Chicken Soup With Vegetables

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs with fat removed

1 can 29 or 32 oz canned whole tomato

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped 2 inch thick

6 medium size red potatoes, each cut in 4 halves

8 small corn on the cobb

2 bay leaves ( If you like dry basil and parsley you can add it as well about 1/4 teaspoon each)

8 cups chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Flour for dusting chicken about 1/4 cup

1/4 cup cooking oil for browning

Brown chicken thighs in frying pan with oil on both sides. take chicken and place in a stock pot.add onions,garlic and carrots. then pour in the chicken broth and bay leaves bring to a boil over high heat.

Add in the tomatoes, and turn down to medium low let cook for 30 minutes add in the potatoes and cook until tender.

Add in the corn,and cook 5 mins.

PECAN LOGS

These Pecan Logs are filled with marshmallow cream, covered in caramel and rolled in toasted chopped pecans.

This is my favorite candy recipe. They are so easy to make and not so costly.

Your friends and family will be so impressed and surprised when you bring these fresh and not store-bought pecan logs to your next function.

Recipe:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound box of confectioners sugar

1 jar 8oz marshmallow cream

1 pound caramels

1 pound  toasted pecans, finely chopped

Mix vanilla into marshmallow cream. work in confectioner sugar, small amount at a time
roll into logs.

Melt caramels in saucepan over low heat. If needed, add a small amount of milk to thin.

Roll logs in caramel and then roll in chopped pecans. chill in refrigerator before cutting.

Yield approximately four dozen small slices.

Collard Greens With Cornmeal Dumplings

All this about Greens, I mean collards greens down south in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia where the greens grow. This is a new twist in cooking collard greens, with cornmeal  dumplings.

Meaning bread in the pot! Cornbread that is already to enjoy. You can choose the meat you like, whether it is ham hock or salt pork, you cannot go wrong in the South. enjoy the pot liquor of the collard greens in the cornbread dumplings.Yum!!!!

For the collard greens:

Dutch oven or a large pot add water,oil and ham hocks and Cook 45 mins. add collard green stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chiles, and measured salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the collard is tender.

For the dumplings:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour


1/3 cup yellow cornmeal


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 tablespoon unsalted butter


1/2 cup whole milk

whisk together flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then blend in butter well with your fingertips. Stir in milk until just combined. Let dough stand 5 minutes.

With wet hands, roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls. Gently place dumplings on top of greens. Cook, covered and undisturbed, over low heat until greens are very tender and silky and dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 20 minutes.


[Dropping the dough in heaping tablespoons about 1/2 inch apart into the simmering greens]

 Sprinkle the greens with the reserved bacon and serve immediately.

Collard Green Dip

Talking about southern hot nights....Here a creamy hot dip, you need to serve at your next party.
It will WOW THEM!!!! Collard Green Dip.

Ingredients

2 slices bacon

1 small sweet onion, chopped about 1 cup

1 medium red sweet pepper

1 pound fresh collard greens, trimmed and coarsely chopped about 6 cups

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 8 ounce package cream cheese cubed and softened

2 ounces  Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 1/2 cup

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning optional

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Thin bread sticks or vegetable sticks
Directions

In a 12-inch skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towel. Remove and save bacon dripping for another recipe but use 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings from skillet and add onion and sweet pepper to skillet. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat or until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally. Add cut collard greens and garlic; cover until tender, stirring occasionally. You can add a little water if becoming dry. Remove from heat.
Add cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and seasoning to the collard mixture, stirring until combined. Crumble remaining bacon and add to collard mixture.  
Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until warmed through. Serve with vegetable dippers or bread sticks.