash the dishes, but that just didn't seem like a "clean" enough substitute to suit me. So along with the 3 Tblsp of baking soda, I added a scant teaspoon of regular Dawn dishwashing detergent. (What can I say? Yes, I had regular dish soap, but didn't feel like washing an entire sink of dishes by hand! I'm so spoiled!) It worked and my dishwasher didn't even suds over (and yes, I've been there, done that! LOL)

My next adventure was running out of spray starch (the same week!) A quick google search uncovered a "recipe" for homemade spray starch. I was a bit skeptical, but decided to try it anyway. My hubby wears dress shirts most every day of the week, so I needed something quick to iron up a few shirts for him. The homemade starch worked like a charm!

*Special Note* I would only use the homemade spray starch on whites and brights though. I tried using it on some dark dress shirts and it left a spotty residue that I had to wipe off with a damp cloth. But.... hey, it worked for me in a pinch! And hubby's white dress shirts were clean, and crisp looking! Could use on table linens, cloth napkins, pillowcases, etc...

Here's the recipe in case you ever need it:

HOMEMADE SPRAY STARCH

2 cups cold water
1 heaping Tblsp corn starch
A couple drops of your favorite scented essential oil (but if you're like me, and don't have essential oil in your house, just take a new, scented Bounce sheet and stuff it down in the spray bottle along with the corn starch mixture!)

Combine it all in a measuring cup, whisk until corn starch is dissolved and pour into spray bottle. Add your essential oil (or your bounce sheet!) Give it a good shake, and you're good to go! Be sure to shake it occasionally to keep it mixed up while you're ironing.
Even if I'm just using plain water to mist my clothes when I iron, I still keep a fresh bounce sheet stuffed inside my spray bottle of water.

So, that's my favorite way to use a food item in a non-food way. What's yours? Do you put cucumber slices on your eyes to prevent puffiness? Do you rub lemon on your copper pots to make them shine? Share your food / non food tips with me. I'd love to hear them!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHEWIES

Here's another one from my daughter in law, Monica. She created these last weekend. They had the youth group over to their house for food, after they raked lawns for our Sr citizens. My daughter Sarah brought one over to me, and said, "These were so good, I just knew you would want to put the recipe on your blog!" She was right! They are so moist, and chewy. And I LOVE the cherries in them! It might look like a brownie in the pic, but I broke the cookie in half, so you could see the cherries inside. THANKS Monica! This one's a keeper!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHEWIES

1/3 cup veg. shortening

1/3 cup butter (softened)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

2/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 whole jar Maraschino cherries, drained and roughly chopped

Mix first 6 ingredients until blended and smooth. Combine thoroughly with dry ingredients Fold in cherries at the end. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. (I used parchment paper on baking stones) Bake at 350 until tops of cookies begin to look cracked. Let stand on baking sheet 5 min., then remove to rack to cool.

Note: If uncertain about whether or not they're done, take them out on the "under" side of done. They'll be chewy and gooey with the consistency of a soft brownie!! YUM

Enjoy!

100 THINGS EVERY OMNIVORE SHOULD TRY

I came across this tonight and thought it was interesting. It’s a list of 100 things every good omnivore (one who feeds on both animal and vegetable substances) should try at least once in their life. I didn’t fair very well. I see a lot of things I would like to try one day, though.

The Omnivore’s Hundred:
The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. The instructions are quite explicit...

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

*I did remove all the references to liquor and alcohol as I don’t drink and don’t promote drinking.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle

19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float

37. Clotted cream tea

39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk

46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle


59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare 87. Goulash 88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

How about you? How'd you do with this list?

SAVORY STUFFED "TURKEN"

WOWZERS is all I can say about this one! Have you ever heard of the Turducken? Well, I couldn't find anything other than a whole duck, so I skipped the duck part and did my own thing! I stuffed this turkey breast with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a delicious savory stuffing. I was a bit nervous as it was cooking and kept wondering if I should have seasoned the layers of meat. But amazingly, the meat picked up the flavors of the stuffing as it was baking! This was a REAL WINNER! A bit of work to prepare, but every bit, worth the effort! I'll be taking this to our church's Thanksgiving dinner too. I've included sort of step by step instructions on how to assemble the "Turken." If you can grab an extra set of hands when you tie it up, you really should - you'll need them!

