Nigerian Peanut Soup

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com. It was submitted by Karena. There were other peanut soup recipes but I tried one that was simple and had fewer ingredients. Some put in tomatoes and sweet potatoes, for example. Check out that website and search for peanut soup. You might find one you like better. This soup had a little kick to it from the jalapeno and I put it in the blender at the end even though the recipe didn't suggest it. I liked it. It was very different from ordinary soup.

4 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
½ c. chopped green bell pepper
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. crunchy peanut butter

1. In 1-quart saucepan add broth and chili peppers and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in bell pepper and onion and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to lowest possible temperature; add peanut butter and cook, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted and mixture is well blended.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Wouldn't you love to walk in the door and smell a delicious aroma and know that it's your dinner all cooked and ready to eat? Slow cookers are wonderful and allow you that luxury. Start it before going to work in the morning and return home to a home cooked meal!

1 small onion
½ green pepper
1 lb. chicken (breasts, legs, thighs, etc.), skin removed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with chilies
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 small can mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small can tomato paste (opt.)
Grated Italian cheese

Chop onion & pepper and put in a 1½ qt. slow cooker. Add chicken, tomatoes, sauce and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. About ½ to 1 hour before it's finished, check to see if it’s thick enough for you. If you’d like it a little thicker, add tomato paste with about 3 T. water. Stir, cover and continue to cook for the remainder of time. Serve over rice or pasta with grated Italian cheese.

Chili Sauce Dressing

For a quick & easy salad dressing try this one. I use my homemade chili sauce.

1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. chili sauce*

Mix together and pour over salad.
*Salsa can also be used in place of the chili sauce.

Veggie Dip

Want a quick dip that's free of MSG! Try this!

2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. dried vegetables*
Trocomare Seasoning
Spike, Hot & Spicy Magic (opt.)

Add dried vegetables to the sour cream and season to taste. Let stand in refrigerator for a couple hours for vegetables to absorb the cream.
*I buy the dried vegetables with no seasoning at Rite Aid Drug Store in with their spices. They're only a dollar (sometimes 2/$1)and are great with soups, etc.

Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

This is another recipe from the Food Network that I'll be trying out soon. It makes 4 to 6 servings so I'll probably cut it in half for my small cooker.

1 cup dried multi-bean mix or Great Northern beans, picked over and rinsed
6 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, optional
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil

Put beans, water, tomatoes and their juices, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, barley, bay leaf, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, herb blend, pepper, and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW until the beans are quite tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

Stir in the spinach, cheese, and vinegar, cover, and let the soup cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Slow Cooker Lentil Rice Soup

After a hectic holiday, chill out, relax and put dinner in a slow cooker. Forget about it until the delightful aroma reminds you it's supper time! This recipe is from Allrecipes.com and submitted by Renee. It makes 11 servings, so if you only want to feed a few, you may want to divide it in half or in fourths!

2 c. dried lentils
2 c. uncooked long grain brown rice
1 c. chopped carrots
½ c. chopped celery
½ onion, chopped
8 c. water
1 c. vegetable broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. black pepper
1 T. salt
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

Place lentils, rice, carrots, celery, onion, water, broth, garlic powder, black pepper and salt in a slow cooker. Cover & cook on low setting for 7-8 hours. Stir in mushrooms 1 hour before serving.

Cranberry-Pear Sauce

Merry Christmas to you and your families! May it be a happy and a healthy one! This recipe is from my friend, Joe, who made it for Thanksgiving. I just tried it yesterday. It's a little different twist from the regular cranberry sauce. I used a small jar of canned pears I had and it tasted great!

1 bag fresh cranberries
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
1 pear, peeled and diced
½ c. sugar (or to taste)

Wash and sort cranberries. Put in medium saucepan with juices & pear and cook until berries start to pop and sauce gets thick. Serve with chicken, turkey, etc.

Peppermint Rice Crispy Squares

My friend Stacey told me about something neat she did with her kids. They made rice crispy squares with the recipe on the Rice Crispy box or on the package of marshmallows and added 4 crushed candy canes (regular size) when mixing. It turned pink and had a really neat flavor! To crush the candy canes she put a towel over them and hit them with a hammer! Sounds like a fun project and a tasty one, too!

