Creamed Chicken Hash

One thing I just love about my Big Blue Binder is that it is filled with recipes which are not only delicious, but also quite frugal. Recipes which help to make that food budget go that little bit further, without compromising taste or pleasure. That is something which is coming in very handy during these days of economic uncertainty . . . where we are now having to live on a very limited budget with a food dollar that is rapidly shrinking with each week that passes. . .



Recipes such as this delicious Creamed Chicken Hash, which makes fabulous use of leftover cooked chicken and potatoes. Simply delicious . . . this tasty recipe helps to place leftovers in a whole new dimension! Family pleasing, filling, cheap and easy to make.



Tender pieces of chopped chicken and cooked potatoes . . . along with minced onions in a fabulously tasty creamy sauce. Topped with buttered crumbs and cheese, this is a winner winner chicken dinner! (Unfortunately I have no idea where I scribbled this one down from. I can only tell you that I have had it and loved it for a very, very long time.)



Creamed Chicken Hash
Makes 4 to 6 servings
printable recipe

An oldie but a goodie that makes good use of leftover chicken and potatoes. Rich and flavourful!

2 cups minced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup diced boiled potatoes
2 TBS minced onion
1 TBS chopped parsley
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 TBS finely grated Parmesan Cheese
2 TBS fine dry bread crumbs

Combine the chicken with 1/2 cup of the cream in the top of a double boiler or in a saucepan. Add the onion, potatoes and parsley. Cook for about 15 minutes over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the cream is completely absorbed. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour until smooth, Whisk in the remaining cream. Heat gently over low heat, just until it almost comes to a simmer. Simmer as slowly as possible for 5 minutes, stirring contantly and then bring to the boil and boil for about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and cayenne. Combine this sauce with the chicken mixture. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 375*F. Melt the butter and mix with the bread crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over top of the chicken mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately. We like to have a salad on the side and some buttered brown bread.

TIL NEXT TIME!

Old Fashioned Escalloped Macaroni and Cheese

I got distracted for a few minutes yesterday and started going through my old blue binder. I came across this old treasure that I had not made in a long time and so I decided to make it for our supper last night. This was the old fashioned way of making macaroni and cheese. Simple, tasty and always welcome. 

 I'll try to put it down so that you can understand it, as the original recipe is written only as a guideline of what to do, exact amounts having been left out . . . you know how it goes, much knowledge was taken for granted back then, it was expected that a girl would know these things off by heart . . .





Old Fashioned Escalloped Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is not like regular macaroni and cheese with a super rich thick sauce, this is old fashioned in both it's taste and it's appearance. It is good, plain and simple . . . every forkful taking you back to a simpler day and time. The leftovers are very good heated up the next day, and if anything it tastes even better! A lot of old recipes are like that!

1/2 pound of dry macaroni
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup of cream
a knob of butter the size of a walnut
8 ounces of cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
(Yesterday I used a mixture of medium cheddar and red Leicester cheeses for colour)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
another knob of butter, melted

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil and add the macaroni. Cook according to the package directions and then drain well. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 4. Butter a 1 litre casserole dish and set aside.

Put the cream, milk and the first knob of butter into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, heating only until the butter melts. Put the cooked macaroni into the prepared baking dish. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour the milk mixture over top. You should just barely be able to see the milk through the macaroni. Mix the fresh bread crumbs with the melted butter and then sprinkle them evenly over top.

Bake in the heated oven until bubbly and browned and the cheese is meltingly gooey. Delicious!!

Ham and Corn Escalloped Potatoes

This is something that my mom always made and her mother before her. Sometimes we add ham, and sometimes we don't. It all depends on if we have any ham leftover . . . it's a great way to use leftover ham.



My ancestry is English and German on the one side, and French on the other. Perhaps this is a conglomeration of all those cultures . . . perhaps the hot pot from England got translated loosely into a potato scallop, because those were the types of things that were to hand and in abundance in the new world . . . potatoes, onions, milk . . . and then ham was something that was also common as people raised their own pigs.



This is a recipe that has been born out of thrift and ingenuity, by several generations of cooks that made do with what they had to use and like to use up what they had . . . in the most delicious way possible.



This is fabulously delicious. Simple, hearty and a great way to use up leftover ham. And . . . truth be known, if there are any leftovers (and there seldom are) it's even better for having sat a day in the fridge.



From the Big Blue Binder . . . Ham and Corn and Escalloped Potatoes. I always like to serve baked beans and a crusty loaf with this. It goes down a real treat. (Do place a baking tray underneath, just in case. If you have too much milk in it, it mightoverflow. Better safe than sorry.)



Ham and Corn Escalloped Potatoes
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a really old recipe. Something that my mom always made and her mom before her. Simple and delicious.

