Mentoring Memories

During college, a couple from our church adopted my husband and me. I now see this as one of God's BIG provisions for my life. It was a difficult period--a wonderful, yet difficult period of life for me. For starters, I was 18 years old and newly married. And although it wasn't entirely true, it felt like I was the ONLY married 18 year old in college! It was a lonely time for me.

So from the kitchen of a lady who probably has no idea what an impact she really made on me.....

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pt. sour cream
1 can chopped green chilies
Flour tortillas Shredded into strips
1 lb. grated cheese (I always use a blend)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Butter the bottom of a 13 by 9 baking pan. Layer the bottom covering well with strips of flour tortillas. Start with covering with cubed chicken. Combine soup, sour cream, and green chilies in saucepan and heat until mixed well. Cover chicken with soup mixture. Then top casserole with cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Yum! We like to bake a loaf of fresh bread with this one!

Baked Crab Cakes

Baked Crab Cakes

cooking spray
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of hot sauce (I use Texas Pete)
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 scallion, finely chopped (use the white and green parts)
1 pound lump crabmeat
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce,lemon juice, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning.

Stir in the diced red bell pepper and scallions.

Pick over the crabmeat and discard any shells or cartilage.

Gently fold in the "clean" crabmeat, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into the previous mixture.

Stir until well combined.

Put the remaining 1/2 cup of dry breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 even portions. Shape each of the portions into a round and roll in the dry breadcrumbs to coat evenly.

Transfer the 8 crab cakes to the prepared baking sheet and flatten each cake to form a patty about 1 inch in thickness. Spray each cake with a little cooking spray.

Bake until golden brown on the bottom, approximately 10 minutes. Gently flip the cakes over and cook until the second side is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Serve hot with Tartar Sauce or Cocktail Sauce, whichever you prefer.

These were soooo yummy. The recipe comes from my favorite food blog - Mimi's Making Meals.

Check out MIMI's Blog for details and pictures!

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

From the Kitchen of Ileana (my wonderful, wonderful mom-in-law)....I don't like Mushrooms so I'll be omitting that and making some changes...but I LOVED the taste of the sauce. Ileana is careful about keeping things healthy and always has great alternatives to recipes...check this one out.

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

3/4 lb lasagna noodles (about 12)
4 cups whole milk ( I used 2 cups skim milk and 2 cups fat free half and half)
12 TBS unsalted butter (1.5 stick -divided)- I use Smart Balance sticks
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg ( you don't have to use it if you don't like it)
1 1/2 lbs portobello mushrooms
1 cup parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375º
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt ( I did not) and some oil. Cook the lasagna noodles for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 TBS ( 1 stick) of butter in a large sauce pan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat stirring constantly. Pour the hot milk into the butter flour mixture all at once. Add 1 TBS salt ( I added much less) the pepper and nutmeg and cook over medium heat stirring with a spoon and then with a whisk for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside of the heat.
Heat 2 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS of butter in a large saute pan. When the butter melts add half of the sliced mushrooms, sprinkle with salt ( you don't have to) and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until tender. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set aside.
To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the white sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then one third of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup parmesan. Repeat two more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms and parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit a room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting.

If you make it ahead of time, assemble the lasagna and keep refrigerated until the day you are ready to serve. Bake for an additional 10 minutes (55 minutes)

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup

From the Kitchen of my sweet friend Tracey.

One of our favorite's--especially to bring for a crowd! Always a hit!

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pkg Wyler's or Bear Creek Chicken Noodle Soup Starter Mix
12 oz chicken -- either cook it yourself and chop or use Tyson's canned
1 lb Mild Mexican Velveeta Cheese
2 Chicken bouillon cubes
Water

Make Chicken Noodle Soup according to package. Add Chicken. Add Velveeta Cheese--cut into cubes. Add 2 Chicken bouillon cubes and 2 cups water.

Simmer 40 min.

Must serve with sweet cornbread muffins :)

I double the recipe for a group...and to have some leftovers! Double overfills a large crockpot!

YUM! Perfect for cool fall / winter days!