Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Quick Start Homemade Meals by Southern Living

Idgie Says: 
I love these Southern Living cook books!  The recipes are clear cut, the pictures are gorgeous and the food is delightful looking.  It actually makes me want to cook things.  :)  

A winning point to this particular book is that it centers around things you normally already have stocked in your house, so when you're running around trying to make a meal, it may actually not require a run to the store! 

I have had the book a week and it's already filled with tabs hanging out the sides for recipes I plan to try.  If only I can make mine look like the pictures...................  

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Quick-Start Homemade: Time-saving ·
Budget-friendly · Easy & Delicious
Paperback – September 17, 2013
by The Editors of Southern Living Magazine
(Oxmoor House Publishing)

Description:
Organized by main ingredients that stretch the dollar, these recipes let you cook with what you have and with what's on sale, truly making it the smart way to shop for and make dinner. If rotisserie chicken is on sale, you can go directly to that chapter to find a variety of recipes that hinge on that ingredient. Plus, at the beginning of each of these chapters, you'll find tips on what to look for at the market, how to buy in bulk, and ideas for making dinner even easier and more special.

Featuring "go-to" ingredients like pasta, rotisserie chicken, and bagged greens, each chapter in Quick-Start Homemade brings readers a varied selection of recipes to use either their favorite ingredient or what they already have on hand. With added bonus features like simplified grocery lists, speed scratch secrets, and full-page cheat-sheets for each chapter with great tips and ideas, this cookbook is just what readers need; readers will want to have this book by their side when they plan their meals for the week, while they shop for the ingredients, and while they cook at home. Accompanied by full-page photos, each recipe is packed with new ways to make dinner easier, faster, and more flavorful, while clever icons throughout give Quick-Start Homemade a fun and playful feel!

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Below please find a sampling of the scrumptious looking meals you can make from the pages of this book - 2 recipes and photos - both from:  From Southern Living Quick-Start Homemade, Oxmoor House 2013



Pot Likker Soup

Pot_Likker_Soup.jpgMakes 6 to 8 servings     
Hands-On Time 20 min. 
Total Time 12 hours, 53 min.

2 (1-lb.) smoked ham hocks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 tsp. table salt
1⁄4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-oz.) can vegetable broth
1⁄2 (16-oz.) package fresh collard greens, washed and trimmed

1. Bring ham hocks and 8 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil 5 minutes; drain. Reserve hocks; wipe Dutch oven clean.
2. Sauté onion and carrot in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender; add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until wine is reduced by half.
3. Add hocks, 8 cups water, salt, and red pepper to onion mixture, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 hours or until ham hocks are tender.
4. Remove hocks, and cool 30 minutes. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Transfer meat to an airtight container; cover and chill. Cover Dutch oven with lid, and chill soup 8 hours.
5. Skim and discard fat from soup in Dutch oven. Stir in meat and vegetable broth.
6. Bring mixture to a boil. Gradually stir in collards. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 to 50 minutes or until collards are tender.

Quick Tip: Cooking the ham hocks the day before and chilling the soup  overnight will allow you to skim the fat easily.

Easy Side:
Cornbread Croutons: Preheat oven to 450°. Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with 2 Tbsp. bacon  drippings; heat in oven 5 minutes. Whisk together 1 cup cornmeal mix, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1⁄4 tsp. table salt, and 1⁄4 tsp. black pepper; pour batter into hot pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn out onto a wire  rack; cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Cut cornbread into 1 1⁄2-inch squares. Place on a baking sheet; sprinkle with 1⁄4 tsp. table salt and 1⁄4 tsp. pepper. Bake at 325° for 30 to 35 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack; cool completely.

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Mexican Chicken Casserole

Mex_Chicken_Cass.jpgMakes 8 servings    
Hands-On Time 10 min.    
Total Time 4 hours, 10 min.

The corn tortillas cook into this dish and thicken it—you won’t see them after they’re cooked, but you will still taste their authentic Mexican flavor.        

2 (10-oz.) cans mild green chile enchilada sauce  
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas, torn into 3-inch pieces
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 1⁄2 cups sour cream
1 (12-oz.) package shredded colby-Jack cheese blend, divided
1 (103⁄4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
8 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 (15-oz.) can black beans
3 tomatoes, diced

1. Spoon 1⁄2 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of a greased 4-qt. slow cooker. Add enough tortilla pieces to cover sauce.
2. Stir together chicken, sour cream, 2 cups cheese, and soup. Spread 2 cups chicken mixture over tortilla pieces. Top with tortilla pieces to cover. Drizzle with 1⁄2 cup enchilada sauce. Repeat layers twice, ending with tortilla pieces and remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
3. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Place lettuce on 8 individual plates; top each evenly with chicken enchilada mixture, beans, and tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Quick Tip: Don’t throw away leftover tortillas; cut them into triangles or strips, and fry or bake them to top a salad  or soup.

Easy Side:
Dressed-up Refried Beans: Preheat oven to 450°. Combine 2 (20.5-oz.) cans refried black beans,  ½ (8-oz.) package whipped chive-flavored cream cheese, and ½ tsp. ground cumin  in a 2-qt. baking dish. Top with 2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion and 1 cup crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese). Bake for  20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts.