Mudflats Recipe Collection

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[bonefish]

A Christmas Story

Okay, I know this isn't a recipe -- I will get to that -- but have to tell you all this in case there are others like me who are crazy about the movie "A Christmas Story." You know, it's the one where the little boy wants a bb gun, and the big phrase is "you'll shoot your eye out!"

Anyway, today at the store I found a tin that contains that movie (2 versions/discs), apron, recipe book, and a bunch of cookie cutters -- the leg lamp, the bunny costume, a turkey, the house & a star.  So, if you are also crazy about that movie, go track this super cool set down!  I can't wait to make xmas cookies with these cookie cutters, my family all have a strange sense of humor, so they will love it...

By the way, are we limiting this to xmas recipes, or recipes in general?

OOH! ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ! Love that movie! I watch every time it comes on even though the Thundering Herd will leave the room, grumbling.

[bonefish]

One of my favorite potato dishes...

Gratin Jurassien

Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol I.

Try to get waxy potatoes, like reds or golds, to make sure that the slices don't turn to mush when absorbing the cream.

    *   2 lbs red potatoes, peeled
    * 4 tablespoons butter, no salt clarified
    * 1 cup grated emmenthaler cheese or gruyere
    * 1 1/4 cups whipping cream, room temperature
    * 1/2 cup milk, if needed, boiled and kept warm
    * black pepper

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch slice.

Place in bowl and cover with cold water.

Let soak for at least an hour.

Drain well and pat dry.

Heat oven to 300°F.

Using 1 T of the butter coat the bottom and sides of a 10 inch, 2" deep casserole.

Arrange potatoes in layers, after each layer add cheese, pepper and small amount of butter.

Repeat to use all the potatoes, finishing the top with cheese and the last of the butter.

Heat the cream, VERY GENTLY, until butter begins to appear.

Immediately pour the cream over the potato layers. It should come up the side of the pan about halfway, add milk if needed.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours until top is lightly browned.

The cream should have absorbed into the potatoes, which should be tender, not mushy.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes, loosely covered.

[Obamanos!]

King Ranch Chicken
This is famous in Texas and it's really terrific! Every family has their own version. Here is ours. Which is the best, of course.

King Ranch Chicken

One grocery store Rotisserie Chicken (or you can boil a chicken and pick it clean, don't use the skin)
One can of cream of mushroom soup
One can of cream of chicken soup
One small can of diced green chiles
One can of MILD Rotel
One minced jalapeno (remove white vein and seeds, unless you love heat)
One SMALL chopped onion
Shredded cheddar cheese...go for the good stuff behind the deli or just get a package of shredded day glo orange cheddar. Depending on your budget. It's great either way
Unsalted butter
Can of SLICED black olives
20 corn tortillas...CORN...never flour....yellow CORN tortillas

----shred or chop chicken into small bites

in large bowl, dump the chopped or shredded chicken, both creamed soups, Rotel, chiles, jalapeno, chopped onion and about 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. White cheddar is really good!

Open black olives and set aside.

Take your 20 corn tortillas and cut them in half and then again. You are making little triangles.

Now, BUTTER your casserole dish.

Just like a lasagna, put some "sauce" on the bottom (your chicken mixture)...about 1/2 cup....then a layer of the tortilla triangles, sauce, triangles...just like you would do a lasagna.

Once you are done. Use about a cup or more of the shredded cheese and cover the top. Sprinkle black olive slices around the top.
COVER with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. UNCOVER and bake for 10 minutes more.
You're gonna love it!
You can garnish with sour cream and avocadoes!
It's really great!
Serve with cold beer.

Now, some families like to use corn tortilla chips instead of corn tortillas. That's another great way to do it, but if you use the chips, then add about half a cup or so of chicken broth to your chicken/soup mixture cuz it will dry out with the chips.

There are families who use Doritos...but I ask you please do not disgrace our honor and do that. Thank you, in advance, of course.

[bonefish]

Obamanos, I LOVE KR chicken. Corn tortillas all the way, at this house. I have made it with the cream soups and also used a basic white sauce in their place. nomnomnomnomnom

[Cassie Jeep Pike Palin]

CASSIE'S BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs( substitute crushed Oreo's if necessary)
1/2 cup melted butter
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 Tablespoon flour
1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
3 cups heavy cream

Combine crumbs and melted butter and press into 10" spring form pan. Chill for 2 hours.

Beat cream cheese and sugar. add vanilla, eggs and flour. Beat well. Stir in chocolate. Bailey's Irish Cream and heavy cream. Mix completely. Pour into chilled crust.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Garnish with shaved chocolate and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

[Palmdale, CA aka Gini]

This was originally a Sunset Magazine version of Beef Bourguignon (sp?) and has since been adapted with more onions and mushrooms.  It became our traditional Christmas Eve dinner because we could get dinner for somewhere upwards of 10 or 12 people on the table in a hurry once we got back from church. 

