Orange Chicken and Gruyere Turnovers
3 chicken breasts
2 T. coconut oil
3 oranges, Juice and zest
1/2 lb. Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
2 T. Orange Liquor
1 cup powdered sugar
freshly ground black pepper and salt
2 sheets of Puff Pastry
Salt and pepper the chicken; brown in olive or coconut oil. Add the juice and zest of 1 orange to the chicken. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the raisins and orange liquor and simmer being careful not to over-cook the chicken. (You want the chicken juices to run clear when you press on the top of the chicken.) Set aside to rest.
Roll out the Pastry dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut into 4" squares.
Dice the chicken and place into a bowl with the raisins and juices from the skillet. Place a few cubes of chicken mixture and ~2 T. of cheese into the center of each square. Fold into a triangle and pinch the edges closed.
Place the triangles on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for ~20 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile stir the powdered sugar with the rest of the zest and orange juice to make a thin glaze. When the triangles come out of the oven spoon a little glaze on to the top of each. Serve with a salad.
Jambalaya
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| Brown the sausage |
1 green pepper, rough chop
2 garlic pods, minced
3 T. flour
3 T. vegetable oil
1 (6 oz. can) tomato paste
2 lbs. smoked sausage, sliced
5 cups water or chicken broth
Tabasco, salt, red and black pepper to taste
Brown the sausage; take the sausage out of the oil and add enough vegetable oil to equal about 3 tablespoons. Sprinkle the flour onto the hot oil and whisk until smooth; add the tomato paste and whisk again until smooth. Pour the vegetables into the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for ~3-4 min. Stir in the water (or chicken broth) and bring to a boil, stir until smooth. Pour the rice into the tomato mixture and then the sausage. Add all of the seasonings, stir and cover. Cook until the rice is done (~20 min.)
You can add cooked chicken or any left-over poultry or meat product into this dish which makes it very convenient!
Meat Loaf
2 lbs. ground meat
12 oz. ketchup
1 cellophane container of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 eggs, scrambled
Mix the meat, ½ cup of ketchup, crackers and eggs together. Place on a jelly roll pan and shape. (Hearts, Alligators, College symbols...anything! Use olives for eyes and roasted red peppers for lips! Have fun!) Pour the rest of the ketchup on top of the meat and bake in a 350 degree oven for ~ 45min. - 1 hour.
Ropa Vieja (Jessy’s Steak)
1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes
2 lbs. of flank steak
1 qt. beef broth
2 onions, cut in half and then sliced ¼” thick
2 bell peppers, any color, cut into ¼” strips
5 cloves garlic, chopped (I used 10)
2 tsp. cumin
2 T. oregano
Salt and Pepper
In a large skillet pour in the beef broth, tomatoes and flank steak; cover and simmer for 2 hours or until very tender. In a separate skillet sauté the onion and bell pepper for a few min then add in the garlic and cook a little longer. Let the vegetables sit on the stove until the meat is finished cooking then add them to the steak along w/ the spices. Cook for 30 min more w/ the lid off. (You can add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth.)
Serve in flour tortillas w/ Monterey Jack cheese.
Potato Bacon Casserole
8 White Potatoes, sliced to 1/8"
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
3 T. flour
1 cup milk
1/2 lb. thick-cut bacon or artisan ham
1 onion, chopped finely
1 c. sour cream
2 cups Longhorn cheddar (or any good cheddar)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9x13" casserole dish; layer the potatoes. Sprinkle the butter over the top and then the flour. Layer with the remaining potatoes and pour the milk over all. Bake for ~35-40 min. or until soft.
In the meantime: cook the bacon or warm the ham and set aside to drain. Add the onion into the bacon grease and cook until clear. (~7-10 min.) Drain. Sprinkle the bacon on top of the potatoes and cover with the sour cream. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve.
Simple Lasagna
12 dried Lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and drained
1 ½ lb. ground meat, seasoned w/ s&p, browned and drained
2 (24 oz.) jars simple spaghetti sauce
1 (12 oz.) container Ricotta cheese
16 oz. Mozzarella cheese grated
In a 9 x 13” baking dish build the lasagna by spooning ~1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan; sprinkle with 1/3 of the ground meat. Place the noodles length-wise on top and spread ½ of the Ricotta cheese; sprinkle w/ 1/3 of the mozzarella.
Second layer: spoon 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the ground meat. Place the noodles width-wise in the pan; sprinkle w/ the other ½ of the Ricotta and a little Mozzarella.
Last layer: spoon ½ of the remaining sauce and the last of the beef on top of the second layer. Place the noodles length-wise and spoon the rest of the spaghetti sauce on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the Mozzarella.
Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 10 min. before serving.
Stacked Eggplant
2 Japanese Eggplant, peeled and sliced thinly
Four for dredging
2 eggs, scrambled
Salt and Pepper
Oil for browning
8 oz. Ricotta cheese
1 lb. cooked shrimp, (found in the seafood dept of your local grocery)
2 cups Marinara Sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Place the eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle w/ salt. Let them sit until they begin to give off beads of water. ~45 min. (you can skip this part if you're in a hurry!) Dry each slice and coat w/ egg wash and then flour mixed w/ salt and pepper. Fry in skillet until golden brown and drain. Stack 3-4 layers deep spreading ricotta in between the layers, sprinkling with shrimp. Place in baking dish and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Pour Marinara sauce on top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
You can substitute the shrimp for cooked chicken or cooked, drained ground beef if your family prefers!
