Marco's Salad

sliced cabbage
diced tomato

Yup, that's it. Put some cabbage on your plate and top it with some tomato.

The standard dressing is a Mustard-Mayo Dressing:

1/2 cup Mayo
1-2 Tbsp Mustard
Water

Combine mustard and mayo. Thin a little with water.

Lop

4 chicken breast, ground
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp oil
Oyster sauce
Red Rooster sauce
1 bunch cilantro, minced

Cook ground chicken in oil and garlic. Add cilantro. Add Oyster sauce (1-2 cups) and Red rooster sauce to taste. Red rooster sauce is spicy so use in moderation.

Serve with sticky rice & peanut sauce

Peanut Sauce

Peanut Sauce

1 cup water 

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 Tbsp brown sugar 

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice 

1 Tbsp soy sauce 

1/2 tsp red curry paste 

 In a small sauce pan combine the water, peanut butter and garlic. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let cool to room temp. Delicious with pad thai, lop, steamed cabbage.

Chocolate Mint Swirls

1 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
12 oz mint chocolate chips

Melt and cool chocolate. Cream sugar and butter. Add one egg at a time and beat for 5 minutes each. Mix in cooled chocolate. Use cake decorating bag and squeeze into mini-cups. Refrigerate.

This is a great recipe for around the holiday season. It makes a TON of mini mint swirls.

If you don't have mint chocolate chips you can add mint seasoning to regular chocolate chips and let sit for 24 hours before using.

Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

2 cans minced clams 

1 cup diced celery 

1 quart half and half 

1/2 cup flour 

1 c finely diced onions 

2 cups finely diced potatoes 

3/4 cup butter 

1 1/2 tsp salt pepper to taste 

 In a small sauce pan cook juice from clams and all vegetables. Add water to cover. In a large pan melt butter and add flour gradually stirring for 1 minute. Add half and half. Stir until thick and smooth. Add clams, vegetables, salt and pepper. Do not drain vegetables. Stir until well blended. Serve hot with french bread.

Gernam Chocolate Upside-down cake

1 german chocolate cake mix made up per box directions
1 c pecans
1 c coconut
8 oz cream cheese
1 c melted butter
2 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar together, set aside. Sprinkle pecans and coconut in greased 9x13 pan. pour cake mix over top. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of batter leaving about 1" around the edges. Bake about 1 hour or until cake doesn't jiggle.

Molten Butterscotch Cakes

6 tsp gram cracker crumbs
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup butter
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 425. Grease and flour bottoms and sides of 6-6oz. custard cups. Sprinkle 1 tsp cracker crumbs onto bottom and sides of each cup. In a medium sauce pan melt butterscotch chips and butter over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
In a large bowl beat all eggs until well blended. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in butterscotch mixture, and flour until well blended. Divide evenly among custard cups place on a cookie sheet with sides.
Bake 12-14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft. Let stand 3 minutes, run a small knife or metal spatula along sides of cake to loosen. Serve warm.

*550 calories per cake!!
*can substitute other flavor of chips... chocolate, peanut butter, mint chocolate chip!
*once cooked the tops will be puffed and cracked, but centers will still be gooey!

Honey Glazed Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 Tbsp oil
1-2 Tbsp honey

Mix flour and seasoning salt in bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Heat oil in pan, add chicken and saute. Once cooked thru drizzle with honey, stir, cover, turn off heat. Let sit for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Fried Rice

6 slices bacon chopped
8 baby carrots diced
1/2 small onion diced
1 stalk celery thinly sliced
1 cup sliced cabbage
1 large mushroom diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 inch ginger grated
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 eggs
2 cups rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup yoshida sauce

Cook 2 cups rice with 4 cups water and 1 Tbsp butter, set aside.

Cook bacon in frying pan until crispy, set aside reserving fat. Cook carrots, onion, cabbage, mushroom, garlic, & ginger in bacon fat until tender. Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Set aside.

In large frying pan add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add rice and vegetables. Stir. Add remaining soy sauce and yoshidas sauce to taste. Slide rice mixture to one side of pan. crack eggs into other side of pan and scramble. Mix eggs with rice. Add crispy bacon, stir, and serve.

