The Cookbook

Chicken Mediterranean

2 T. olive oil
3/4 lb. skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into large chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
14/5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 t. dried parsley flakes
1/2 dried oregano
1/3 c. crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4 c. kalamata olives

Cook chicken and garlic in oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Add tomatoes and next 3 ingred. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, a few minutes. Sprinkle with feta and olives, remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.


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Skillet Enchiladas

1 10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 14 oz. can enchilada sauce (medium)
1/4 c. milk
1 7 oz. can diced green chilies
12 corn tortillas (more, if you need to streeeetch)
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheese
7 oz. can sliced ripe olives
1 lb. ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
1/2 chopped onion (optional)

In a skillet brown the turkey (or beef). The key to using turkey is to add nearly a full can of fat free chicken broth when you are browning (turkey doesn't actually brown", it just cooks). (If you use beef, then drain it after browning!) After browned, add the mushroom soup, enchilada sauce, milk and green chilies to skillet; heat until bubbly. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave about 60 to 90 seconds until soft. Sprinkle some cheese and olives on each tortilla, roll up "jelly roll style" and place seam side down in the meat sauce in skillet. Cover and heat thru - about 5 minutes. After you plate servings, top with a few sprinkles cheese and a few slices of olive.

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Boston Cookies

They're delicious.

1 cup of sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups dates, cut up
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Blend the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.

Mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Gradually add to creamed mixture and stir until combined. Stir in dates and walnuts.

Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes.

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Chunky Pecan Pie Bars

Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Filling:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 and 3/4 cup Semi Sweet Toll House chocolate CHUNKS
1 and 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven 350 degrees.
Grease 9 x 13 pan.

Crust - beat flour, butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake 12-15 min. until slightly browned.

Filling - Beat eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir in chunks and pecans. Pour over crust, Bake for 25-30 min until set. Cool on rack. Cut into bars.

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Cattleman's Beans

2 rounded cups beans (pinto or red beans)
6 cups cold water
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 lb. pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups peeled, sliced tart apples
2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. EACH chili powder & dry mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
sour cream
jamaican rum

Soak beans in water overnight. Do not drain water. Add butter, bring to boil, then simmer covered about 2 hours.
Brown sausage and add to beans along with about 2 Tbs. of the fat. Add all other ingredients except sour cream and rum. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered, another 2 hours. Or bring to boil and put in covered bean pot and bake at 325° for 2 hours.
Before serving add ¼ cup rum. Serve with sour cream. And also serve with cornbread :)

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Refrieds
Jude

I don't make my own. What I like to do is get the BLACK refries... kinda hard to find, but they are there. The regular frijoles will do if you can't find the black bean ones, but they aren't as good. Place a can or however much you want into a baking dish, add a 1/4 cup or so of beef boullion and mix it together. Top it with minced green onions and a splash of hot sauce. I use Louisiane. Bake til bubbly at about 350, cover it if it starts to dry out. You can also add a bit of shredded cheese under the green onion if you like.

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Spanish Rice
Jude

In a little bit of oil saute green or red bell pepper and some onion. Add a cup of rice and a little shy of 2 cups of water. Toss in some cumin (a tsp or so), chili powder (2 tsps or so), a tsp of salt and a spoon or so of tomato sauce. Bring to a brisk boil, cover, turn your stove down to the lowest possible temp/flame and let it sit for 20 mins.

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Chicken Enchiladas
Jude

Boil your chicken pieces in chicken stock or boullion. Remove chicken and debone. Coursely chop chicken into bite sized pieces.

In a separate pot, take a little oil and add in some chopped onion, diced jalapeno. Stir it til the get sort of opaque and are are a little tender. You can also add some bell pepper at this point.

Add 1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup, can of rotel tomatoes and about a 1/2 a container of sour cream, plus some water. Stir it all up and heat. It should be the consistence of pretty thick soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a bit of Pam on your baking dish. Spread a thin layer of the soupy mixture to keep the tortillas from sticking to the bottom.. then a layer of corn tortillas. Now layer the chicken, more sauce and some cheese. I use monterrey jack. Queso blanco would work, too, but I haven't tried that yet. Add another layer of tortillas and repeat til you are out of stuff. Finish off the top layer with tortillas, some sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 til it's all hot and bubbly and the cheese is ever so slightly turning brown.

You can garnish with black olives, sour cream and chopped green onions if you like after it's baked.

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Enchiladas
Eve

Two cans Old El Paso Enchilada sauce. Sometimes I mix green and red.
6-8 corn tortillas -- flour tortillas don't work as well.
one onion chopped (or more is okay)
grated cheese --lots cheddar or monterrey jack or whatever you like
1/2 lb. browned ground beef if you wish (optional)
vegetable oil
sour cream (optional)

Heat oil in skillet. Dip one tortilla at a time in the oil and drain. Place tortilla in baking dish and put a little cheese, onion, beef, and sauce (very little sauce) on tortilla and roll it up. ( You can just mix a very little sauce in the beef rather than putting them on tortilla separately) After you roll all the tortillas pour all the sauce over them and sprinkle any remaining beef and onion over them. Cover with plenty of cheese.
Bake for 20 -30 minutes until hot and bubbly at 350.

Serve with sour cream.

Without the oil -- the tortillas are very hard to work with -- they tear up too easily. If you don't want to dip them in hot oil -- try stacking them in a casserole with the other ingredients like a lasagna.

