Broccoli Chicken Divan

I have a special treat this week! This blog post and recipe are from my mom! She made this really yummy chicken casserole last week, and I told her she had to share it on the Barefoot Country Cooking blog. So, without further ado here is my mom and her amazing Broccoli Chicken Divan! - Amelia Gray

Good morning! We are having fantastic Pacific Northwest weather here this spring, rainy and chilly. Therefore I am able to cook and bake still inside the house and not have to do it out in our summer kitchen. I am spending my time baking cookies and trying out new recipes. Here is one I found a couple of weeks that was a great hit and used up some of our pantry and refrigerator staples we had on hand. I have tweaked it a little to our liking and doubled it to feed all of us plus leftovers for lunches. 

This is a quick and easy chicken and broccoli recipe that everyone will love, plus an easy way to get your young children to eat broccoli. 

Ingredients

2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped

3 cups diced chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken makes this recipe even quicker)

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Pepper 

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2/3 cup half and half

1 cup sour cream

2 cups cheese 

1/4 cup melted butter

1 roll bacon ritz crackers, ground into crumbs, or any other breadcrumbs 

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Grease 2 8x8 pans. 

Book broccoli until tender, but not overcooked and mushy. ( My preferred way is in the pressure cooker for three minutes with a cup of water in the cooker. It keeps the minerals and vitamins in it, is quicker, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.)

Chop raw chicken and cook in a skillet. Season to taste with garlic and onion powder, and pepper. (There are two ways to do this. 1. In water, which will produce a softer and more tender chicken, making it easier to eat, if you have picky people who want that. 2. Or sauté in oil which will produce a golden brown crust on the outside of your chicken and will give you a more chewer, more flavorful result.)

Drain chicken on paper towels. 

Mix soup, milk, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese. If using leftover chicken then season with garlic and onion powder, and pepper to taste. 

Add chicken. 

Place soup mixture, divided, into the two pans. 

Add cooked broccoli, divided, and stir gently. 

Cover with cheese. 

Melt butter and mix with Ritz cracker crumbs. 

Top both pans and cook until bubbly and light brown. 

Let cool and enjoy!

10 Stress Releasing Tips

Some days you just need to take a day off. It's not easy for me trying to run a publishing company (even if it's online), take care of your large ever growing family, your house, taking classes, and keeping a blog. I personally need a break once and a while. Imagine you keep winding a clock up and up and up and up. Eventually, it is going to break, spectacularly and abhorrently. 

So here is 10 stress releasing tips, some of which I use, and some I would never consider (like number one, "avoid caffeine and nicotine," not happening).

1. Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, and Nicotine. 

Avoid, or at least reduce your consumption of, nicotine and all drinks containing caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are stimulants and so will increase your level of stress rather than reduce it. 

2. Indulge in Physical Activity 

Stressful situations increase the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol in your body. 

3. Get More Sleep 

A lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress. Unfortunately though, stress also interrupts our sleep as thoughts keep whirling through our heads, stopping us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. 

4. Try Relaxation Techniques 

Each day, try to relax with a stress reduction technique.  There are many tried and tested ways to reduce stress so try a few and see what works best for you. 

5. Talk to Someone 

Just talking to someone about how you feel can be helpful. Talking can work by either distracting you from your stressful thoughts or releasing some of the built-up tension by discussing it. 

6. Keep a Stress Diary 

Keeping a stress diary for a few weeks is an effective stress management tool as it will help you become more aware of the situations which cause you to become stressed. 

7. Take Control 

Stress can be triggered by a problem that may on the surface seem impossible to solve. Learning how to find solutions to your problems will help you feel more in control thereby lowering your level of stress. 

8. Manage Your Time 

At times, we all feel overburdened by our 'To Do' list and this is a common cause of stress.   Accept that you can not do everything at once and start to prioritize and diary your tasks. 

9. Learn to Say ‘No’ 

A common cause of stress is having too much to do and too little time in which to do it.  And yet in this situation, many people will still agree to take on additional responsibility.  Learning to say “No” to additional or unimportant requests will help to reduce your level of stress, and may also help you develop more self-confidence. 

10. Rest If You Are Ill 

If you are feeling unwell, do not feel that you have to carry on regardless. A short spell of rest will enable the body to recover faster. 

