Aunt Barbara's Egg Rolls

This recipe comes from my Aunt Barbara.  I've been wanting a recipe for egg rolls, and I've been bugging her for hers.  She gave it to me this past week and I could not wait to eat them.  They turned out wonderful!  Hope you enjoy!  Here is my aunt's recipe straight from her.

Egg rolls
2 pkgs egg roll wrappers
1 head of cabbage shredded (cut out core & thick stems) or 2 pkgs of coleslaw mix
shredded carrots (leave out if using coleslaw mix)
finely chopped onion
1 can bean sprouts drained & rinsed
1 lb of ground beef

Brown ground beef in large dutch oven - drain & rinse
Put back in dutch oven, add cabbage, carrots, onions & bean sprouts. Stir well to get ground beef off bottom of pot and everything mixed well. ADD NO LIQUID!! VEGS WILL GIVE OFF ENOUGH LIQUID TO STEAM THEM. Cover and cook on low stirring often until cabbage and vegs are cooked and very tender.
Drain off all liquid when vegs are done.

I usually dump in teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce because soy sauce is too thin. You can add a little soy sauce at this point but not too much. You don't want vegs too wet because you're egg rolls will steam when they fry and get soggy.

Roll in egg roll wrappers and deep fry in peanut oil or vegetable oil until golden brown. Bring out the soy sauce and sweet & sour sauce and eat!! Sometimes I use only half of the filling and we put the rest over rice.

Chicken Salad Pie

Sorry this isn't the best picture.  I had made these for my husband's potluck at work and I had already wrapped them up before I remembered to take a picture.  I know the name of this may sound a little strange, but, man, is this good.  I was hesitant at first to make this, but now, it is requested at my husband's holiday potlucks every year.  This year, someone even offered to pay for one.  I wasn't going to turn that down!  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Salad Pie

Ingredients:  3cups Chicken, cooked and diced

                   1/2 cup Mayonnaise
                   1/2 cup Sour Cream
                   1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
                   1/2 to 1 cup of Celery, diced
                   1 tsp Celery Salt
                   2 Tbsp Onion, diced
                   2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
                   1 can Water chestnuts, sliced & coarsely chopped
                   1/2 cup Slivered Almond, toasted
                   1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
                   Deep Dish Pie Crust
                 
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients and place in pie shell. Bake for 30 min, top with more cheese and bake an additional 10 min.  Serve warm. 


                

Potato and Broccoli Soup

With all of these chilly nights, soup sure has been sounding good.  This is a good recipe.  It calls for diced potatoes and broccoli.  I'm not much of a chunky potato soup person, so after it was done cooking, I used my stick blender and blended it up some.  The family loved it, what don't they love ;), and ate it up.  I served it with bacon, cheese, and a bread stick for dunking.  Hope you enjoy!

Potato and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:  1/4 cup Flour

                   2 14oz cans Chicken Broth

                   3 cups Potatoes, peeled & diced

                   2 cups frozen Broccoli Florets, thawed & chopped

                   2 tsp Dried Minced

                   Cooked Bacon

                   Cheese for Garnish

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and 1/3 cup of chicken broth until smooth and set aside. 

In soup pot, combine remaining broth, potatoes, broccoli, and onion. 

Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

Gradually stir in flour and broth mixture.

Stir in milk and cheese.

Cook and stir occasionally until cheese is melted.

Season with salt and pepper.

Top with bacon and cheese.

Cheeseburger Soup

Oh my goodness, is this the best soup! Everyone I make this for just loves it.  My kids love it, heck, even my momma loves it (and she is very picky).  This is the perfect soup for a cold night.  Hope you enjoy!

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:  1lb Ground Beef or Turkey

                   2 tsp Dried Onion Flakes

                   1/2 cup Butter

                   1 1/2 tsp Celery Salt

                   1 1/2 cup Shredded Carrot

                   2 tsp Dried Basil

                   2 tsp Dried Parsley

                   4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

                   4 cups Water

                   3 1/2 cups Diced Potatoes

                   1/4 cup Flour

                   3 cups Milk

                   16oz Velveeta

Brown ground beef or turkey with dried onion in large soup pot.  Remove from pot, drain, and set aside. 

Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in pot and saute carrots, basil, and parsley until carrots are tender.

Add bouillon and water and bring to a boil. 

Add potatoes and ground beef, lower to a simmer and cook 10-12 minutes.

While soup is simmering, melt 6 Tbsp of butter in a separate pot. 

Stir in flour into melted butter.

Whisk in milk and cook until thick and smooth.

Add milk mixture to soup and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add Velveeta and salt & pepper to taste. 

Allow Velveeta to melt and then serve hot.



Squash Cassorole

I have tried many a version of squash casserole.  This is mine and my families favorite version.  Easy, simple comfort food.  Hope you enjoy!

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:  5-7 Yellow Squash, sliced

                   1/4 cup Onion, diced

                   3 Tbsp Butter

                   1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed

                   1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

                   2 Eggs, beaten

                   1/4 to 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese

In a hot pan, melt butter.  Add squash and onion and cook until tender, season with salt & pepper. 

Combine soup & eggs together, mix well.  Add crushed crackers and squash mixture, mix well. 

Top mixture with cheese and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Dessert Quesadilla

Oh my!  This is delicious!  I got the idea after watching one of the many Food Network show that I watch.  It was about a grilled cheese truck that makes a dessert grilled sandwich, so I just took the idea and put it in a flour tortilla.  Peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow!  But, of course, you can change it up.  I think I might add some fruit in next time.  Strawberries and chocolate would be good, bananas, the possibilities are endless.  Hope you enjoy!

Dessert Quesadilla

Ingredients:  Peanut Butter 

                   Chocolate Chips

                   Marshmallow Fluff                                                        

                    Flour Tortilla                                                          

Spread peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on flour tortilla then sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Fold in half and microwave for about 30 seconds or grill as you would a grilled sandwich.  I prefer the grilling, I like the crunchy outside.

A Different Take

I just wanted to show you a different take I did on the Red, White and Blue Trifle.  I made this for Halloween, and it was just as good!  I substituted chocolate angel food cake for the regular angel food cake, orange juice for the lemon juice, and I only used strawberries.  I also tinted the cream cheese mixture orange, in order to be a little more festive.  Everyone loved this version as well as the first one.  This is just a small example to show you how you can take a simple recipe, change a few things, and have a different version of something delicious.

Chicken Spaghetti

This is one of the family favorite recipes.  I haven't made it in a very long time, and with the weather getting cooler, something a little spicy seemed really comforting.  I know a lot of people have their own recipe for chicken spaghetti, but I just thought I would share mine.  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:  3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced

                   1 lb Spaghetti Noodles, cooked

                   1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

                   1 can Rotel

                   1 lb Velveeta

                   Reserved Cooking Liquid from Spaghetti

Boil chicken in large saucepan for about 30 min, or until cooked through.  Remove chicken and add spaghetti to boiling water that the chicken was cooked in.  When spaghetti is done, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.  Drain spaghetti.  Place pan back on stove and combine all ingredients, except for water.  Cook on low heat until cheese is melted, stirring periodically.  Add reserved water, if too thick, to thin out.