Baked BBQ Meatballs

For meatballs:

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

3 lbs. ground beef

2 C. Old Fashioned Oats

2 eggs

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp chili powder

For Sauce:

2 C. catsup

2 C. brown sugar

2 Tbs. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 C. chopped onion

Mix and shape meatballs into crab-apple size balls.

Place in baking dish (may be frozen at this point if you want to make this recipe ahead of time)

Mix ingredients for sauce and pour over meatballs.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350.

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 6oz can tomato paste
1 c. of water
1/3 c. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1Tbls+1tsp. Italian Seasoning (or 1/2 Tbls. oregano, 1/2Tbls. basil, 1/2 tsp. rosemary)
salt and pepper to taste

mix well and let stand several hours to allow flavors to blend.

Homemade Pizza Dough

2 tsp. yeast
3c. bread flour (its great with 2-1 wheat to white or 1/2 n 1/2)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. water

1. add ingredients in order recommended by your bread machine and set to dough cycle
2. after it's finished, divide dough in half and transfer dough to lightly oiled pans.
3. work with it until it fits the pan and bake at 450F for about 6mins.
4. Heap with toppings of your choice and bake in 450F oven for about 18 mins.

yield 2 pizzas
(my bread machine will handle doubling this recipe)

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

To make these up to a day ahead, prep and assemble the enchiladas (steps 1 to 3); cover and refrigerate. Go to step 4 when you're ready to bake and serve.    Before filling, soften the corn tortillas by stacking them between damp paper towels and heating for a minute in the microwave. This makes them more pliable and prevents tearing.

If you want to save time you can buy a cooked rotisserie chicken to use instead.

Yield: Serves 6

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

  ● 3 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves 

  ● Coarse salt and ground pepper

  ● 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled 

  ● 2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa

  ● 3/4 cup heavy cream

  ● 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)

  ● 12 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups) 

  ● 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional) 

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.

 2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

 3. Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.

 4. Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

Baked Ziti with Crunchy Italian Salad and Garlic Bread

The classic Italian supper comes together remarkably quickly -- garlic bread bakes alongside the ziti, and a green salad is tossed in mere minutes.

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

●FOR BAKED ZITI

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained

● Coarse salt and ground pepper

● 8 oz. ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta

● 1 cup part-skim ricotta

● 1 large egg, lightly beaten

● 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

● 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

● 1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

● FOR GARLIC BREAD

● 1/2 loaf Italian bread (5 ounces)

● 2 tbsp. butter, melted

● 2 garlic cloves, minced

● FOR CRUNCHY ITALIAN SALAD

● 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

● 1 tbsp. olive oil

● 1 head Belgian endive, stem end trimmed, thinly sliced

● 2 bunches arugula (3 1/2 ounces total), thick stems removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.

2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine cooked beef and tomato sauce.

3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare garlic bread: Make deep, even cuts into the bread, about 1/2 inch apart, without cutting through the bottom. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush garlic butter between cuts in bread. Wrap bread loosely in aluminum foil, and bake with ziti during last 10 minutes of baking.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add endive and arugula, and toss to coat. Serve baked ziti with salad and garlic bread.

Spicy Split Pea and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
9 cups water with 3 T. chicken bullion or 9 cups chicken broth.
2 cups dried yellow split peas
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick Butter
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 T. Curry powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 can prepared pumpkin (could substitute fresh pumpkin but would need to cook it -maybe along with peas? - to get it tender)
1/2 cup milk or cream or half-n-half
3 T. flour

Directions
1. Bring broth, split peas, and onion to a boil in a large soup pot. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Until peas are tender.
2. Stir in butter, curry, cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper, and pumpkin. Return to a boil and again reduce heat and simmer, partially covered. Add milk and flour to thicken. Cook for 30 mins on low until thickened. If you like a very smooth soup, you can puree the soup in the pot with a wand blender. (recommended!)

Serve with sourcream and bread. (I made bisquits and they were just right! I also think this would taste good with some cilantro or green onion garnish!)

Ground Lamb with Chana Dahl

The other evening I was craving something exotic. I found a 1lb of ground lamb in the freezer and this developed from there:

Ingredients:
2 c chana dahl (yellow spilt peas)
vegetable oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 lg onion; peeled & chopped
1 T. minced garlic or 4 cloves garlic; peeled and chopped
1 T. ginger pulp
1 T. coriander (cilantero) powder
1 T. cumin powder
salt to taste
1 lb ground lamb
1 c. milk
2 tsp tomato bullion or tomato paste
1-2 chopped tomatoes
2 T.chopped fresh cilantro (or more to taste)

Directions:

• Cook peas covered with water for 30 mins or until tender.
  
