My really old family favorite stand-by: Chicken and ham with mushroom sour cream sauce (lots of versions)

On days when I really don't want to cook but I want something hot, and I have chicken in mind for the main meat to use in some way, I often default to some version of this really old 'stand by'.

Chicken
Bacon
Ham
Mushroom Soup

Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper

That's it.  And I've been making this for so many years that I make it in almost any way possible using whatever versions of chicken, bacon and ham I have.  I also leave the ham out completely when I'm in a hurry and my ham options were frozen.

Here it is THIS TIME AROUND....  really fast and easy

Layered Chicken with Mushroom Sour Cream Sauce

3 boneless chicken breasts
3 slices ham
1 can mushroom soup mixed with about 3/4 cup sour cream I needed to use up
Real bacon crumbles
Salt and Pepper

Baked about 1 hour 15 minutes.

*All of these already on hand in our pantry and freezer except as I've mentioned previously, I have bought fresh sour cream twice as I really hated the sour cream powder made into sour cream.  Those trials were awful and although if I had to, I'd probably be ok with use table crema (canned) mixed with a tiny bit of buttermilk powder or lemon juice to sour it, I don't 'have' to right now so I opt to buy and use the fresh sour cream.

Originally I started making this one in a 9X13 pan (sometimes two (2) of them depending on how many people I was feeding).  That version was:

Rolled Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Boneless chicken breasts, pounded flat and even
Ham slice rolled up in each breast
Raw bacon slice wrapped around each chicken rolled ham slice

Place in a greased pan

Cover with a can of mushroom soup mixed with 1 cup sour cream
Season with salt and pepper, bake in the oven until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is done (about an hour 15 minutes).

More versions I've made over the years include.........

Roll the chicken with cream cheese and mushrooms inside, continue with bacon, sauce.
Roll the chicken with no ham or filling, just wrap with bacon and bake.
Roll the stuffed chicken and wrap with bacon but do not use a sauce.  Bake until crispy and done.
Stuff, roll, cover with sauce and sprinkle cooked bacon crumbles over all.
Use Spam for the filling instead of sliced ham
Lay the chicken breasts down, layer with the ham and bacon slice - bake.
Lay the chicken breast down and layer the bacon, skip the ham or use ham, cover with sauce and sprinkle bacon crumbles.
Use canned chicken, already cooked, layer with diced ham, the sauce and bacon crumbles.

When all the kids were still home and we had to feed and fill a lot of mouths, I'd double the sauce, and make potatoes on the side and use the sauce as a gravy of sorts.  

Homemade White Cake

My favorite white cake that I make for weddings and birthdays starts with a cake mix that is 'doctored up' quite a bit.  However, I've been searching for years for a good homemade from scratch white cake because I rarely have cake mixes on hand.

Here is today's cake.

This photo is literally as I was snitching some cake with my morning coffee... because this FROSTING.  Yum.

Homemade White Cake

2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
4 egg whites
1/4 sugar for the egg whites
1 c sugar for cake
1/2 c Crisco shortening
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t almond
1 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/flour your pan or pans.
In a bowl, place the flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk and set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they are soft peak, sprinkle in the 1/4 c sugar and beat to stiff peaks.  Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the shortening and 1 c sugar.  Add vanilla and almond.  Add part of the flour mixture, part of the milk, more flour and more milk, mixing between.  When just to the point of being blended and smooth, fold in the beaten egg whites, 1/2 at a time.  Pour into your pans and spread.  Bake according to pan size.  Usually 25-35 minutes for any of the sizes.  Cool in pans 10 minutes and then turn out to cool completely.

Frost.

(Frosting:  2 sticks butter, whipped until pure white.  Add 3 c powdered sugar and some vanilla/almond extract.  Beat.  Use on cake.  Double for 9X13 and double or triple for layer cakes.)

100% Food Storage: Cheeseballs

My last real trip to the grocery store was November, 2023.  Today is April 8, 2024. 

