Ham and Bean Bake

 I saw this recipe on the Internet and couldn't wait to try it.  It did not disappoint.  It was really delicious.  It tasted kind of like funeral potatoes, but instead of potatoes, it has beans, so it is lower in carbs.  I've made it twice now in a month and will surely be making it again!

Ham and White Bean Bake

2 cans (15 oz each) white beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

2 cups ham, cubed

 1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. thyme

1 T. olive oil

Kosher salt and ground pepper

Heat the oven to 350.  Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

In a large skillet, heat oil over med. heat.  Add onion and cook until soft and transluscent.  It will take about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes.

Drain 1 can of beans and add to the skillet.  With a potato masher, mash up the beans until mostly smooth.  Add the other can of beans with the liquid.  Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add soup, ham, sour cream, thyme, and half of the cheese.  Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 Put into the prepared casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake until the mixture is hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden.  It should take about 40 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Fettucine

 This is another great recipe from my sister, Joan.  I have changed it only slightly.

Chicken Fettuccine

1 lb. fresh fettucine

1/4 cup butter

1 cup cream or you can substitute evaporated milk

Chicken tenders or chicken breasts, cut up

1 box mushrooms, sliced

olive oil

Garlic

Parmesan cheese

Fresh Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper

Brown the chicken and garlic in the olive oil and some butter. Let cook until chicken is tender.  Remove from pan.  Boil the pasta until el dente.  Drain.  Melt the butter in the pan and add the mushrooms.  Cook until done, and whisk in the cream.  Heat.  Add the noodles, Parmesan, and nutmeg.  Whisk together.  Put the chicken on top or you can cut up the chicken and mix it in.  Serve with more Parmesan cheese.

Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Rice

 I got this delicious, crazy-good recipe from my sister, Joan.  She got it from our wonderful niece, Jodie.  You will want to try this one.

Pork Loin with Coconut Rice

2 pork tenderloins (2 come together in a package at Costco)

Rub:

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together on a plate.

Coat the tenderloins all around in the spice mixture.  Heat oil in an heavy oven-safe pot (enameled cast iron is great).  Brown all sides of the pork.  Take off the heat and cover the meat with 1 cup brown sugar, 3-4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 Tablespoon Tabasco sauce.  Roast in a 375 oven for about 22 minutes.  Pork should be about 145 degrees when taken out.  It will heat to 155 as you let it sit.  Slice and serve with pan drippings and Coconut Rice.

Coconut Rice

1 1/2 cups rice

2 cups water

1 13-oz can coconut milk

1 cup sugar

Mix together in a rice cooker or on the stove.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and put a lid on.  Let cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Ham Roll-ups

 I have been making this recipe for many years.  I originally got it from my sister-in-law, Ada.  I have altered it a bit, but it's basically the same idea. It is easy and yummy.

Ham Roll-ups

12 nice, big slices of ham from the deli.  I have used Black Forest and Honey.  Both are good.

1 package Stove Top Stuffing

Chicken stock

1-2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Make the Stove Top according to directions, except substitute the water for chicken stock.  Add the vegetables in the stock and cook until done, then add the seasoned stuffing mix.  Let sit for several minutes, then fluff with fork.

Prepare a 13x9 pan by spraying with PAM

Roll 1/12 of the stuffing in each of the ham slices.  Put in the pan, seam side down- six rolls down each side of the pan. Mix together the soup and sour cream.  Spread the mixture over the rolled ham.  Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly- about 35-45 minutes.  

Lasagna Soup

My sister-in -law, Ada, made this delicious soup for our family reunion.  It is the taste of lasagna in a bowl.  She combined several recipes to come up with her version.  I have altered that only slightly.

Lasagna Soup

1 1/2 lb. Italian Sausage

1-2  green pepper, diced

3 cups chopped onion

4-5 teaspoons minced garlic

1 quart diced tomatoes

2 cups tomato juice

2 cups chicken broth

6 oz can tomato paste

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 T. brown sugar

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp, Italian seasoning

1 T, Better than Bouillon

Mix all of the above and cook in a slow cooker.  An hour or so before serving break up 8 oz of lasagna noodles and cook in boiling, salted water on the stove.  You can use farfalle if you prefer.  When el dente, add the drained pasta to the soup and stir in.