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Ice Cream Treat
Kent

1 1-lb package of Oreos
1 stick butter
1 boxed (rectangle) ice cream
Hershey's chocolate syrup

Grind Oreos in a blender or food processor. Melt butter, then mix with Oreo crumbs. Place enough Oreo mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan to press into a crust approximately 1/2" thick. Open the ice cream box and cut the ice cream into sections about 1 - 1 1/2" thick (slice from the end). Cover the Oreo crust with the ice cream slices. You will need to fill on all spaces and level it out. Sprinkle the remaining Oreo crumbs on top of the ice cream, then drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup. Place in freezer for 4-6 hours before serving.

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Angel Lush

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Makes: 10 servings

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE or COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (10 oz.) round angel food cake
10 fresh strawberries

MIX pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.

CUT cake horizontally into three layers. Place bottom cake layer, cut-side up, on serving plate; top with one-third of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers two times.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Top with berries just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/recipes/

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Pico
Eve

1 chopped onion - I prefer a yellow onion
2-3 chopped tomatoes
handful of chopped fresh cilantro
a chopped jalapeno - no seeds - more depending on how hot the pepper is
salt
pepper
a dab of olive oil or other veg oil

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Ziploc Omelet

(This works great!!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!!)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them. Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water. Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in 13 minutes, you got a nice omlette for a quick breakfast!!! I think my kids are going to like this!

I used tomatoes, ham, green onions, cheddar cheese and mushrooms in this one! MMMMMMMM . . ..MMMMMMM good!!!

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Perfect Scalloped Oysters (What I Call Oyster Cassarole!)
hydrogen hydroxide

1 pint oyster (good ones, of course)
2 cups cracker crumbs medium coarse (I prefer real Saltines)
1/2 cup melted butter (margarine if you're desparate)
1/tsp. salt
Dash (or two) pepper
3/4 cup cream (did I neglect to say this ain't necessarily healthful???)
1/4 cup oyster liquour
1/4 tsp worchestershire sauce

Drain oysters reserving liquor.
Combine crumbs, butter, salt, and pepper.
Spread one third of buttered crumbs in greased 8X1&1/4 inch round pan
Cover with half the oyster.
Repeat for second layer.
Combine cream, oyster liquor and worchestershire sauce.
Pour over oysters.
Top w/rest of the crumbs.
Bake in moderate oven (350) for forty minutes.
I usually double the ingredients and use a Corning Ware kinda square pan to serve eight. Make sure the crust is brown to your taste.

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Oyster Casserole
Ric

2 (12 ounce) containers fresh oysters
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 cups crushed cracker crumbs
1/2 cup lightly-salted butter, melted
1/2 cup half-and-half
paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Drain the oysters and place half of them in a lightly greased shallow 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
3. Top with half of each of the vegetables, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Sprinkle with half of the cracker crumbs.
5. Drizzle with half of the butter and half-and-half.
6. Repeat the layers one more time then sprinkle paprika over all.
7. Bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

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Crock Pot Barbecued Brisket
David Wade

Place a trimmed 4 to 8-lb. brisket into a crock pot. Top brisket with the following items:

1/2 cup soy sauce
Few drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons A-1 sauce
Black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire powder
2 tablespoons dry powdered mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Cover crock pot with lid and cook on high temperature for 1 1/2 hours. Lower heat to low and continue cooking for several hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove brisket to a platter and remove all but 1 1/2 cups of stock. Stir before removing. Save the removed stock essence for later use. Return brisket to crock pot and 1 1/2 cups of stock. Add one 12 ounce bottle Kraft PLAIN barbecue sauce. Place lid on pot and cook at high temperature for 1 1/2 hours. Serve brisket with sauce.

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Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 package chopped pecans
1 cup marshmallows (optional)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine (optional)

Heat oven to 400° F. Pierce potatoes with fork; place on backing sheet. Bake 50 minutes or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Cut potatoes lengthwise, slice off top of each potato. Scoop out centers, leaving 1/8-inch thick shell. In medium bowl, mash potato pulp. Add milk, butter, and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Spoon into shells. Place shells in large shallow baking pans. Bake at 350° F for 10 minutes, or until heated through. With 2 to 3 minutes baking left, melt marshmallows and butter over medium heat in saucepan. Stir until melted. Remove potatoes from oven. Sprinkle pecans on top of potatoes.

(Optional) Drizzle marshmallow liquid over potatoes and pecans. Let cool.

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Sweet Tater Casserole

Peel and slice sweet potatoes and layer in a 9x13. Top with a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and a drained can of apricots. Put however much butter and brown sugar you wish over the top. Bake about at hour at 350 (with the dressing say) - when it's bubbly and the sweet potatoes are done, put LOTS of marshmallows on top and put back into oven just until they are a nice brown.

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Oyster Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
4 green onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cups crumbled cornbread
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pint shucked oysters, drained, reserve 1/2 cup liquid

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté onions and celery in the butter until tender, not browned.

Combine cornbread and bread crumbs in a large bowl; mix in sautéed onions, salt, pepper, and parsley.

Add beaten eggs and toss more; moisten with the oyster liquid until moist but not soggy. Gently stir in the oysters.

Pat the mixture into a large lightly buttered rectangular baking pan (it should make a 1-inch layer in the pan). Dot with remaining butter and bake about 45 minutes, until golden brown and set in the center.

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A little different Green Bean Casserole for Easter
Scarlett~NC

2- 14 oz cans French Cut Green Beans, drained
1 small can Shoe Peg Corn / drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated American Cheese ( I use 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions or 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 stick melted margarine or butter
1/2 slivered (chopped) almonds

Mix beans and corn put in 9 x 12 baking dish. Mix soup, sour cream, chesse and onions. Spread over beans and corn. Mix melted Margarine with crushed crackers and almonds. Spread on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 min.

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