Orange Rice

This is a yummy favorite sidedish. Great with pork, fish and even pot roast! I usually make half the recipe for our family of 2 adults & 2 kids.

2 cups diced celery with leaves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 T. grated orange rind (no biggie if you don't have)
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice

Saute celery and onion in butter in large sauce pan over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add water, salt, orange rind and orange juice. Bring to boil. Add rice; cover; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Yields 6 cups.

Taco Bowls

** Double click on the image above to enlarge the recipe. **

This recipe was a hit with the kids. Greg & I liked it too. You can modify it by topping with diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream (or any Tex-Mex condiment you like) before serving.

Rainer's Chicken Pot Pie

Ok, friends, I searched my dear kitchen-lovin' friend Rainer's website back to 2007 to find this awesome home-made chicken pot pie recipe to make for Dad. He's off to a good recovery from surgery and he LOVES chicken pot pie. I can't think of a better way to welcome him home from the hospital. Also, this homemade option is perfect for his sodium. (Have you seen what they put in the grocer's freezer!?)
I've made this recipe a gazillion times (and definitely when Dad visits), but surprised myself that I hadn't completely memorized it yet. Thus, the web search. Since it was hidden so far back on the Lowman Recipes blog, I thought I'd copy it here and bring it to everyone's attention in time for fall. SO delicious. Thank you, Rainer!

1 box rolled up pie crust dough (or get 2 boxes of dough because you can easily make 2 pot pies from 1 recipe)
1 bag of Bird's Eye Steam in Bag mixed veggies
1 can of fat free cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Choice)
1 can of fat free cream of mushroom soup (I use Healthy Choice)
1/2 tube of sage flavored sausage (or all of tube for 2 super meaty pot pies)
2-3 chicken breasts (can be frozen or not)
1 tsp. dry or fresh Italian seasoning
A few shakes of cracked black pepper
1/4 cup fat free italian dressing
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (Italian blend is best)

1) Put frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot on low for about 6 hours. Put the Italian dressing and about 1 tsp. of the Italian seasoning on top of frozen chicken and let the crock put do the work.
2) Then after 6 hrs or so, chop up chicken or pull apart into pieces with a fork. Save the juices in the bottom of the crock pot for later.
3) Thaw pie crust according to package directions. Cook sausage in a skillet and steam veggies in the microwave bag according to directions and dump in large bowl. Then add soups, cooked sage sausage, Italian seasoning, black pepper and shredded cheese. Add chopped chicken to the bowl and also add about 1/4 cup of the flavor drippings from your crock pot. Stir to combine all ingredients.
4) Place one pie crust in bottom of large pie dish, scoop contents of bowl into the pie shell and then top with the other piece of dough. Seal edges tightly with fingers and then cut 4 holes in the center to vent.
5) Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
**** This recipe is enough to make 1 very large chicken pot pie or go ahead and buy an extra box of pie dough and just make 2 pot pies. Freezes well, just thaw in refrigerator before baking.

Fumi Salad

My mother-in-law made this at our recent annual Waller lake trip. SOOO yummy and good. I could have just eaten the whole serving bowl of salad for a meal!

Dressing - mix all and chill first
3 T. sugar
1 tsp each of salt & pepper
1 cup vegetable oil (scant cup)
6 T Rice vinegar

Salad ingredients
1 head cabbage chopped (I use packaged slaw mix)
1 bunch green onions chopped
2 packages of ramen noodles
handful sliced almonds, toasted

Brown about a T. of butter in skillet and add ¼ to ½ cup sliced almonds until lightly browned. Cool on papertowel. Crunch up 2 bags of top ramen noodles (throw season packs away). Add everything else together and serve. So Yummy!!

Pear Cake

Looking for something fruity, light and out-of-the-norm? This is an easy Kraft recipe.

1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 box yellow cake mix (or lemon or spice cake mix)
7 T. butter, melted & divided
1 (15 oz) can pear halves, drained & sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
1 (4-serving) package Jello lemon flavor gelatin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat egg, sour cream, cream cheese, and cake mix in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until cake mix is moistened. Blend in 4 T. of the butter. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. The batter will be thick.
Spread batter into lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Arrange pear wedges evenly on batter, pressing lightly into batter. Sprinkle evenly with dry gelatin mix and cinnamon. Drizzle remaining 3 T. melted butter; sprinkle with walnuts.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cut into 24 pieces. Store covered and in refrigerator.

Chocolate Chunk Caramel Brownies

This is a recipe from my life-long friend Mary Dean. She is the ultimate baker. I mean ultimate baker. (This is just one of the reasons I'm happy we're friends!) I pulled out this recipe to bake and bring to a dinner party this coming weekend. When I was talking to Mary about it she reminded me the first time I had these brownies. She had made them and after a few bites I said, "These are so rich. This might be the first brownie I can't finish." Well, I believe I did finish it but it took a long time. This would be a good brownie to serve with vanilla ice cream or serve many people with smaller cut portions.

4 squares Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 (14oz) package caramels
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups pecans (or walnuts)
1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Line 9x13 pan with foil and generously grease foil. Preheat oven to 350.
Microwave chocolate squares and butter on high for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until completely melted. Stir in sugar until blended. Mix in eggs and flour. Spread half of batter into foiled & greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes until firm to the touch.
Microwave caramels and cream until caramels begin to melt. Stir until smooth.
Stir in 1 cup nuts and spread caramel/nut mixture over brownie.
Sprinkle half of chocolate chunks on top of caramel layer.
Pour remaining brownie batter evenly over top then add layer of nuts and chunks.
Bake additional 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Cool on wire rack and remove from pan & peel foil.

Makes 24 very rich and delicious brownies.

Plentiful P's Salad

This is from the Southern Living: 30 Years of Our Best Recipes. It's a winner and very hearty. I've altered it from time to time depending on what's in my pantry. It's a great make-ahead salad and tastes great even if it's in the frig overnight.

4 cups canned, drained & rinsed black-eyed peas
2 cups cooked rotelle macaroni
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 medium green pepper, seeded & chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 medium purple onion, chopped
1 (6 oz) package sliced provolone cheese, cut into strips
1 (4.5 oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (3.5 oz) package sliced pepperoni, cut into strips (look for the turkey pepperoni!)
1 (2 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 (0.7 oz) envelope Italian seasoning mix
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use EVOO)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl. Combine dressing mix and remaining 4 ingredients in jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously; pour dressing over pea mixture. Toss gently. Cover and chill. Yields 8 large servings.