Cheese topping:

8 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Pepper

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Mix together and spoon some onto each bowl of soup.  

The leftover are delicious, too.  Serve with garlic bread.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

 I got this recipe from my sister, Joan.  She says it is a favorite at their house and I can see why.  It is really delicious!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 16 oz. package Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice

42 oz. chicken stock

1 onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

3-4 ribs celery, chopped

1 box fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

2 cups half and half

4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cook rice according to package instructions.  Put stock in a large soup pot.  Add the vegetables and cook until tender.  In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and cook for several minutes.  Add the cream and cook and stir until thickened.  Add the salt and pepper.  Put the white sauce in the soup pot and stir until well blended and thickened.  Add the bacon and serve.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 We recently ate at Chili's and had the loaded baked potato soup.  It was absolutely delicious.  I immediately came home and googled the copycat recipe.  There were so many different versions claiming to be copycat.  I combined ideas from several of the recipes, and think I may have made an even better version than Chili's?  We loved it.  I think it might be my new favorite soup recipe.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

*2 large potatoes, baked for 1 hour in a 400 oven and cooled

3 Tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

1 cup diced celery

2 Tablespoons flour

1 box (about 4 cups) chicken stock

2 cups water

1/4 cup corn starch

1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes or potato buds

 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon basil

pinch of thyme

1 cup half and half

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Garnishes, as desired:

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon crumbles

Green onions, chopped

Sour Cream

Melt butter in a large pot.  Add onion and cook until soft and lightly browned.  Add the flour and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the stock, water, cornstarch, instant mashed potatoes and spices to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes.  Cut the potatoes in half length-wise and scoop out the potato from the skins with a large spoon.  Discard the skins and chop the potato in chunks.  Add the chopped potato to the pot.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Taste to correct seasonings.

Serve with desired garnishes.

*When you are baking potatoes for another meal, bake two extra.  You can keep them in the fridge until ready to make the soup.

Favorites: Breakfasts

 Continuing our five favorite series, here are five of our favorite breakfast recipes.

1. Granola:  Ken eats this granola most mornings.  He loves it mixed with fruits, both dried and fresh, and lots and lots of nuts.  It is really a good granola recipe.

Hungry Hintons: My Version of Granola

2. Cherry-Stuffed French Toast:  One of our favorite vacation spots is Door County, Wisconsin. We have been there many times. We always have breakfast at the White Gull Inn there.  Good Morning, America held a contest for the best breakfast in America.  This dish won.  It is absolutely delicious.  The GMA website posted the recipe and here it is- the best breakfast in America!

We actually prefer it with blueberries.

Hungry Hintons: Cherry or Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

3.  Baked Eggs:  Ken got this recipe from Dr. Booth, a local doctor, when they were hiking together.  It is one of our favorites.  I sometimes make it for dinner, too.

Hungry Hintons: Baked Eggs

4. Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes:  I love this recipe because you put the whole wheat berries in the blender, so don't have to have wheat flour to have whole wheat pancakes.

Hungry Hintons: Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

5. Breakfast Burritos:  Truth be told, this is the one of all these recipes that I make the most.  I vary the vegetables.  Serve with salsa.

Hungry Hintons: Breakfast Burritos

Favorites: Desserts

 Here are five of our favorite dessert recipes.

1. Vanilla Ice Cream:  A Hinton family tradition from when Ken was a child is to make homemade vanilla ice cream.  This is an old family recipe and honestly, you just can't beat it.  We made it while our kids were growing up in an old-fashioned ice and salt ice cream maker.  We now use an electric cold-core kind, but it just holds half of the recipe.  We store the other half in the fridge and make it again a few days later.  It is the best!

Hungry Hintons: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream- Hinton Family Tradition!

2. The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford:  The name of this dessert dates it.  That's how long we have been making it.  We make it in many different flavors.  I made it a lot when on our mission in Japan for special occasions.  Michelle made it for a dessert competition when she was in college and  won 1st place.  As you can see, it is rich in tradition and taste.

