Chicken Enchiladas

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 (8-ounce) package  cream cheese softened

• 1 Medium onion, chopped

• 1 Teaspoon  salt

• 1 Tablespoon  black pepper

• 1 1/2 Teaspoons  garlic powder

• 1 (14-ounce) can  chopped tomatoes

• 1 (4-ounce) can  chopped green chiles

• 1 1/2 Teaspoons  ground cumin

• 1 Teaspoon  ground coriander

• 1/2 Teaspoon  ground curry powder

• 1/2 Teaspoon  garlic powder

• Hot pepper sauce

• 1 Cup  sour cream, plus more for garnish

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 8 Large  flour tortillas

• 2 Cups  mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 1 Cup  Monterey jack cheese, shredded

• For garnish: Chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes

  Directions
  

  In a medium saucepan with cold water, place chicken and boil for 30 minutes.

  Remove chicken from water and let cool

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  Once cooled, dice chicken and place in medium bowl.

  Add cream cheese, onion, half the salt, half the pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

  Combine ingredients well and set aside.

  In a blender, add tomatoes with juice, chiles, cumin, coriander, curry, remaining garlic powder, salt and pepper, and 5 to 6 dashes of hot pepper sauce.

  Blend until smooth.

  Add sour cream and blend until incorporated.

  Spray a 9 by 13-inch pan with cooking spray.

  Place tortilla on work surface and fill with about 1/4 cup or chicken mixture and roll into a cylinder.

  Lay tortillas evenly into prepared pan.

  Pour tomato sauce over tortillas.

  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

  Remove foil.

  Cover with shredded cheese and return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

  Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, and additional sour cream.

Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

• 1/2 Pound  Ground Pork Sausage—I use sweet italian sausage, but you can mix it up

• 1 Cup  Chopped Onion

• 1/2 Cup  Chopped Green Bell pepper

• 1/2 Cup  Chopped Celery

• Salt

• Freshly Ground Pepper

• 1 1/2 Cups  cooked long-grain rice—regular white rice, I have also used wild rice.

• 1/4 Cup  Chopped Green Onions (scallions)- Green Part only

• 4 Medium  Bell Peppers, Sliced in Half Lengthwise,  seed removed

• 4 Tablespoons  Dried fine breadcrumbs

• 4 Tablespoons  Grated Parmesan cheese

• Essence

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

In a large skillet, over medium heat, Brown the sausage.

Add onions, peppers, and celery.

Season with salt and pepper.

Saute for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the rice and mix well.

Cook for about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley.

Season the bell peppers with salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers

In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Cheese, season with Essence, mix well.

Sprinkle the crust over each pepper.

Place the peppers in a shallow pan and add just enough water to cover the bottom.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are crusty and brown and the peppers are soft.

Hoisin Chicken

• 3/4 Cup hoisin sauce

• 3 scallions, coarsely chopped

• 5 cloves garlic

• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced

• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and halved (remove seeds for less heat)

• Zest and juice of 2 limes

• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

• Kosher salt and pepper

• 2 Pounds skin-on chicken thighs & drumsticks (separate pieces)

Directions

Combine hoisin sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, lime zest and juice, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a mini food processor or blender.

Process until almost smooth.

Season the chicken with salt

Toss with the hoisin mixture in a large bowl.

Grill the chicken over direct her until the skin is crisp, 5 minutes per side, basting with extra marinade.

Transfer to the cooler side of grill, cover and grill until cooked through, 10-15 more minutes.

Note:  I have cooked this entirely on the heat of the grill and I have also baked in the oven.  Don’t worry about the transferring to indirect heat.  Just cook as you normally would bake or grill chicken.  I have let this marinade for a few hours or just used the sauce like I would use barbecue sauce.  Since I don’t like a lot of lime I cut the lime to the juice of one lime and it was perfect.

