Homemade Raising Canes

Chicken Fingers

The Sauce

Fries

When we lived in Oklahoma we took every opportunity to eat at Raising Canes. 

They only have chicken fingers. My kind of place. 

Tonight we decided to create our own since there are none nearby! 

It was fantastic. Do try. 

Creamy Italian Chicken

 Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken

Another fantastic recipe from Amy Kearns. 

This is the ultimate comfort food.. so tender... so creamy... 

So good for you. Hah. 

4 chicken breasts

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1/3 cup water

1 package (low fat) cream cheese softened

1 can (low fat) cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

White or Brown Rice

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. 

Combine dressing mix and water;

pour over chicken. 

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. 

Whisk together cream cheese, soup, and sour cream

and pour over chicken.

Cook 1-3 hours longer or until chicken juices run clear.

Serve over rice.

Oh, and try not to eat all four chicken breasts in one sitting. 

I know, it's hard... but you'll regret it if you do.

Zella's Chocolate Cake

I'm a big chocolate fan. 

And this, my friends, is the most delicious, moist, and fudgy chocolate cake out there. 

I know, I've tried them all. 

A special thank you to Zella Nelson for making this cake on a weekly basis while I was growing up.

Because everyone knows, a teenage girl needs a regular helping of chocolate to survive.

Zella's Chocolate Cake

Prep: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter/flour a sheet pan

Step One: Mix Together

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

Set Aside.

Step Two: Melt on Stove

1 cup butter

1 cup water

4 T Cocoa

2 tsp Vanilla 

Simmer and combine dry ingredients with those in sauce pan.

Step Three: Turn off stove and add to mixture

3/4 cup Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt

2 beaten eggs

Stir until smooth! 

Pour into prepared sheet pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.

It's quick.

(you can also use a bundt or 13x9 with a longer bake time but the sheet is my fav)

Frosting: Do on Stove

1/2 cup butter

4 T Cocoa 

2 tsp Vanilla

approx 4 cups of Powdered Sugar.

Evaporated Milk to desired consistency

Oh boy.

Melt until smooth and fudgy.

Pour over cake.

It's that easy.

I usually let mine chill for a while before serving, 

but some like it hot if you know what I'm sayin.

Sometimes I shave some White Chocolate on top for some extra razzle dazzle.

ENJOY!

Coconut Macaroons

Cristina's Coconut Macaroons

4 packed cups coconut flakes

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 TBSP melted butter.

 Combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into cone shapes and put on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake 350 for at least 15 minutes. Let them bake until golden brown

I got this recipe/photo from my mother. 

They are so soft and sweet. Oh, and SUPER easy. 

Perfect for a summer snack. 

They were a delicious treat for our Bachelorette premiere. 

Speaking of which, this guy... 

If Freddy Prince Jr. and Chuck Bass had a love child, this would be him.

Midwest Chowder

This was my all time favorite meal growing up.

Christmas, birthdays... this was the request. 

It's warm, cheesy and hearty to boot.

 Chop up the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery.

Put in the pot of seasoned boiling water. 

Cover and Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.

While the veggies are cooking, start your rue with melted butter and flour over low heat.

Whisk until it is thick, smooth, and bubbly.

Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Add in cheese slowly, whisk until melted.

You should have a thick, cheesy sauce when your done. 

Drain some water from your vegetables, if you want your chowder reeeally thick, drain most of it.  Pour in cheese sauce and stir. 

Add deli ham and corn to your liking and stir! 

Enjoy and eat in bowlfuls. 

My momma always serves it with corn bread 

and I like to add some homemade honey butter.

4 cups boiling water

4 cups chopped potatoes

1 cup carrot slices

1 cup celery slices

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk

4-6 cups shredded 

sharp cheddar cheese

1 can of corn

diced deli ham

Amy's Magic Salad

My sister-in-law Amy is an amazing cook. 

Last year she made this salad and it was gone in five minutes. 

It's incredible. 

It is everything you'd want in a salad. 

Pasta... Craisins... Chicken... 

The perfect summer salad. 

Your mouth is watering, I know.

