For a video guide please go to Facebook or YouTube Delicious by Debbie
It’s so convenient to go to the shelf in the basement and get a jar of home canned chicken. Yes, you can buy canned chicken, but I love doing my own.
Some will say, that’s a lot of work! Yes, it is, but if you get a good price on chicken, it’s great to preserve it by canning it. I have a freezer but always worry about losing food if the electric ever goes off for any extended period of time.
I’m NOT a canning expert, and someone is sure to find fault with how I do mine, but this works for me. I’m 68 and started canning with my mother when I was quite young, and this is how we do it!
Pressure Canned Chicken
Desired amount of raw chicken you desire to can
1/2 tsp salt per pint
1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence (optional), or seasonings you prefer
Jar lids & rings
Pressure canner
1. Place jars in dishwasher and run through cycle
2. Cut chicken into chunks the size you desire
3. Place raw chicken into jars pressing it down slightly (leave 1 inch headspace
4. Add salt & herbs, or other seasonings
5. Wipe off rim of each jar
6. Apply lid and then ring to each jar
8. Add 2 quarts water to pressure canner along with the jars of chicken
9. Place on large burner and pressure can pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure, according to your pressure canner instructions.
10. Allow canner to cool, off of burner, until all pressure is released.
11. Remove to an area where they can cool slowly as they seal
12. When completely cooled (usually the next day) wipe jars off thoroughly and store in a cool dry place
13. Enjoy many different ways…chicken soup or casserole, chicken salad, chicken & noodles….any way you want to😎
On these warm summer days, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have the oven on🥺. So, what can I fix for dinner? Slow cooker (or Crock Pot) to the rescue!
Here is an easy, but healthy, dinner idea. The whole meal in one ‘pot’. Pork is called ‘the other white meat’ and these were very lean thick pork chops.
Just put all the ingredients in a lined or sprayed slow cooker, put the lid on & go about your day. The results will be a wonderful tasty meal for you & your family!
Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Potatoes & Carrots
4-6 pork chops
6 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 package (12-16 oz) baby carrots
1/2 large onion (optional)
1 container Italian Salad dressing (16 oz)
1. Line slow cooker or crock pot with liner, or spray with pan spray
2. Place potato chunks in crock pot
3. Add carrots on top of potatoes
4. Add chopped onion on top of potatoes and carrots
5. Place pork chops on top of veggies
6. Pour Italian Dressing over all of it.
7. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. Check potatoes & carrots to be sure they are done.
It seems like every time we are going away, I have dead-ripe bananas that need used. Sometimes I slice & freeze them for smoothies. But today I decided to make a banana cake.
I would have just made banana bread, but my husband said he would like a banana cake for a change. So that’s what I made.
Our house smells wonderful from this cake baking❤️. And it turned out to be a very delicious and moist cake. We opted for just some store bought cream cheese icing, and that was, literally, the ‘icing on the cake!’ We kept it refrigerated and really enjoyed it cold. I hope you’ll be inspired to make one, and use up those super ripe bananas that are hanging around the kitchen👍
Quick Banana Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (I used sugar free)
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking soda
Pinch of ground cloves
3 very ripe bananas mashed
Water, oil & eggs as listed on box mix
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking pan
2. Place cake mix in mixing bowl and add all other dry ingredients. Whisk together
3. Add water, eggs & oil (whatever amount cake mix calls for) and whisk or stir until well combined & smooth
4. Mash bananas and stir into cake mix
5. Add chopped nuts if desired (optional)
6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
I am enjoying trying different meats on my air fryer rotisserie! So far I have done whole chickens, but today I did a pork loin.
The pork loin im cooking today is a garlic seasoned pork loin. They are available just plain, or several varieties of flavors of seasoning. I consider this to be a fairly inexpensive meat. There is virtually no waste! No fat was on mine and nothing was wasted! We loved the flavor and tenderness. You might want to give it a try.