Fajitas

3-4 chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1 dash steak sauce
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 large onion sliced
2-3 bell peppers sliced

Mix oil, chili powder, pepper, garlic, salt and steak sauce together as marinate. Marinade chicken for 2 hours. Drain marinade and discard. Add 4 Tbsp butter to skillet. Add chicken and lightly dust with flour. Cook until browned and tender. Remove chicken and set aside. Saute vegetables in same pan until tender. If desired mix chicken and vegetables. Serve with warmed tortillas, sour cream, salsa, & guacamole

Hot Wings

10 wings
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce (Louisiana)
1 dash pepper
1 dash garlic powder

Rinse and pat wings dry. Mix flour, cayenne pepper, and salt together. Coat wings with flour mixture and let sit in refrigerator 1 hour. Fry in 1" of oil for 10-15 minutes. Place on paper towel. Melt butter, add hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well. But wings in bowl and pour sauce over wings to coat. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups + 4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 pkg chocolate chips

Cream crisco and sugar. Add eggs one at a time until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then gradually add to the wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips at end.

Place dollops onto a cookie sheet and then freeze for 1 hour. Place in plastic bag and then you can just cook off a couple of cookies at a time.

Cheese Soup

Cheese Soup 

3 carrots, shredded 

1 onion, shredded 

4 potatoes, shredded 

3 stalks celery, sliced 

8-10 chicken bullion cubes 

1 1/2 cubes margarine or butter 

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 jar (16 oz) cheese wiz 

1 small box frozen peas 

Accent, garlic salt & sugar to taste 

 Cook carrots, onion, potatoes and celery in 3 quarts of water until tender. Drain & reserve liquid. Add enough water to make 3 quarts again. Add bullion cubes to liquid. Add Accent, garlic salt, and sugar. Melt margarine in a large pot. Add flour and cook until bubbly. Slowly add 3 quarts of liquid. Add cheese wiz. Stir until melted. Add veggies and frozen peas. Heat through. *don't cook on high temp's, especially after cheese is added. *serves 10-12

Beef Stroganoff

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
2 lbs london broil, sliced thinly
1 onion, chopped
2 c mushrooms, sliced
1 c sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste

Brown onion and meat in large skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, salt & pepper.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Homemade Tarter Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet relish
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together and let chill for 1 hour for flavors to combine.

Broccoli Salad

This one comes courtesy of my dearly departed Aunt Yvette. She was experimental with her cooking, and a lot of the time it didn't turn out well... but this one is a keeper. 

  Broccoli Salad 

 1 bunch of broccoli chopped into very small pieces 

1 bunch of celery chopped into very small pieces 

1 bunch of green onions chopped small 

1/2 cup raisins cut in half 

1 can water chestnuts cut into slivers 

2 cups raw sunflower seeds 

 Dressing: 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/3 cup lemon juice

 Mix dressing in a small bowl, set aside. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Add dressing, toss to coat.

Enchiladas

I love these. And like many of my recipe's I make variations all the time. This past weekend I make an enchilada casserole (which I'll post about that sometime). Sometimes if we have leftover roast I'll use that (beef or pork) or a roasted chicken is always a good standby, but here it is, the basic enchilada recipe.... modify as you see fit. 

  Chicken Enchiladas 

 2 tsp oil 

1 med onion, diced 

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1 can diced green chiles 

12-14 corn tortillas 

1 c grated cheese 

1 can enchilada sauce (red or green.... or make your own.) 