So till next time, Remember to take it easy cause cause very few things in life are worth killing yourself over. The sooner you learn the difference the happier you'll be! 

Mama Gray's Potato Rolls

Good morning!

First off, I want to apologize for not having an article up that past few weeks. I had some family and business matters that required more time and energy than I had anticipated. I can't go into details. But let's just say it involves my Grandmother and tax identity theft. The IRS takes this sort of thing very seriously, even if you are the victim. I have always been a firm believer, and I hope you feel this way too, that Jesus and family should always come above everything else. 

Speaking of family, today I want to share with you a very old family recipe. Mama Gray's Potato Rolls have been in my family for decades. We make them for just about every holiday meal, religious feast, and especially St. Patrick's Days. 

Before we get into everything, I want to share with you the secret to this recipe. Instead of using cold regular tap water, use the cooled water that you used to boil the potatoes in. I know it doesn't seem like much of a secret, but it makes all the difference!

Ingredients 

1 Tbs yeast

1 1/2 Cup water (use the cooled water that you used to boil the potatoes in. It makes a huge difference.)

1 Cup unseasoned mashed potato

2/3 Cup sugar

2/3 Oil

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Salt

6 to 7 Cups flour

Instructions

Peel and quarter 2 medium potatoes. Boil them in a small pot till they are soft. (Just like mashed potatoes.)

Once your potatoes are done separate the potatoes and water. Let them both cool. The water needs to be between 100 to 110°F any warmer, and it will kill the yeast. Any cooler and the yeast will not activate.

Mash the potatoes and measure out 1 cup.

In a large bowl mix water and yeast. Then add sugar, oil, eggs, and mashed potato. Mix them together with a fork.

Add 5 cups of flour. Mixing it in with your fork one cup at a time.

Then sprinkle one cup (this will be cup #6) of flour down on your clean cutting board (or clean counter-top). Put the bread mix on top of the flour. Then sprinkle cup #7 of flour on top of dough. You should have flour-bread-flour layers. Now knead.

Don't over knead. Just knead in the flour till the bread is smooth. Should take about 1 1/2 minutes.

Now take a large, clean bowl and put about 1 Tbs of oil in the bottom of the bowl.

Place your bread on top of the oil swirl it around, flip it and swirl it again.

Cover the bowl with a clean hand-towel. Put the bowl in a warm place let it rise for 1 1/2 hours.

After the time is up preheat over to 400°F.

Sprinkle a little flour on your clean cutting board or clean counter-top. Divide bread in half, then into fourths and so on until you reach 16.

Place into two greased pie pans. And place them in the oven. Turn down the temp to 350°F. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes.

Thank you for your patience and bearing with me. I promise I will try to be on time from now on!

Canned Apple Sauce

Good evening everyone! Sorry, this post is a smidgen late. I have been busy today! I got up early this morning and started in on the mini-mountain of apple with my mom. We made and canned good ole fashion applesauce. Just like Grandma used to make. This recipe is so simple, so flexible, and so yummy. Applesauce isn't just for babies, it is also a healthy alternative for when you want something sweet. In this article today, I am not only going to tell you how to make it, but I am going to show you how to can it!

Please note that the details to the canning instructions are on a different article called Boiling Water Canning: Step by Step with Pictures. Please read that article before you start canning if you have never done it before! There are particular steps that going into canning that CANNOT be skipped or fudged on. Steps like sterilizing your jars, understanding times and altitude changes, as well as post canning-jar care. This is very important if you intend to can your applesauce, cause if not done correctly you can make yourself and your family very sick. Here is the link: Boiling Water Canning: Step by Step with Pictures.

Let's begin!

Ingredients

2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds of apples per quart

¼ Cup sugar per pound, or to taste

Ground Cinnamon, to taste

Directions

Wash and drain the apples before you start.

Core, peel, quarter, and then slice the quarts. You don’t necessarily have to core first. If you are like and don’t own an apple peeler, then you can take your potato peeler and peel the apples. Next, you can quarter them which will make it easier for you to cut the core out.

Place your apple slices into a large stockpot or saucepan (depends on how much you are doing) and put just enough water to keep them from sticking. The water shouldn’t cover the apples, because as the apples start to cook and break down their own juices come out.

Cover and cook the apples until they are soft (fork tender).