Hungry Hintons: Next Best Thing to Robert Redford Dessert

3. Profiteroles:  Honestly, what is better than a chocolate éclair?

Hungry Hintons: Chocolate Eclairs

4. Chocolate Éclair Dessert:  A simple dessert that gives a similar taste to chocolate eclairs is chocolate éclair dessert.  It is so fast to make and is delicious. 

Hungry Hintons: Chocolate Eclair Dessert

5.  Pecan Cobbler  Reminiscent of pecan pie, but easier.

Hungry Hintons: Pecan Cobbler

Knife and Fork Soup

 My dad used to make this soup frequently and loved it.  I recently found out that my sister, Joan originally shared the recipe with him.  It is a delicious sausage/ vegetable soup.

Knife and Fork Soup

1 1/2 lb. Italian smoked sausages, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup sliced carrots

1 onion, diced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. oregano

6 cups boiling water

1 quart diced tomatoes

1 zucchini, diced

1 package frozen hashbrowns

1 can green beans

Put all in a soup pot except the potatoes and beans.  Cook for about 1/2 hour.  Add the hashbrowns and bean.  Heat until the potatoes are cooked.  Serve with crusty bread.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

 I had blueberries I needed to use, so searched on the Internet for a good sweet bread recipe.  This was really delicious.  The glaze is lemony.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread 

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 T. lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze

Juice and Zest of one lemon

1 cup powdered sugar

Oven 350

Spray a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.

Using the muffin mixing method:

Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, oil, eggs vanilla, lemon juice and zest.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in.  Mix until just combined.  Don't over mix. Gently fold 1 1/2 cup of the blueberries into the mixture.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.

Bake for 55-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle.

Cool.  When completely cool, Remove the bread from the pan.  Mix the glaze ingredients together.  Use enough lemon juice to make a thick, but pourable glaze.  Pour over the bread.

Store in fridge.

Before I added the glaze

Malibu Chicken

 My sister, Joan made up this recipe.  I'm not sure what her inspiration was, but maybe it was Sizzler's Malibu Chicken.  

Malibu Chicken

Dip boneless, skinless chicken breasts in milk, then in crushed corn flakes.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Then put a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss cheese and a pineapple ring on each breast.  Put it back in the oven until the cheese melts.  You can serve it with a honey-mustard dipping sauce or a gravy or just as it.  Serve it with a pasta or noodle dish.

Favorites: Vegetables

 We love vegetables around here.  We usually prepare them very simply, but here are five of our favorite fancier vegetable recipes:

1. Yam Souffle'  This is a favorite Thanksgiving dinner recipe.

Hungry Hintons: Yam or Sweet Potato Souffle'

2. Honey-Glazed Carrots:  I make these several times a month.  They are one of our favorite vegetables.

Hungry Hintons: Honey Glazed Carrots in the Microwave

3. Green Beans with Carmelized Onions  I don't make these often enough, but they are really good.

Hungry Hintons: Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds

4. Rot Kohl   This is a delicious dish John introduced to the family after serving a mission in Germany.  It has been part of our Thanksgiving feast ever since.  Cindy has really perfected the recipe.

Hungry Hintons: Rotkohl

5. Creamed Corn  This is a very delicious slow cooker recipe.

Hungry Hintons: Crockpot Creamed Corn

Favorites: Side Dishes

 Choosing five side dishes kind of blends with vegetables and salads.  Some of these could go in those other categories as well.  But here are five of our favorite side dishes:

1. Summer Tomatoes:  Truth be told, when I make this, which I do every summer at least once, it is the main dish.  We love this yummy dish made with fresh garden tomatoes.  Sometimes I serve it over pasta, but usually I serve it with a crusty bread, like this one, and we just dip it.

Hungry Hintons: Summer Tomatoes

2. Cole Slaw:  We both love cole slaw.  This is a yummy recipe for it.

Hungry Hintons: Super Simple Coleslaw

3.  Pickled Cucumber and Red Onions:  I grew up eating this salad.  This is a really good recipe for it that my sister, Joan found when we did a Heritage Dinner (we ate Norwegian foods.)