Stuffed Shells

• 1 tablespoon Plus 1 Teaspoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 box jumbp pasta shells (18-20 shells)

• 2 cups chopped onion

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 pound ground veal (I used ground turkey)

• 10 ounces frozen spinach -- thawed and squeezed dry

• 15 ounces ricotta cheese

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon essence

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 jar of red pasta sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish (9 x 13 baking pan) with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil.  Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together.  Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over med heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes.  Add the veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned.  Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach/meat mixture, essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly.  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell.  Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the red sauce over the filled shells top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.  Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  

Pierogi

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream

• 1 Teaspoon Salt

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

• Water

• 4 Cups Flour

• Potatoes (maybe 4)

• Onion (1)

• Grated Cheddar Cheese

• Milk

• Sour Cream

Directions for the dough

• Put the 4 cups of flour in a large bowl

• In a measuring cup that will hold more then two cups, put the eggs, sour cream, salt, olive oil. Fill up to the 2 cup mark with water.

• Mix to combine.

• Add the liquid mixture to the flour and mix till the dough comes together.

• Place dough in a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight

Directions for the filling

• Peal and cut russet potatoes

• Put in a pot with cold water

• Boil till soft

• Drain and pass through a ricer

• Dice the onions into small pieces

• Saute in pan with butter, salt and pepper till light brown

• Remove from heat

• Put Riced Potatoes into a bowl

• Add Browned Onions

• Add Grated Chedder cheese—I put in a handful

• Add a heaping spoonful of Sour Cream

• Add a splash of milk

• Add salt and pepper

• Mix to combine

At this point I taste the filling to see if anything more is needed and adjust.

Note about the filling:

You want the filling to be a hard/dry filling, this is not mashed potatoes.  The colder the filling when you try to fill the Pierogi the better, I usually make this and the dough the day before I want to fill the pierogi.

To assemble:

• Cut the dough in quarters, work with one quarter at a time. Keep the rest wrapped in plastic to avoid drying out.

• Roll out to 1/4 in thick

• Cut your circles—I found using a reusable place Starbucks cover to be the right size

• Place a teaspoon or so of the filling mixture in the middle of the circle

• brush edges of the dough lightly with water. I usually just wet my finger and put it around the circle.

• Close the circle getting all the air out between the layers and around the filling

• Crimp them closed.

• At this point you can lay them on a parchment lined cookie sheet

• If you want to freeze them.. Freeze them on the cookie sheet in a single layer overnight and move to a zip top bag and keep frozen.

To cook:  

Both fresh and frozen

• Bring a large pot of water to boil

• Once boiling place some pierogi into the water

• They are cooked when they float and turn lighter in color (like pasta)

• With a spider remove them from the water

• Put them into a hot pan with melted butter and brown.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken thighs

• 4 Chicken drumstick

• Essence

• 1/2 Cup Flour

• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

• 1 Cup Chopped Onion (yellow or brown)

• Salt

• Pepper

• 2 Cups white mushrooms, sliced (optional, I put them in but usually much less)

• 4 or 5 Cloves finely chopped garlic—Up to you on how much you want to put in

• 1/2 Cup white wine (I have used Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, I use mostly Riesling because that is what I like)

• 1 Cup chopped fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded. Or you can use chopped tomatoes from the can, or whole canned tomatoes but take the seeds out and chop them. I have done it all different ways depending on my mood

• For this, buy a handful of plum tomatoes. Cut a X in the top of the tomato (side opposite of the stem) Drop them into boiling water for a few minutes (you will see the skin coming off) immediately transfer them into an ice bath of water. The peel will come off easily. Remove the seeds and chop them

• 1 Cup tomato sauce

• 1 Cup Chicken Stock

• 1 Bay Leaf

• 2 Sprigs Thyme

• 1 Tablespoon basil torn

• 1/2 pound Fettuccine

Directions

Season the chicken with Essence

Season the flour with Essence

Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, coating completely shake off excess

Add oil to a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat

When oil is hot, add chicken and brown 2 to 3 minutes on each side

Remove the chicken and set aside (The chicken is not cooked through at this time)

Add onions to pan

Season with salt and pepper

Saute for 2 minutes

Add mushrooms and garlic

Saute for 2 minutes

Stir in wine scrap up brown bits

Stir in Tomatoes, sauce, and stock

Bring mixture to a boil

Add Bay leaf, thyme, and basil

Add chicken back to the mixture

Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or till chicken is tender and cooked

Serve with pasta

Lamb Curry

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 large onions (thinly sliced)

• 2 large tomatoes (diced)—You can use canned whole tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons garlic (chopped)

• 1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

• 2 teaspoons garam masala

• 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or stew meat (cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks)—You can sub chicken

• 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

• Salt (to taste)

• Garnish: cilantro (chopped, fresh)

Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.

