Spring is a beautiful time of the year, but it can also have cool and rainy days, too. Just as the farmers are getting ready to get into their fields to plant their crops, some of us like to garden or like myself, “make an attempt” to have a few plants growing in our backyard gardens or raised beds. Over the years, I have always been too busy with life to garden. Now that I am retired, I don’t have that excuse. It is very rewarding to see tomatoes and cucumbers grow and produce. The flavor of the garden vegetables is much better than store bought.

Future Hometown Cookin’ Favorites plans are to include recipes using fresh vegetables from the garden.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

We occasionally like to have something “out of the norm” and still tasty. This recipe is one that I prepared some time ago, but is very good if you have company or family over. Of course, it freezes well, so there is the option to freeze half of the recipe for another day.

Ingredients

12 flour tortillas

*1 small can green chiles

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup chopped green onions (2 bunches)

2 cans cream of chicken soup, divided

1 pint sour cream, divided

3 to 4 cooked, diced chicken breasts

1/2 cup milk

Instructions

Cook chicken breasts. Dice the chicken and place into a bowl and set aside. Mix 1 can of cream of chicken soup, half of the sour cream, all onions, chiles, chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Fill tortillas with 1/4 cup of filling and roll. Place in a large greased baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients (1 can of soup, sour cream, 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup milk.) Pour over filled tortillas. Top with extra cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

*The green chilies can be replaced with diced green bell pepper or canned Rotel tomatoes.

*Note: These freeze well. Bake an hour or so if from a frozen state.

Grape Walnut Salad

My husband loves this salad, and with the flavor it could be a dessert. The combination of the grapes with their tartness and the cream cheese and the nuts makes it delicious. There is a pecan grape salad that I have made in the past, but this recipe is slightly different from that recipe because of the cream cheese. I think this is now our favorite salad recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds green grapes, halved

1 1/2 pounds red grapes, halved

2 ounces cream cheese, softened*

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk to combine cream cheese and sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.

Wash and pat dry the grapes, then cut them in half. Then add them to the bowl of cream cheese mixture.

Gently toss with a spatula to combine so that grapes are evenly coated with dressing. Top with chopped walnuts. Serve and enjoy.

*It is helpful to set the cream cheese out to allow time for it to soften. Also, it is good to chop the walnuts ahead of time so they are ready to add to your recipe. I don’t add them to the top, but rather add them to the recipe.

Swiss Cheeseburger Soup

It won’t be long and it will be too hot to prepare and serve soup. April weather is still a little unpredictable with cool and rainy days. This soup is delicious and is always handy to serve on a weeknight for a fast meal. If you want to perk it up a little, add bacon or green onions to the bowl before serving.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

3 ounces green pepper, chopped

3 ounces onion, chopped

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk

1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes

5 beef bouillon cubes

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Instructions

Brown meat, chopped onions and chopped green pepper until meat is done. Drain. Add flour and stir. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Let it thicken like gravy. Add tomatoes and bouillon cubes. Stir until mixture thickens. Add Swiss cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Yields: 6-8 servings.

Chocolate Crumb Bars

These bars are a family favorite. It may take a little bit of time to make, but is well worth it. I have always thought that you can’t fail if a recipe has sweetened condensed milk in it. There is a light version of it if you are trying to cut back.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips, divided in half

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan. Beat softened butter in a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar and salt and beat together until crumbly. Spread 2 cups of crumbs in the prepared pan; reserve the remaining mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Combine 1 cup chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small pan. Warm over low heat until the chocolate chips are melted. Add and stir the vanilla till smooth. Spread over the hot crust. Stir chopped walnuts and remaining chocolate chips (1 cup) into reserved crumbs. Sprinkle over chocolate filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center is done. Makes 2 1/2 dozen bars.

Loretta Krahling is a columnist with over 39 years of newspaper experience. If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share or have any questions, please email them to Loretta at krahling93@gmail.com.