Perfect Lemon Tart

When you buy a bag of lemons you have to find a lot of recipes using lemon juice! This one comes from Weight Watchers Magazine. It's a great way to end a holiday meal and a serving is only 4 points! So enjoy!

Crust:
¼ c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 c. flour
5 T. cold light stick butter, cut into ½” cubes
1/8 tsp. salt
2 T. cold water
Filling:
¾ c. sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 T. fat-free half-and-half
2 large eggs
1 egg white
Pinch of salt
½ c. lemon juice
2 T. powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Spray 9” tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.
Put sugar & lemon zest in food processor; process about 20 seconds. Add flour, butter & salt and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Drizzle with the water and pulse until evenly moistened. Sprinkle onto tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap to press & spread dough evenly on bottom and up side of pan. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake crust until golden, about 15-18 minutes. Cool completely on rack.
3. For filling, put sugar and lemon zest in food processor. Process about 30 seconds. Add half-and-half, egg, egg whites & salt. Process until blended. Add lemon juice and pulse just until blended. Pour into crust. Bake until set in center, about25 minutes. Cool completely on rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
1/8 of tart: POINTS VALUE: 4.

Celebration Green Beans

Just in time for Christmas! This recipe is from a friend of mine, Cindy. It sounds yummy! I haven't made it yet, but when I do I may add a little more breadcrumbs & cheese.


1½ lbs. fresh green beans
2 T. oil
1 T. cider vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
¼ c. sliced onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. butter
2 T. dry breadcrumbs
2 T. grated Italian cheese
Paprika (opt.)

1. Place beans in 1” of water and bring to a boil. Cover and steam 7-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.

2. Combine oil, vinegar, salt & pepper & drizzle over beans. Toss to coat; set aside.

3. In a small skillet, sauté onion. Put over beans. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

4. Bake uncovered at 350° for 18 to 22 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serves 8.

Roasted Cauliflower

I have a similar recipe in my cookbook, but those of you who do not have one, will love this! Cauliflower is on sale at Tops Market this week for $1.88. Now is the time to buy one and roast it up for Christmas. If you like your cauliflower more on the crunchy side, don't steam it. I like it steamed first. You get a softer result which is delicious!

1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
2-3 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 red pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper (opt.)

Steam cauliflower until crisp tender. Add oil and spices. Chop peppers in small food processor and add to cauliflower. Roast in 425° oven until tender, about 30 minutes, turning a couple times.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

This recipe is from Cooking Pleasures. I was hoping to make it today but got too busy making Christmas cookies! The lemon curd from yesterday goes great with gingerbread!

2¾ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 T. ginger
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
10 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
½ c. molasses
1 ¼ c. strong coffee
¼ c. chopped crystallized ginger

Glaze & Garnish
1 c. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 T. milk
¼ c. chopped crystallized ginger

1. Heat oven at 350°. Spray 12-cup bundt pan & sprinkle with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger & cinnamon in medium bowl.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs & molasses in large bowl at low speed 1 minute. Beat in flour mixture alternatively with coffee, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in crystallized ginger. Pour batter into pan.

3. Bake 50-55 minutes until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes before inverting onto wire rack. Cool completely.

4. Whisk all ingredients except crystallized ginger in small bowl until smooth, adding milk until of desired consistency. Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Let stand until glaze is set.

I finally got to make this recipe after Christmas. It was light and delicious! I used some of the lemon curd mixed with a little powdered sugar to form a glaze that I drizzled over the cake and sprinkled with the crystallized ginger.

Lemon Curd

This tastes great served with the ricotta cheesecake as well as on gingerbread!

3 lemons
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. unsalted butter, cut into ¼’s

From lemons, grate 2 tsp. lemon zest and get ½ c. lemon juice. Whisk together in the top of a double boiler; add butter. Cook until thick and smooth, about 20 minutes.

Ricotta Cheesecake

This recipe is from the Relish Section of the Buffalo News. It was submitted by Gretchen Roberts. I made it using low-fat ricotta and topped it with a lemon curd. Look for that recipe in tomorrow's Blog!

Crust:
1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs
6 T. melted butter
3 T. sugar

Filling:
32 oz. ricotta cheese*
1 (8 oz.) pkg. light cream cheese
1 c. sugar
¼ c. flour
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
Confectionery sugar & lemon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine crumbs, butter & sugar in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1” up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes or until set. Cool before filling.
I used a prepared graham cracker pie crust.