Hungry Hintons: Pickled Cucumbers and Red Onion

4.  Pico de Galo:  I got this recipe from a friend and make it often as side with Mexican dishes.  It is delicious on my chicken enchiladas.  It also is great with tortilla chips.

Hungry Hintons: Pico de Gallo

5. Baked Beans  Everyone has a favorite baked beans recipe.  This is mine.  Nery a summer goes by that I don't make these.  They are great for a potluck.  I recently made them for a family reunion and everyone, including the kids, loved them.

Hungry Hintons: Patty's Baked Beans

Favorites: Salads

I shouldn't be doing this post.  All three of my daughters are salad people.  I am not.  I don't usually like main dish salads much (please don't pull my girl card.)  Shonna, especially is the queen of salads and there are a lot of jar salad recipes on this blog from her.  But I will post the salads we eat the most around here.  Hers, I'm sure are better and much healthier!

1. Creamy Orange Jell-o Salad:  I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Ada many years ago.  Truth be told, it is the salad I make most often.  It is often served at Hinton family gatherings.  It is a side dish.  I usually make orange, but strawberry is also delicious.  It has virtually no nutritional value, but my husband loves it.  So that gives it value, right?

Hungry Hintons: Creamy Orange Jello Salad

2. Cucumber Sour Cream Salad.   I fairly recently discovered this salad recipe and I make it frequently.  We both love it.  It helps me recall my Scandinavian heritage.

Hungry Hintons: Cucumber/ Sour Cream Salad

3. Curried Chicken Salad.  I watched Ina Garten make this salad years ago on television and have been making it ever since.  I love it!

Hungry Hintons: Curried Chicken Salad

4. Pasta Chicken Salad  I got this delicious recipe from Michelle's mother-in-law, Cynthia.  It makes a huge amount, so it is great to serve at party, shower, family gathering, etc.  

Hungry Hintons: Bow Tie Pasta Chicken Salad

5. Chicken Taco Salad;  This is a delicious main dish salad. 

Hungry Hintons: Pantry Pick of the Month: Salsa/ Chicken Taco Salad

Favorites: Comfort Foods

 This is a category I had to add so I could include more of our favorite main dish recipes.  These are some of our favorite down- home meals that are delicious, nostalgic, and long-time favorites.

1. Sunday Meat :  Because we had it often on Sunday, our kids started calling it Sunday meat.  It is my mama's meatloaf and it is delicious.  She learned to make it from a black woman who cooked for them when she lived in Detroit (where she was getting her master's degree.)

Hungry Hintons: Mama's Meatloaf or Sunday Meat

2. Mad Hatter Meatballs:  This is probably the recipe I have been making the longest of all my recipes.  I got Betty Crocker's cookbook for children when I was a child.  This dish was in there and I made it then and have been making it since.  It, for me, is truly comfort food.

Hungry Hintons: Mad Hatter Meatballs

3. Ritzy Baked Chicken:  This was a favorite of our kids when they were growing up, one of a handful of dishes that everyone liked.  We often had it on Sundays.

Hungry Hintons: Ritzy Chicken

4. Skillet Beef Stew Over Noodles:  I found this recipe in a magazine years ago and have been making it ever since.  It is quick and easy and yummy.

Hungry Hintons: Skillet Beef Stew

5. Whole Chicken:  Comfort food at its finest.  I've been making this in the slow cooker for years, but recently adapted it for the instant pot.  

Hungry Hintons: Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Harry and David Cheese Spread

 I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe before.  It is such a favorite around here.  I'm not sure you can even call it a recipe.  It is just mixing two things together: 1 8 oz bar of cream cheese and 1 jar Harry and David pepper and onion relish (I order it online):

Mixed together

You just mix them together as best you can.  The cream cheese is not a very good joiner and doesn't want to mix.  But that's okay.  Then spread it on ritz crackers or use it as a dip.  I have even used it in omelettes.  It is so delicious.