1 tin of creamed corn (400g or 2 cups)
leftover baked ham, how much is up to you
(I like to put in about 2 layers at least, sliced into pieces about 1/3 inch thick)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into slices, again about 1/3 inch thick
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
6 ounces of milk, scalded (heat just until bubbles appear around the edges of the milk in the pan)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 TBS flour
2 TBS butter, cut into bits

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*f/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish.

Layer up everything in the casserole dish, beginning with a spoon ful of the corn on the bottom, then add 1/3 of the potatoes, half of the onion, half the flour, 1/3 of the butter, some salt and pepper to taste (remember ham is salty so don't use too much) some more creamed corn and half of the ham. Do another layer with 1/3 of the potatoes, the remaining onion, the remaining flour, 1/3 more of the butter, salt and pepper and the remainder of the ham, and half of the remaining corn. Top with a final layer of potatoes, and the rest of the corn. Season lightly and dot with the remaining butter. Pour in the milk. You may not need all of it. You just want to barely see it through the top, it should only fill the dish about 2/3 full. Cover with a lid and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the casserole is golden brown. Serve hot.

I like to serve baked beans and crusty bread with this for a real down home meal.

Old Fashioned Tomato Bake

A great love of mine has always been Tomatoes. I think I get it from my mother. She has a tomato sandwich every day for lunch, I kid you not! Rain or shine . . . no matter the time of year. A lot of people would think that in the winter months the tomatoes that you buy in the shops are not suitable for a tomato sandwich . . . and they wouldn't be if you used them right when you get them home from the store . . . but leave them on the counter for a few days and something magical happens . . .

They ripen, soften up and the flavour improves considerably. Still not quite as good as in the summer months . . . but not bad either.



One thing I always, ALWAYS have an abundance of in my larder are chopped Italian Tomatoes in tomato juice. I either have them in these nice tetra packs (easy for storage) or in tins . . . both are equally as good. Italians have the best tomatoes don't you think??

I have always thought if you had tinned tomatoes . . . you have a meal. I have been known to eat them in the summer time, cold from having been chilled in the fridge with nothing but salt and pepper and a slice of buttered white bread. To me this is heaven on earth . . .

But they are also great for a lot of other things . . . casseroles, soups, sauces . . .



Fabulous dishes like this beautiful "Old Fashioned Tomato Bake!" This is a recipe that I have had for yonks and yonks in my Big Blue binder, copied out from somewhere ages ago . . . from the first time I saw it, it appealed to me.

It may not be pretty. It may be quite simple. It may not use fancy ingredients. It may be easy to make. But don't let the simplicity of it all fool you into thinking it's not special . . .



It IS delicious . . . especially if you are like me and are nuts about tomatoes! I have made this so many times through the years and I could easily eat the whole casserole each time I make it. I have adapted it somewhat through time . . . adding a bit of this and a bit of that . . . but basically it has not strayed too far from the original recipe.

My additions are some garlic, a bit more basil, some lovely sweet Balsamic vinegar . . . and sometimes a few handfuls of cheese . . . coz . . .

Tomatoes and Cheese are a marriage made in heaven.



Made from stale bread, a tin of tomatoes, some onions and not much else . . . truth be known . . . this recipe is a fabulous testimony to the fact that simple things are quite often THE very best of all things.



Old Fashioned Tomato Bake
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

This may be an old fashioned recipe, but there's nothing old fashioned about the flavour!

1/2 of a 14-inch loaf of Italian bread
4 TBS butter (I use half this amount)
1/4 tsp of basil flakes (I favour the Bart, freeze dried ones)
2 TBS oil (I use Pam nonfat spray)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 28-ounce tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 tsp of sugar
(my own additions are more basil flakes, fine seasalt, a good grinding of black pepper, some garlic powder, 1 TBS of good balsamic vinegar)

Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the basil flakes, some salt, some garlic powder and a good grinding of black pepper. heat until the butter begins to foam, and then add the bread cubes. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the bread is golden brown. Tip out into a glass bowl and set aside. Add the tinned tomatoes, sugar, basil flakes to taste, 1/2 tsp of salt, another good grinding of black pepper, some more garlic powder and the Balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, until a bit reduced.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Layer the bread and tomatoes in a casserole dish, layering first tomatoes, then bread, then tomatoes and finally bread. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Serve hot.

Note: Sometimes I add layers of cheese to this. It all depends on how I am feeling. A few handfuls of grated sharp cheddar cheese will do the trick nicely.

Deep Dish Salmon Pie

This is a recipe no doubt taken from the back of a salmon tin and copied out into my Big Blue Binder. This is the brand of salmon I would typically buy . . . albeit in a larger tin to feed my expanding family of hungry chicks! There was no such thing as skinless, boneless salmon in those days . . . so I would spend ages laborously picking out every bit of bone and skin that I could. Although I have always loved tinned salmon . . . I have never been able to bear the thoughts of all that guck in there. Of course some bones can't be removed . . . but I just smush them into nothingness . . . job done!