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese (optional) 

 Saute chicken in oil until cooked. Add green chiles and mix together. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken cook the onions, until soft & translucent. Add the chicken mixture to the onions. Open can of tomatoes (and cream cheese if desired) and pour in with the chicken/onion mixture. Mix together. Heat tortillas. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture. Place in 9x13 pan. Cover with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Shrimp Linguini

Shrimp Linguine 

 16 oz linguine 

7 Tbsp butter 

3 Tbsp olive oil 

1 lb uncoocked shrimp 

8 cloves garlic, diced 

1/3 cup shallot, chopped 

2/3 cup clam juice 

1/2 cup white wine 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 cup dill (1 Tbsp dry) 

1 tsp pepper 

 Cook pasta. Heat oil and saute 3 minutes. Take shrimp our and add garlic, shallots and 1 Tbsp butter. Cook 2 minutes. Add clam juice and wine. Boil until reduced by half. Reduce to med-low heat. Add remaining butter, shrimp, parsley, dill, pepper, and pasta. Toss. Season to taste with salt. *adding frozen peas after sauce has reduced adds some nice flavor, color and texture.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is a family favorite, and it's REALLY easy to put together. 

  Chicken Broccoli Casserole

4-6 chicken breasts 

2 bunches of fresh broccoli, chopped 

2 cans cream of chicken soup 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 tsp lemon juice 

1 cup shredded sharp cheese 

 Bake chicken 1 hour, set aside to cool. Cook broccoli slightly. Mix soup, mayonnaise, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and lemon juice. Shred Chicken. Layer chicken and broccoli in baking dish. Pour soup mixture over. Cover with remaining shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. *2 bags of chopped frozen broccoli may be used. *The bags of broccoli florets from Costco work great. *may substitute a whole roasted chicken shredded.

Best-Ever Banana Bread

This is a great banana bread recipe. It's from a book of recipes that a bunch of church ladies put together. There's no cover and it's bent to be permanently opened at the banana bread recipe page. 

Best-Ever Banana Bread 

 5 large bananas 

4 eggs, beaten 

1 cup shortening 

2 cups sugar 

3 1/2 c flour 

2 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp salt 

1 cup walnuts, broken (optional) 

 Beat bananas to a liquid, add eggs. In a separate bowl cream shortening thoroughly, gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add banana mixture. Combine flour soda and salt and blend into batter. Stir in walnuts. Bake in two well-greased loaf pans at 300 degrees for 1 1/4 hours or until firm to the touch. Makes 2 loaves. NOTE: I did this in the kitchen aid. I did not cream the shortening with the sugar, and I did 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar. Turned out WONDERFULLY.

Pugmire Burgers

We call them Pugmire Burgers, they call them BBQ burgers... although you don't actually BBQ them... whatever they are they sure are delicious. A moist burger covered with oodles of onions and loads of sauce.

Pugmire Burgers 

 Hamburger pattys (we just use ground beef and form our own), browned 

1 (or 3) large onions, sliced into rings (depending on how much you like onions) 

1 cup ketchup 

1 cup water 

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 Tbsp mustard 

2 Tbsp sugar 

1 Tbsp brown sugar 

1 Tbsp vinegar 

1/2 tsp ground cloves 

Saute onions for a couple of minutes in a large saucepan just to get them started. While onions are starting, in a bowl combine ketchup, water, worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugars, vinegar and cloves. Pour this sauce over the onions. Add the hamburgers. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove cover and simmer 15-30 minutes uncovered so sauce has a chance to thicken. Serve over buns.

Layered Ranchero Dip aka 7 Layer Dip

Layered Ranchero Dip 

 (1) 10 1/2 oz can refried beans 

1/2 cup sour cream 

1/3 c mayonnaise 

1/2 packet taco seasoning 

2 ripe avocados 

1 Tbsp lemon juice 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp garlic powder 

grated cheddar cheese 

green onions

chopped tomatoes

diced olives, sliced... minced... cut up however you like them. 

 Spread beans on platter. Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning. Spread sour cream mixture evenly on top of beans. Mix avocado, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder; spread evenly on top of sour cream mixture. Top with grated cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Snickers Salad

I got this recipe from Relief Society when I was in college at BYU-Idaho. Good times. This is a great summertime salad, and can be multiplied as many times as you'd like to make as much as you'd like.... it's great that way.

Snickers Salad 

 1 red apple, cubed 

1 green apple, cubed 

1 snickers bar, cubed 

1/2 c whipped cream 

4 Tbsp powdered sugar 

6 oz strawberry yogurt 

 Place cut up apples and snickers bar in a bowl. Whip together remaining ingrediens and then fold into apple mixture. Multiply as desired.