When hot, add the onions. Sauté until the onions begin to turn pale golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil in the pan and turn off the heat.

In a food processor, pulse the onions into a smooth paste, adding a teaspoon of water if necessary to blend. Transfer to a separate container and reserve.

Blend the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger together in the food processor until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a separate container and reserve for later use.

Reheat the oil leftover from frying the onions over medium heat and add the reserved onion paste. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the tomato mixture, coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala, and mix well.

Sauté until the oil begins to separate. This can take up to 10 minutes.

Add the lamb pieces to the mixture, and stir to fully coat. Sauté until the lamb is browned well, about 8 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of broth to the pan and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Cook until the lamb is tender. You will need to keep checking on the lamb as it cooks and adding more water if all the water dries up. Stir often to prevent burning. The dish should have a fairly thick gravy when done. Season with salt to taste. This should take roughly 45 minutes.

When the lamb is cooked, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with naan or hot steamed rice.

Sloppy Joes

3 Tablespoons  olive oil

1 Cup (packed)  minced yellow onion

1/2 Cup (packed)  minced green bell pepper

1/4 Cup (packed)  minced red bell pepper

2 Tablespoons  minced celery-two stalks 

6 Cloves  minced garlic

2 Cups  canned tomato puree

2 Tablespoon (rounded)  tomato paste

1 Cup  ketchup

2 Tablespoons  cider vinegar

1/4 Cup  molasses

2 Teaspoons  Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil

8 Fresh plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and coarsely chopped to measure 1 1/2 cups packed (You can use whole canned tomatoes, removed the seeds)

1 Teaspoon  dried oregano

Black pepper

1 Pounds  ground beef

Hamburger buns

• To prepare the sauce: Heat a 2 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat and when hot, add 3 tablespoons oil.

• When oil is hot, stir in minced onion, green and red pepper, celery and garlic.  Cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes.

• Stir in Tomato puree ,tomato paste, ketchup, vinegar, molasses and Worcestershire sauce.  

• Bring mixture to a simmer and turn heat down to very low.  Simmer sauce with the cover ajar for 1 hour.

• Turn heat off and set skillet aside.

• After sauce has been simmering for 1hour, uncover and add prepared fresh tomatoes, oregano, and some black pepper.  This is where you taste it and see if it needs any other seasoning.

• Bring Back to a simmer and cook with the cover ajar for 30 minutes more.

• Uncover and let cool until needed

• Heat a 10-inch deep-sided skillet over medium heat and, when hot, add the ground meat and break up with a wooden spoon.

• Cook meat until separate and golden brown, then remove from the stove and drain out any excess fat from skillet.

• Return pan to stove and stir in 1 generous cups of prepared sauce to meat.  I just spoon some into the ground beef to the consistency I want.

• Bring beef mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat and cook (uncovered) until flavors mingle and the mixture is piping hot throughout, about 10 minutes.

• Assemble on buns.

• I freeze the left over sauce and reheat the next time.

Teriyaki Steak BBQ

1 Flank Steak sliced thin

1 Cup  Soy sauce

1 Cup  Samuel Adams Boston Larger/ I used Turbo Dog Beer

1/2 Cup  Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon  Granulated garlic

1 Teaspoon  Grated Ginger root/ I used much more

1 Teaspoon  Cholula Hot Sauce

1 Teaspoon  Sesame Seed Oil

• In a bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce Ingredients.

• Place Steak in marinade, cover and refridgerate for up to 2 hours

• Remove the steak and place on grill

• Cook for 3- 5 minutes per side till done

• Remove and serve.