Somewhere along the line when my sister's youngest son was in that "lovely" pre-adolescent stage, he wasn't crazy about the quantity of onions in the dish, so he re-named it "French Snot Soup" which it has remained ever since, except that it's been shortened to simply "Snot Soup."  One year when my youngest was about 4, we were doing the last minute shopping for food for Christmas. He was sitting in the basket with his older brother hanging onto the front, "Mom," he piped up, "are we having snot soup for Christmas?"  Since no hole appeared to swallow me up, all I could say was, "Of course, it's Christmas, isn't it?"  So, with that, here's our family's

French Snot Soup
2 pounds top round or sirloin steak, cut in cubes no larger than 1"
4-6 onions (depending on size and preferences), sliced into rings
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
couple cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
thyme -- a goodly handful if fresh, maybe a couple teaspoons if dried, but use whole thyme
hearty red wine
beef broth

Saute the onions and mushrooms and garlic in a bit of olive oil -- just enough to keep them from sticking.  Remove, then add meat and brown a bit, adding more oil as needed.  Return the veggies to the pot.  Barely cover with a mixture of 2 parts hearty red wine to 1 part beef broth.  Add salt and pepper along with the thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until the meat is tender, adding more liquid if needed.  But be sure to keep the wine/broth proportions the same.

Serve with a green salad (I prefer either an herb salad mix or a spring mix) with a vinaigrette dressing and toasted sourdough bread.  And more red wine to drink, of course.

Actually, the pre-browning and sauteing is optional.  My sis just dumps all the ingredients into a soup kettle and lets it cook -- and if you're cooking for a small army, using a food processor to slice the veggies is a good short-cut.  Neither seems to affect the taste, especially with all the wine.    If we don't have this Christmas Eve, it's mandatory sometime during the holidays, and I never fix it any other time of year.

Make extra, because it's just as good if not better re-heated.

[Steve]

CASSIE'S BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
3 packages (80 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

Um, did you mean 8 oz.? If yes, you can click the Modify button, and fix it. If not, well, that's one big cake.

[Jaime from Wasilla]

A proper cheese cake uses ALOT of cream cheese for a regular sized cake.

[ira2]

...but cream cheese usually doesn't come in 80-oz packages, I don't think  If it did, I would have bought it! Love cream cheese... love cheese cake... oh hell, where did my drool bucket go now?!

[Susan in PA]

Aggirl,

A few questions about your Date Nut Bar recipe--

Is there really only 1/4 cup of flour in the recipe?

What size pan do you use when making a single batch? 

I love Date Nut Bars - can't wait to make these!!

Thanks,
Susan in PA

[aggirl]

Aggirl,

A few questions about your Date Nut Bar recipe--

Is there really only 1/4 cup of flour in the recipe?

What size pan do you use when making a single batch? 

I love Date Nut Bars - can't wait to make these!!

Thanks,
Susan in PA

Yes indeed, that is correct.  I think a smaller oblong baking pan, down from the 9x13, would work for the recipe as shown.  What you have is a good amount of dates and nuts, liquid with the flour mixture (which gets nice a gooey) and you have to spread it to a level which seems not to be enough but will rise.  Also, to check on doneness just press and if it bounces back it's done.  Should be a nice golden brown color.

[Dianna]

As Choctaws taught me how to make the real hominy (not canned) I am calling this:

                            FOR THE LOVE OF CHOCTAW HOMINY

2  cups Dried Hominy

1  cup shredded chicken

½ cup chopped salt pork

4 cups water and add more as needed

Traditional Choctaws, down here in Mississippi, cook this is a big black cauldron outside for hours, but I cook mine in a crock pot on high. There is flexibility in quantities but do watch that your water doesn't boil away.
I haven't bought a big black cauldron but it is on my wish list.


Hey, this is a local recipe here we are calling:

                           BIG Judy's Hominy

Add pigs ' feet to your heart's desire. One or two will do it. Follow everything above but make sure you add the pigs' feet in honor of our BIG Judy. The Choctaw word for big is chitto.

This recipe goes so very well with Indian Fry Bread.  

[Steve]

...but cream cheese usually doesn't come in 80-oz packages, I don't think  If it did, I would have bought it! Love cream cheese... love cheese cake... oh hell, where did my drool bucket go now?!

A Google on bulk cream cheese will get suppliers of big blocks. If there's a bakers supply business in your neighborhood, you might get lucky there, also too.

[Obamanos!]

Obamanos, I LOVE KR chicken. Corn tortillas all the way, at this house. I have made it with the cream soups and also used a basic white sauce in their place. nomnomnomnomnom

Do tell about the basic cream sauce and what did you think of it with the homemade sauce?
I would love to try that. I've gotten kind of chef-y these days and trying to snub cream of whatever in a can, so do share!

