Showing posts with label Pimentos. Show all posts

Pimento Cheese Heaven

in , , , , , on Friday, January 13, 2012




If ever a food deserved to be in heaven, it would hands-down be pimento cheese!

Pimento cheese entered my life when I was a kid and we moved to Louisville and the love affair took off.  Like most Southerners, I grew up with pimento cheese.  I adored it when Mom made it and it was a staple in our home.    You go to a party, a church picnic, an afternoon tea or a little lunch-counter diner in the South, you will surely find pimento cheese there.  It’s akin to sweet tea as far as southern hospitality goes. 

I am truly shocked that people here have never heard of pimento cheese and don’t even go down the path of the processed stuff the stores sell ~  that’s no comparison to homemade pimento cheese.  Pimento cheese was definitely not in Bill’s vocabulary but, I gladly introduced him to it.  I’ve converted him to many things, but I still can’t get him to eat pimento cheese; that doesn’t stop me from making it though!

Pimento cheese spread is of few ingredients which you will crave when you make it:  good sharp cheddar cheese, pimentos, a little onion and mayo blended together and served on plain old white bread, on crackers or even spread on celery.

If you’ve never eaten pimento cheese before, I strongly suggest you don’t delay in trying it!  By the way, it’s pronounced, "puh-men-a" cheese.  



Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained
½ medium onion, grated
½ cup mayonnaise, approximately
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Cut the cheddar cheese into large chunks.
Place in food processor and pulse long enough to make small chunks.
Do not process it smooth into a puree.
Remove to a bowl.
Add remaining ingredients, how ever much mayo you desire.
Blend well.
Serve

Pimento cheese is Southern paté!




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Love that Turkey a la King

in , , , , , on Friday, December 2, 2011




Now that we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, it’s time for leftovers and what beats Turkey a la King?  Supposedly, this dish was created in the late 1800’s by a New York hotel and named after an equestrian family with the name Keene.  The dish was originally called “a la Keene” which later took hold as “a la King.” 

This is probably one of those basic ‘everyone has made it’ kind of dishes but, it is so good.  It is a creamy sauce with turkey, pimento and mushrooms served over biscuits.  Rice, noodles or toast could be topped with it also.  It turns turkey into a sumptuous dish that uses up the leftovers and is a nice change from casseroles.

This one fits the bill for comfort food!  It’s a rich creamy dish fit for a king and everyone else.  Make your whole family smile with Turkey a la King!


Turkey a la King

Ingredients:

1 tube Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
1/3 c. butter
2 green onions, sliced
1/3 c. flour
3 cps. milk
¼ t. cayenne
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained
1-2 oz. jar pimentos, drained
3 cps. turkey, cubed

Bake biscuits according to directions.
Melt butter in large sauce pan.  Add onion, cook about 2 minutes, until tender.
Stir in flour.
Add milk slowly, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Add remaining ingredients in order, mixing well.
Heat thoroughly until bubbly.
Serve on halved warm biscuits immediately.

Serves 4


WOW! Perfect!


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Florentine Tuna Noodle Casserole

in , , , , , , , , , , on Saturday, November 5, 2011














Growing up in the South, I had never had tuna noodle casserole but, after marrying a Midwest boy,  I learned to cook it; thanks to my mother-in-law.  It is another tasty dish that we crave occasionally and I’m sure there are many versions of it.  My recipe has a twist to it with the addition of flavorful spinach.  There’s nothing fancy about it, just a great dish for a chilly autumn night.  It’s a breeze to make and you can serve it with a tossed salad, giving you comfort food at its best!


 



Florentine Tuna Noodle Casserole


Ingredients:

1-12 ounce package egg noodles
1-12 ounce can tuna
1-10 pkg. frozen spinach, cooked in micro and drained well
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ cps. milk
1-8 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained well
¼ c. pimento, chopped, drained
2 cps. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ t. pepper
¼ t. paprika
1 c. potato chips, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook noodles al dente in boiling water, do not over-cook.
Mix remaining ingredients together, except for potato chip crumbs.
Add cooked noodles, stirring well.
Grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole, add tuna mixture, top with crumbled potato chips.
Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes or till top starts to brown. 



Bon Appetite!






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Mom’s Chicken Casserole and CUMC

in , , , , , on Saturday, October 15, 2011




Every month at our church, Cary United Methodist Church, the women's "Dorcas Circle" gathers for a luncheon and meeting.  This month was my turn to prepare the main entrée and I chose this chicken casserole to make for them.

They’re a great group of women whom always have a fun time talking, laughing, enjoying lunch together and then settling down for the program.  Pastor Shirley joins us when time permits and we were honored with her presence on this day. 




This chicken casserole will rise to the occasion as a great entrée for a crowd or for a perfect dinner at home every time.  It’s Mom’s recipe, not sure of the origin, but I’ve made it for years and we love it.   This dish is tasty with the succulent chicken pieces and the savory stuffing mix; containing flavors most everyone will enjoy. 

It has to be made ahead of time and allowed to refrigerate over night.  A lot of times when I still worked, I made it on the weekend, froze it, set it in the refrigerator the morning of serving day ~ then after work just popped the casserole in the oven for dinner.  Easy, easy! 

It’s a hearty casserole that I bet your family would enjoy for dinner like we do!  I think the women in the Dorcas Circle enjoyed it also as it was about all eaten.  It’s perfect comfort food for this time of year!


The goods


Ready for the oven

Voila!

Mom’s Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

4 large boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
8 ounce package herb-seasoned stuffing mix
½ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons pimento
½ teaspoon pepper

Method:

Cook chicken in simmering water until tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove chicken from broth.
Strain broth, reserving 2-2/3 cups.
Cut meat into bite-size pieces.
Combine chicken soup with half the broth.  Mix well.  Set aside.
Combine mushroom soup with remaining broth.  Mix well.  Set aside.
Combine stuffing mix, butter, pimentos and pepper, reserve ¼ cup for garnish.
Spoon half of remaining stuffing mix into a greased 13” x 9” baking dish.
Top with half of the chicken.
Cover with chicken soup mixture.
Place remaining chicken over top.
Pour mushroom soup mixture over layers.
Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mixture for garnish.
Cover and refrigerate over-night.
Remove 15 minutes before baking and uncover.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until well heated.  Do not under-bake.
Serves 8-10

It’s a savory delicious chicken dish!

           




There’s still time to enter the CSN Stores giveaway that I posted on October 8th!



Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!







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