SAVORY STUFFED "TURKEN"

1 lb. mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil, plus some for brushing over turkey
3 oz. prosciutto, finely minced
3/4 cup onions, minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tsp. salt, divided (1 tsp each)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
garlic powder

1/2 (14 oz) bag of seasoned crouton stuffing
1 cup hot water or chicken broth
1/4 butter

1 3 lb. boneless turkey breast with skin
1 lb boneless, skinless, thin, chicken breasts
butcher's twine

2 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp honey

Roughly chop mushrooms. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add prosciutto and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic; cook until onions are translucent. Add thyme, parsley, 1 tsp salt, salt and pepper. Set aside. Melt the 1/4 cup butter into the 1 cup of hot water or chicken broth. Pour over stuffing mix and stir until moistened. Add mushroom mixture and toss to mix well.

Do not remove skin from turkey breast. Debone and butterfly if not boneless. Place breast, skin side down on cutting board. Evenly layer in boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Spread the stuffing mixture evenly over the turkey, leaving the edges clear all around. Roll the turkey up over the filling and secure with cotton string.

Place roast in a roasting pan, skin side up. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Roast in a preheated 500°F oven for 20 minutes, or until roast is well browned. Reduce temperature to 325°F and roast an additional 60-90 minutes, or until temperature reads 165-170°F on an instant read thermometer.

*I put this in the oven on 350, before I left for church (9:00 a.m.) and it was done when we got home (12:45) I still checked it w/ my meat thermometer though.

Combine 2 Tblsp melted butter with 2 Tblsp honey and using a pastry brush, baste the turken with the mixture. Place back in oven for 10 minutes or until nice and shiny and crisp. Remove from oven and Allow roast to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Cut into 1/2" slices and serve with pan drippings as gravy.

If you can't find a boneless, skin on turkey breast, you can debone your own, but it is a little work. I did it, and if I can figure it out, anybody can! You have to have an extremely sharp deboning knife to get the carcass cut away from the breast meat. And be careful not to cut the turkey breast in half while you're removing the bone a little at a time. As you removing the bone - do not cut away the extra skin at the neck area. You'll want that to help cover part of the stuffing.
Once you get the bones out and get the turkey breast layed out flat - layer in your pound of thin, boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Then spoon on the stuffing. Don't be afraid to load that puppy up! I spooned it on and then pressed it down with my hands.
Now, remember that extra skin at the neck area? Using both hands, grab from the sides and pull it together as tight as you can. Have your extra set of hands pull the extra skin up and over the top of the Turken. Then have them wrap butcher's twine around it. Wrap it around horizontally in at least 3 or 4 evenly spaced sections and tie it TIGHT. Then wrap one vertically and tie it tight. Flip it over so the skin side is up. Season with salt and pepper and place in roasting pan with 2 cups of water.
VOILA! Just out of the oven! Now take your honey and butter mixture and baste the turken with it. Place the turken back in the oven for about 10 minutes or so, just long enough for it to get nice and shiny and crispy on top.
OH NO I have tan lines! See what I mean? YUMMO!

Soooo moist and delicous! Don't you want to try it now? You won't be disappointed! Trust me!

SAVORY SQUASH CRISP

Do you ever make new recipes for dinner guests? I must be a glutton for punishment - I made 2 things today, that I had never eaten or made! This was one of them. A friend had given me a couple of butternut squash from her garden, and I had them sitting in a basket by my stove. I needed to use them, but am still sort of new to the whole squash scene. We're trying to eat more of it, but it's still unfamiliar territory for me. I actually saw this recipe in one of those recipe card holders at the grocery store, by the produce. I saw the word squash, read the recipe, and said, "I have everything I need to make this! I'm making this for Sunday dinner!" It got rave reviews at dinner, by everyone at the table. So yep, it's a keeper!
Very savory and delicious!

