Zesty Chicken - Slow Cooker Recipe

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb Italian style turkey sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 ½ teaspoon chopped garlic or 1 large clove 

1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

6 oz. can tomato paste

14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained

4 oz. pitted sliced black olives, drained. Kalamata olives are my favorite.  

1. Coat 4 to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. In the slow cooker, combine the chicken, turkey sausage, onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
3. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 7 hours or until meat is done.
4. Stir in artichoke hearts and olives. Cook 10 or more minutes. Serve with rice or a baguette. 

This makes a lot! If you're only cooking for 2 cut it in half. It keeps well in the refrigerator but doesn't freeze well. 

Pacific Style Short Ribs

3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs, cut in 2 to 3 inch lengths

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

2/3 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Place short ribs on a broiler pan. Broil until well-browned to remove excess fat. Transfer to crock pot.
2. Sauté onion in brown butter until limp and golden. Pour in ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar.
3. Heat until blended. Pour over ribs.
4. Cover and cook on low (200*) for 8 hours. 

Spinach Soufflé

1 package frozen spinach (10 oz.)

1 tablespoon flour

2 eggs

½ teaspoon garlic

¼ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt

1. Cook spinach according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, beat eggs thoroughly.
3. Add other ingredients and mix well
4. Add cooked spinach
5. Pour into small greased casserole.
6. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
7. Top with grated white cheese and return to oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted, not browned. 

Herb Roasted Pork Loin with Parsley Shallot Sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried sage

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (2 ½ pound) center cut boneless pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat

½ cup parsley shallot sauce, recipe follows

Sauce:

1 ½ cups lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped shallot

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350*
2. Mash the garlic and salt together with a fork until it forms a coarse paste.
3. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the oil, fresh herbs, and freshly ground pepper.
4. Rub the garlic-herb paste all over the pork. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roat for 1 ¼ hours or until the internal temperature reach 155*.
5. Transfer the roast to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Carve the pork into slices and serve the sauce. 

Penne all’amatriciana

Time: 30 minutes

8 oz. penne pasta

4 oz. pancetta or good-quality bacon, cubed

1 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 tsp each kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and red chile flakes

¼ grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Cook pancetta in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until partly translucent. Spoon off most of the drippings/
3. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until browned.
4. Add remaining ingredients except Parmesan and cook over high heat until juices have reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
5. Add pasta, stir to coat, and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan. 

Drunk Chicken - we ate this all the time when I was a kid!

¾ cup vin Rose

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup salad oil

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp oregano

1 tsp clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp powder)

1 tsp ginger

1 chicken, cut up

1. Salt and pepper chicken, pour sauce over.
2. Bake about 1 ½ hours in 350* oven, baste if necessary and start in a cold oven.
3. Serve with rice

Mac and Cheese with Poblano Chiles and Green Onions

Original: Rabble and Rouser

3-4 medium poblano chiles, about ¾ pound

½ pound baked ham, sliced about 1/3 inch thick

6 scallions, including the green tops

Extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus a little extra for buttering the baking dish

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 quart whole milk

4 cups (about 12 oz.) grated Monterey jack cheese

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 oz. large elbow macaroni

½ cup fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1.   Lightly coat the chilies, sliced ham, and green onions with oil. Grill the poblano chiles over direct medium heat (350* to 450*), with the lid closed as much as possible, until evenly charred on all sides (8 to 10 minutes). You can also char them over an open flame if you have a gas stove. 
2. At the same time, grill the ham and scallions over direct medium heat until lightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice.
3. Remove the chiles, ham, and scallions from the grill and let cool. Peel away the charred skins from chiles. Remove and discard the stems and seeds. Roughly chop the chiles.
4. Dice the ham into 1/3 inch cubes and thinly slice the scallions crosswise and discard the root ends.
5. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. As it starts to sizzle, whisk the flour into the butter to form a paste. Cook this mixture until it starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ass the milk and keep whisking to keep lumps from forming. Raise the heat to medium high.
6. Gradually add 3 cups of the Monterey jack cheese, all the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the salt, and the pepper. As the cheese melts into the sauce and it begins to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat and pour into a buttered 2 ½ to 3-quart baking dish.
7.   Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 3 minutes less than the cooking time recommended on the package. Drain the macaroni and add it to the baking dish, mixing it with the cheese sauce. Add the chilies, ham, and scallions. Mix well.
8. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and the thyme. Top the pasta with the bread crumb mixture and gently press it into the surface.
9. Place the baking dish over indirect medium heat and cook, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the mac and cheese is golden brown on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Wearing insulated mitts, remove the dish from the grill let cool slightly. Serve warm. 