• While peas are cooking, heat the oil in a large pan. Add onions and cook over medium heat until brown, then add mustard seeds.
  
• Add the garlic, ginger, cayenne, coriander, cumin, tomato bullion, milk, and salt to onions.
  
• Add ground lamb cook until brown. 10-15 mins?
  
• Add the 2 cups of cooked peas.
  
• Dice tomatoes and cilantro and add to mixture stirring constantly for 5 mins.
• Serve with chipatis (tortillas) or naan. OR basmati rice.

It'd be good with some fresh green chili added for more spice.

Tandoori-Style Chicken

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts get too dry)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove
¾ cup plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

With a sharp knife make several deep parallel cuts into the chicken about ¾ inch apart in each piece of meat, cutting against the grain.

Put chicken pieces into a deep plate or Tupperware and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Let stand 15 minutes, turning each piece two or three times.

Meanwhile press the garlic into a small mixing bowl. Add yogurt and all the spices and stir together. Pour this mixture over the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, turning two to three times.

About an hour before serving time, remove chicken from refrigerator. Transfer the chicken pieces from marinade to a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. (Or place directly on oven rack and line a baking sheet with foil and position under meat to catch drippings.) Spoon remaining marinade onto chicken pieces. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (250 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Cook chicken for 20 minutes at 500 degrees and serve hot over rice.

Basic White Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk or cream

Melt butter in frying pan. Add flour and salt. Turn heat to very low. Mash flour and butter together to make a lump-free paste. Increase heat and add one cup of milk or cream. Stir constantly until everything is blended and cream thickens.

Variations:
Sauté some fine chopped onion and other vegetables like bell pepper, broccoli, mushroom or any other combination. Add rosemary or oregano or both and a little salt while sautéing. This can even have a little ham or chicken pieces added in. Take all this out of the fry pan to make the white sauce and then add it back in when finished.

Or for a cheese sauce, add ¼- ½ cup of grated cheese after making the white sauce. Fresh Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheeses work best. You can add a pinch of dry mustard to this too. I usually don’t have any on hand so it works without it.

Serve over your favorite pasta cooked el dente.
bon appetit!

Coconut Curry Chicken

This one is for Jonathan and Debra (even though Debra hasn't tried it yet.)
Shannon, this is one I definitely would not say was easy. But it is worth it!

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts,
cut into 1 in pieces
Approx 1/4 cup oil (canola or olive or mix)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
2 TLBs curry powder (half hot if desired)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 TLBs chopped or grated ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 14oz can of coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup el dente cooked carrots
2 TLBs chopped cilantro (dania)
1/4 cup unsalted whole cashews for garnish

Lightly salt chicken. In stockpot heat 3 TBL oil until smoking. Cook chicken over moderately high heat until golden brown about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate.
Reduce heat to moderate. Add remaining oil, heat until smoking, cook mustard seed about 1 minute or until they stop popping. Add cumin seeds, coriander, and curry. Cook, stirring a little until fragrant or about 1 minute.
Add a little more oil if needed. Add onion, ginger and garlic. Cook until onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup water to keep it from sticking if needed.
Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Return chicken to pot and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and drained cooked carrots, cook 1 minute. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with cashews and cilantro and serve with basmati rice. Makes four servings.

Chicken Salsa Chili

Shannon claims I say that every recipe is easy. This one truely is, it's mostly opening cans and pouring it all in.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup course chopped onion
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cans Mexican tomatoes (Rotel brand)
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
½ cup picante sauce (I used medium. You can use whatever you like.)
1 tsp cumin (I use more like a Tablespoon)
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
Optional: one jalapeno pepper.

In a large fry pan or directly in soup pot, over medium heat warm oil.
Add chicken, onion, and garlic.
Sautee 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice.

Garnish with: grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, avocado, chips and/or cilantro.

I modified from Café Latte.

Chicken Rice Broccoli in the Crockpot

4 frozen chicken breasts
1cup of uncooked brown rice
1can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
2 cups shredded cheese
Season to taste with Montreal Chicken Seasoning or your own favorite chicken seasoning.

This old favorite casserole just got EASIER by far and lets the kitchen stay cool! Yesterday around 3:00pm I put 2cups of water, a cup of rice, and 4 FROZEN ckn breasts that I sprinkled with Montreal Chicken Seasoning in the crock-pot on high. About 5:30 pm I used my kitchen shears to cut the chicken into bite size pieces and stirred in a can of cream of mushroom soup. I put some frozen broccoli in a dish with a bit of water and steamed that for 4mins in the microwave. I added the broccoli and about 2 cups of shredded cheese to the crock-pot dish and stirred again. Ta-Dah! It was done with practically no trouble and very little heating up the kitchen!