SAVORY SQUASH CRISP

1 (2 lb) Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
1/4 cup butter, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups seasoned crouton stuffing mix
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400. Bring large pot of water to boiling. Drop in squash cubes. Cook 7 - 8 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well. Spoon squash into 3 qt baking dish. Toss with 1 Tblsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 Tblsp butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in bread cubes, remaining 1/4 tsp salt and thyme. Saute 1 to 2 minutes to coat with butter. Stir in pecans. Spoon evenly over squash. Bake 10 - 15 minutes or until bread cubes are lightly browned.

*This can be made the night before. I mixed this up last night. Pulled it from the fridge early this morning (7 am) and then let it sit and come to room temperature during church. When I got home, I tossed it in the oven for about 20 minutes (maybe 30) and it baked up just as nice and fresh as if I had just made it.
*I also drizzled a little melted butter over the top before I put it in the oven.

SATURDAY NIGHT CONEY DOGS

My Honey LOVES Coney dogs, but you can't find a good coney place within 2 hours of here! So, he does what any red blooded, American man would do, he makes his own! And it is REALLY good! So easy and it tastes so much like the coneys you get in a regular coney dog shop. We don't eat a lot of processed food or even hot dogs. But once in a while you just get a hankerin' for a good coney! If you have any leftover sauce, it freezes well.

SATURDAY NIGHT CONEY DOGS

Good casing hog dogs - Koegels are the best for these coneys

Coney Sauce:

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp margarine (he used all butter, since we don't use margarine)
1 1/2 lbs. LEAN ground beef
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (6 oz) can water
13 to 16 cheap, skinless hot dogs
Salt and pepper to taste

DO NOT brown the ground beef before using. Combine ALL ingredients, except cheap hot dogs, in a large pot and simmer until thick. Grind the cheap hot dogs in a food processor and then stir them into the meat mixture, cook 15 minutes longer.

Use over GOOD casing hot dogs, like Koegels, with chopped onion and mustard. The big secret in this recipe is the cheap ground hot dogs.

21 DINNER GUESTS!

Don't wait for ...... to show hospitality to someone! Just keep the meal simple, use what you have and DO IT! You won't be sorry. If you don't have many decorations, just take a walk outside and see all that God has given you to decorate with, in the way of nature! My daughter is always cutting things outside to bring in and stick in a vase.
I remember the days when we were first married. We lived in a tiny little 2 bedroom apt. When we had dinner guests over, I would set up the ironing board, cover it with a sheet and use it as my buffet! haha The food fit perfectly on it, and then we ate in the living room with our plates on our laps. So don't let the lack of space keep you from having friends over. And the meal can be anything you want it to be. From soup and sandwiches, to a fried chicken dinner, to burgers & dogs on the grill, or just dessert and coffee. And your house doesn't have to be the Taj Mahal. Just be thankful for what you have, keep it clean and neat and remember, people don't come to look at your house - they come to visit YOU!

Today we had a blast with our Sunday dinner guests! The whole Maxwell clan (3 families) came over for dinner! I had just rearranged my living room last week to a more user friendly set up for our family. And amazingly, it allowed room for 2 long banquet tables end to end in there! So we all fit perfectly! I didn't make any new dishes. I stuck to good ol' standbys. And don't judge me for the paper plates and plastic cups! They were Chinet - does that count? haha I still used tablecloths and cloth napkins - oh, and real flatware!

The menu:

2 hams (got them on sale for 1.49 / lb)
Party potatoes
Cheesy broccoli
Corn
Hot yeast rolls
Pumpkin gooey butter cake
Hot fudge pudding cake w/ ice cream

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For those that like the Party potatoes - (they go perfect paired with ham by the way) I came up with a MUCH easier way to prepare them! I'm also going to edit that post to include the amounts for "feeding a crowd."

