Herb Butter

                                                                        
Mmmm....It is so good to add herb butters to home-grown veggies! I love this on corn on the cob, in lima beans, and even a good pat on a rib eye steak. You can adjust this to suit your own tastes, but this is really delicious on so many foods. It also makes a good spread for bread that you plan to toast or broil. If you are not sure if you will like all the components of this butter then make 1/4 of it to try before making an entire pound. This and other herb butters make delicious gifts.

Herb Butter

1 pound butter, room temp*
4 tsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried tarragon

With electric mixer, whip butter with lemon juice and garlic powder till smooth. Crush herbs until very fine and add to butter blending well.
Wrap and chill overnight so flavors can blend before serving.
For very special dinners and parties you can use a piping gun and make rosettes on wax paper, or pat into fancy butter molds for individual servings.
Makes 1 pound butter.

Tips:

*Do not use margarine or spreads! Besides being bad for your heart and arteries, it doesn't taste as
  good!
*You can use fresh herbs, but you will have to decide how much of each is enough. Look for a converter chart for dry/fresh herbs.
*Divide butter up into 1/4 pound pieces and wrap well so you can freeze some to keep them fresh and
  use as wanted.

Chicken Enchiladas

                                                                     
These seem to be complicated, but they are not. They are easy and tasty. You can use leftover chicken (whether fried, rotisserie, baked, or grilled), which makes a great new way to use up extra chicken and still have a new meal your family will love. They are rich and filling. Go the extra mile and make these from full-fat ingredients as they will help to fill you up and keep your hunger sated for a longer time. Besides, it is just better for you all the way around as you need healthy fats in your diet.

Chicken Enchiladas
                                                                                         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup chicken broth*
1 Tbls. unbleached flour
2 cups of Half and Half cream
1 can (2 oz.) chopped green chilies*
2 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. real sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups sour cream
12 organic corn tortillas*
1 cup (4 oz.) finely shredded Mexican Blend cheese
Chopped green onion, optional
Sliced black olives, optional
Chopped tomatoes, optional
Fresh cilantro, chopped fine, optional
Organic olive oil spray

Stack tortillas on paper towel and place in oven to warm.
Blend chicken broth and flour in 2 quart saucepan and cook till thickened. Stir in Half and Half, green chilies, chopped onion, salt, ppper, and 1 3/4 cup of sour cream.
Dip warm tortillas in sauce completely coating both sides. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken down center or each tortilla, old up, use some of the sour cream to seal edges.
Spray a 13" x 9" pan with cooking spray. Place tortillas in pan edge down. Repeat till all tortillas are filled with chicken.
Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. \Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, till hot and bubbly.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 more minutes till cheese melts. Let rest 10 minutes to set up before serving.
Garnish with green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and sliced olives, if desired.

Tips:
*You can use your own homemade broth or store-bought.
*You can use fresh chilies, if desired.
*Make sure you use organic corn tortillas to avoid GM tortillas as most all corn-related foods in USA
  is made with GM corn products
  .

Fool-Proof Beer Batter For Deep Fried Vegetables

                                                                   

                                                              
My husband absolutely loves Fair Food. He goes to the fair just so he can eat his way through the midway. I, on the other hand, do not care much for Fair Food as it is costly, greasy, heavy, and cooked in oils I try to avoid. Every once in awhile I will make Bob some of his favorite Fair Foods such as Pulled BBQ Pork sandwiches, soaked and grilled corn on the cob, funnel cakes, or these tasty vegetables.  It can't get any easier than this recipe.

Fool-Proof Beer Batter For Deep Fried Vegetables

1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup beer
Palm oil shortening or lard
Vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, onion rings, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato slices, or green pepper rings.*
Real sea salt

Combine flour with beer. Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours before using.
Meanwhile, get vegetable prepared for when you want to use them; set aside till ready to use.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or 2-3 quart pan (at least 3-5" of oil) to 375 degrees F.
Dip vegetables in batter, knowcking off some of the extra, then drop into the oil to fry for 2-3 minutes, till golden brown. Salt to taste.
Drain on paper towels before serving. Serve hot.

Tips:
*This batter is good to use for fish, too.

Delicious No-Bake Cheesecake

                                                                   
I got this recipe from an acquaintance around 10 years or so ago. It was so easy and delicious. I just made a couple of these for two of my grandkids' graduation parties and came back home with empty pans as they were wiped out. I made one with a canned cherry pie filling, and the other with fresh, sliced strawberries. I often make one of these to keep in the freezer so I can pull it out and have an instant dessert. The topping can be added once it is thawed some at room temp.

Delicious No-Bake Cheesecake

For the crust:
2 pkgs. graham crackers (2 out of 3 in 1 box)
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted
6 Tbls. powdered sugar

Crush graham crackers or run through a food processor to make into crumbs. Combine with melted butter and powdered sugar. Pat evenly into a 13" x 9" pan; set aside.

For the Filling:
2 pkgs. (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces whipped cream*

Beat cheese with sugar till smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly over the graham cracker crust. Cover well and freeze for 2-8 hours. Allow to sit out for 30-60 minutes to thaw.Spread choice of pie filling or real fruit filling over top. Serve.

For the Topping:
Use any canned pie filling you prefer, or use fresh fruits in season and sweeten with a bit of sugar, if needed, or make a fruit glaze to mix with fruit. This can also be left plain for a plain cheesecake.

Tips:
*The original called for 8 ounces of Cool Whip, but I like to use real whipped cream that you can
   make yourself or buy already made
*You can freeze this for up to 2 months in the freezer, just wait to add any topping when thawed
   and ready to serve.
*For the strawberries I put on my cheesecake and got rave reviews, all I did was to wash and slice up
  a pound of fresh strawberries, added a bit of sugar (maybe 1/4 cup) and allowed them to sit to make
  a syrup. Then I spread the strawberries with the syrup evenly over the cheesecake and it was done.