2. Beat ricotta, cream cheese, sugar and flour in a large bowl with electric mixer. Add lemon zest & vanilla; mix well.

3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed just until blended. Pour filling into crust and bake 1 hour or until cake is almost set.

4. Run a knife around rim of pan to loosen. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, then refrigerate at least 3 hrs. or overnight.

5. To serve, remove springform side and slice. Dust with confectionery sugar and garnish with lemon slices. Serves 12.

*Whole milk ricotta makes cheesecake creamy, but part skim ricotta can also be used.

Cornmeal Biscuits

One of my followers requested more buttermilk recipes. I wasn't going to print any more even though I had a few others, so this one's for you, Mary! The recipe is so old the paper is yellow and I don't remember where it came from originally, but I did write "good" on it, so I hope you like it. By the way, if you don't have any buttermilk to make all these recipes, you can put 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar in a cup, fill it with milk and wait for a couple minutes before using.

1½ c, flour
½ c. cornmeal
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. shortening (I use butter)
2/3 c. buttermilk
Butter
Honey

1. In medium bowl, combine flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
2. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk until just blended.
3. Place dough on lightly floured surface & knead about 20 times. Roll into a 5 x 8” rectangle about ½“ thick and cut into sixteen 2” squares. (Or cut with a 2 ½ “ cookie cutter.)
4. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 450° oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
5. Serve with warm butter & honey. If you soften the butter and mix in some honey, you have “honey-butter”.

Pineapple Cream Pie

My friends Sharon & Maureen just told me about a great website called "Allrecipes.com". It's terrific and you can sign up for free! They also told me about the recipe for today but forgot to tell me to drain the pineapple and to add 1/2 cup of lemon juice! So, I had to make a few adjustments, like adding a pkg. of unflavored gelatine to the lemon juice and adding it to the "soup" mixture I had made. It turned out delicious, but next time I'll use the original recipe. This pie is similar to the Fluffy Key Lime Pie in my book, but uses pineapple instead. Hope you like it!

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Combine sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Stir well. Fold in pineapple and whipped topping. Spoon mix into crust. Chill before serving.

Corn Muffins

I found this recipe in the Parade Magazine section of our Sunday paper.

1 c. flour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 T. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. sugar
½ c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. buttermilk
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter or spray a muffin tin or cupcake liners in each opening.
2. Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl & whisk to blend. Put all the wet ingredients in another bowl and whisk to blend, Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix together, stirring only until moistened. (Lumps are OK). Spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

For more recipes using buttermilk check out my cookbook for: Sandy's Ranch Dressing, Buttermilk Bread, Cranberry-Orange Scones, Quick Buttermilk Sweet Dough and Dark, Soft Molasses Cookies. Buttermilk can be frozen and defrosted to use at a later date.

Oprah’s Corn Cakes

This recipe is simple enough. I made them and they're pretty good. However, next time I'll a little salt.

2/3 c. cornmeal
½ c. flour (self-rising makes them fluffy)
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
Corn from 1 ear (about 1 c.)
Cooking Spray

Mix together and cook on hot griddle that has been sprayed, turning once.

Buttermilk Brownies

1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1/3 c, cocoa
1 c. water
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ c, buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1. In a saucepan, bring butter, cocoa & water to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk & vanilla & mix. Add cocoa mixture.

3. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes or until it tests done with cake tester.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Buttermilk sounds fattening, but in reality is very low in fat. It originally was the slightly sour liquid left after butter was made. Today it is made with low-fat or no-fat milk and specific bacterial cultures. It can be substituted for milk in some recipes or for part of the cream or mayonnaise to lower the fat content. Buttermilk is the main ingredient in ranch dressing (p.19 in my cookbook). For the next couple of days I will include recipes I have collected using buttermilk.

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (Yukon Gold potatoes are good to use)
1 T. butter
1 1/4 c. non-fat buttermilk
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (opt.)

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan adding enough water to cover by at least 1". Simmer over medium heat, covered until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add buttermilk and heat just until warm. Do not overheat or buttermilk will curdle.

3. When potatoes are done, drain and return to pan. Mash with potato masher or ricer and add just enough buttermilk mixture to make the potatoes fluffy but not soupy.