If you are a regular reader you know I went to the store to buy sour cream recently.  The sauce is made with that and mayo (from storage) and Mrs. Dash Southwestern spice mix.

 

Last night I was craving something hot and comforting and honestly I wanted dumplings or homemade pasta but when I went into the kitchen to make 'something' I decided at the last second to make homemade cheese balls.   

Here is the basic recipe - same one I first posted for  Cheeseballs - back in 2009.

The food storage options include things like butter you have stored in the deep freezer or have home canned; the green onions I used were freeze dried from storage.  You can used premixed milk, freeze dried or frozen cheeses of your choice - mix and match any kind of cheese you wish.  Jalapenos can be left out, and you can also use straight from a can or bottle or even freeze dried. I used shortening to fry them in - which is hopefully in everyone's storage pantry.

 Homemade Cheese Balls

Play with the ingredients in this recipe. Use all different cheeses, leave out the jalapeno, add crumbled bacon, add extra jalapeno, some chipolte, add chopped shrimp, crab or lobster to make a seafood ball... the possibilities are endless.

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) real butter
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c flour
1 c milk
1 c mozzarella, shredded
1/2 c cheddar, shredded
2 small jalapenos, chopped fine
1/4 c flour, extra for tossing with the cheese
oil for frying

Form balls and fry in hot oil or melted shortening.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve hot as is or mix up whatever sauce you wish to go with them.

 

 

 

 

 

100% food storage: Broccoli Cheese Soup

 

 

Back in high school I had wrote down a recipe for broccoli soup we had made in Home Economics class (now known as Family Consumer Science).  I've been making it ever since. 

Tonight's dinner version of it used pantry, shelf-stable milk and Velveeta from the pantry as well.  I was prepared to use freeze dried broccoli but was gifted fresh broccoli by a friend so I used that instead (yay!). 

I don't use a recipe as I've been making it so man years, but here is the 'recipe' off the top of my head - all amounts are approximate.  Adjust as you wish.  I usually end up doubling it.  When we had all the kids at home I would triple it.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T flour

2 T butter

3 c milk

dash of tobasco sauce

pepper
1 t chicken base or chicken bouillon (optional)
2 oz Velveeta or cream cheese

1 1/2 c cooked broccoli

Melt butter in a pan on the stove and whisk in flour.  Add a dash of tobasco sauce and pepper to taste.  Add the milk all at once and whisk smooth.  Add the chicken base or bouillon, whisk. Remove from heat.  Add the cheese and broccoli.

Cookies starting with a pancake mix... chocolate chip and raspberry macadamia nut

 100% food storage:  last real grocery trip was November, 2023.  Today is April 6, 2024.

My kitchen lights turn everything yellow-tinted... and I don't feel like going through the time and hassle to edit them.

 

A couple weeks ago I posted this recipe I used to make chocolate chip cookies using a pancake mix I had in food storage.  Since then it's become a 'go to' recipe that I mess around with and make various different kinds.

Here was chocolate chip version.

 

Pancake Mix Cookies

2 cups pancake mix
1 egg
1/2 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
2 t vanilla
1 c chocolate chips and optional:  nuts, like Walnuts

Mix the soft butter and sugars in a bowl.  Add the vanilla and egg.  Blend.  Add the pancake mix and blend but don't over beat.  Stir in the chocolate chips and/or nuts.   Place by spoonfuls on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 about 15 minutes.  Cool on the baking sheet about 2-3 minutes, remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Tonight was another batch of chocolate chip cookies and then I messed around with the recipe and made a batch of raspberry macadamia nut cookies since I had the ingredients on hand (freeze dried raspberries and macadamia nuts).

Using the same recipe, I added a small box of cheesecake flavored pudding, and 1 extra egg.
Stir in about 1/2 cup of freeze dried raspberries and 1/2 cup macadamia nuts.

I baked about 12-14 minutes.  Cool on pan for a couple minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.

 
Here's a couple random photos of the chocolate chip cookies.