Comfort Food

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Comfort Food

It would be an understatement to say my life has been hectic in the last couple of months. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that a relaxing day or a good night's sleep have been few and far between. And many a day I wanted to fall face first into a pan of brownies and not come up till the pan was empty. It is in these times I like to cook what I call `comfort food'. Generally food that is warm and gooey is comfort food for me.

Now, that can mean savory or sweet dishes. The only bad thing about these so-called `comfort food' dishes is that they are not exactly low in calories or fat. Maybe that is why they are so comforting.

Now all you healthy eating people out there don't send me letters telling me I can re-vamp my recipes to be lowfat and low calorie. I know that. But I don't want to. I like them the way they are. And besides, I don't have them on a weekly basis. In any case, they are just good recipes and if you want to make them lowfat, by all means do so. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

1 3-4 pound chicken

1 can Green Chili Enchilada sauce

1 Can cream of Chicken soup

8 oz Salsa

½ cup sour cream

1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, divided

Boil down the chicken, debone it and freeze the broth for later. Freeze some of the chicken meat for later, too if it was a big bird.

Mix the chicken with 1/2 can green chili enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup , 1/2 jar salsa, 1/2 cup grated cheese and the sour cream.

Place about 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling in each flour tortilla depending on what size you use (I use soft taco size) and roll up. You'll get about 6. Place in 13x9 pan. Add to the left over filling (there will be some left) the rest of the enchilada sauce and the rest of the salsa. Pour over the enchiladas and top with lots of grated cheese.

Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 till hot and bubbly. Also excellent reheated the next day for lunch.

Bacon and Potato Chowder

8 slices of bacon cut into 1" pieces

2 cups diced potatoes

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup sour cream

1 ¼ cup milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cup Velveeta Cheese

In a large saucepan or deep skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Add onion and potatoes. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender. Add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.

Ooey Goos

I can Grands crescent dough

1 large chocolate bar, thick

8 jumbo marshmallows

Cinnamon sugar mixture

Separate crescent dough. In the center of each place one square of the chocolate bar, and one jumbo marshmallow. Bring the corners up and around the filling to form a `package' and pinch the edges to seal. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Fix those Spoils in the Kitchen

To perk up soggy lettuce, add lemon juice to a bowl of cold water and soak lettuce for an hour in the refrigerator.

To keep sweet corn yellow, add one teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water just about a minute before taking off the stove. Never salt the water you cook corn in. It will only toughen the corn.

To soften rock-hard brown sugar, simply add a slice of soft bread to the package and close the bag tightly. In a few hours the sugar will be soft again.

Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.

The best way to thaw fish is in milk. The milk draws out the frozen taste and gives the fish a fresh flavor.

Cool Cooking Website

This is a great site. The Reluctant Gourmet is a website that provides recipes, techniques and a nice cooking term glossary. Whether you are a beginner in the kitchen or a budding gourmet, this site can boost your culinary skills.

A nice feature of this site is information on building a well-stocked pantry. The only problem is your pantry may not be big enough! But there are definitely a few items that should always be on your shelves. Along with pantry product the site offers appliances and tools that will enhance your cooking experience.

So surf on over to www.reluctantgourmet.com and take a look.