[Obamanos!]

EASY Chicken Piccata

I've worked with this enough and have drilled it down into a very basic recipe.

Four skinless chicken breasts
Small jar of capers
Three lemons
White wine (if you are in a spending mood...get Le Crema Chardonnay. If you are like me and on a budget, suck it up and get Sutter Home or Rattlesnake Canyon or something in the 5-7 dollar range.)
A cup of chicken broth

Unsalted butter
Flour

-------------------------

Pound chicken breasts thin
Salt and pepper each breast and then your chicken, har har
Dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess

Pour olive oil in a heated saute pan (med high) and simply BROWN the chicken...like two minutes, maybe three on each side. Remove and put on a plate with paper towels on it....

Turn heat to LOW. VERY VERY LOW.

Deglaze pan with about, oh, let's say 1/2 cup white wine and 1/4 cup chicken broth. Add two pats of butter. Lemon zest of one lemon.
Use two lemons and toss in the lemon slices....let the alcohol burn off in the simmering stage....

About 5-7 minutes later, place chicken BACK in the pan with the sauce. Simmer on the lowest possible setting for about 12 minutes.
Add capers to the sauce. Let's say...two tablespoons of capers, depending on how much you like them. Remember, they are super salty!

Done.

Now, you can add artichokes from a can...artichoke hearts in WATER. Drain water, of course. Pancetta is wonderful to add...slice thin or in strips or chop....mushrooms are awesome as well.

Serve with any kind of pasta. Cook pasta in chicken broth....

It's really great!

[Obamanos!]

Okay really, I'll stop, but I love to cook!

The ultimate Buffalo Wings without having to suffer a Buffalo winter!

Two bottles Cajun Chef hot sauce. If you don't have that in you area. Fine then. Two bottles of Louisiana hot sauce. DO NOT USE TABASCO. Get Frank's or something. You know the kind I'm talking about.

A stick of butter.
Three cloves of garlic
Two limes
One jalapeno
Bag of fresh wings. I use the drumettes, cuz who really wants to chop and tuck and all that nonsense. Whatever. Just chicken wings. Fresh. Not frozen.

First, the sauce.

Dump two bottles into a small sauce pan. Add a chopped jalapeno. (Remove seeds and white veins of pepper and then MINCE...tiny tiny bits)...add minced garlic. Three cloves, yes, minced. Squeeze juice of TWO limes in the sauce. Add a little fresh cracked black pepper. Toss in zest from one lime. And then the motherload. Half to three quarters sick of butter. Yep. Heat on very low until all is combined.  Hey, it's Superbowl. Or Super Butt food.

Now, preheat oven to 425.
Place your little naked fresh wings on two large cookie sheets lined with foil and sprayed with Pam.
Cook for 25-35 minutes.
Once brown and gorgeous...
Remove from cookie sheets and dunk in sauce you have on the stove in the pan....swirl around.....

Serve on a giant bed of green butter lettuce....and pour remaining sauce over wings.

Your guests will love them!

Enjoy!

[Dianna]

...but cream cheese usually doesn't come in 80-oz packages, I don't think  If it did, I would have bought it! Love cream cheese... love cheese cake... oh hell, where did my drool bucket go now?!

A Google on bulk cream cheese will get suppliers of big blocks. If there's a bakers supply business in your neighborhood, you might get lucky there, also too.

I love the ongoing cream cheese discussion. :grin: I would never have thought to check online for a bulk cream cheese site.
How to use up the bulk cream cheese:
Cream cheese on bagels, cream cheese wraps, cream cheese and strawberry jam on saltines, cream cheese & peanut butter, cream cheese nut ball, cream cheese and raw veggies.

[Steve]

How to use up the bulk cream cheese:
Cream cheese on bagels, cream cheese wraps, cream cheese and strawberry jam on saltines, cream cheese & peanut butter, cream cheese nut ball, cream cheese and raw veggies.

Yummy. Cream cheese & scallions on a bagel works for me. One of my all-time favorite snacks is a celery stalk filled with cream cheese. And to go in another direction, cream cheese on French toast. If I weren't trying to watch my fat intake, I could make a big block disappear fast (I know there's low fat cream cheese, but it just isn't the real thing).

[ira2]

Ritz whole wheat crackers with cream cheese and chopped pepper... or chives... or basil... and tomato slices (Roma tomatoes are perfectly sized for Ritz crackers!)... ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah  Finger food, healthy, yummy, very good to eat in front of the computer while mudflatting!

[QuiltAK]

Don't forget cream cheese and smoked salmon with red onion and tomato on a cooked pizza crust! - yum!!