Malibu Chicken

This is an easier version of Chicken Cordon Bleu and a spin off from the Sizzler version.
From: Joan Morris
4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 swiss cheese, sliced
4-6 ham slices
Seasoned bread crumbs
Place boneless, skinless chicken breast on parchment and pound with meat mallet.
Dredge in bread crumbs. Place in 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Bake 40 minutes at 400. Remove from oven and place ham and then cheese on chicken and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese melts.

Chicken Fajitas

10 chicken tenders
Taco seasoning
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
mushrooms, sliced
Vegetable oil
Cook onion in vegetable oil in grill pan, add the chicken and 2 T. of taco seasoning and cook through add salt and pepper to taste. Remove chicken from the pan and cut into strips. Add peppers. Cook until soft and add mushrooms and chicken back into pan and brown all together.
Serve with tortillas, beans and rice, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.

Spaghetti Pie

This is a great meal to take to others. It is similar to lasagne but much easier to make.
From: Joan Morris
Spaghetti, cooked al dente
1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
Spaghetti Sauce, 1 jar or homeade
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1 c. parmesan cheese, grated
Boil the spaghetti noodles. Layer in bottom of 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Spread can of cream of mushroom soup over pasta. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Brown meat in skillet, drain fat, then pour spaghetti sauce in skillet on stove and heat through. Pour on top of cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of spaghetti sauce and bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Sunday Pork Chops

This is one of our favorite Sunday meals. Serve the pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and applesauce.
From: Joan Morris
4-6 pork loin chops
1/2 c. milk
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
seasoning salt to taste
1/4 c. butter
Dip the pork chops in milk, then in the bread crumbs. Place in 9x13 baking dish sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place a small pat of butter on each pork chop.
Bake in 350 oven 45-60 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

From: Lion House Cookbook
4 whole chicken breasts
8 thin slices cooked ham
4 slices swiss cheese, cut into fingers about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 thick
salt
pepper
thyme or rosemary
1/4 c. melted butter
1/2 c. cornflake crumbs
Skin and bone chicken breast halves. Place each half between sheets of parchment, skinned side down, and pound with meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness.
On each ham slice place a finger of cheese. Sprinkle lightly with seasonings. Roll ham and cheese jelly-roll style, then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and seal well. Fasten ends with toothpicks. Dip each roll in melted butter, then roll in cornflake crumbs, turning to thoroughly coat each roll. Place rolls in 9x13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in 400 oven for about 40 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown. Serve with Cordon Bleu Sauce, if desired. Makes 6-8 servings.
Cordon Bleu Sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Blend ingredients and heat. Serve over chicken rolls, if desired.

Chicken Fettuccine

1 lb. fresh fettuccine
1/4 c. butter
1 c. cream or evaporated milk
4-5 chicken breasts
olive oil
garlic
Parmesan cheese
Fresh nutmeg
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
Brown the chicken and garlic in the olive oil and a little butter. Remove from pan. Boil the pasta until done. Drain. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan and whisk in the cream. Heat through, add the noodles, Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg and mix together. Top with chicken and more Parmesan cheese.

The Best Turkey Ever!!

Thanksgiving Turkey Brine
I made this for Thanksgiving in 2009. It really was the best, moistest turkey I've ever cooked.
Ingredients
6 quarts tap water
1 pound kosher salt
1 cup molasses
2 cups honey
1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried sage
Large bunch fresh thyme
2 heads garlic broken into individual cloves, unpeeled
5 pounds ice cubes
14 to 18-pound turkey, cleaned, innards removed
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
2 lemons, zested
Directions
In a medium pot, bring 3 quarts of the tap water to a boil over medium heat. Put the kosher salt in a large bowl and slowly (and carefully!) pour the boiling water over the salt. Stir to blend.

Add the molasses, honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme and garlic to the salt and water mixture. Stir to blend. Add the remaining 3 quarts of cool water. Add the ice to a cooler or bucket large enough to hold the brine and the turkey. Pour the brine over the ice and use a large whisk to blend all of the ingredients.

Submerge the turkey, breast side down, in the brine. Make sure the cavity of the bird fills with the liquid as you are submerging it. Cover the cooler and allow the bird to sit in the brine overnight or for about 12 hours.

Remove the bird from the brine and dry it thoroughly with thick (absorbent) kitchen towels. Take care to wipe inside the cavity as well. Discard the brine. Whisk together the butter and the lemon zest. Gently lift the skin covering 1 breast of the turkey and spread half of the butter right on the meat under the skin. Repeat with the other breast. The butter will add extra moisture and richness as the bird roasts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Put on the lower rack of the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the turkey taken from the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven to a cutting board or serving platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Pot Roast with Vegetables

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 yellow onion, halved
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch baby carrots
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 fennel bulb, top removed and cut into wedges
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Directions
Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

Perfect Roast Chicken

From: Barefoot Contessa
1 (5-6 lb.) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 T(1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and veggies to a platter and cover with foil for about 20 minutes; Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve with the veggies and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Parmesan Chicken

This has become one of Tom's favorite dinners. It is similar to chicken wiener-schnitzel.
From: Barefoot Contessa
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
1 T water
1 1/3 seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
Unsalted butter
olive oil
Salad greens
1 recipe Lemon vinaigrette
Directions
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, slat and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 T of water. On a third late, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 c. grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
Heat 1 T of butter and 1 T olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2-3 chicken breasts on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.
Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 c. good olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Linguini with Shrimp Scampi