4. Season and serve.

Spiced Nuts

This is delicious! Use as a snack or sprinkle on a salad or dessert.

1 large egg white
2 c. mixed nuts
½ c. pumpkin seeds
½ c. sunflower seeds
¼ c. sesame seeds
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ c. dried cranberries (or raisins), chopped apricots, etc.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl whisk the egg white until frothy, then add the nuts & seeds & toss to coat. Add the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg and stir until well blended. Stir in the dried fruit. Spread onto ungreased baking sheet with sides and bake until browned, about 20 minutes.

Potato-Pepper Frittata

I just made this today and it was delicious!

1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
½ green pepper, sliced or chopped*
½ jalapeno pepper
2 c. frozen hash brown potatoes
6 eggs
¼ c. grated Italian cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
½ to 1 c. French fried onions

Put oil & butter in large frying pan. Add onion and simmer about 1 minute. Add peppers and cook until tender about 3 minutes. Put potatoes in pan, cover and simmer until done. Beat eggs with grated cheese and spices. Pour over cooked veggies and cover. Cook on low until firm. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and cover until melted. Top with onions and serve.
*If pepper is frozen, just shave slices into the pan.

Peanut Butter Snacks

Weight Watchers magazine suggests these three peanut butter snacks: Each for only 3 points value!

Apple-Nut Rings

Spread 1 T. reduced fat peanut butter* over 1 small green apple, cored & cut into 4 rings. Top with 1 T. dried cranberries.
Per serving: (4 slices) POINTS VALUE: 3

Tin-Roof Shake

Puree 2 tsp. peanut butter, 1/3 c. fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt and 1/4 c. fat-free milk in a blender.
Per serving: (2/3 c.) POINTS VALUE: 3

PB&J Pitas

Spread 2 tsp. of peanut butter over 1/2 small pita and top with 1 1/2 tsp. strawberry jelly.
Per serving (1/2 pita) POINTS VALUE: 3

*Have you tried Better'n Peanut Butter? It's advertised in their Magazine and only has 2.5 grams of fat vs 16 grams of fat for regular peanut butter! It also has only 100 calories per serving vs 200 calories per serving for peanut butter. But best of all it now comes in Chocolate Peanut Butter! It's available on line at www.betternpeanutbutter.com or at Tops Markets in the Buffalo area. Check out their website for stores in your area that carry it!

Caramel-Pecan Bars

This is another dessert from Weight Watchers for your sweet craving.

3 T. light stick butter, softened
1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. flour
24 individual soft caramels
1 T. fat-free milk
¼ c. chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8” square baking pan with enough foil to extend 2” over the sides; spray with non-stick spray. With mixer on low, beat butter, brown sugar & vanilla until well blended. Add flour until blended and mixture is crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of pan. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes.
2. Combine caramels & milk in microwavable bowl and microwave on High until mixture is hot, stirring once halfway through cooking time. Stir again until smooth.
3. Pour topping onto hot crust, spreading evenly, leaving ¼” border along the edge. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake until topping is bubbling in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on rack.
4. Using foil overhang as handles, transfer to cutting board. Gently peel off the foil and cut into 16 bars.

1 bar value is 3 points.
Drizzling 1 ounce each of melted dark & white chocolate over the bars increases per-serving points value by 1.

WW Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers Magazine. If you're craving something sweet, try this!

1½ c, flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
¼ c. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. fat-free sour cream
1 large egg
¼ c. quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
½ c. mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a bowl; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high, beat brown sugar, butter & vanilla in large bowl until blended. Beat in sour cream & egg. On low speed, add flour mixture and beat until blended, about 1 minute.
3. Drop by level tablespoons onto baking sheet about 1” apart, making 36 cookies. Dip the bottom of a glass in flour and press each forming a 2 1/2 “ circle. Bake 1 sheet at a time, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.

3 cookies equal 3 points.

Fancy Popcorn

According to Weight Watchers, 3 cups of popped caramel-coated popcorn has an 8 point value. However, the following recipe has only a 4 point value!

5 c. 94% fat-free unsalted microwaved popped popcorn
2 1/2 T. sliced almonds
2 T. raisins
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt (opt.)

