Chicken 'n' Biscuits

1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cream soup substitute mix plus 1 tsp. chicken bouillon OR 1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken ( I used 2 chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used cheddar as I didn't have any parmesan)
BISCUITS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


In a saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in flour, basil and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Add cream soup and water. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in vegetables, chicken and Parmesan cheese; reduce heat to low.
Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine milk, oil and parsley; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Transfer hot chicken mixture to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Drop biscuit batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned.

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

3-4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place rhubarb in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, milk, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla (mixture will be stiff). Spread over rhubarb. For topping, combine sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over dough. Pour water over all; do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes or until pudding tests done.

The pudding forms a nice crispy top with a moist flavourful bottom! This can be served with ice cream but it tastes delicious on it's own! I think that this would also taste great as a strawberry-rhubarb pudding. I'll have to try it out come strawberry season.

Rhubarb Crunch Cake

This is my husband's all time favorite rhubarb dessert!

3-4 cups rhubarb pieces
1 small package (3 oz.) red jello (we like strawberry)
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix rhubarb and jello together and set aside. Mix margarine and sugar in separate bowl. Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat well. Stir in sour cream, and remaining dry ingredients. Fold rhubarb mixture into batter. Put into 9x13" pan. Mix together and sprinkle on top of the cake:

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. white sugar
1-2 tsp. cinnamon depending on taste (our family loves cinnamon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional - this tastes just fine without nuts)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.

Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar - scant
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 extra large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
8 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.
Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns. (We did not toast the buns since I baked fresh buns this morning)

Baked Farmer Sausage and Potatoes

2 lbs frozen farmer sausage (I used one ring)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces each

Gravy:
sausage drippings
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk (this works with soy milk as well)
salt and pepper

If desired, peel frozen farmer sausage. (The best way is to hold it under a trickle of warm water.) Break sausage into 4-6 chunks. Place potatoes and carrots into a roaster or large casserole dish. Add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Place frozen sausage chunks over top (so drippings will flavour the vegetables), cover, and bake at 375F for 1-1/4 hours. Remove from oven and drain juices from casserole dish into a saucepan. (You may want to put the sausage and vegetables in a serving dish now and keep warm in the oven.). For gravy: Mix flour and milk together, adding milk gradually so a paste forms and slowly gets thicker -- you don't want lumps! (Actually, a Tupperware gravy shaker works best for this. You can just throw it all together and shake it up without worrying about lumps at all.). Add milk mixture to drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. (Depending on how much water content your sausage had, you may need to add a little more flour or milk to achieve the desired thickness.). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4-5

I also have started making this in the crock pot! Layer the veggies on the bottom, add about 1 cup water and put sausage on top. Cook on low 8 hours.

Chicken and Tortellini Stew

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1 cup frozen cut green beans or peas
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Herb and Garlic dip mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup dried cheese-filled tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Stir the cornstarch and water in a small cup until smooth. Set the mixture aside.
Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Add the carrots, beans and onions. Stir in the broth. Heat to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the tortellini and parsley, if desired. Cook for 10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the saucepot. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.

Pigs in a Blanket

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces (I used margarine)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional, we omitted the cheese)
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used skim milk with a dash of vinegar added)
18 miniature hot dogs ( I cut 8 regular hot dogs in half and baked the last two biscuits without meat)

1 Heat the over to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet. Sift the dry ingredients (flour through salt) into a mixing bowl.
2 Rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed.
3 Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Let the dough sit for 3 minutes.
4 Sprinkle the dough with flour and stir once or twice then turn out onto a well floured counter.
5 With floured hands, pat the dough into a 15 by 7 inch rectangle, trimming the sides if necessary to get a true rectangle. (Handle the dough as little as possible for tenderness).
6 Using a pizza cutter, slice the rectangle into thirds horizontally then slice each third into thirds vertically, this will give you 9 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle diagonally into two thin triangles.
7 One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.
8 Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown.