CHEESY WILD RICE CHICKEN or HAM SOUP

I got this recipe from a member of the Married Couples Bible Study we recently attended. The last meeting was followed up with a soup and salad fellowship. Betsy made this soup, except she didn't have cheese in it. It was very good without the cheese.

I am a soup hound and a cheese lover.....so I added my two-cents and came up with the below recipe. It's way-out yummy.

¾ Cup Butter
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Chopped Onion, sautéed
½ Gal (64 oz) Chicken Broths
1 pound baked cubed Chicken Tenders or boneless breasts (use Ham as a variation)
10oz bag shredded Carrots
2 (6.25oz) boxes of Uncle Ben’s Fast Cooking Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 Quart Half & Half
16 oz Shredded Mild, Cheddar, or Colby Cheese
Slivered Almonds

Melt butter and slowly add flour alternating with the chicken broth to make a thick sauce. Add onion, cubed chicken or ham, shredded carrots, rice and the seasoning packet. Bring to a very low boil; reduce heat to low, cover for 15 minutes; stir every 5 minutes. The bottom will tend to get sticky.

Blend in half & half and cheese stirring until cheese is melted and temperature is brought up to 160 degrees. Remove from heat and serve.

To hold soup for self serving, move soup into a crock pot on low temperature.

Serve soup topped with slivered almonds.

PIMLICO PLANTATION RED RICE

I received this recipe indirectly from Lady Ann who lives on Pimlico Plantation, Moncks Corner SC. She shared it with her son and her son shared it with me. My hubby really loves this rice!

2 cups uncooked parboil Rice
3 ¼ cups hot tap water
1 6oz can Italian-style Tomato Paste
½ pound Bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup Brown Sugar
1 medium Onion, Chopped
1 pound Sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Tabasco to taste

Cook sausage, drain fat and set aside sausage. In same skillet, cook bacon, and set aside bacon reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Sauté onion in the remaining drippings, drain, set aside onion.

In rice steamer or a heavy based pot with a tight lid, mix together the rice, water, tomato paste, brown sugar, sautéed onion, crumbled sausage, salt, pepper and the 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Cook on medium high for 15 minutes, turn to medium or low until all the water is absorbed. Turn off heat, set aside pot and let set for 10 minutes. Fluff and turn out into a large bowl and garnish with crumbled bacon.

Hint about the type of rice: I buy this from Sam's and it comes in a cube.

CHEESY POTATO SOUP with BACON

This "Semi-Home Made Recipe" came out of a need to cook meals for my husband after he first had braces put on his teeth. This yummy soup has now become a favorite with my family and friends.

1 8-Serving bag of Bear Creek Cheddar Potato Soup Mix

2 cans of diced potato

1 8-oz bag of shredded cheese

1 2.5oz bag 100% Real Bacon Pieces

1 Quart of boiling water

Whisk soup mix into boiling water, turn down heat to low

Simmer for five minutes

Stir in un-drained diced potatoes

Mix in shredded cheese until melted

Stir in bacon bits or use as a garnish

Options: Add brocolli as pictured

PUMPKIN SQUARES

This recipe came from a dear friend and co-worker at my previous workplace, Pat Ancrum.

Pat would bring these in to work when we had an office party close to or during the holiday's. I would eat them til I got sick they were so good. Pat finally conceded and gave me her recipe, which I am forever in thanks to her. God Bless You Pat!




I have also used baked, smashed sweet potatoes as a variation with success!

1 Large can (30 oz) solid packed pumpkin or 2 regular size cans
1 Large can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk
1 Cup sugar
3 Eggs
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Box yellow cake mix
1 Cup chopped pecans
8 oz (1 Cup) margarine, melted

Frosting
1 Package (8oz) cream cheese
¾ Cup cool whip
½ Cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
Spray 9x13 oblong dish with cooking spray and line with waxed paper
Mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and cinnamon
Pour and spread out mixture into lined dish
Sprinkle cake mix evenly over mixture
Sprinkle pecans evenly over cake mix
Drizzle butter evenly over pecans

Bake one hour at 350 degrees

Cool and invert

Frost and cut into squares.

Helpful hints in working with these squares. After inverting on a board covered with waxed paper, carefully remove and discard the baked waxed paper and place the dish back over. Place in the freezer for about an hour. Frost and place back into the freezer (w/o the dish this time) for another hour. Cut into 2" squares and handle each square from the bottom to place on your serving dish.

LOWCOUNTRY SHRIMP BOGG

This recipe came via the need to cook a large quantity of food for a BBQ cook-off for the "anything but pork" contest. We didn't win, although several spectators and partakers in Ridgeway SC begged me for the recipe.

If I had multiplied this recipe by ten, I'm sure we would have won. The competition is not judged - the winner is based on how many samples were bought. WE RAN OUT in less than an hour. Oh well, better luck next time!

PS. I do have another clue that this was a hit - the DHEC people wanted the recipe too and said they were going to post it on their website.



1 pound cooked, peeled, tails off, frozen, small shrimp, rinsed & thawed
2 cups cooked rice, white or wild (wild in this picture)
2 cups grated Colby cheese or mild cheddar
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup sliced mushrooms, can or jar, drained
½ cup butter
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced Vidalia onion
½ cup diced green pepper
5 Dashes Tabasco and/or ¼ cup Texas Pete

Sauté celery, onions, and green pepper in butter until tender
Stir in mushrooms and soup
Stir in rice and cheese
Stir in shrimp
Add Tabasco and/or Texas Pete to taste

Cook in a large casserole dish @ 325 degrees until hot and bubbly - aka when temperature probe reaches 160

ISRAEL SALAD

When summer is in full swing here in South Carolina, you just got to try this fresh salad. I use it as a dip with my favorite multi grain tortilla chips or stuff it in a pita with humus. This salad is also served with most meals in Israel, including breakfast! I know - I was there!

5 Johns Island tomatoes, diced small (hold two slices for a tomato sandwich)
2 - 3 small cucumbers, diced small
1/4 Vidalia onion, chopped fine
2-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Dash or two Red Wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Dice tomatoes, cucumbers and onion and combine in a bowl.
Add olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Optional: Add one or a combination of the following:**
1 avocado, diced
1/2 small green or red bell pepper, diced small
1/4 cup good quality green and black olives
Chopped fresh mint
Chopped fresh parsley

** add them all - it's yummy.

I like to take a big scoop and layer it over a chopped head of romaine lettuce or stuff it in a pita.

Don't forget the humus in that pita!