I’m originally from Alaska.  There are fewer places in the world that are truly more ruggedly beautiful.  I’ve said it more than once that when you’re driving  down the highways of Alaska, your window is a picture frame of some of the most stunning landscapes you’ll ever see.  The aurora borealis is enchanting.  To watch the lights dancing across the sky is an experience that captures your heart and keeps you up late at night peeking out of the window hoping for just one more glimpse of such surreal beauty.

As the mercury drops I yearn for hot chocolate by the fire, cuddly quilts and comfort food.  This recipe is my stepson’s all-time favorite for fall. 

Chicken Tortilla Cannelloni

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. cooked, cut up chicken
• 15 oz. Alfredo sauce (homemade is best!  See my note at the end.)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
• 6 flour tortillas
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce (your choice)
• 4 oz. shredded mozzarella

Combine the chicken, alfredo and italian seasoning.  Smear a little spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of a greased casserole.  Into each tortilla put 5 oz. of the chicken “goop”. (”goop” is a technical term that refers to the … well … uhhh … goop that you just mixed up.)  Roll up each tortilla and place side by side in the casserole.  Pour your favorite spaghetti sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly and golden. 

Note: Homemade Alfredo Sauce is the best.  Use my cream sauce recipe in Delmonico Ham and Potatoes and add 2 1/2 oz. of shredded parmesan.   Enjoy!

One of the very first ready-to-bake dinners that I offered from my cafe was a dish called Chicken Chalupa.  The original version of this recipe was found in this little unimpressive pamphlet that I stumbled upon.  What a wonderful discovery.  From the beginning it was one of our very best sellers!!! 

I’m going to give you the full bodied version … creamy sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese.  When I shop for the ingredients, I buy the very best brands. My philosophy at the restaurant was always, “give them only the best, there’s no substitute for quality”.   You won’t find low-fat, skimmed or imitation anything in these posts.  You are free to substitute, but be forwarned … if your goal is to create something that is sellable, keep the ingredients “real”.  

Here you go …. 

Chicken Chalupa

Ingredients

• 3/4 # cooked chicken breast, cubed (approximately 1 1/8 # raw)
• 15 oz. cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 c. milk
• 5 oz diced jalapeno chilies
• 5 oz real sour cream
• 5 oz cheddar/jack cheese
• 6 flour tortillas
• 3 oz cheddar/jack cheese 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray small casserole with vegetable spray. 

Combine the first six ingredients.  Smear small amount of leftover cream of chicken soup over bottom of casserole pan.  Spoon 5 oz. of the chicken mixture down the middle of each flour tortilla.  Roll up and tuck in the ends.  Place in a row in the casserole.  Add 1/2 c. water to the remaining chicken mixture and pour over the top of the rolled up tortillas.  Sprinkle 3 oz of cheddar/jack cheese prettily down the center of the casserole.

Bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until Chalupa is bubbly and hot.  

Serve with a crisp green salad made of various greens, mandarin oranges and your choice of vinaigrette dressing.

Enjoy!

 Pictures coming soon!

I opened my business with this casserole.  It isn’t fancy.  There are no exotic ingredients.  It’s super easy to make  and people just love it.  I guarantee there won’t be any leftovers.

Green Enchilada Casserole

• approximately 1 # hamburger
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 2/3 c. water
• 1 c. grated cheese (cheddar, jack, jalapeno – you choose)
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 12 corn tortillas

Brown the onion with the hamburger.  Drain the meat and add diced chilies.  Combine soups and water.  Put a scoop of meat mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Roll up tortillas and lay in greased baking dish.  Pour soup sauce over all.  Top with cheese.   Bake in a 350 degree oven until enchiladas are bubbly and cheese is melted.

I can’t decide if chocolate is my favorite or caramel.   Chocolate …. Caramel …. Chocolate …. Caramel …. it’s just too hard to choose!  

Yay!  I don’t have to decide …

Chocolate Caramel Peanut Squares

• 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 T. margarine ( this is the only time that you find me saying margarine instead of butter )
• 30 vanilla caramels
• 3 T. butter
• 2 T. water
• 1 c. coarsely chopped peanuts

Over hot (not boiling) water, combine chocolate chips and margarine; stir until chips melt and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat.  Pour half of melted chocolate into a foil-lined 8×8 pan; spread evenly.  Refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes).  Return remaining chocolate mixture to low heat.  Over boiling water, combine caramels, butter and water.  Stir until caramels melt and mixture is smooth.  Stir in nuts until well blended.  Pour into the chocolate-lined pan; spread evenly.  Refrigerate until tacky (about 15 minutes).  Top with remaining melted chocolate; spread evenly to cover caramel filling.  Return to refrigerator and chill until firm (about 1 hour).  Cut into 1×2 inch rectangles.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

2 1/2 dozen candies

My hubby is Australian and Australians have a thing for ginger.   Ever had Ginger Beer?  Some of the brands over here are simply awful, but if you can find the brand Bundaberg you will find a real treat. 