Chicken Tetrazzini
1 Precooked chicken, skinned, boned and cut into 1” pieces
1 T. olive oil
½ large onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
2 pods garlic, minced
1 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 cup cream
1 cup (or more) chicken broth
Bread crumbs
butter
Drain the noodles completely. Sautee the vegetables in the olive oil and add to the cut chicken pieces.
Make the white sauce by melting butter, whisking in the flour and cooking the flour for ~3 minutes. Add in the cream and whisk until thickened then quickly add at least one cup chicken broth. Stir until thickened again. (It won’t be quite as thick as when you added the cream…it looks more like a real sauce now!)
In a 9x 13” casserole dish pour in the noodles; layer with the chicken mixture. Pour the white sauce on top. If the sauce does not reach above the chicken mixture add more broth and mix in a bit. Sprinkle a few bread crumbs on the top and dot w/ butter.
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T. Olive oil
1 lb. frozen broccoli crowns
3 cups cooked rice
1 medium onion, chopped small
½ bell pepper, chopped small
1 rib celery, chopped small
2 pods garlic, minced
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup….or 2 cups of the white sauce w/ nutmeg
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread crumbs
Butter
Brown the chicken pieces in the olive oil then add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook just until softened (~10 min); add the broccoli to warm. Transfer to a large bowl. Pour the white sauce (or soup), milk, rice and cheese and mix. Pour into a 9 x 13” casserole and top with bread crumbs; dot w/ butter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Chicken Pot Pies
1 whole cooked chicken, deboned, skinned and chopped into ½ “pieces
½ medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 fresh carrots, cubed
3 red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2” pieces
1 small frozen pkg. large green peas
1 small frozen pkg. corn
3 T. flour
3 T. butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cream
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Readymade (or homemade) pie crust
Roll out and line the foil pot pie containers with the pie crust. Roll out and have the tops waiting.
Sauté` the onion and celery until soft; add the carrots and potatoes and just enough water to cover the tops of the vegetables. Cook until tender and drain; add the chicken, peas and corn into the onion, celery mixture and mix through. (You can add all frozen vegetables or different fresh vegetables for a change.)
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan; add the flour, stir and cook over medium heat for ~2 minutes to cook the flour. Add the chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Pour in the cream and stir until thickened; add the salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg and continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Pour over the top of the chicken/veggie mixture and stir until all the pieces have been coated. Cool and pour into the foil containers. Top w/ the crust dough and crimp the edges. Poke holes in the top of the pie and freeze in an air tight container or bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until bubbly.
To cook after freezing: place the frozen pie in a 425 degree preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes; turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Cabbage Rolls
1 large head of cabbage, boiled, leaves separated
2 1/2 lb. ground chuck
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
2 cups tomato sauce w/ additional 1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix ground meat, sugar eggs, bread crumbs and 1/2 cup tomato sauce together. Place ~3/4 cup meat mixture onto the inside of one cabbage leaf. Roll the bottom and sides of the leaf to the inside and roll the meat mixture to the end of the cabbage leaf. Place about 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of a foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Place rolls onto the sauce; top w/ extra cabbage leaves. Pour another 1/2 cup tomato sauce on top and cover w/ another piece of foil. Bake for ~75 minutes. Uncover and let the rolls set for ~15 minutes before serving.
Zucchini Rolls
3 small zucchini, sliced horizontally thinly
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg, scrambled
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Marinara sauce
Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley and egg with some salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread thinly along the zucchini pieces and roll up. Place side up in a baking dish and pour the Marinara sauce on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min, until bubbly.
Shepherd's Pie All-in-One
2 large white potatoes
1/3 cup milk
3 T. Butter
1 1/2 lb. lean ground meat
1 small onion, chopped small
2 carrots, diced
1 T. cornstarch
1/3 cup room temperature water
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper
Place potatoes in a 350 degree oven to bake for ~1 hr. Test to make sure they are cooked by piercing them with a knife. When they are soft on the inside, remove from the oven and set aside until cooled. Scoop the inside of the potato out leaving 1/4" of pulp attached to the outside skin. Mash potatoes with milk and butter adding salt and pepper. Set aside
Brown ground meat; add onion and carrots and cook until carrots are soft. Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth and warm to simmer. Make a "slurry" with the cornstarch and water, mixing completely. As the meat mixture is simmering stir in the slurry. Stir until thickened. Add more beef broth if necessary to make a bit of a gravy. Stir the cheddar cheese in until it's completely melted.
To assemble: Pour the meat mixture into the hollowed potatoes. Put the mashed potatoes on top. (optional: sprinkle w/ bread crumbs and dot w/ butter if you want to serve this later. Warm for 35 min. on 350 degrees if the potatoes are completely cold.) Or serve immediately. (You can also sprinkle cheese on top and place them back into the oven until the cheese is melted!)
Kandy's Crawfish Pie
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
3 pods of garlic, minced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. crawfish tails
1 bunch parsley, chopped
2 oz. chipotle peppers. chopped
2 cups of seafood broth
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
1 recipe flaky pie crust
Sauté the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic in the butter. Do not let the butter burn. Add the chipotle peppers and stir. Blend in the flour and whisk until flour is cooked thru. Add the broth and whisk until smooth and just tight. Take the mixture off the heat and add the green onion and parsley and seasonings. Adjust for flavor. Pour into a pie crust. Top with another crust and crimp together. Poke holes in the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 min. Or until golden brown.
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