Next, you are going to want to purée (mash) the apples. You can do this in many ways and to varying degrees. You can use a food processor, a food mill, an immersion blender, or a good ole fashion potato masher. You also do not have to mash them completely if you like chunkier apple sauce.

Now comes the sugar. This step is optional and to taste. The standard is ¼ cup per pound but that is entirely up to you. We usually add more at our house cause we like our apple sauce super sweet. Just like the sugar, ground cinnamon is optional and to taste. You can also add nutmeg and/or allspice as well. It is very versatile and can be made to preference.

Photo Courtesy of Ball Blue Book

Bring apple sauce to boil and fill jars. Make sure to leave between 1 inch to ½ inch of headspace. Remember to remove the air bubbles, clean the jar rim and place the rings and lids on.

Photo Courtesy of Walmart.com

Process pints and quarts for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner. Don't start timing till the water is boiling. Also, you may have to adjust the time depending on your altitude. Please see the chart below. 

Photo Courtesy of Ball Blue Book

Once your time up, take the jars out of the water canner place them on a towel in a non-drafty area. Your jars should seal as they cool. Don't touch them! You will hear them pop. If you are like me and worry, you can listen and count the pops. Now they say you should let them sit untouched for 24 hours but I always check to see if they have sealed after about 2 hours. That way I can put it the unsealed jar(s) in the refrigerator so I can reprocess it later. Just give the lids a light touch to see if they are sealed or if they still spring up and down. For the rest of the post canning jar care please see my page on Boiling-Water Canning: Step By Step with Pictures.

I hope you enjoyed this article and the other one linked to it. If you have any questions or need more details please leave them in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP! 

Boiling Water Canning: Step by Step with Pictures

Here are my step by step instructions on Boiling-Water Canning. Just a case you are looking at other instructions or references the term water bath canning is interchangeable with boiling-water canning.

Please note that some of the pictures I use are from when I pressure-canned chicken broth. No you cannot boiling-water can chicken broth but a number of the steps are the same.  

Step 1: Get 7 quart jars check the rims for chips and wash them.

Step 2: Fill about half way up your 21-quart water bath canner (also called a boiling-water canner) and submerge your clean jars in it. Make sure you have about 1 inch of water above the rim of the jars

Step 3: Bring jars to a boil and boil for 10 minutes

Step 4: Meanwhile wash 7 rings, 7 new lids, and the utensils you are going to use.

Step 5: Set aside utensils to dry and place rings and lids into a large saucepan. Fill with water to about 1-2 inches above the rings. Boil for 10 minutes.

Once your all of your jars and lids are sterilized turn them on low. Next you are gonna want to set up your workstation. You will probably want to do it as close to your stove as you can. Cause you will be pulling jars/ lids out the pot, filling them, and putting them back into your water canner.

In the picture above are the canning tools I use. If you are not familiar with all of them or you don't have them, you can pick a set from just about anywhere (Walmart, Kmart, Ace Hardware, etc.) They around $10.00 and usually include at minimal: a jar funnel, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter and bubble remover/headspace tool.

Step 7: Start filling your jars!

Make sure to leave about 1 inch to 1/2 inch of space from the rim of the jar. NEVER FILL THEM TO THE RIM. Because they will over boil and not seal. The headspace varies with the kind of food you are doing so please make sure to check or err on the side of caution and leave about an 1 inch.

Step 8: Remove any bubble by sticking your utensil down the inside edge of jar and adjusting the contents. Wipe the rim of each jar before put in the lid and ring. Place each finished jar into the water canner.

Step 9: Bring to a boil and time it. Please remember times vary with the food you are doing and the attitude you are at. So also check! Here is the attitude chart I use for my mom's Ball Blue Book.

Post canning jar care:

Step 1: After your time is up, take the jars out of the water canner place them on a towel in a non-drafty area. Your jars should seal as they cool. Don't touch them! You will hear them pop. If you are like me and worry, you can listen and count the pops. Now they say you should let them sit untouched for 24 hours but I always check to see if they have sealed after about 2 hours. That way I can put it the unsealed jar(s) in the refrigerator so I can reprocess it later. Just give the lids a light touch to see if they are sealed or if they still spring up and down. If they are not sealed place them in the refrigerator and reprocess them the next day. Remember though, that you will need a clean jar and brand-new lid. You can just reheat the same jar with the same lid.

Step 2: After the 24 hours are up you can remove the ring and give both the rings and the jars a nice washing. 

