Filipino Chicken Adobo

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 onion, sliced into half rings
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/8 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 small can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• cooked rice, for serving
• sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place chicken pieces, garlic, bay leaf, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, pepper, brown sugar, tomato paste and pepper flakes in a slow cooker.  Stir to combine and cook on high for  3 – 4 hours or low for 7 hours or more.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Stir cornstarch into chicken stock to make a slurry.  Add slurry to slow cooker, stir, set cooker to high and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Serve over rice and garnish with scallions.

White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Sausage

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (turkey or pork)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cans petite dice tomatoes with juice 
• 3 cans white or pinto beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 - 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Spinach (optional)
• Rice, cooked (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet, add sausages, and cook until nicely browned.  Remove to cutting board and when cool, cut into bite size pieces. While the sausage cools saute the onion in the same skillet.
2. To the slow cooker add the drained beans, tomatoes with juice, sausage, onion, spices and seasonings, and chicken stock.  Stir gently and then cook on high for 2 - 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
3. Serve over rice and/or  torn spinach leaves.  Garnish with cilantro or Parmesan cheese.

Note:  If you use diced tomatoes with garlic and basil, reduce the amounts of these that you add to the slow cooker.

Easy Sour Meat

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef stew cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 envelopes of dry onion soup mix
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a casserole.  Cover. Bake in 325 degree oven for 2 hours.  (Or place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 - 8 hours)
2. Serve over egg noodles and top with croutons grilled in butter and garlic salt.

Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
• 4 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

1. Cut each breast into 2 pieces. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, between pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and pound with flat side of mallet or heavy skillet until about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Mix flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg and marjoram in a shallow dish. 
3. Put the beaten eggs in another swallow dish
4. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in third shallow dish.
5. Coat chicken breasts lightly with flour mixture, then egg, and finally with bread crumb mixture.
6. In a wide frying pan over medium-high heat, place butter and olive oil.  When butter is melted, add chicken breasts, without crowding, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on each side. (About 2 to 3 minutes per side)
7. To serve hot, transfer cooked chicken breasts to a warm platter and keep in warm oven until ready to serve.

Creamy White Beans and Sausage

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 12 – 16 ounces smoked sausage such as kielbasa, sliced into thick half rounds
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large jar of white beans with juice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• Spinach, torn and placed in serving bowls

Directions:

1. Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over medium heat.  
2. Brown sausage, then add the garlic and tomatoes and simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the beans, chicken stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle hot beans over spinach in serving bowls.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 32 large chicken wings
• 2 1/2 ounces butter, melted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce

Directions:

1. Place the chicken wings on a cookie sheet and place in a 425 degree oven.
2. Bake for 50 minutes (a bit longer for crisper wings)
3. Place melted butter and hot sauce on a large bowl and toss the wings in the sauce until evenly coated.

Chipped Beef Cheeseball

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3-4  green onions
• 1/4 cup small diced pepper
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons banana pepper, diced small
• 1 package chipped beef
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. Chop onions and chipped beef.
2. Mix all ingredients together, reserving some of the chipped beef
3. Shape into a ball and roll in the remaining chipped beef.
4. Serve with crackers.

Crab Meat and Cream Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
• 1 can crab meat, drained and cleaned
• Cocktail Sauce (bottled, or made from a mixture of ketchup and horseradish to taste)

Directions:

1. Soften cream cheese.
2. Line a bowl with the cream cheese.
3. Combine crab meat and cocktail sauce.
4. Place in cream cheese lined bowl.
5. Serve with club crackers.

Deep Fried Eggplant

As served at the F&N Steakhouse

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup ground cracker crumbs
• cocktail sauce (bottled or mixture of ketchup and horseradish to taste)

Directions:

1. Peel and slice eggplant into strips about 1 inch by 1 inch by 4 inches.
2. Add seasoned salt to flour and put into a gallon ziploc bag
3. Put milk in a gallon ziploc bag
4. Put cracker crumbs into a third bag.
5. Coat eggplant strips with flour mixture, then milk and finally cracker crumbs.
6. Deep fry at about 350 – 360 degrees until golden brown.
7. Serve with cocktail sauce for dipping.

Original Chex Mix

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 cups corn chex cereal
• 3 cups rice chex cereal
• 3 cups wheat chex cereal
• 1 cup mixed nuts
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup garlic-flavored bagel chips broken into pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees
2. Melt butter in large roasting pan in oven
3. Stir in seasonings
4. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated
5. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes
6. Spread on paper towels to cool
7. Store in airtight container.

Sauerkraut Balls

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pork sausage, fried and drained
• 10 ounces sauerkraut, drained and snipped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• dash pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all of the above ingredients thoroughly and form into 1 inch balls, chill
2. Dip chilled balls into flour, then milk, then egg, and finally into bread crumbs
3. Deep fry at 360 degrees until brown.

Savory Party Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 round loaf of sourdough bread
• 1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 melted butter
• 1 teaspoon roasted garlic

Directions:

1. Slice bread lengthwise and crosswise at 1 inch intervals without cutting through bottom crust
2. Insert the cheese between the cuts.
3. Combine onions, garlic and butter.
4. Drizzle over the bread.
5. Wrap bread in foil and bake on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes
6. Open foil to expose bread and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm mild (110 degrees)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• coarse salt

Directions:

1. Mix yeast with milk and sugar; let proof for 10 minutes
2. Place 3 1/2 cups flour and salt in food processor with metal blades
3. With motor running pour yeast mixture through feeder tube
4. Pulse until dough forms a ball
5. If dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
6. Turn dough into oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place to double in size, about an hour
7. Punch down dough and divide into 20 pieces
8. Roll each into a 20 inch rope.  Form pretzel shaped or cut each rope into 10 2-inch pieces.
9. Place on lightly floured surface; let rise for 30 minutes, until about double in size.
10. Preheat over to 400 degrees
11. In a large deep skillet, bring 2 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to simmering
12. Place a few pretzels in the simmering liquid using a broad spatula.
13. Simmer about 30 seconds on each side.
14. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, original side up.
15. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
16. Bake 18 to 20 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 pound mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons onion, diced small
• 1 teaspoon parsley, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon basil
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• garlic salt

Directions:

1. Wash mushrooms; remove stems
2. Chop stems and saute in butter with onion
3. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients except garlic salt
4. Stuff mushrooms and sprinkle generously with garlic salt
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes