Strawberry Chicken Salad

Bob's Strawberry Chicken Salad

1 marinated cooked chicken breast (or salmon or steak)
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/3 cup Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese
1 cup of toasted walnuts
2 or 3 cups of spring mix or your favorite greens
1 cup diced cucumber
5 Cherry tomatoes halved or a similar type
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon seedless preserves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place the salad greens, chicken,berries in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, preserves, salt, onion powder and pepper. Drizzle over salad; toss gently to coat. Top with toasted walnuts.

Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon Chicken Romano, a bright refreshing chicken recipe, great with rice.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, and pounded to 1/2-inch thick
2 oz shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)
2 oz shredded Montrey cheese (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 oz finely shredded Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp  olive oil
Lemon juice as desired


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound the chicken thighs let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Combine Mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl, set aside.
In a shallow dish,  place semolina flour. in the next shallow dish, fill with 1/2 milk.In a separate shallow dish, toss together seasoned bread crumbs, Romano cheese, oregano, and garlic powder

Working with 1 chicken  thigh at a time, dredge chicken in  semolina flour, then in milk coating both sides and allowing excess to run off, then immediately transfer to Romano mixture and coat both sides with cheese & crumbs, while pressing gently to allow crumbs to adhere. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken pieces. Wait at least 5 minutes before continuing to the next step.

 Pour Olive oil into a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 2 coated chicken thighs and fry without moving them until bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes, then using metal tongs flip to opposite side and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fried chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

Place browned chicken on pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with Mozzarella/Monterey Jack cheese mixture. Squirt a little lemon juice on each piece of chicken and transfer to preheated oven to bake until internal temperature registers 165 degrees. This is about 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with lemon slices or wedges and serve warm. Squeeze fresh lemon juice from lemon slices over chicken just before enjoying.


An adaptation of recipe originally found on http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/03/lemon-chicken-romano/ 

Cheesey Potatoes on the Grill

Ingredients: 

4 slices Bacon 

3 large Baking Potatoes 

1 large Onion, sliced 

1 cup processed Cheese, cubed 

1/2 tsp. Salt 

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper 

1/2 tsp. dried Parsley 

2 Tbs. Butter or Margarine 

1 Tbs. Bacon Drippings 

Fry the bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper toweling and crumble when cool enough to handle; set aside. 

Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes placing them on a 9-inch by 13-inch double-layer of aluminum foil as you go. 

Separate the onion slices into rings and layer them over the potato slices. Add the crumbled bacon bits, cheese, salt, pepper and parsley. Dot the potatoes with butter or margarine and drizzle the bacon fat over the top of the mixture. 

Wrap the foil loosely around the potatoes, making sure the ends are well sealed. Cook about 4-inches from the hot coals on the grill for about 1-hour, or until tender. Turn the package often to keep the spuds from burning. Serve warm from the grill. 

Fondue

Fondue to most people is a fad that is long over, something you dabble with at a small party or one of many appetizers at a buffet. To my family it is more than that. We believe fondue is a meal - not an occasional, twice a year kind of thing, but something reoccurring on the menu. We love fondue.  Having a Fondue pot  (or two or four) is not unusual at all. Was I ever surprised when I moved away that people in general do not have a fondue pot. Many haven't even experienced any kind of fondue.

There are a few different kinds of fondue. A meat fondue, where oil or chicken broth is boiled so different meats can be cooked in it to the individuals taste. For this, the sauces you serve with the meal will determine the success of the meal. A cheese fondue which is some sort of blend of cheeses melted in wine, in which you dip bread cubes. This is the type of meal my family means when they say fondue for dinner. The last type is dessert fondue, usually made of melted chocolate with dippers of fruit or cake.  If you're feeling adventerous, you can serve a dinner of all three, but be aware there's considerable prep work.

Below some Fondue recipes  to enjoy.

Meat Fondue:

Use either a pot 2/3 cup of oil or condensed chicken stock. You'll want a thermometer to check the temp unless you have an electric fondue pot to maintain the temp at about 350. The oil cooks quicker and is more common, but I have tried the stock/bouliion approach and had reasonable success. The meat takes much longer to cook in the broth though, so keep that in mind.

I take some lean beef, a pork chop or two, some boneless chicken breast, some shrimp & some bread and chop it into small pieces, about 1 inch square (bite sized.) If you're feeling ambitious, you can cut small squares of mozzerella,  dip in egg and breadcrumbs twice to make a firm coating, and use them as Cheese boites with the meat. Then you want sauces for everyone to try.

