Favor PLEASE! :) (until January 4, 2011)

So, I entered the Karo Cookie Exchange event and need your help! :)  I'd love to win the Grand Prize! :)  Who wouldn't? :)  I entered Chewy Caramels as a recipe on their Cookie Exchange.  I need to have the highest number of votes to win! :)  So, if you're on facebook, here's what you do!

1. Sign into your account.
2. Search for "KARO" and select the Karo syrup.
3. On their facebook group, click "like" at the very top.
4. Select then the "Cookie Exchange" tab up at the top.
5. Click then on "recipes."
6. At the top of the "recipes" page it will have a "most recent' or "most popular" link.  Click "most popular."
7. Find my recipe, right now I'm in 3rd, my name will be next to the recipe "Joanna Cowley Baltzly."
8. Click on the recipe "Chewy Caramels" and it will have a "vote" box on the left.
9. Click "vote" and you're done! :)

THANK YOU! :)

Potato Cream Cheese Soup

So, one of the hardest things about moving Southwest for me, outside leaving my sweet babies behind, is the Panera Potato Cream Cheese soup!  Anybody with me on LOVING their soup!?  NO MORE do I have to miss this soup.  I have FINALLY mastered this soup at home and I even get an entire HUGE batch for the price of my ONE bowl purchased at Panera!  Now, the next thing to work on mastering are their sourdough bread bowls! :)  I'll let you know when I get there! :)

Until then, here is the soup recipe.  ENJOY! :)

3 - 14.5 cans chicken broth
2 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cubed
1 package (30 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1-1/2 c. fully cooked ham, cubed or ground
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
1 t garlic powder or salt
3/4 t dill weed

In your large kettle, bring your chicken broth to a boil. Add cream cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

TIP:  Best served in a sour dough bread bowl!!!

Beef Tenderloin

Raise your hand if you still have NO IDEA what to make for Christmas dinner! :)  We are only days away now from the big day.  I decided to do a stream of posts to help some of you out on what to cook and make for your families' Christmas meal!!! 

This would be your main course!  It's AMAZING! 
Shallots:
2 shallots, halved
1 1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce for beef:
3 cups beef broth
3/4 c port wine
1 1/2 t tomato paste
3 T butter
1 T flour

Beef:
2 lbs beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
1 t dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced

Preheat your oven to 375.  In a pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender.  Usually takes about 30 minutes.  Take out and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the beef broth and port wine.  Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half.  This also takes about 30 minutes.  Whisk in the tomato paste and set aside.

Pat your beef dry.  Sprinkle it with thyme, salt and papper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove.  Saute your bacon until golden.  Transfer the bacon (leaving the grease in the pan) onto a paper towel to absorb the grease.  Using the grease from the bacon still in pan, brown all sides of the beef tenderloin over medium high heat.  About 7 minutes total.  Transfer the entire roasting pan at this point into your oven and roast your beef unil a meat thermometer insterted into the middle is 135 degrees, about 35 minutes.  Immediately remove from the oven and place on a serving platter and put a piece of foil tented over the top and let sit.

While your beef is baking, in a blender, puree your shallots, beef broth mixture and bacon all together until smooth.

Place the roasting pan with the juices from the beef on the stove on high.  Add the broth mixture and bring to a boil.  Stir to scrape up any browned bits.  Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer.  Mix 1 1/2 T butter and flour in small bowl to form a smooth paste; whisk into broth mixxture, and simmer until sauce thickens.  Whisk in remaining butter.

Slice beef in to 1/2 inch thick slices.  Spoon sauce over as wanted.

Million Dollar Potatoes

Here is another VERY EASY version of some cheesy potatoes!!!  This goes BEAUTIFULLY with the Beef Tenderloin for Christmas Day along with the Cinnamon Jello Salad & homemade bread!

1 bag frozen Ore Ida hashbrown potatoes (thawed)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick butter, melted
8 oz sour cream
2 c shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c cornflakes
1/2 stick butter

Melt one stick of butter and mix in with the sour cream and cream of chicken soup until blended.  Pour the potatoes in the same bowl and mix until it is all well mixed together.  Add the cheese and again, mix until it is mixed evenly.  Put into a 9x13 pan and make sure it's all leveled out.  In a different bowl, melt the other 1/2 stick of butter and measure in 2 c cornflakes.  Stir so that the butter is coating all the cornflakes.  Pour them over the potatoes in the pan.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour until they are bubbling.

Cinnamon Jello Salad

This recipe originates with my dear Grandma Cowley!!!  If you know my grandma, you know what an amazing cook she is.  She's passed down MANY recipes and I LOVE it!  This particular salad is VERY cinnamony, and the ingredients don't look like they'd go together, but OH MY!  TRUST ME on this!  It's DELIGHTFUL!  Try it once! :)  You'll be making it again!  Great served with "beefy" things.

