Chicken Spaghetti & Green Beans

Mother occasionally made chicken spaghetti for potlucks, etc... but for some reason, I was never brave enough to try it. When she died, one of my cousins brought this casserole over and I just loved it.

This recipe makes enough to feed an army - that's the only way us Turley girls know how to cook. Tonight, when I made supper, I actually made enough for one 9 x 13 dish instead of two!

3 cans chicken broth

1 pkg. spaghetti (I use angel hair pasta)

cooked chicken, chopped (I have used can chicken & it works just as good!)

1/2 medium onion, chopped (I use whatever I have - purple, white or yellow)

1 or 2 cans English peas, drained

1 can mild Rotel

1/4 loaf to 1 lb. Velveeta (diced)

4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (or shredded Mexican blend)

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

2 Tbsp margarine

2 small cans, sliced black olives (I like the chopped!)

pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms (I opt to leave them out!)

1 pod garlic, chopped (I use the jar of chopped garlic)

1 can cream of chicken soup

In a large stock pot, cook noodles in chicken broth. While noodles are cooking, saute onions, garlic & mushrooms (if using) in 2 Tbsp margarine. When noodles are done, add cheeses into noodles & broth; mix well. (If not cheesy enough, add more Velveeta.) (Do not drain noodles - it'll be too dry otherwise after baking)When cheese melts, add in all other ingredients. Mix thoroughly & pour into baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

The recipe says to pour plain bread crumbs over casserole then pour 4 Tbsp of melted butter over crumbs. I skip this part and cover the casserole with shredded cheddar cheese & French fried onions.

I think the reason I never ate Mother's is because she used celery and green peppers & I am not a fan of either one!

Here's her recipe:

4 c cooked diced chicken

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 lg green bell pepper, chopped

1 c celery, chopped

Saute onion, bell pepper & celery in 3 Tbsp of margarine until tender.

Combine 1 can chicken broth, 1 can cream of chicken soup & 1 can rotel

Add chicken, onion, bell pepper & celery to soup mixture

Add 1 pkg cooked spaghetti. Place in casserole dish & top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

For some reason, I think I have to have green beans or a green salad as a side with my spaghetti -regular or chicken. Larry loves my green beans and there's really nothing to them.

Most of the time, I chop bacon & onion and cook until done & then add a couple of cans of French style green beans and a couple teaspoons of sugar. Then, I just cook the green beans to death!!

If I'm in a hurry, I use onion flakes & real bacon bits and no one even can tell the difference!

Hash Brown Quiche

I found this recipe for Hash Brown Quiche on Mimi's Making Meals and made it for our church potluck tonight. They turned out beautifully & were both delicious! So different than your traditional pie crust quiche.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3 c frozen shredded hash browns, thawed & drained

1/2 stick of butter, melted

Press the drained hashbrowns between paper towels to dry them. Add melted butter to the hashbrowns & mix well. Press the hashbrowns into the bottom & sides of a 9 inch pie plate to form a crust. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the hashbrowns are golden brown & starting to get crispy.

3 large eggs, beaten

1 c half & half

1 can Hormel canned ham

1/2 c chopped onion

1/8 tsp red pepper

1 c shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, combine the half & half, eggs & chopped ham. Add chopped onion, red pepper & shredded cheese; stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into hashbrown crust & return to the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the quiche is golden brown & a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the quiche will be slightly puffed up.

MODIFICATIONS:

I used deli sliced ham & chopped into small pieces. I used green onions rather than yellow or white onion. And lastly, I used mozzarella cheese rather than Cheddar.

I made another quiche using sausage & Cheddar cheese. While my crust was cooking, I cut up 1 yellow onion & added to sausage while browning. I then combined the sausage & egg mixture and poured into my crust.

This really can be made with any combination. I think spinach would even be a good add in to the recipe!

Black Eye Pea Salad

When I was growing up, my Papaw Turley had a garden & I can remember us cousins would have to go out and pick a whole row of "purple hull" peas and then shell them! Those rows seem to NEVER end!!! Then, we'd all have purple fingers by the time we were finished!! I was so glad to see the day he bought a sheller. What was even better was when I got old enough not to have to go pick peas!!!

I never have been able to tell the difference between purple hull peas & black eye peas. I love them no matter what they're called!! I love them on cornbread, by themselves or in this salad!

2 cans Black Eye Peas - drained

green onions, chopped (use as much as you like)

1 sm jar Pimentos

bacon bits (again, use as much as you like)

1 green pepper, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together in a medium container with lid. Next you'll mix together the following ingredients & pour over the Black Eye Pea mixture.

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c vinegar

1/4 c oil

Mix together well with vegetables & store in airtight container. This is one of those recipes that's better after 24-48 hours.

You can not damage this recipe. I made this recently & I didn't have pimentos so I chopped up a red & green pepper. I also used purple instead of green onions and I added celery. It was still good.

Sloppy Slaw (aka Saurerkraut Salad)

I got this recipe from Mother before she died; she got it from working at the Dinner Bell in Nashville. We all called it Sloppy Slaw & ate it on BBQ sandwiches in place of Coleslaw. It's really good on some pinto beans and cornbread too!
Can you tell I was raised in the South??

2 cans (or 1 large jar) Saurerkraut, drained
1 med. purple onion, chopped
1 lg. jar pimentos, drained
1 bunch clelery, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
Sugar, to taste**

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized container with lid. Mix well, cover & refrigerate. Stir periodically. Best if refrigerated for 24-48 hours before use.

**I start with 1/4 c sugar and add until I reach the desired taste. You can add more (or less) onion & celery as desired.