Sauces I have used straight from the bottle are BBQ sauce, Teryaki Sauce, Ranch Dressing, spagetti sauce and Honey. I make a garlic butter sauce from scratch. I also combine lime juice with dijon mustard with a  bit of scallion in it for my lime-mustard sauce. Pretty much anything yoou like to top meat with is good for a sauce.

Classic Cheese Fondue:

12 ounces Swiss cheese,  and 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 and 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 clove garlic
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 cup vermouth or white wine (champagne or chablis are both good)
Loaf of french bread (Baguettes are best)
I have also served small cooked ham cubes for dippers.**
Combine Cheeses and cornstarch in bowl. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes, with a crust on every piece.

Rub cut clove of garlic on inside of pot. Combine Vermouth & lemon juice in pot over medium heat til bubbles form on bottom of pot. Do NOT allow to boil.  Slowly add handful of cheeses to pot. Stir continuously until cheese is completely melted, then add another handful of cheeses. After all the cheese has been incorporated and is melted, transfer to fondue pot and place over sterno heat. Spear bread cubes with fondue fork, piercing crust last. Dip bread in cheese (a figure 8 is best to keep the pot stirred) and enjoy.

Chocolate Fondue:

Dippers cut into Bite sized pieces such as: Strawberries, cherries, bannas, oranges, pound cake, marshmallows, angel cake, melon, apples and even pretzels.

6 1-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of light cream
1/2 cup of butter
1/8 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of creme de cacao or orange flavored liqueur

In saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat. Add sugar, cream, butter, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes or until thickened. stir in Liqueur. pour into fondue pot and place over burner. Spear you choice of goody on fork and dip away in sauce.

Garlic Cheddar Scones

I've made these several times in a campfire, but never in the oven. However, If I can make them outside, cooking them inside the house should be pretty easy.

Scone Ingredients:

3 cups of self-rising flour
3 tablespoons of butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup of cheddar cheese ( I use a mix of sharp and mild cheddars)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped into very small pieces
1 and 1/2 cups of milk
A bit of cornmeal



Preheat the oven. Probably 350 degrees, maybe a little cooler. ( In a fire, you want coals hot enough so you can put your hand over the fire and count to three, but not quite four) Wash your hands too.

Mix the salt and flour together. Use a whisk when possible to make sure there are no clumps. Cut the butter into four or more pieces. now you put the butter into the flour mix and use your hands to crumble the butter into the flour. Melted butter does not work. Keep crumbling the butter bits into the flour until there are no clumps and the flour mix looks a little crumbly.

Add the garlic bits and cheese next. I do this with my hands to keep the garlic from clumping and to make sure the cheese is evenly dispersed. Make a well in the midst of the dry ingredients, and pour the milk in. now mix in the flour until you can handle it by hand. I form it all in a clump, then turn out on a floured surface. Separate into two balls of dough.  Make a flat round of each ball so that it would cover the bottom of a pie plate.

 Grease two pie plates well (or a cookie sheet if you'd rather) and then sprinkle cornmeal over the surface. This makes sticking less likely. Cut each round into 8 pieces for large scones, or 16 wedges for smaller scones.  Put them in your pans.  You're supposed to brush milk over  the top of them before they go in the oven. I tend to drizzle a little olive oil on them instead.  Bake until they're done. I suspect in the oven that will be 10-20 minutes. In the fire, it depends on the coals... 15 to 30 minutes. They'll be brown on top when they are done.

 Try to cool them before eating. Mine were gone before a picture could be taken, so a friend allowed me to show hers - they were made in a dutch oven in the fire.

Dip Mixes

Some quick dips to have with veggies or chips. Mix with soft cream cheese for a spread.

Ranch dip
 2 tsp instant minced onion
 1/2 tsp salt
 1/8 tsp garlic powder
 1 tsp parsley flakes
 add to 1 cup mayo and 1 cup sour cream

Bacon dip
 2 Tbsp bacon bits
 2 TBSP minced onion
 1 tsp instant beef bouillon
 1/8 tsp garlic
 add to 1 cup sour cream

 Onion and Cheese dip
 1 TBSP minced onion
 1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
 1½ tsp instant beef  bouillon
 1/4 tsp garlic
 add to 1 cup sour cream

CHEESE-SOUR CREAM FONDUE

6 slices bacon 

1/4 cup minced onion 

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 pound sharp process American cheese, shredded (4 cups)

2 cups dairy sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In saucepan fry bacon till crisp; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onions in reserved drippings till tender but not brown. Stir in flour. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, till cheese is melted.

