Hawaiian Haystacks

We served this yesterday for our family dinner. We tripled the recipe and thought we had made tons...but, there was nothing left over! It was a hit. I like this recipe because it is fairly easy to prepare and is great when you are serving a lot of people.

2 cans (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups cooked rice
1 pkg. chow mein noodles
3 medium tomatoes. diced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (20-oz.)can pineapple chunks
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 slivered almonds
1/2 cup coconut

Cover chicken with water and boil until done, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and shred with two forks.Combine chicken, soup, and broth in saucepan to make gravy. I usually season with a T of dried parsley and 1/2 tsp dried basil.
I set everything out buffet style, starting with chow mein noodles, then rice, then chicken gravy. People can then add whatever they want from the rest of the ingredients.
Some additional toppings I have used:
celery
garbanzo beans
olives
mandarin oranges
green peas
baby corn
pimiento
Use your imagination!

Potato Salad

The girls are always asking me for my potato salad recipe. This is one of those food dishes that I just make without a recipe. So, as few days ago I made it and wrote everything down so I could post it on this blog.

6 potatoes, 4-5 inches long with skins
4-6 boiled eggs
1/2 onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
2 dill pickles, finely chopped

Score the potatoes with a knife from top to bottom and back to top, and around the middle. (This makes them easy to peel!)
Cover with water in pan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and continue boiling for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water and add cold water to the pan. Let set for a while and then remove skins. If potatoes are still warm, refrigerate them to cool them down. You want to assemble this salad when they are cold. Sometimes I will boil the potatoes the night before and put them in the frig to cool over night.

Add eggs, onions and pickles. Toss well

Dressing: (This is the same dressing I use for pasta salad)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T milk
scant T prepared mustard
1/4 pickle juice (secret ingredient!!!must have!)
Whisk together and pour over potato mixture. Mix in well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle top of salad with paprika for color. Refrigerate!

M-M-Minestrone Soup

This is our favorite soup! It is the end of May but feels like winter today, so soup hit the spot! What I love about this recipe is, you can make it really fast, because most of the ingredients come from a can.

1 lb. ground beef
1 28-oz. can tomatoes...I like diced
1 qt. water (4 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 T dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 16-oz. can green beans, drained
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained
1-1/4 cups mostaccioli macaroni, uncooked
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Brown ground beef in large pot that you are making the soup in. Add tomatoes, water, carrots, tomato sauce, broth and spices. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer over low heat about 20 minutes. Add the three beans. Bring to a boil; add macaroni. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until macaroni is tender. Garnish each bowl with parmesan cheese. Yum!

Popover Pizza

I got this recipe from my sister Nola in the 70's. I'm giving the recipe just as it is on the recipe card. When I make this recipe, I tweak it a little bit. I use bottled spaghetti sauce instead of the mix and tomato sauce and I don't add the water. When I do this, I measure 15 oz which is just under two cups.

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 packet spaghetti sauce mix
15 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

Brown hamburger & onions. Add spaghetti sauce (bottled or mix, sauce & water). Simmer 10 minutes. Pour into baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.(9 X 9) Top with cheese.

Batter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T oil
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together and pour over meat sauce.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
I made this for dinner tonight and used gluten-free flour. Dad couldn't tell the difference!

Brown Rice Casserole

My daughter-in-law Becky just asked me for this recipe this past weekend. I used to fix it a lot when the kids were at home. It is a great meatless meal.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 X 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

1 small onion, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 quart canned tomatoes or 2 15 oz can tomatoes
1 can olives, sliced
1 small package Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Saute onion & mushrooms in non-stick pan. (Add butter or olive oil if needed for sauteing.) Add rice to brown a little. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. Add olives. Put cubed cheese in bottom of baking dish and coveer with rice mixture. Add 1 quart water. (4 cups)
Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.