My air fryer is a Power XL Vortex Air Fryer Pro and I love it! it came with the rotisserie spit.
Rotisserie Seasoned Pork Loin
1 seasoned pork loin (mine was 1.2 pounds and was Garlic & Cracked Black Pepper)
1. Cut pork loin in half
2. Place 1/2 on rotisserie rod and apply forks on each end
3. Place in Air Fryer on rotisserie spit
4. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Internal temperature should be 150-165 degrees.
5. Remove from air fryer & allow to cool for 5-10 minutes
6. Remove from forks & rotisserie rod
7. Apply second 1/2 of pork loin to rotisserie rod, apply forks & place in air fryer on rotisserie spit
8. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Internal temperature should be 150-165 degrees.
When it’s really warm outside I don’t like to turn the oven. So I go in search of a cool refreshing dessert that we can enjoy! This one ‘hit the spot’!
It’s easy and quick to make. And for those of my followers who try to watch their sugar/carbs, it can be made relatively ‘lite!’
So give this a try and see what your family thinks. For us, I will be making a double recipe of it next time❤️
Mandarin Orange Pudding Delight
1 can (15 oz) Mandarin Oranges (save the juice) I used ‘No added sugar’ MO.
1 small box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (I used Sugar free)
1 cup cool whip (I used ‘lite’)
1. Drain mandarin oranges but save the juice
2. Add pudding mix to juice & mix well with whisk
3. Add cool whip and mix well
4. Add mandarin oranges and fold them in carefully so they don’t all break up.
5. Spoon into serving bowls or one container it will all fit into.
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. That being said, I usually end up eating around ‘brunch’ time. For some reason, eating first thing in the morning doesn’t sit well with my system.
So, I try to have some kind of a breakfast casserole or quiche on hand. It can be cut and warmed in the microwave in just a few minutes. And we love a good hearty quiche.
This one is so good that we had to have a piece of it almost as soon as it came out of the oven. I hope you’ll give it a try. I believe you’ll agree that this one is packed full of goodness 👍
Potato & Bacon Quiche
1 refrigerated pie crust (I made one)
2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil (or one you like)
2 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 large eggs
1/2 Tbsp. Parsley flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 1/2 cup half & half
1 cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or your choice)
6 slices cooked crumbled bacon
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Bake pie crust with pie weights (or watch video to see how I do it) for 10 minutes
3. Remove weights and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven
4. Set oven to 350 degrees
5. Add olive oil to frying pan and cook hash brown cubes, chopped onion, & salt & pepper to taste, until potatoes are slightly browned and onion is translucent. Remove from heat
6. Spread 1/2 of potatoes/onion over bottom of pie crust
7. Spread 1/2 of Swiss & cheddar cheeses over potatoes.
8. Spread 1/2 of bacon pieces on top of cheeses
9. Repeat layers
10. Whisk eggs, half & half, parsley flakes, salt & pepper together
11. Pour egg mixture over layers in pie crust.
12. Bake at 350 degrees for 46/50 minutes
13. Cool & serve
14. NOTE: this can be made ahead & cooked later, or cooked and reheated one piece at a time in microwave.
We just really enjoy Mexican food, and at our local Mexican restaurant, we often order fajitas. The flavors just all go together so well. And of course, the chips & salsa make the meal complete!
During the Covid Pandemic, when most places were closed, eating at home was the thing we did. So, I decided to see if I could come up with a close replica of Chicken Fajitas.
My hubby says I hit it right on!! We loved these and didn’t have to go out of our house to order them. In fact, he says these are even better than the ones we order….I’m not so sure but what he’s just trying to make me feel good about my recipe? Is that possible? Lol! Whatever! We love this recipe!
Quick casseroles are something I enjoy making, and we enjoy eating. I usually serve it with a salad, and maybe some chilled applesauce. This is one we really enjoy.