1 lg box Cherry Jello
3 c boiling water
1 c Red Hot Cinnamon Candies (Brach's are the common name brand)
2 c applesauce

Boil your water.  Pour over cherry jello mix.  Stir continuously while it dissolves then add the candies.  Continue stirring until your candies have completely dissolved.  It will take about 10 minutes of constant stirring!!!  When they are all dissolved, add the applesauce and stir until mixed.  Pour into your pan.  Put immediately into the fridge.  This is better if left overnight in the fridge.  It takes longer than normal jello salad to set up!  So I HIGHLY recommend you make this the day before you plan to serve.  I usually plate over some fresh green leaf (NOT ICEBURG) lettuce and it's SO BEAUTIFUL!

Pumpkin Pie Madness

Hey everybody!  HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING!!!!!  Hope everyone enjoyed some time with family and friends over the holiday!  I thought I'd just share a quick post of our pumpkin pie making day! :)  I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!!  Totally going to be doing that next year again!  So, keep that in mind! :)

Here are a few pictures of the day! :)

Aubrey doing all the filling mixin'!

Me, filling all the crusts! :)

Pies baking in the oven!!!

Hoping that everyone that ordered was happy with their pie!!!!

Ham Balls

Growing up, my mom used to make these yummy ham balls!  For some reason, EVERY time I have these I think of our dear friends, Carl & Sarah!!!  We love them, we did lots of growing up together with Hannah & Paul, they are special people!  Tonight I served them to Benjamin's Uncle Gary & Aunt Karen that stopped by for dinner while they were in the area! 

This is after they've been baked!

This is after I've pulled them out of the freezer overnight and before I've put them in a bag!

Ready to go in the freezer until I use.

1 1/4 lb ground ham
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage or pork (could also do turkey)
1 1/2 c graham crackers, crushed
2 eggs
1 c milk
1 can tomato soup
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c brown sugar

Mix together all three meats, graham crackers, milk and eggs.  Mix until well blended.  Form into good size balls (I used the Jumbo Cookie Scoop) and place in a 9x13 pan, they can be fairly close.  In a saucepan, mix together the tomato soup, brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a slow boil.  Keep stirring as the sugar can burn quickly if not watching.  Once it's to a slow boil, take it off the burner and pour it over the RAW Ham Balls.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour. 

Note:  I will double the batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet overnight in my freezer, then break them apart and put them in a large Ziploc bags and pull out for later meals.  Often get three meals out of it when I do that and since I'm going to all that work anyway, it's easier to do all at once!!!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Okay, so since starting the dinner club, I have had some NEW and EVER SO YUMMY dishes and I am SO GRATEFUL for my group!  One of my FAVORITE dishes is my friend Christy's Stuffed Chicken Breasts.  SERIOUSLY, they are so unbelievable.  Not even sure what exactly it is I love about them, but I could seriously eat an entire pan.  So, with the permission of Christy, I am able to share this recipe with you all!  Now................go and make them! :)

Dip each chicken breast in egg then crushed Saltines.

This is how it should look BEFORE it's baked.

This is after (I know not much difference, just darker).

When you cut the cooked breast open, this is how it should look.

4 chicken breasts, better made with fresh, not frozen bagged

2 lb shredded cheese (SHARP cheddar, pepper jack, something with BIG flavor)

2 sleeves saltine crackers, crushed

2 eggs beaten

Take each chicken breast and slice lengthwise about 1/2 way though. Turn your knife parallel to cutting board and cut a pocket into each side of the chicken breast, making sure you don't cut all the way though. Stuff pocket with cheese. Try to "reshape" chicken breast. Dip breast in egg and then crackers. Bake at 350 for about 30-50 minutes, or until cooked through.  Chicken needs to be at least 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken.  I always serve this with a vegetable whether hot or a salad.

Cupcakes - FOR SALE

Hey, just wanted to let you guys know, I am going to start making cupcakes on a "made to order" basis for those of you that are interested.  I will post different flavors and kinds you can order as I bake them and have pictures. Right now I have 3 different kinds, but if you have a birthday coming up, consider ordering homemade cupcakes!  I promise you they are 1000 times better than store bought!  Prices are as follows:

FIRST dozen cupcakes - $15
EACH ADDITIONAL dozen cupcakes - $12
18 cupcakes - $21 (about equivalent to one sheetcake at Fry's/Bashas/Walmart)

1/2 dozen cupcakes - $9

If you have a "theme" you are doing I'm happy to discuss other ideas than what is shown.

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

CANDY CORN CUPCAKES

These will have a different yellow on bottom next time.

 SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Chicken Chili

3 c chicken, cooked & diced

2 cans Northern Beans, drained

1 t cumin

2 c salsa

1 c chicken broth

3 c Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Throw everything in a crock pot on LOW for 4 hours!  Very yummy served in a bread bowl!  Mmm!