Chicken Croquettes with Creole Sauce

The other day I tried a new recipe for a slow cooker chicken dish, and it was less than impressive. In fact, it had absolutely no taste at all. I had put two nice, large, beautiful chicken breasts into the crockpot when I made the dish, and wondered what I was going to do with them now. Sure, I could make chicken salad, but that just seemed so “been there, done that.” So, like I do, I started rummaging around on the Internet and stumbled upon a Chicken Croquette with Creole Sauce recipe by Paula Deen. Hers didn’t look like they were going to be flavorful enough for me, so I adapted the recipe, and let me tell you, these are sensational! I made mini chicken croquettes to serve on top of salad, medium-sized chicken croquettes to serve in a trio as a main dish, and burger-sized patties to serve as a sandwich. (I also put some into the freezer for later.) They are delicious no matter how you serve them, and I really do believe that this is my new favorite sandwich. Whatever you choose to do, do choose to make these.

Chicken Croquettes with Creole Sauce
Adapted from Paula Deen

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup minced celery
1/3 cup minced Melissa’s shallots
1 tablespoon chopped, seeded jalapeño*
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped, fresh chives
½ cup mayonnaise
1 extra large egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning

In a 9” sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, celery, shallots, and jalapeño, and cook until tender, about five minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, Panko, red bell pepper mixture, and chopped chives. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, and Creole seasoning. Add to the chicken mixture, folding gently to combine. Form the mixture into 10 patties (or mini patties, or large burger-sized patties). In a 12” skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook the chicken cakes until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side, and serve with Creole Sauce (recipe below).

Creole Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Creole seasoning

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Cover and chill

*If you like the taste of jalapeño, but don’t like the heat, par boil your fresh jalapeños for 2 to 3 minutes, plunge into cold water, and then use.

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[Not so] Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake

I cannot abide anything runny. For this reason I have to hard cook my poached eggs and stir up and cook through my fried eggs, which really means that they are hard boiled and scrambled eggs, respectively. My point here is that I don’t like chasing my food. So when I saw this recipe for Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake, I hesitated. The recipe looked like a chocolate version of St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (as it turned out, it is), so I just decided to over bake it so that it wouldn’t run all over my plate because, call it what you will, a “lava cake” is really just one that hasn’t quite baked through. That is high on the “Ick Factor” for me.

I kept the whole over baking thing to myself and served it with no explanation. It was a big hit! The edges were a bit crunchy, the bottom layer was chewy like a brownie, and the top layer was dense and creamy not unlike a flour-less chocolate cake.

If you don’t mind the thrill of the chase, bake yours for 30 minutes, but if you’re like me, give my version a try, and then let me know what you think.

[Not so] Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake

Slightly adapted from Paula Deen.

First Layer

1 (15.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix

1 egg

1 stick butter, melted

Second Layer

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 extra large eggs

3 to 4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch spring-form cake pan.

Combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat the mixture into prepared pan and set aside.

In a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder.

Lower the speed of the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Mix until everything is well combined. Slowly add the remaining 1 stick of melted butter and vanilla and continue to beat the mixture until smooth.

Pour the filling over the cake mixture in the spring-form pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

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Cheeseburger Casserole

Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love cheeseburgers. I could, seriously, eat one once a week, if not more. (Toss in a side of chili cheese fries, and I am your slave!) So, when I saw this recipe from Paula Deen, I just had to try it. I changed it up a bit (reflected below) by adding some minced garlic, steak seasoning, and fewer noodles. This is not company fare by any means, but it is, as Mr. O-P put it when reaching for his second helping, “Good comfort food.”  It is indeed.

Cheeseburger Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

½ teaspoon minced garlic

1 green pepper, chopped

1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, with juice*

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

½ teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5-6 oz. medium egg noodles

2 cups good quality (I used Tillamook) sharp cheddar cheese, grated

. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking up the lumps as you go, until meat is evenly browned. Drain off the fat. Add the onion and the green pepper, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, with juice, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, steak seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.

Fill medium pot half full of water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the noodles and boil for about 6-7 minutes, until tender. Drain the noodles, return the noodles to the pot. Pour the tomato mixture over the noodles and stir until blended.

Put the noodle mixture into a baking dish that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and edges are bubbly. Enjoy it as a family meal, then refrigerate the leftovers.

*The next time I make this, and I will, I think I’ll use tomato puree.

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Beef & Vegetable Soup

When it comes to soup I tend to be a chowder and gumbo kind of gal; my dad likes his soup with plenty of meat and lots of vegetables.  So, when I took lunch out to him last week I made a hearty vegetable beef soup to go with our hot ham and two cheese sliders on pretzel rolls. Rounded out with brownies for dessert, it was a pretty tasty lunch.

Vegetable beef soup is pretty easy to make because almost any combination of vegetables works. The secret to a particularly good vegetable beef soup, however, is a good flavorful beef (I use short ribs), a tasty broth, and a heavy hand with the seasonings, seasoned salt in particular. Here's my recipe, adapted from one by Paula Deen.  Think of this as more of a guideline than a recipe carved in stone. The beef to liquid combination probably shouldn't be tampered with, but from there on out use your favorite vegetables (or what you happen to have on hand) and season liberally with your favorite herb combination. Do make it one to two days prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Beef & Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Paula Deen

3 pounds beef short ribs

3 quarts cold water
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons beef soup base
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 can cut green beans
1 11-oz. package Melissa’s steamed black-eyed peas
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

Place the short ribs in a large stockpot.  Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Remove short ribs from the pot.  Refrigerate meat and stock separately overnight.  In the morning, remove the solidified fat from the stock.  Much of the seasoning will rise and be embedded in the fat, so re-season to taste. Cut the meat from the bones, discarding bones and fat, and return the meat to the de-fatted stock. Add the remaining vegetables and the pasta and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 55 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley.  Yield: 6 quarts

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