Baleadas

This is one of my husbands favorite dishes from his homeland, Honduras. I think it's a breakfast food, but he'll eat it any time of the day. Generally we prepare the beans ahead of time so its a really quick breakfast.

Baleadas

2 cans black beans
1 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
Cojita cheese, shredded
small flour tortillas
scrambled eggs

In a blender puree the black beans. In a skillet melt butter, add the black bean puree and season with salt. Heat thru. You can store this in a container in the fridge for the whole week.

Heat tortilla. Spread a thin layer of beans (warmed) over tortilla. Then some scrambled eggs (my general rule is about 1 egg per tortilla). Sprinkle with cheese. It's as simple as that. Enjoy.

African Peanut Soup

African Peanut Soup 

 1 med. onion, chopped 

1 lg carrot, peeled & diced 

1 rib celery, diced 

1 green pepper, seeded & sliced 

3 Tbsp flour 

5 c chicken broth 

2/3 c peanut butter 

1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes 

2 c chopped chicken 

1 c milk 

pepper 

cayenne pepper 

 Saute onion, carrot, celery, and pepper. Stir in flour. Slowly add broth. Stir frequently, heat to boiling. Add peanut butter and simmer 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken, and milk. Season to taste and simmer 30 minutes.

Fish Tacos

Ok.... this is a family favorite, but there are SO many different ways to prepare it. Also, it's not a picky dish, if you don't have something in the house you can easily substitute something else.

Fish Tacos

Tortillas:
you can use either corn or flour. if we have corn that's generally my first choice to use for fish tacos.... i think it's more authentic that way.

Filling:
this consists of 3-4 things: fish, sauce, salsa, salad.
Fish: easiest way is to throw a couple of fish sticks in the microwave, but that doesn't generally taste the best. if i do use fish stick, baking them so they're nice and crispy is best. or you can make your own fried fish. or if you want to do it a little healthier, (and this is what i generally do because it is quick and pretty inexpensive) is you can get your own fish (i generally use a white fish, tilapia or cod, but really you could experiment with any kind of fish) and then prepare what i call scrambled fish: in a frying pan put a couple teaspoons of oil or butter. add a clove of minced garlic, let the garlic cook about a minute and then add your fish. as the fish cooks let it break apart into small chunks. season with salt and pepper.
Sauce: Mayonaise and tabasco. Use as much or as little tabasco as you want to get the desired heat. I don't use a lot in mine (sometimes none at all) but husband normally likes it so hot that he sweats.
Salsa: I just use my pico de gallo.... you can find the recipe here.
Salad: I use either shredded lettuce or cabbage... and if i don't have either, no biggie, i'll leave it out. but it does add some nice texture.

Caramel Popcorn

This is the easiest caramel popcorn recipe ever. I had an old roomate that I got this from. Her family would make this and play cards Sunday afternoon. It was a great tradition.

Caramel Popcorn

3 gallons of popped popcorn
2 c packed brown sugar
1 c caro syrup
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Combine brown sugar and caro syrup in a pot and bring to a boil. Add butter and cook until butter melts and mixture boils again. Add sweetened condensed milk, bring to a boil, cook to soft ball stage. Pour over popcorn, stir well and serve.

Honey, Mustard, and Rosemary Pork Roast

Honey, Mustard and Rosemary Pork Roast 

 3/4 c beer 

1/2 c dijon mustard 

6 Tbsp honey 

1/4 c olive oil 

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (1 Tbsp dried) 

2 Tbsp chopped garlic 

2 lb boneless pork roast 

1/2 c whipping cream 

 Wisk first 6 ingredients to blend in a glass bowl. Add pork and turn to coat. Let stand at room temp. 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 350. Transfer pork to roasting pan and reserve marinade. roast until thermometer inserted into center reaches 150 (abt 55 minutes) Let stand 15 minutes. Strain marinade into sauce pan. add cream and juices from roasting pan. Boil sauce until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (abt 15 minutes) Season with salt and pepper.

Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 pork chops
1 c water
1/2 medium onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 cube beef bullion
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 c water
1/2 c sour cream

Brown pork chops in olive oil. Add water, onions, garlic, and bullion. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove pork chops and set aside. Add brown sugar and ketchup to onion mixture. Mix together and cook on medium high for 1-2 minutes (add extra water if needed). In a small bowl combine flour and water. Slowly add to ketchup mixture. Cook until thickened. Add sour cream and remove from heat. Add pork chops and turn to coat. Serve with rice.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs stew meat (1" pieces)
2 c flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 c sliced mushroomos
3 c beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb new potatoes diced
1 c diced carrots
1 c diced onion (or frozen pearl onions)
1/2 c frozen peas
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh oregano sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves

In a medium bowl combine flour. pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Dredge meat in flour mixture and brown in olive oil. Remove from heat and place in a large pot. Add 1 c stock to skillet and scrape all the goodies off the bottom. Add thyme, oregano, rosemary and bay leaves. Pour mixture into pot with meat. Add mushrooms remaining stock and tomato paste. Cover and simmer 2-3 hours. Remove bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and rosemary sprigs. Add potatoes, carrots and onion. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add frozen peas during last minute of cooking. Serve hot with homemade bread.

Brussel Sprouts

This is my Mom's favorite recipe, well maybe not .... but it is her favorite way to cook brussel sprouts.

Brussel Sprouts

1 tsp olive oil
1 c chopped red onion (if we don't have red we'll use yellow)
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin (we just use the minced stuff that we have on hand... but fresh is better)
8 c brussel sprouts sliced
1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
8 tsp chopped pecans toasted (oven @ 350 for ~5 min)

Heat oil. Saute onion and garlic for 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add brussel spourts and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and sugar, cook 5 minutes stirring frequently. Sprinkle with pecans.

Pollo Loco

Crazy chicken. This was one of Marco and my favorite meals from a restaurant back in Raleigh. It's not exact, but it's the closest thing.

Pollo Loco 

4 chicken breasts, fillet and pound flat 

juice from 1 lemon 

juice from 1 large orange 

2 Tbsp vinegar 

1 tsp worchestershire sauce 

3/4 c chili sauce (I substitute ketchup with a LOT of chili powder) 

2 tsp sugar 

2 tsp garlic powder 

1 dash tobasco sauce 

2 Tbsp oil 

 Wisk all ingredients together and marinade 4-24 hours. Grill on medium high, 6-8 minutes each side. Serve with spanish rice, pico de gallo, and a salad. This also makes a great freezer meal.... prepare the chicken, throw together the marinade. Place it all in a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer... it marinades as it thaws.

Yorkshire Pudding

For years it was a tradition to have these for Sunday dinner with roast, mashed potatoes, and the works. Yorkshire Pudding and roast go together like bees and honey. 

Yorkshire Pudding 

 1 cup flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup milk 

2 eggs 

oil or lard 

 Place scant Tbsp of oil (or a pad of lard) in each muffin cup. Heat in oven until temp reaches 425. Combine remaining ingredients and wisk until fluffy. Add batter to hot oil in muffin tins and replace in oven. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown. (They should get all puffy, but if they turn out to be disks... they still taste good!)

Italian Chicken

This is a great crock pot recipe. It was passed on to us from my sister-in-laws aunt. It's great for Sundays... Put it in the pot before you go to church and dinner's ready when you get home! 

Italian Chicken 

 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless 

1 pkg dry Italian salad dressing mix 

1/2 cube butter 

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

milk 

1 pkg cream cheese 

 Melt butter in crock pot, mix in seasoning. Add chicken and coat well. Cook 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. 1 hour before serving, mix soup, milk to dilute, and cream cheese in sauce pan and pour over chicken. Serve over rice, pasta, or baked potato.

Easy Breadsticks

These are the easiest breadsticks EVER!! You don't have to scald milk, or let it rise multiple times. There are a few different varieties of breadsticks that you can get..... when I need the bread fast I use method #1, when I feel like being fancy or have guests coming I'll use method #2.

Breadsticks

1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cube butter (method #2)

Combine yeast, sugar and water. Set aside to puff up. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Mix well. Knead 2-3 minutes, set aside 2-3 minutes. (or if you have a Kitchen Aid you can mix it in there for 4-5 minutes.)