My hubby asks for Ginger Cookies … and here is the best recipe I have found.

Ginger Snap Cookies

• 3/4 c. softened butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 4 T. molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 c. flour
• 2 t. soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cloves
• 1 t. ginger

Thoroughly cream butter and sugar; add molasses and egg.  Beat well.  Add sifted dry ingredients.  Beat until smooth.  Roll into small balls; dip in sugar and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18 minutes.

Let me know what you think!

This is a tuna casserole recipe for serving at home … it was never a big seller at the restaurant … and honestly, that makes sense.  Just about everyone thinks that they can make tuna casserole … and most of them can.  But this is the creamiest, yummiest tuna casserole ever!   It is old fashioned … just a bit “oakey” … not exactly what anyone would call “health food” …. but absolutely wonderful.  One of my employees offered it to us if we would name it after her.  So Barbara, thank you! 

Barbara’s Tuna Casserole

• 3 1/2 c. uncooked wide egg noodles
• 1/2 c. diced green chilies (8 oz.)
• 1 c. Cream of Chicken soup ( 9 oz.)
• 2/3 c. corn
• 4 oz. diced Velveeta
• 1 c. milk
• 6 oz. drained tuna
• 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare the noodles as instructed on the package.  Drain well, rinsing with cool water.  Combine all but the cheddar cheese.  Pour into a greased casserole.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.   Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly.

Honestly and truly … you will love it.

We were often asked to prepare items for executive breakfast meetings to be delivered from the cafe.  Talk about an early morning for us … yikes!  Over and over the item requested was our Quiche.   I’ve  just got to say, there are a lot of just ok Quiches out there.  The difference is not that the cook is less accomplished, it’s not even necessarily that the recipe is bad.  More often than not it is the ingredients.

Quiches, to be more than just “ok”, must be made with the best quality ingredients.  If you make a Quiche with skimmed milk … ick … you end up with a watery thing.  If you use inferior cheese, the taste leaves you unimpressed.  So … please use the very best quality ingredients if you are going for the WOW! factor.  Restaurant/cafe owners … the customers really will pay more for great.

Bonnie’s Best Quiche

Line a pie pan with your favorite pastry.  Flute the rim above the edge of the pan.  Cook a breakfast meat such as bacon, ham or sausage … or use some leftover ham or chicken.  Drain the meat well, pat it with a paper towel if necessary.  Break the meat up into small pieces and just barely cover the bottom of the pastry shell … too little is better than too much.

Combine one cup of shredded cheese, you can use a mixture.  (This is where you really get to play.)  Here are some examples of a few that I’ve used – Gruyere, Swiss, Jalapeno Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Gouda.  Sprinkle over the meat and top with an additional 1/2 cup of freshly shredded parmesan.  Combine 1 cup milk, 1 cup cream, and 4 well beaten eggs. Pour this over all in the pie shell.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Lower the temperature to 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the Quiche comes out clean.    

Simply Elegant!

Variations: 

• Vegetarian using grilled or sauted vegetables … mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes (seeded), green onions,  peas, etc.  
• Get wild and use bar-b-qued meats … leftover chinese food.
• Seafood!!!!  Make sure that the seafood is cooked before it goes into the quiche.

I just love seeing my customers smile.  The best compliment of all was when a regular customer leaned in close to me as I was wrapping up her casserole and said, “My family doesn’t know that you make these”.  Nothing could have made me happier!!! Just imagining the smiles around her dinner table as her family oohed and awed … and her smiling and taking the credit for a job well done.   It absolutely made my day!

Delmonico Ham and Potatoes was from my mom.  She swears that it was one of Abraham Lincoln’s absolute favorites.  Who am I to question my mom?  So thanks, Mom, for a GREAT seller.  My customers loved this one.

Delmonico Ham and Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 # cubed ham
• 1 3/4 # cubed cooked potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
• 2 3/4 cups cream sauce (recipe below)

Layer cubed potatoes and ham in a greased casserole.  Pour the cream sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly and golden. 

Cream Sauce:

• 6 T butter (not margarine)
• 6 T flour
• 2 1/2 cups light cream or half and half
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Add the flour when the butter just starts to brown.  Cook the roux until beautifully golden brown,  stirring constantly.  Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste, remembering how salty the ham is.  Cook slowly until bubbly.  Yummmm.

Serve with fresh green beans and fruit salad with Poppy Seed Dressing.  So pretty.

Enjoy!