Some thoughtful salmon canneries have now made skinless, boneless salmon in a tin . . . that makes me a very happy camper indeed! I love the pop tab lids that are on most tins nowadays as well . . . no more can openers!

To be honest though when I first copied this recipe down I would have had to pick and smush and use a can opener. Things such as tab top tins and bone/skin free salmon had not been invented.



This is a delicious recipe that has withstood the test of time . . . it is every bit as delicious today, in these modern times of convenience as it was back then, maybe even more so . . . because now it reminds me of happy days when my table was surrounded by hungry gaping mouthed chicks to feed!!

Source: google.com via Minette on Pinterest

A deliciously creamy salmon base . . . topped with flakey cheese filled biscuit swirls!
What's not to like about this!
Taken from the early days of my Big Blue Binder . . .



Deep Dish Salmon Pie
Serves 4 - 6
Printable Recipe

Cheesy, tender rolls rest atop of a mouth-watering creamy sauce. This delicious dish will have everyone clammering for seconds. This casserole is very hot when it comes out of the oven, so before serving it, make sure to let it stand for ten minutes.

Creamed Salmon:
3 TBS butter
2/3 cup of finely chopped onion
3/4 cup of finely chopped green sweet bell pepper
5 TBS plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 2/3 cups milk
1 large tin of salmon, drained, flaked and the skin and bones removed
1 TBS lemon juice
a dash of hot pepper sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cheese Rolls:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS cold butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss etc. I used a combination of red leicester and strong cheddar)
1/4 cup chopped pimento stuffed olives

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Lightly grease a 2 litre baking dish and set it aside.

Place the butter for the creamed salmon into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it just begins to foam. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender. Stir in the flour and the salt. Add the milk slowly, stirring until it is well mixed in. Cook and stir until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the flaked salmon, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice and the black pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the milk until the dough just clings together and is evenly moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneat it gently for about 10 to 12 strokes. Pat out to a 12 by 8 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the cheese and the olives over top. Roll up as for a jelly roll, rolling it as tightly as you can.

Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 thick slices and then flatten each one slightly with your hand. Place the resulting spirals on top of the salmon mixture.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is nicely browned and the creamed mixture is bubbling. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Mrs McNevin's Goulash

When I was a very young bride I moved far away across the broad expanse of Canada to live on the wild Western frontier . . . ok, so it was really a vast urban centre . . . but it might as well have been the wild Western frontier, because I was young and away from my mom and dad for pretty much the first time in my life. I had nobody to call on for advice or help or company.



That is until I met Lil. Lil was the mother of one of my ex husband's best mates. She lived in a small town in Alberta called Olds. She was the salt of the earth. She was rather robust and had no teeth . . . but her heart was filled with the milk of charity and she gathered me into her home and her family.

I loved to go and spend the weekend at their place. They had an old British Bulldog that used to pull our daughter around in her walker by holding gently on to her hand with his mouth . . . and Mr McNevin, Lil's husband, was very much a grandfatherly figure to my son. He had flown helicopters for heli-skiing and was just loaded with interesting and colourful stories! They had a houseful of girls, each one more colourful than the last . . . it was there that I learned how to play Canasta and it was there that I ate pistachio nuts for the very first time. To a young mum and wife, away from her parents for the first time, their home was a wonderful haven.



Lil was a fabulous cook, a very unpretentious cook. Her food was lumberjack food . . . as robust and loveable as she was, filling, uncomplicated and quite, quite delicious!

This was one of the things she used to cook. She gave me her recipe and it has been a firm favourite in my home for many, many years. My kids absolutely loved this when they were growing up. Lil and Mrs McNevin have been gone for many years now, but the memories of them live on in this delicious and unpretentious supper . . . it's goulash . . . Mrs. McNevin's Goulash . . . from the pages of my Big Blue Binder.



Mrs McNevin’s Goulash
Serves 4 - 6
Printable Recipe

This recipe is a real treasure and I never make it but what I don’t think of Mrs. McNevin. She was so kind to me, a young bride living far away from the bosom of my own family. She took me under her wing and treated me just like one of her own. This deliciously spicy stewed meat goes very well with rice or noodles.

2 pounds of stewing beef, trimmed of any fat and cut into cubes
2 TBS cooking oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
½ cup tomato catsup
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
½ tsp dry mustard powder
¼ cup flour
1 cup water

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Season the meat lightly and coat it in the flour.

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and add the meat. Brown it very well on all sides. Add the onion and garlic, Cook for a few minutes longer until the vegetables are softened and quite fragrant.

Add the catsup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, paprika and dry mustard. Stir it all together well. Stir in the water.

Tip it all into a casserole with a lid and then put it into the oven to cook for 2 hours or so, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thickened. Delicious!