Method #1-
Divide bread into 12-18 pieces, roll into a bread stick shape, place on greased cookie sheet. Let sit 5 minutes. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Method #2-
While yeast is puffing preheat oven to 375. Place cube of butter in 9x13 pan and place in oven to melt. Continue with the bread, but keep an eye on the butter, once it's melted take it out of the oven. After your dough has rested 2-3 minutes roll dough into a rectangle between 6-8 inches in height, and then as long as it takes to make the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 1 inch strips (I use a pizza cutter). Now, take the pan that has the butter in it and put a hot pad or towel under one of the sides, so that the butter creates a little pool in the other side. Take one of the strips of dough and dip it in the butter. Fold it in half and then twist a few times. Place it in the other side of the 9x13 pan. Repeat until all the dough has been buttered & twisted. Let this rise 15-20 minutes. Add topping* of choice and Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

*toppings can be parmesean cheese, garlic salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or go for sweet and have it with cinnamon and sugar.

Note: This also makes a quick and easy pizza dough.

Green Chili Chicken Soup

I got this recipe from a roommate in college. She taught me a lot about cooking, and I have many favorite recipe's that she passed on. 

Green Chili Chicken Soup 

 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil 

1 small onion chopped 

1/2 tsp cumin 

1/2 tsp pepper 

pinch oregano 

2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed 

1 can diced green chilis 

5 cups chicken broth 

2 cloves garlic minced 

1 lb chicken cooked and shredded 

 Heat oil in 2 quart sauce pan and add onion and garlic. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and raise heat to medium. Stir in cumin and pepper. Let cook 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add oregano, chili's, chicken, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Serve hot with Monterey Jack cheese as a garnish. Note: We love this with fresh homemade breadsticks!

Asian Flank Steak

We had this for dinner last night... oh so yummy.

Asian Flank Steak

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 lb flank steak

Wisk first 5 ingredients together and place in a 9x13 pan. Add steak and turn to coat. Marinate 1 hour at room temp, or in the fridge overnight.
Turn BBQ to medium-high heat. Grill steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to platter and let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice across grain.

Note: Sometimes in a pinch I'll use garlic instead of the ginger, I know it's not the same, but it still tastes good. Last night we had this with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts.

Ribs

We got this recipe from my Aunt Mimi a few years back, and it has been a favorite ever since. It makes a lot of ribs, so we invite friends over, but we can't invite too many friends over 'cause husband likes leftovers!!

Ribs

1 cup vinegar
2 cup ketchup
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp celery salt
2 tsp dry mustard powder
3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
ribs

Place ribs in a large roasting pan. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over ribs. Bake at 325 for 2 1/2 hours.

Side dish suggestions: We like this with rice (that way you can pour the nummy sauce overtop), corn (or green beans), and a salad.

Pico de Gallo Salsa

Pico de Gallo Salsa

5 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 jalapeno
1 bunch cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Dice tomatoes and onion, place in a bowl. Grate the jalapeno with the small side of a box grater. Discard the skin. Add the grated jalapeno to the tomato mixture. Mince and add the cilantro. Add the lime juice, salt, and garlic. Gently stir.

Great with chips, grilled chicken, tac0s, burritos, etc...

Caramel Brownies

These are the BEST brownies EVER!! I got this recipe from a lady at church years ago. It makes a LOT of brownies.... a big jelly roll pan overflowing (sometimes I'll use two 9x13 pans.

Caramel Brownies

1 pkg Brownie mix
1 pkg chocolate cake mix
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter
75 individually wrapped caramels
large Symphony bar chopped

Unwrap caramels, place in pot. Add 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Melt, set aside.
Make brownie mix, set aside.
Melt 3/4 cup butter, combine with cake mix and remaining evaporated milk. Mix brownie batter and cake batter together. Take 1/2 mixture and spread on bottom of a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Take out of oven, sprinkle with chocolate chunks and drizzle with caramel. Place 1 Tbsp drops of remaining mix on top of caramel. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Cool and Enjoy!