From: Barefoot Contessa
1 T kosher salt
3/4 lb. fresh linguine
5 T unsalted butter
2 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 T minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
Drizzle oil in large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 T salt and the linguine, and cook for 7-10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile, in another large pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minutes. Be careful, the garlic burns easily. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 tsp. of salt and the pepper and saute until the eshrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the ehat, add the parsley, elemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

Easy Grilled Salmon

I kind of made this recipe up. It is easy to make and delicious.
From: Joan Morris
1 filet salmon (I buy the farm salmon at Costco)
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemon, 1 for juice and zest, the other sliced thin
Montreal grill seasoning
Lawry's seasoning salt
Butter, or butter flavoring
olive oil
Place salmon in tin foil, top with onion, garlic, lemon juice and zest, butter, oil, and seasoning. Enclose in tin foil. Place on heated grill for 10-15 minutes.
Optional:
Instead of onion, etc., pour 1 jar peach jam on salmon and place on grill.

Shepherd's Pie

This is one of my standard recipes and very easy to make.
From: Joan Morris
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
handful dried onions
Seasoning salt
1 can green beans
1 can cream of tomato soup
Mashed potatoes, yukon gold potatoes
Grated Cheese
Boil potatoes and mash with cream and butter. Brown ground meat and add onions and salt. Put hamburger in bottom of dish, layer drained green beans on top. Pour can of soup over beans and meat layers. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese and bake 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Banh Mi- Style chicken Sandwiches

I've wanted to try a Banh Mi sandwich since watching "The Great Food Truck Race" on Food Network. This recipe didn't disapoint. These sandwiches are delicious, but messy. You can adjust how hot by serving the sandwiches with the sauces on the side.
Baguette split
1/4 cup light mayo
2 T sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced
1/4 c sweet chili sauce
1 -2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
2/3 English cucumber, peeled and thickly sliced
Min and cilantro leaves
2 c. shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 T seasoned rice vinegar
To make the sandwich, spread both sides of the baguette with mayo and sriacha. Arrange chicken over the bottom halves and moisten with chili sauce. Add jalapenos, cucumber, and herbs, then drizzle with more sauce. Toss the lettuce and carrots with the vinegar, add to the sandwiches, then finish with more chili sauce. If you 'd like. Add top halves and serve with lots of napkins.

Cafe Rio Pork

From:Patty Mickelsen
3 lb. pork
3 1/2 c. water
1 2/3 c. coke
5/8 c. sugar
1 fresh clove, minced
3/4 oz. chicken base (boullion)
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
1 onion, minced
1 carrot, chopped
1 sm serrano chile
1 sm. guajilo chile
Cut pork into 1 lb. pieces. Place meat in stock pot with ingredients. Simmer pork on low in crock pot overnight or for 8 hours, until meat pulls apart easily.
Shred pork and add 1 1/2 c. sugar, 3 c. red chile sauce, 2 c. pork stock (cold). Heat to serve
Cilantro Ranch Dressing
• 1 package of Hidden Valley ® ranch dressing. (prepare according to directions)
• 3 Tbsp of prepared salsa Verde)
• cilantro (1/4 bunch)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 tsp Tabasco
Clean and rinse cilantro and remove large stems. Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender, and add cilantro leaves, salsa Verde, garlic, lime juice and Tabasco. Blend until cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dressing has thickened.

Serve with lettuce,rice, and beans in a salad or in a flour tortilla.

Ham

From: Annette Hurst
Mix
1/2 -3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T prepared mustard.
Make into a paste.
Add 1 T. pineapple juice
Spread on ham. Place pineapple rings on ham.
Warm through 30-45 minutes @ 350.

Bachelor's Roast

I cut this recipe out of the newspaper years ago and it is my "go to" roast recipe.
3-4 pounds beef chuck arm pot roast or beef chuck blade roast, trimmed
1 bottle (14 oz.) catchup
1 can (12 oz.) coke
4-5 peeled and cut up carrots
4-5 peeled and cut up potatoes
Preheat oven to 350
Place roast in roasting pan or dutch oven. Pour catchup on roast, then pour on coke.
Cover pan and cook in oven 3-4 hours, depending on size of roast.

Italian Spiced Chicken

From: Joan Morris
5-6 skinless,boneless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Italian Dressing or Zesty Italian
1 lemon
Mix the Italian dressing as indicated on the package. Marinate chicken in the dressing and lemon juice overnight. Grill.

Fancy Chicken

From:Annette Hurst
5-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle red russian salad dressing
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 bottle apricot jam
Mix together and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 1 1/2 hrs.

Matchless Party Meatloaf

From: Julie Mietus (college roommate)
My roommate Julie, was from Waynesboro, Virginia. This is a delicious, moist meatloaf.
3 T. light molasses
3 T. prepared mustard
3 T. vinegar
4 T. ketchup
2 eggs, unbeaten
1 c. milk, evaporated
1 envelope onion soup mix
3 c. soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. tobasco sauce
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 t. Accent
handful of dried parsley flakes
3 lbs. hamburger
Blend all ingredients well and add meat. Mix well.
Topping:
Mix together:
1/4 c. ketchup
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. prepared mustard
Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.