Step 3: Make sure the jars (especially the rims/lids) and rings are dry before you put the rings back on. Once they are dry though you can label them and put them up. I just write on the lid, but you can also get dissoluble labels. I find a permanent marker is cheaper.

Now as with any food on your shelf you have to periodically check them and rotate them out. You will also want to keep the jars in a cool, dry, dark place. You don't ever want them in direct sunlight. In fact, it is best to store the jars between 50 and 70 °F. You also don't want to store the jars near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, in an un-insulated attic. Under these conditions, the food will lose quality within a few weeks to months and may even spoil. Dampness is also an enemy of your jars. The dampness can cause the metal lids to corrode which break the seals, and allow contamination and  ultimately spoilage.

How long do the jars last? Well that is a question of great debate and one you will have to research and answer for yourself.  I will tell you, The National Center for Home Food Preservation says 1 year. Now does that mean the food automatically goes bad on day 366? I personally have eaten food that was canned 5 to 10 years prior. Does that mean it was safe? I am still alive and didn't get sick. I have known folks who ate canned food 20 or more years old. They believed as long as the jars and seals are undamaged the food was still good. With whatever you decide, please err on the side of caution, check the seals, exam the food, if you think there is any chance that it isn't good throw it. Food poisoning is no fun and very dangerous.  

Finally please remember that these are MY instructions for boiling water canning. Everybody does it a little different and while some people may be more or less strict, or use a different process, I encourage you to always do your research and have more then one reference. Read four or five different articles and if you have any doubt or questions consult The National Center for Home Food Preservation. 

Homemade Angel Food Cake

Good morning everyone! Hope your Sunday is dryer than mine here in Montana. Today I am going to share with ya'll one of my most secret and most loved desserts. I got the recipe from a cookbook I inherited from my mother and tweaked a little. 

The beautiful thing about angel food cake is that it is so versatile and I don't know about you, but I have never met anyone who doesn't like it. You can put just about any kind of berry over it with whipped cream, you can pour milk over it, you can put ice cream and chocolate syrup over it, or you can just eat it plain. Here's the other beautiful part about it, it's low calorie. There are about 75 calories in one slice of this cake. Now with that being said, this cake makes 12 servings, so you have to get the proportions right. 

So here's to having your cake and eating it too!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 12 large eggs)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (or cake flour, whichever you have on hand.)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar

Bring egg whites to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Sift powdered sugar and flour together 3 times.

In a large bowl beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed till soft peaks form.  (Tips curl. It will almost look like a peep.)

Gradually add sugar about 1/4 cup at a time while beating till stiff peaks form. (Tips stand straight.)

Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the beaten egg whites. Fold in gently. (DO NOT USE MIXER.) Repeat folding in the flour mixture by fourths

.

Photo courtesy Amazon.com 

Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, it is also called an Angel Food Cake pan, but do not use a bundt pan. They are not the same. You can get them just about anywhere for around $10-15.00. The one on the left is identical to the one I use. 

Bake on the bottom rack for 40 to 45 minutes. It will be golden brown and slightly pulled away from the sides at the top.  

Once done immediately invert cake (leave in pan) and let cool thoroughly. That is what the three little tabs are in the pan so it can cool. This step is essential if you want your cake to look good. It should pop right out once it is cool but if it doesn't, take a silverware (butter) knife and run it along the sides to loosen it.

Voila! You have a beautiful, low-calorie dessert that everyone is sure to love. 

Homemade (Gluten-Free) Potato Soup

Good morning everyone! Hope your Sunday morning is more sunny and warm than mine is here in Northern Montana. Today I want to not only give you my Homemade (Gluten-Free) Potato Soup recipe, which I got from my mom, but I want to talk about an alternative cooking process that most people don't use. Pressure cooking with a Pressure Cooker, not it be confused with a Pressure Canner.

For those of you who may not know, a pressure cooker is an airtight pot in which food can be cooked quickly under steam pressure. You might be asking "Why get ANOTHER kitchen accessory when I can just boil in the pots I have?" By cooking the food quickly (with minimal water) under steam pressure, your food retains more of its nutrients, unlike when you boil it, where you are actually boiling the nutrients out as the food breaks down. In other words, The longer foods are cooked, the more nutrients goes into the water and inevitable down the drain. I personally find foods retain more of their taste as well. A couple bonus benefits to mention, pressure cooking saves time and energy resources. You can literally cook down tender veggies in 3 to 5 minutes or stew meat in 25 minutes.

