King Ranch Casserole

King Ranch Casserole

**Wibby got knocked in the chin recently as he was working the momma cows in the chutes... he couldn't eat anything hard as he'd almost bitten through his tongue and his black and blue chin refused any hard chewing... so.... King Ranch Casserole was a perfect Sunday lunch choice... along with PopT's great brownies cooked in individual tins for extra crispy edges!)

Ingredients: 1 cooked 2 1/2 pound fryer (cooked with carrots, onion, celery and garlic) shredded 10 corn tortillas (we love the homemade Texas ones!) 1 onion, chopped (make sure it is organic... probably a 10/14 onion best) 1 green and 1 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced (or half and half) 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (I add enough to be sure there is at least a 1/2" layer on top) 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 1 can of cream of chicken soup 1 cup of chicken broth (organic please) 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (or any chopped stewed tomato of your choice) 1 tsp. of chili powder How you cook and serve it: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chili powder; blend until smooth. 3. Place a layer of chicken in a greased casserole dish. 4. Add layers of tortillas, onion, bell peppers, cheese and sauce. 5. Repeat layers, ending with cheese (again... we love cheese... so we use a bunch) 6. Bake uncovered for half an hour or until brown and bubbling. serve with sour cream and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper or chili powder for color... and finish with a sprig of cilantro......voila......a TEXAS favorite!

Granola for EVERYDAY!!!

Let me begin by saying that I eat this everyday over FAGE (no other will do!!) Sometimes

even for 2 meals:)

ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats 

1 cup sliced almonds 

1 cup chopped pecans (good ole Texas must!) 

1 cup Pepita seeds 

1 cup ground flax 

1 cup wheat germ 

1 cup sesame seed 

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut 

1 cup hulled sunflower seeds (I use salted) 

1 cup oil (sesame best, or canola) 

2 cups local unprocessed honey *I add some sea salt (certainly optional!) 

2 cups unsweetened dried cherries 1 cup dried blueberries 

2 cups dried cranberries (unsweetened if you can find it) 

directions: *preheat oven to about 325 *IN A HUGE BOWL:)))) stir together all ingredients EXCEPT FRUIT!!! (if you will heat the honey a bit it will mix much easier) *Pour into LARGE oiled pan (I use the same kind of pan in which I cook Thanksgiving turkey) *HOW LONG??? This is the only tricky part..... most granola recipes will say for about 20 minutes.... I've found that it takes much longer with this much stuff:) I put it in the oven and every 10 minutes (or shorter as it cooks) I stir the mixture especially the edges. As it gets done... your entire kitchen will get the aroma of honey toasted oats and nuts! YUMMMMMMMMMMY When it gets brown all through, take it out and let it cool for a short time. When you can touch the pan, stir in the dried fruits. Continue to cool the mixture... as it cools, it will begin to get crunchy. I find it easiest to stir it as I come into the kitchen until it is completely cool. Store it in airtight containers. 

CAUTION: only share it with family and friends if you want to ALWAYS make big batches... well maybe that is only applicable to VERY good friends and wonderful daughters:) Enjoy!!! Truly... this is a staple at our house... and TRULY FAGE yogurt is best!