Spray popcorn with a fat-free cooking spray to help the spices stick to the popcorn. Mix ingredients together and enjoy!

Two-Bean Soup with Lentils

I found this recipe on the Cooking Club website and decided to make it today. It's very good!

To enhance this soup even further, add cooked macaroni. (I used small shells.)

1 T. olive oil
3 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery with leaves, diced
½ c .chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
7 c. lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 (14.5-oz.) can whole tomatoes
1 c. uncooked lentils
1 T. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen spinach

Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Cook carrots, celery, onion and garlic 5 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients except spinach; bring to a boil. Add spinach; boil 10 minutes or until spinach has thawed. Reduce heat to low; simmer 35 minutes, breaking up tomatoes as they cook.
Makes about six 2-cup servings.

Roasted Root Vegetables

2 potatoes, 1 red, 1 white
1 turnip
1 parsnip
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
1 sweet potato
2 T. olive oil
Trocomare & pepper to taste

Slice & cut vegetables into bite size pieces. Mix with oil and seasonings. Bake uncovered in 425° oven about 45 minutes or until tender.

You can also bake cauliflower the same way. It's delicious!

Ice Cream Cake

This recipe is from my cousin, Joanie. It is delicious and a quick and easy way to make an ice cream cake!

1 pkg. (12) ice cream sandwiches
1 jar hot fudge sauce (or recipe in cookbook)
3 Heath Bars, crushed
1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip

Line 13 x9” pan with sandwiches. Heat hot fudge & drizzle over sandwiches. Sprinkle Heath bars on top & spread with Cool Whip. Freeze until about 30 minutes before serving.

Ultimate Tailgating Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from the Buffalo News and it makes enough for the entire crowd at the stadium! If you only want to feed a few, you might want to cut the recipe down by at least a third! My friend Carol made it and it was delicious!

3 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
2 pound loaf Velveeta
Meat from 1 cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 c. chopped onion
8 oz. blue cheese
4 oz. (1 stick) butter
2 c. milk
1/2 c. cayenne pepper hot sauce, like Frank’s
1 lb. sharp cheddar, shredded
2 c. celery, sliced thin
1 c. plain yogurt

1. Cook macaroni al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Skin chicken and strip meat, tearing it into bite-sized chunks.
2. In large pot, melt butter. When foaming stops, add onions. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent and browning, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not allow to burn.
3. Add hot sauce, stirring until sauce evaporates into onions, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Add milk, yogurt and Velveeta torn in chunks. Stir steadily as Velveeta melts into liquid. (Do not allow to boil, or it will burn on the bottom of the pot.)
5. Set oven to 500°.* Spread cooked macaroni in standard half-sheet sized foil catering pan. Scatter celery and chicken over the macaroni, and crush blue cheese to spread across the mixture. Add cheese sauce and stir to combine everything evenly. Smooth out the mixture.
6. Top with shredded cheddar and place pan in preheated oven. Bake until brown and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Can be covered with heavy foil and kept warm in a cooler, stuffed with crumpled newspaper as insulation, for up to four hours.
* This sounds like a very hot oven! You may want to bake it at 450 or lower.

Dad's Cold Remedy

With the cold and flu season just around the corner I thought I'd include a "remedy" my Dad would whip up for us when we were "under the weather". We always wanted him to make extra so we could all have some! Even though there's no known remedy for the common cold, drinking plenty of fluids like water, decaffeinated tea & juices will keep your mucous membranes moist.
According to Food Cures by Reader's Digest "Cold & flu bugs thrive in dried-out throats and nasal passages." They suggest cutting up an orange in a pitcher of water if you have a hard time drinking plain water; it adds 50 milligrams of vitamin C! By the way, did you know that frozen juice has more vitamin C than the "ready-to-drink kind? That's because "76% of C is oxidized in bottles and cartons compared to just 20% in frozen juice!" The body also absorbs the C in frozen juice better!

1 cup wine
1 fresh lemon, sliced
2 T. honey, or to taste

Heat in a small kettle, stirring to combine, until it starts to boil. Let it cool slightly, put in a mug and sip before going to bed. "The honey coats your throat, the lemon helps to shrink swollen throat tissues and helps kill off virus cells" (from Food Cures) and the wine makes you sweat to get rid of the germs and also helps you sleep!