Now go take a walk and burn off that amazing mac dinner! 

Frosted Brownies from Liz Bundy

Brownies:

1 ½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

8 tablespoons cocoa (almost ½ cup)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

¼ cup water

12 large marshmallows

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Mix all brownie ingredients except nuts with a hand mixer. Hand stir in nuts.
2. Pour into 11 x 15 inch pan
3. Bake 350* for 30 minutes
4. Heat water, marshmallows, and cocoa until melted.
5. Use low heat and stir. Cool.
6. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
7. Beat until spreading consistency and spread over brownies. 

Quick Tomato Soup

2 celery stalks chopped up
1 medium onion chopped
2 carrots chopped up
2 cloves garlic crushed 
2 -  28 ounce cans of tomatoes with basil in it – Trader Joe’s is good
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper 

If you can’t find tomatoes with basil add a cup of fresh basil to the soup. 
Sauté the celery, onion, carrots until soft. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the cans of tomatoes and chicken stock cook for 20 minutes.  Use an emersion blender or regular blender  to make the soup smooth. Add back to the pot to heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like your tomato soup spicy add some of your favorite hot sauce. We eat ours with grilled sourdough and cheese sandwiches! Delicious!  

Mexican Beef Stew - south of the border favorite!

2 pounds beef stew meat

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup oil

1 (14 ½ oz.) can beef broth

1 (14 ½ oz.) stewed tomatoes

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 crushed large garlic clove

1 teaspoon oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

3 large carrots

2 ears corn

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans and liquid

1. Combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper.
2. Coat meat with flour mixture. Brown in oil in Dutch oven.
3. Add beef broth, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce. Garlic, oregano, salt and cumin.
4. Cut onion into 8 wedges and add to stew.
5. Heat to boiling
6. Reduce heat and boil gently 1 ½ hours or until meat is almost tender.
7. Cut carrots and corn into 1 inch pieces. Add carrots, corn and garbanzo beans to stew.
8. Boil gently covered 30 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender.
9. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Pizza Margherita

1 12-inch pizza crust, prebaked

4 teaspoons olive oil

2 heaping cups grated mozzarella cheese

2 large tomatoes or 6 Italian plum tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh basil or 1 heaping tablespoon dried

1. Preheat oven to 425*
2. Brush prebaked pizza crust with olive oil and sprinkle with all but ¼ cup of the mozzarella
3. Place tomato slices over cheese; sprinkle over remaining mozzarella on top.
4. Sprinkle with basil over topping and bake pizza until nicely browned. 

Turkey Meatloaf & Roasted Chicken

In my humble opinion, the best Turkey Meatloaf and Roasted Chicken recipes come from Ina Garten in her Barefoot Contessa cookbook.I have even split the turkey meatloaf recipe in 1/2 and it still tastes fantastic! Thank you Ina Garten for making a great turkey meatloaf!!!

Pacific Short Ribs

Pacific Short Ribs
This is a family favorite.

3 – 4 lbs beef short ribs cut into 2 – 3 inch lengths – just make sure they will fit in the crock pot.
1 onion chopped
2/3 catsup
3 TB Soy sauce
2 TB cider vinegar
1 TB brown sugar

Broil ribs or pan fry them in canola oil until brown – remove excess fat. Transfer to the crock-pot. Sauté onions in canola oil until a bit brown and put those in the crock-pot too. Add the catsup, soy, vinegar and brown sugar. Cook on low 200 degrees for 8 hours. Stir and serve. If you can stir it mid way through great – if not it still tastes good! Makes 4 servings.

Serve with rice.