Stuffing

Stuffing goes great with anything.  Pork, Chicken, Turkey, and yes, even beef.  Many use a boxed stuffing and we have too.  Ya know what, it ain't that bad, but when we want some good home cookin' our way......   So, try this!

9 slices (half loaf) Bread
6 Tblspn Butter or margarine
1/2 chopped  (about a 1/2 cup) Onion
3 ribs Celery
1 tspn Poultry Seasoning
1/2 tspn each Salt and Pepper
1 can (3.8 oz) Black Olives
1 can (10 1/2 oz) Chicken Broth

What you're gonna want to do is dry the bread.  I cut it into pieces, spread over a baking sheet and cook about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Comes out like toast. 

Grab a pan like a dutch oven or a big skillet and melt your butter, then add everything else.  Stir it up real good. 
Then transfer it to a baking dish and bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.

If you're gonna stuff a chicken turkey, pork chops, or a roast, skip the baking.  It'll cook up with the meat.  If you find it still comes out too soft for you, bake half way then stuff.  Like we always say, experiment 'til it's your recipe.

Here's a neat trick for celery.  If it's kinda wimpy, you can crisp it up by putting the ribs in a glass of cold water in the fridge for a couple hours.  If you're in a hurry, ice it down.

That brings up why we started cooking our own dressing to start with.  Being only the two of us, we were finding that a loaf of bread would get stale before we could finish it.  We would either throw it away or feed the birds.  Same with the celery, we only use a few ribs from a stalk and maybe eat a few raw, but we'd end up throwing some away.  So waste not, want not, right?

If you use fresh parsley, you'll find the same thing happening.  You can add some to the stuffing.  I wouldn't add more than a quarter cup.

Now my parents and my sister make a mean Stuffed Rolled Round Steak.  Man it's delicious!  There is some differences in the stuffing though.  Substitute stuffed green olives for the black and add some mushrooms (canned or fresh).  Skip the poultry seasoning and the chicken stock.  They roll it up jelly roll style inside a round steak, secure with a toothpick, skewer, or cooking string.  Mix 3/4 stick melted butter with some nice red wine and pour over the round steak. Bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

Now if you're doubling this recipe, you can substitute water for the second can of broth. 

Now, to help make this recipe your very own here's some things I've done from time to time and it still comes out good.  Substitute beef broth for the chicken broth.  Sometimes, I stuff an Italian meat loaf, so I add a little basil and some oregano. I've added Parmesan cheese.  And, don't forget the fruit, like in my apple stuffed pork chop recipe.

I use brown onion but have substituted white or red, and chopped green onions.  Many people throw in some oysters at Christmas and I've added lobster and crab.  So there's many possibilities. 

Have fun with it!

Cherry Coke Jello

20 oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup water
2 small packages cherry jello
1 can cherry pie filling (Comstock)
3/4 cup Coke (regular cola)

Drain pineapple saving juice.
Add the water to the juice and bring to boil and dissolve the two packages of jello.
Stir in the pie filling and the Coke.
Allow to thicken in fridge (about a half hour) then stir in the pineapple.
Return to fridge and let set a couple hours.
Eat!

My sister sent me this recipe in 2006.  She told me it was fantastic and I should try it right away.  She said I''ll love it.  Six years later my wife found the recipe and said "Are we ever gonna try this?"  So, we made it.  I wish we'd have tried it the day we got it.  It's that good!  Very rich and oh so yummy!
I hope you like it, too!  Enjoy!

Seafood  Salad

 

 

In the late 80’s, my wife and I would go to Las Vegas with friends on a regular basis.  Back then you could eat at a buffett in almost every casino for practically nothing.  These days, even with a coupon, it’ll run ya $30-$45 per person for dinner on a weekend.  Even so, we still do it.  One of the dishes I always go for in the salad section is the crab salad.  Sometimes they’ll have a shrimp salad.  And best yet, they sometimes have lobster salad. I’ve even seen a combination they call a seafood salad.  Mmmmmmm! It’s so good and so simple.  Here’s the recipe I use at home:

 

 Seafood Salad

 

1 lb imitation crab, shrimp, lobster or a combination

1 small  jar (2-4 oz) pimento

1 small can 2.25 oz sliced black olives

2 stalks celery (chopped)

Miracle Whip (salad dressing) or mayonnaise

 

Mix all ingredients with the mayo for desired consistency.

 

Be sure to flake of dice the meat.  You don't want too big of chunks.

Some people will add green onions and sweet pickles but I don't.  Once in a while I will add a cup to a cup and a half cooked small elbow macaroni.  Hey this is starting to sound a lot like my Tuna Macaroni Salad.  It is pretty close.  I guess a little chopped green  bell pepper would probably work too.

 

It's that easy!  I hope you like it!