Pour into fondue pot. Top with bacon. Place over fondue burner. Spear dipper with fondue fork; dip into fondue. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Suggested dippers: Hard rolls, rye bread, mushrooms.

Greeny's Lasagna

Lasagna Noodles
3 quarts of water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
16 strips white or green lasagna noodles

Cheese and Egg Mixture
1 egg
1 (1-lb.) carton small curd cottage cheese
1/2 (1-lb.) carton ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Meat Sauce
1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I have also mixed in ground sausage & shredded chicken)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (1-lb) cans stewed tomato
2 (16-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/3 cup dry red wine (optional)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

1 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Prepare Meat Sauce. Butter a 13" x 9" baking dish; set aside. Bring water to a rapid boil in a heavy 5-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add salt and oil. Gradually add lasagna noodles being sure the water continues to boil. Cook noodles uncovered until tender but firm, stirring occasionally. Drain.  In a medium bowl, beat egg, stir in cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese; mix thoroughly.  Place a thin layer of Meat Sauce in the prepared dish.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Spread ¼ of the cheese mixture over noodles and cover the layer with ¼ of the meat sauce. Arrange mozzarella cheese slices over sauce. Repeat 3 times with remaining noodles, cheese mixture and meat mixture. Place in cold oven. Set temperature control at 375°F (190°C). Bake 20 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven. Cut remaining mozzarella cheese into thin strips and arrange on lasagna. Bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Key Lime Nachos

Makes 2 servings and can be done in a toaster oven. Adjust amounts as wanted.tortilla chips
2 oz. tortilla chips
1 1/2 tsp key lime juice
1/2 cup shredded Montrey Jack cheese
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper

Spread 1/2 tortilla chips on small baking sheet. Drizzzle chips with 1/2 the lime juice. cover chips with 1/2 the cheese. spread remaining chips over cheese. drizzle with remaining lime juice and cheese. sprinkle with chili powder and cayenne pepper. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Crab-Cheese Fondue

To make Crab-Cheese fondue:

Shred together 8 ounces of processed american cheese and 8 ounces of natural cheddar cheese.
Heat over low heat 3/4 cup of milk. melt cheese in milk by slowly adding a handful of cheese at a  time until melted. Stir in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. add about 8 ounces of crab meat until well mixed. (canned is fine)

Transfer pot to fondue burner. Suggested dippers for this would be  French bread cubes, cherry tomatoes and  cooked artichokes.

Meatballs with Confetti Rice

Meatballs with Gravy:
n a large skillet, combine 1 cup Creamy Sauce mix and 2 cups cold water. stir in 1/4 cup of Ketchup, a teaspoon of dried minced Onion, and a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.  Then add 4 ounces of shredded American cheese. Cook and Stir until thickened. Add a batch of freezer meatballs, or 24 1 inch meatballs of your own recipe. Heat through.

Add the meatballs to the center of the Confetti Rice ring. Pour some gravy over the platter and serve the rest  separately.

Confetti Rice:
Make about 2 and 1/2 cups of rice.  I'd start by bringing 2 and 1/2 cups of water to boiling.  Add a cup and a 1/4 rice to it. Once it comes back to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook until the water has been absorbed. Cook a bag of mixed veggies ( beans, carrots, peas or what have you) and when the rice is done, mix with the cooked veggies.  Make a ring of rice on a platter. This can be done with a ring shaped mold or large scoops (use a ice cream scoop) of the rice mixture laid out in a ring.

Makes 6 servings.

Fondue Italiano

1/2 pound ground beef
2/3 jar of spaghetti sauce
12 ounces Cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup Chianti
Italian bread cut into bite sized pieces
.
Brown ground beef in a saucepan and drain off excess fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add cheese gradually, stir over low heat until the cheeses are melted.  blend cornstarch and wine, add to cheese mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Transfer to fondue pot and transfer over heat source. Spear bread cube with fondue fork. Dip in mixture, swirling to coat.

If fondue becomes too thick, add a little warmed Chianti. Serves about 6.