Photo courtesy of Ace Hardware Site

If you want to try it out for yourself, you can pick one up at Walmart, Kmart, Target, I got mine at Ace Hardware for around $45.00. Mine is a 6 quart just like the one in the photo.

In the recipe below I will give you the directions on how to cook the veggies in a pressure cooker, but for those of you who may not have one...yet, I will give the instructions for traditional boiling as well.

Ingredients 

6 medium potatoes (doesn't matter whatever is on hand. Russets, Yukon golds, etc.)
1 onion, diced small
3 carrots, peeled and chopped small (or 1-1/2 of baby carrots chopped small, again whatever you have in hand)
5 cups chicken broth (canned, boxed or bullion, doesn't matter)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 stick of butter
4 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar, but you could be adventurous try something different.)

Directions

(Pressure Cooker) Place your diced potatoes, carrots, and onion in your pressure cooker (make sure you have the cooking rack in the bottom before you put the veggies in.) Add 1 Cup of water and put the lid on. Now cooking time doesn't start till the pressure is built up, so don't start timing till the pressure regulator starts jiggling. Once it's jiggling turn it down to medium-low and time 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes is up, carefully pull the cooker off the stove and place it in your empty sink and run cold water over the top to cool it quickly. This next part is very important DO NOT REMOVE THE LID TILL THE PRESSURE HAS GONE COMPLETELY DOWN!  Mine has an air vent on the handle on the lid that goes up when under pressure and goes back down when the pressure is gone. Your's may be different, so PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE! After you remove the lid drain and place in a large pot.

Right: Pressure Cooker Part Diagram -  Left: Cooking Rack

(Traditional Boiling) In a large pot, bring water, potatoes, carrots, and onion to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Then drain and put back in a large pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the cornstarch.

Add the milk to the butter/cornstarch mixture and whisk together. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. It will start out thin but how you will know it's done is when it is the consistency of pudding.

Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
Pour cream base contents of medium saucepan into a large pot with your vegetables.

Heat thoroughly over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until ready to serve.

This recipe is very versatile, so you could always add some ham and/or corn and make it a chowder. You can basically swap and/or add whatever veggies you like to the cream base. I have added bacon before and let me tell you it is heavenly. Also if you want it to be a bit thicker add more cheese till you get the consistency. Like I usually add 3 or 4 cups of cheese, but mom likes it thinner, so she just adds 2 cups, which is more cost-effective. But who doesn't love super cheesy bacon potato soup!?

Also, one more thing to remember, this soup is GLUTEN-FREE! There is no flour in the base. It is thickened with cornstarch. Which makes it a good soup for anyone like my mom who can't eat gluten.

Hearty Stuffed Tomatoes

Good morning everyone! Hope ya'll are having a warmer day than I am here in Montana. It has been pretty snowy and rainy here for the past week, so yesterday I decided to veer from my weekly menu and make the family a "comfort food" type meal. Hearty Stuffed Tomatoes! They are actually very simple, very easy, and super tasty. One thing I want to mention before you start if you have say a family of four just half the recipe. This recipe as it is right now feeds my family of seven.

Ingredients

8-10 medium-to-large tomatoes
½ pound ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs (can be plain, panko, whatever you have on hand)
1 cup parmesan cheese (whichever type you have on hand)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta, whatever you have on hand)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dry oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a small pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Cut the tops of the tomatoes off and scoop out the insides. You can eat or discard the insides because you will not need them. They should look like little tomato bowls. Place the tomatoes upside down on paper towels. This way they can drain and dry a little, I find it helps them bake better if they aren't so wet.

Brown your hamburger and drain it.

In a medium bowl mix hamburger, breadcrumbs, all cheese, all spices, and olive oil. Basically ALL ingredients EXCEPT tomatoes.

Next, Invert the tomatoes and place on your prepared pan.

Now start filling the tomatoes. You want to kind of pack the mixture into the tomato bowls. Press down gently.

If you have any extra cheese, you can sprinkle it over the tops.

Place uncovered in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and just slightly soft on the outside of tomato. Because tomato sizes vary and cooking time may be plus or minus five minutes.


Told you they were pretty easy and delicious!