OK Wow - I just looked back through my recipe files and realized that I've never posted the recipe for Party Potatoes! I can't believe that! It's such a great recipe! I'm surprised it wasn't one of my first recipes! I'm going to post it w/out a pic this time and the next time I make them, I'll come back and edit this to include the pic. They really are just delicious - they go especially well with any meat that doesn't have a gravy - such as ham or meatloaf. I'll post the original recipe and then below it, the edited version for "feeding a crowd."

PARTY POTATOES

8 servings of Instant potatoes, prepared according to pkg directions.
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into chunks
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick butter
Paprika

In a large saucepan, prepare 8 servings of instant potatoes according to pkg directions. Stir in cream cheese, sour cream and garlic powder. In 2 qt baking dish, melt 1 stick of butter. Pour potato mixture on top of melted butter and then spoon some of the butter from the edge, over the top. Do not stir. Sprinkle with paprika and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving. Good with BBG meat, meatloaf or ham.

*An easier way to prepare these is to mix the cream cheese chunks and the sour cream into the hot water, milk and butter mixture, BEFORE you add in the instant potato flakes. Once the cream cheese and sour cream are melted and blended in, then add the potato flakes and proceed from there.

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PARTY POTATOES FOR A CROWD

6 1/2 cups water
4 cups milk
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 (8 oz) cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
2 tsp garlic powder
6 1/2 cups instant potato flakes (or more depending on consistency)
Paprika

In large stock pot, heat water, milk and 1 stick of butter until heated through and butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in garlic powder, cream cheese chunks and sour cream. Whip with wire whisk until cream cheese and sour cream are both thoroughly blended in. Slowly add potato flakes and whip with wire whisk until they are the consistency of nice creamy mashed potatoes. If they are too thin, add more potato flakes. If they get too thick, add a bit more milk.
Melt the other stick of butter and pour it into a large dutch oven or roasting pan, pour the potato mixture over the melted stick of butter. Spoon some of the melted butter from the edges, over the top. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 375 for 30 - 45 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 20

WHITE BEAN CHILI

What is it about colder weather that makes you want to make more "comfort" food? It must be because you aren't afraid to heat up the kitchen. It was only 36 degrees here today in MI. And it's only Nov. 8. So a nice hot pot of white chili just sounded good tonight. This one packs a ton of flavor! You won't be disappointed.

WHITE BEAN CHILI

1 large onion -- chopped
1 whole red or green pepper -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large chicken breasts cut in bite-sized pieces,
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, do not drain
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 good shakes Frank's hot pepper sauce (or more, if you like it really hot)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 (49 oz) can chicken broth
2 (19 oz) can Cannellini beans, drained (1 can will be mashed)
4 tablespoons cilantro -- chopped, fresh OR parsley
grated jack cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Directions:In large pot, saute onion, garlic and red or green pepper in olive oil until translucent.

Add poultry, chopped chiles and seasonings (except for fresh cilantro/parsley); saute for several minutes until chicken is done. Add chicken broth, hot pepper sauce and 1 can of the Cannellini beans (drained). Drain 2nd can of Cannellini beans and process in food processor until smooth. Add processed beans to pot and stir until combined. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add parsley/cilantro, simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream as garnish.

CREAMY CORN MUFFINS

I really love cornbread, but find the dry, gritty texture a bit distasteful. We recently had a chili cook off at our church and my daughter-in-law brought the most delicious corn muffins! They were so moist and flavorful. I made white chili tonight and was just itching to whip up a batch of these muffins to go with it! Soooo yummy!

CREAMY CORN MUFFINS

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar, OR pepper jack (your choice)
1/2 of a 4 oz can of chopped green chiles OR 1/4 cup of canned sliced jalapeno, drained (your choice)

*The Pepperjack cheese and the jalapenos would give the muffins a bit more "kick." So if you like heat - go for it!

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Fill muffin cups 1/2 way and bake for 15 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched with finger. Let cool for 5 minutes. Loosen edges with butter knife to pop out of muffin tin.
Yield: 8 muffins