Creamy White Chicken Chili

1. 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast - diced or cubed
2. 1/4 stick butter
3. 4 - 6 cans (15.5 oz.) Northern white beans (navy beans) drained
4. 1 carton chicken broth
5. 1 medium onion diced
6. 1 clove garlic diced (optional)
7. 2 cans (15.5 oz) chili seasoned tomatoes / or fire roasted tomatoes
8. 1 can (26 oz) can cream of chicken soup
9. 1 packet McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning

Melt butter in large pot on medium heat / sautee onion and garlic (if desired) / add cubed or diced chicken and sautee until white or golden brown / add McCormick seasoning / add tomatoes / add chicken broth / add beans / add cream of chicken soup.

Stir continuously, allowing mixture to thicken. Adding 1/4 Cup of sour cream (optional) will help flavor and thicken the mixture as well. I usually add diced green onion or chives to add flavor and color. 

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese (optional) and Fritos (..also optional)

Hunter's Stew

This recipe was discovered years ago in a Field & Stream magazine. It was aptly named "Hunter's Stew" NOT so much for the idea of preparing a stew from whatever game the hunter brought home .. but rather to have an easy and simple meal ready for the unlucky avid hunter who comes home empty handed after a long tiring day in the woods. Yeah, I know ... sounds like a bunch of crap to me too.

Surprisingly enough, it is the closest you will find to creating your own version of "Dinty Moore" beef stew.

2 pounds lean ground beef
6 - 8 large potatoes sliced, diced, cubed, peeled or unpeeled (whichever option you prefer)
4 -6 large carrots peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion diced
1 pound (16 ounce) bag frozen peas (optional)
1 small can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 small can Condensed Tomato soup
1 small can Cheddar Cheese soup
salt and pepper to taste

In a 3 quart slow cooker (crock pot), pack ground beef covering the bottom. Amply season with salt and pepper. Layer potatoes over the ground beef. Layer carrots over the potatoes. Add onion and peas if preferred. Top with Mushroom, Tomato and Cheddar Cheese soups. There's no need to try stirring them together since they will form into a sauce on their own later. Cover and cook on medium temperature for at least six hours or until carrots become soft. When the carrots and potatoes have reached the desired consistency, stir the contents allowing the ground beef to break up into smaller pieces and serve.

Autumn Southern Fried Potatoes

I find that most inspiration comes from experimentation. When you do it long enough, your senses change roles, your eyes begin to see the flavor before it reaches your tongue. This is a "creation" I came up with for last night's dinner. It's simple, but puts a unique boost to fried potatoes.  I hope you like it.

YOU WILL NEED:

1 large skillet

1 large bowl

6 medium size red potatoes (cubed or diced)

1 buttercup squash (not to be confused with butternut)

1/8 - 1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/2  stick butter

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk

2 chicken boullion cubes

salt & pepper to taste

In large skillet, melt 1/3 of the half stick of butter- leaving at least 2 pats of butter available

Use medium heat, add onion and potatoes, stir to coat the potatoes and cover with lid.

Take the buttercup squash and cut in half vertically, remove and discard seeds from both halves. Take one half of the buttercup squash and add one pat of butter and microwave for six minutes. Take the other half and peel (using a vegetable peeler, ..trust me, it works) then dice into cubes and add to potatoes and onion.  It's important to stir the potatoes constantly to avoid heavy scorching. When adding the diced buttercup, also add about 1/3 cup of water and stir. This will help break down the squash and allow it to mix with the potatoes. Add salt & pepper to taste. When the potatoes and squash have reached their proper consistency (soft with no excess moisture) remove from the skillet and place in a large bowl.

Add the last remaining pat of butter to the skillet along with chicken stock, milk and boullion allowing to reduce at a medium heat. One tablespoon of corn starch or flour will help it thicken if needed.

OPTION:  You can opt to use a chicken gravy packet, or prepared chicken gravy in a jar.. but 

one cup of milk will need to be added for it to work..  here's why..

Take the remaining half of the buttercup squash and spoon it into the chicken gravy mix. The squash will be soft enough to blend with the gravy mixture but will need to be stirred in. When the gravy mix has reached its proper consistency, add the potatoes back to the skillet and stir together. The potatoes should look Au Gratin .. with no cheese.  They taste amazing.

Kitty Litter Cake

1 pk Spice cake mix

1 pk White cake mix

1 pk White sandwich cookies

1 sm Package instant vanilla pudding mix

12 sm Tootsie Rolls

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions. Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender. They tend to stick, so scrape often.

When cakes are cooled, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Gently combine. Pour into a clean kitty litter box.

Put unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave safe dish two at a time and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat until you have nine, and bury them in the mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Heat three more Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper.