Harrington House

My Favorite Squash Casserole

When I was visiting my sister a couple weeks ago, she made this squash casserole for us, and it is the BEST squash casserole I have ever had!  It really tastes similar to the regular old recipe, but it is far more creamy and rich.  So perfect! 

When I made it the other day, I cut up about 5 yellow sqaush and cooked them down in water (maybe 1/8 cup?) and butter (whole stick, or less if you don't eat like me!) till they were soft.  There shouldn't be very much liquid left, but if there is, just drain it off so that the casserole isn't runny.  Then, mix the cooked squash with a can of cream of mushroom soup, some mayonnaise (1/2 cup), and some shredded cheddar.  Pour that into a casserole dish and top it with more cheese and crushed Club crackers that have been mixed with melted butter.  Heat in a 350 degree oven.

I served it with this yummy chicken recipe from Kelli.  The only thing I did different with the chicken recipe was use chopped fresh garlic (we love tons of garlic) and add in some liquid smoke.  The chicken was so moist, and it was such an easy recipe.

Mmm! 

Roll On, Mama!

 

Homemade rolls.  That is one of the things I am determined to get right.  Along with piecrusts and growing gardenias...  Anyhoo, I have been testing out lots and lots of recipes.

And, being the bread-lovin' family that we are, the process has been enjoyable.  :o)

Still, I haven't found the perfect roll, yet.  I'll keep working on it.  I'll let you know when I find it.

Fiesta Chicken Bake

This dish is in regular rotation here at our home.  It's one of those quick and easy meals, and I almost always have all the ingredients for it.

After you cook your chicken, shred it and put it in a bowl with:  1 can Cream of Celery soup, 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can Rotel, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chile powder, and a small onion that has been sauteed in butter.  Mix all that together.

Then, crush up some tortilla chips.  (I just crunch them in the bag after I open one corner of the bag to let the air out.)  Spread a layer of the crushed chips into the bottom of a 9x 13 dish.  Then, spread you on a layer of the chicken mixture.  Follow with a layer of shredded cheese.  Repeat layers once.  Top it with the last of the chips and another sprinkling of cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees till hot and bubbly!

Grab a fork, and y'all come eat!

Chicken Braid Recipe

This recipe is one that is in regular rotation at my home.  I think it is a variation of a Pampered Chef recipe, but I am not sure where I got this one.  It's been one of our favorites for years!

After I cook my whole chicken, I chunk up the white meat and grind the dark.  Then, mix in some mayonnaise (Duke's, of course!) until it is moist.  Add in some shredded swiss cheese.  I think I usually add about a cup to a cup and a half of cheese.  Spread out a can of crescent roll dough and just pinch the perforations together so that it stays in a rectangle.  Form a loaf with the chicken mixture in the center.

Then, I use a pizza wheel to cut strips on each side, making sure I have equal numbers on both edges.

Then, just pull up a strip from each side and twist once and return the strip to it's original side.

Bake at 350 degrees till the dough is done, about 25 minutes in oven. 

I Won, I Won!!

A couple of weeks ago, the truly fabulous Ruthann at Warm Pie, Happy Home had a giveaway for some cookbooks.  And I won!!  The giveaway was for two cookbooks, but she surprised me with two more books that SHE co-authored with her sister-in-law.  I am so excited!!  Her blog is one of my favorites, because, not only does she have a beautiful home, but also because she is such an inspiring wife, mother, and homemaker. 

Now, on to my winnings...  The first cookbook is titled "Sweety Pies" and is full of recipes I am dying to try, like Aunt Marjell's Strawberry Handpies, Sister Baby's Buttermilk Pie, Bernice Brock's Old-Fashioned Grits Pie, and a whole chapter on meringue pies.  It's also full of great stories, too, which is perfect...because I love to read cookbooks! 

The second cookbook is Dolly's Dixie Fixin's from, of course, Dolly Parton.  I will post after I make her Green Tomato Cake, Grits on a Shingle, and her Daddy's Left-Handed Gravy.  Have I ever mentioned that Dolly Parton is one of my most favorite people ever?  She is definitely on my "Who would you invite to your dinner party?" list.

Now, the two other surprise books Ruthann sent are all about making wonderful memories with your family. 

In one of the books, a quote from Henry Van Dyke jumped out at me that I wanted to share:

"One truly affectionate soul in a family will exert a sweetening and harmonizing influence upon all its members."

Isn't that a good thought of what we all want to be within our homes and families?

The last book is a tiny little thing that contains 101 ways for making some family memories...one of my favorites so far:

"#67 - Pajama Ride!  After you have just tucked your kids into bed, burst into their room and yell, "Pajama ride!"  Put their coats on, get in the car, and go out for ice cream cones.  The kids will remember this surprise forever!"

Thank you, Ruthann, for the books AND for creating such a wonderful place for us to visit and...have pie!

 

My Favorite Cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups plus 4 1/2 tbsp cake flour (I use Swan's Down)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
chocolate chips

After mixing the flour, soda, and salt, cream the two sugars, vanilla, and butter.  Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Gradually add in the flour mixture.  Stir in chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

Oh, yeah....and don't forget to put you a pat of butter on a couple of 'em still hot out of the oven!   'Mmm-mmm!

My Chicken Casserole

I am sure everyone has a version of their own chicken casserole.  Well, "MY" chicken casserole actually came from my best friend's mother.  (We were friends all through school and were roomies in college.  Her mother would make this for us a lot, and we would warm it up in our dorm room.  It never lasted long.)

While I am cooking my chicken (I always use a whole chicken and chunk the white meat and grind the dark, but I know some people use just breasts...I just rarely, if ever, cook JUST chicken breasts).  Anyway, while I am cooking the chicken, I crunch up a sleeve of Club crackers with a rolling pin....or this....

...or even this...

Then, I just mix those crumbs in a bowl of melted butter (1 stick). 

Once the chicken is cooked and shredded/chunked, I mix it with a can of cream of mushroom soup (my sis-in-law, Lisa, uses cream of chicken) and an 8-ounce container of sour cream. 

 

Then, top it with the buttered crumbs, and into the oven it goes at 350 degrees for half an hour or till it is bubbly. 

So good!

Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

Last night for dinner, I fixed one of our favorites...meatloaf.  I know, it's sorta awful to look at, and I would never (I don't think) serve it to company.  Anyway, lately I have been stuffing it with cheese.  I use the Kroger brand meatloaf seasoning, following the directions on the back of the packet, only I add in ketchup to the mix.

Then, I pat it out into a rectangle on a piece of foil, slather on a bit of sour cream, and sprinkle on a handful (or two) of shredded mild cheddar.

Then, I roll it up jelly-roll fashion and transfer it to the baking dish. 

   

Just in the last few minutes in the oven, I spread a mixture of ketchup and brown sugar on top.

The first time I fixed our meatloaf this way, my husband said this version tasted "lighter" than the traditional version.  Well....I just put a big bite in my mouth so that I didn't have to tell him it wasn't.   

Marshmallow Love

Have y'all tried Martha Stewart's homemade marshmallows?  Not only are they so beautiful to look at, they are incredible to eat!!  They just melt in your mouth....mmmm!  These would make such a fun stocking stuffer for Christmas...