Italian Meatloaf

Simple to put together, and fine for a family dinner. However, its showy enough to serve to company as well.

Mix together a couple of pounds of ground beef (this could be in combo with ground turkey or ground pork) with just enough milk to make it squishy.  once all of the ground beef is wet, Then add italian bread crumbs and a little garlic powder until everything will clump together.

Instead of forming a loaf, create a 3/4 inch thick, 8 inch wide rectangle on waxed paper. The length will vary based on how much meat you used.  Sprinkle on the rectangle some parmesan cheese, staying away from the edges. Then add a layer of mozzerella cheese. This can be slices or shredded cheese. now, the tricky part - roll up the rectangle. make sure you seal the ends well.  Grease your loaf pan with non-stick baking spray, then put the rolled up bundle into the loaf pan. Bake as you would any meatloaf in the oven at 375. About 15 minutes or so into the baking, pour about a cup of spagetti sauce over the top.

Make pasta ( I use fetticini but spagetti or angel hair is great too), spagetti sauce, and garlic bread to go with the meatloaf. Cut 1 inch slices of the loaf when cooked, serve over the pasta. The cheese spiral baked into the meat looks good and tastes great too.
.

Beer - Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:
1 small clove garlic, halved
3/4  cup beer
8 ounces process Swiss cheese shredded (2 cups)
4 ounces sharp natural Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
dash bottled hot pepper sauce

Rub inside of heavy saucepan with cut surface of garlic; discard garlic. Add beer and heat slowly. Coat cheeses with flour. Gradually add to beer, stirring constantly, till mixture is thick¬ened and bubbly. (Do not allow mixture to be¬come too hot.) Stir in hot pepper sauce.


Transfer to fondue pot; place over fondue burner. Spear dipper with fondue fork; dip into fondue, swirling to coat. (If mixture becomes too thick, stir in a little additional warmed beer.)

Dippers: french bread, ham, boiled potatos

Almond Cheesecake Brownies

These Almond Cheesecake Brownies are more work than most of my recipes. They are however well worth it. From The Chocolate Lovers Cookie Cookbook, by Tupperware:

Ingredients:
4 1 ounce squares of semi-sweet chocolate
5 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 3 ounce package of cream cheese
1 cup sugar, divided
3 eggs, divided
1/2 cup  plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1&1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup slivered or chopped almonds, divided
Almond Icing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 - inch square pan.  Melt chocolate and 3 tablespooons of butter in small heavy saucepan over low heat. Set aside. Mix Cream Cheese with remaining 2 tablespoons butter  in small bowl. Slowly add 1/4 cup of the sugar, blending well.  Add 1 egg, the 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Set aside.  Beat remaining 2 eggs and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until light. Add the baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup flour. Blend in chocolate mixture, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the almond extract. Stir in 1/2 cup almonds. Spread half of the the chocolate mixture in prepared pan. Cover with cream cheese mixture, then  spoon rest of the chocolate  mixture over the top. Swirl with Knife or spatula to create a marbled effect.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set in center. Don not overbake. Meanwhile, prepare almond Icing. Cool brownies 5 minutes, then spread icing evenly over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds.  Cool completely before cutting into small squares.

Almond Icing:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Combine chocolate chips, butter, milk and almond extract in small heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. add powdered sugar and beat until glossy and easy to spread.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients
2 Cups Bisquick
2/3 cups Milk
1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup melted Butter (you may want more)
1/4 tsp Garlic
Dash Italian Seasoning

Instructions
Combine first 3 ingredients. (will be sticky)
Spoon into 12 well-greased muffin tins.
Do not use paper liners.
Combine last 3 ingredients.
Spread evenly over batter.
bake about 10-15 minutes at 450 until nicely browned.

Notes
For a even more decandant taste, make a double amount of the last three ingredients, and spread 1/2 on biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

8 oz of cream cheese
1 1/2 c flour
1 egg
1 c. sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz pkg chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda

In one bowl combine cream cheese, egg, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/3 c sugar. beat well, then stir inchocolate chips.

In second bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar and salt, cocoa and baking soda.

Add to second bowl: 1 c cold water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 1/3 c. oil, 1 tsp vanilla.

Beat well.  Fill muffin cups 1/3 c with cocoa mixture; top with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

no frosting needed. Makes 24 small or 18 regular size cupcakes