First, you'll need to boil a pound of Penne or Bowtie pasta and soak it in the oil, vinegar,
 and Teriyaki dressing overnight, turning it over once.

Grill and shred about four or five chicken tenderloins in butter or oil. Season them with salt and pepper.

Chop up some peppers and green onions

Throw it all together with some spinach, Craisins, slivered almonds, and Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Dish yourself up some deliciousness.

 This recipe makes a lot of salad. I tend to mix a little at a time so that we can non-soggy leftovers :)

Get some. 

Salad:

1 bag of baby spinach

4-6 chicken tenderloins

1/2 red pepper

1/2 orange or yellow pepper

2-4 green onions

1 bag of Craisins
1 pound cooked pasta

slivered almonds

Dressing:

1 cup Olive Oil
3/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 Teriyaki sauce
6 Tbsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix until the sugar dissolves.

Momma's Shepherds Pie

My mom makes a wicked "Shepards" Pie. 

I've found that hers is very different than the rest.

There's no gravy.

No frozen veggies. 

Just a lot of goodness in a casserole dish. 

It was one of my favorite meals growing up, so I'm sharing it with you!

Hey mom, what's a Shepard? A retarded sheep?

So first you brown up a pound of lean ground beef. Momma uses lots of Lawry's. LOTS.

Spread it in a casserole dish and put some green beans on top. We like this flavor.

Spread it around and pour a can of tomato soup, Campbell's preferably. It just tastes better.

Squirt some ketchup on top of that, lots of it. Because it makes everything better.

Then some mashed potatoes. Mmmm. My mom uses the flakes but I prefer the real stuff.

Cover and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on top then stick it back in for five minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy your warm and comforting meal. 

So easy. So delicious.

Get some girl. 

Put it in your belly.

Thank me later.

Biscuits and Gravy

If you've ever spent time at the Kearns house you know

what an amazing cook Nancy Kearns is.

I think this is her most popular dish. 

Jake has been begging me to make this for him since we moved. 

Actually he's been begging me for the last two years of marriage.

So over the holidays I had the opportunity to learn from the master.

Naturally I decided to share it with all of you lucky people.

This is how you make...

Nancy's Famous Biscuits and Gravy!

 Grab yourself a pound of Jimmy Dean Sausage and brown it up.

(Nancy's rule, to get the most flavor from your sausage or ground beef, brown it until its nice and golden looking. Almost burnt... but not.)

 Then add a stick of butter...

 about a half cup of oil...

 let the sausage soak up the flavor then take it out.

 Add a heaping spoonful of Bouillon to your oil, butter, and sausage leftovers

 (this is what Nancy uses)

 Mix that up and add a cup of flour

 Scrape all of the sausage goodies from the bottom of the pan and mix them it all together.

 put in the left over oil/butter that drained from the sausage

stir some milk in... keep going until the consistency is to your liking.

(it should be nice and creamy when your done)

 Put the sausage back in...

 and Voila! you have a delicious gravy!

 

Pour it over some Pillsbury Grand Biscuits

and serve them to a verrrry happy husband.

Enjoy your best breakfast ever!

Chicken Pillows

So I'm posting another recipe... mainly because I keep losing it and I figure if I post it here I will be able to find it easily! This is a classic chicken dish that I'm sure you've all had before. If you haven't... you must. My first time was sophomore year of college, my roommate Chelsea, who happens to be an amazing cook, made it for all of us and I inhaled it in two minutes. The ultimate comfort food. It's sooo good and has been a favorite ever since.

Chicken Pillows

         2 pkg. Crescent Rolls

         Filling:

1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pkg. cream cheese, soften
2 TBS. worchestershire sauce
1 TBS. dried onions

Mix filling ingredients until well combined. Spoon teaspoon full onto crescent roll and fold/pinch edges closed around filling. Place onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Gravy:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C Sour Cream (can use up to 1 cup if desired)

-combine and warm on stove. Serve on top of chicken pillows.

I like to serve with mashed potatoes and extra gravy alongside green beans sauteed with butter and slivered almonds.... yum.