This is a recipe that your children might enjoy helping you make! It’s sure easy and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. So give it a try!
Crescent Cheeseburger Casserole
1 tube Crescent Rolls
1 pound Ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp. Prepared Mustard
2-3 Tbsp. Sweet relish or chopped pickles
1 cup Shredded Cheese (I used Cheddar)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray an 8-9 inch baking dish
3. Cook & crumble ground beef
4. Add chopped onion & let it cook for several minutes
5. Add mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce & pickles or relish.
6. Cook & stir for several minutes until ingredients are mixed together
7. Press 1/2 tube of Crescent Rolls in bottom of sprayed baking dish, and pinch perforated areas together to form a bottom crust.
8. Spread cooked burger mixture over crescent dough
9. Add shredded cheese and spread over the burger mixture
10. Spread other 1/2 of the crescent dough on a plate or countertop and pinch seams & perforated areas together to form a solid crust.
11. Place crescent roll dough on top of the casserole and press it to the edges of the dish
12. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until dough is browned and fully cooked.
I was an adult before I ever experienced Chicken Cordon Bleu. And it was love at first bite! Amazing!! So over the years I have made it, several times.
This past week I cooked a Spiral Ham, and with only two of us eating, I had a lot leftover! So what could I do with the leftovers? I decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu, as a casserole! I made a sauce like I would for regular individual chicken cordon bleu, but made it all in a 9×13” baking dish.
My casserole was a hit! We loved it. Of course, we had leftovers, which I froze. I will be making this again because we so enjoyed it. I hope you’ll give it a try sometime.
Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
5 cups cooked chicken…canned, shredded, rotisserie…whatever you choose
1/2 pound sliced deli ham, or leftover ham
9-12 slices Swiss cheese (depends on size of casserole dish)
4 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Minced garlic
4 Tbsp. Flour
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 & 1/2 tsp. Salt (could use just 1 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. Smoked paprika
3 cups milk (I used 2 cups skim & 1 cup half & half
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 & 1/2 cup Panko (bread crumbs) mine were Italian flavored
1. Preheat oven to 350 & spray a 9×13 baking pan with non- stick spray
2. Place layer of chicken on bottom of dish, as evenly as possible
3. Layer ham over chicken
4. Lay pieces of Swiss cheese over ham. It’s ok if they overlap
Since I am not a seafood lover, I don’t very often cook seafood recipes. But, my husband loves Alfredo and he loves shrimp. So this is an easy recipe, and I can pick out the shrimp!
He says this Shrimp Alfredo is ‘the best’! And, I did taste one shrimp, and it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. When he had eaten all of the shrimp out of the Alfredo & noodles, I added some cooked cubed chicken. Now, that was delicious 👍
Please don’t judge me, but my system does not do well with seafood, thus my dislike. I have tried clams, crab, oysters, lobster & now shrimp. And when I have eaten any of those I developed stomach issues. So it’s easier to just stay away from seafood!
I hope you will enjoy this simple recipe and just remember that if shrimp is not your like, you can always substitute some cooked cubed chicken!
Shrimp Alfredo
12-14 oz. Fettuccine pasta
1 pound shrimp (I used frozen, peeled, deveined),thawed & rinsed
1/2 cup butter
2-3 Tbsp. Minced garlic
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream or half & half (I used 1 cup of each)
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
1tsp. Salt
3 cups shredded Parmesan Cheese
1. Cook fettuccine pasta in 2 quarts boiling water
2. Boil slowly for 9 minutes
3. Drain but do not rinse
4. Melt butter in frying pan
5. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant
6. Add thawed & rinsed shrimp. Cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side.
7. Remove shrimp to a dish
8. Add half & half/heavy whipping cream to butter & garlic in frying pan.
9. Bring half & half/heavy whipping cream to a boil
10. Whisk in Parmesan cheese
11. Add fettuccine pasta and shrimp to sauce and stir well.
Delicious by Debbie 