"Fried" Rice

2 beaten eggs or egg whites
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
4 scallions
1 TBSP minced ginger
3/4 C red, yellow, or orange diced bell peppers
1/4-1-2 C shelled edamame
1/2 C corn
4 C brown rice or white rice
6 oz (about half a package) of firm tofu cut into bite size pieces
3-5 TBSP low sodium soy sauce depends on how seasoned you like the rice

* To make it easier you could add a frozen bag of mixed veggies instead.

Saute garlic, ginger, and scallions until fragrant and soft (takes about 2 minutes). Add in the pepper, corn, edamame,tofu, and rice cook until warm and then make a hole in the middle of the rice mix. Pour the egg in the hole and cook until almost cooked then mix egg mix/scrambled egg in with the rest of rice mixture. Add the soy sauce and mix in . Serve Warm
Serves 4-6

sweet potato,sausage, and cider soup. mmmmmm.

1 Box of chicken stock (3-4 cups)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans ( a few recipes I found online used black beans instead- we may try that)
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb- 1lb Cooked chopped sausage or even chicken chunks. We did lean turkey sausage.
1 large or two small sweet potatoes chopped in small cubes
1-2 cups apple cider (or apple juice- or half the concentrate)

you could also add carrots- or any other veggies.

Let it all simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. about 15-25 minutes.

Salad (Leisy Miller)

California Pizza Kitchen's bbq chicken salad

I HIGHLY recommend SWEET BABY RAYS hickory and brown sugar bbq sauce.
serves 4-8

SALAD

• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored, rinsed, dried, and chopped up into small pieces
  
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce leaf, separated, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and chopped into small strips/squares
  
• you can add some spinach for more nutrition :)
  
• 1 lb jicama, cut 1/4 by 1/4 X 3/4-inch strips
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup canned black bean, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup thinly-sliced scallion top
• tortilla salad strips (we got them at GFS in maumee)
  

CHICKEN. marinate in first four ingredients for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Chop into cubes- chill- and coat in bbq sauce.

• 1 1/3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (5 Oz Ea)
• 1/4 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce

Lemon Curd (Maria Carter)

Lemon Curd Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)

1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces [I felt like this was a little too much butter, I would probably go with 3 Tbsp].

[Note: Room temperature lemons provide more juice. Cold lemons are much easier to grate. I put the lemons in the fridge and when I was ready grated them while they were cold then put them in the microwave for like 20 seconds and then squeezed them.]

Instructions from the Joy of Baking web site:

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. [I did not do this, if there are lumps it is from cooked egg white and that doesn't bother me so I didn't strain it]. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml).

If you want a lighter lemon curd whip 1/2 cup (120 ml) of heavy whipping cream and fold into the lemon curd.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonCurd.html#ixzz0R8Atli3G

Sauces and Dips

French Brie Fondue

13 oz. ripe French Brie 1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup flour 1 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2/3 cup heavy cream 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
salt freshly ground black pepper

To Serve: grapes, cubes of French bread, raw button mushrooms

Cut away find from Brie and slice cheese thinly. Set aside.

Melt butter in teh fondue pot ( I have an electric fondue pot and made the whole thing in it.) over a low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook gently for 10 minutes until softened. Sprinkle flour over and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add stock and continue to stir until mixture thickens. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.

Stir sliced Brie and ceam into the fondue. Cook, stirring, until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the fondue pot to the lighted spirit burner. To serve, spear grapes, bread, and mushrooms on to skewers or fondue forks and dip into the fondue. Serves 4-6.

Ham and Potato Casserole (Cyndi Ericksen)

Ingredients

4 large potatoes (peeled and cubed)

8 oz ham (cubed or diced)

8-12 oz sour cream

½ - 2/3 can of cream ck soup can

Cheddar cheese grated for the top

Steam or boil cubed potatoes until soft (if boiling in water it takes about 20 minutes). Salt and pepper potatoes and put in 8x8 casserole dish. Stir in ham, sour cream and cream ck soup (Don’t actually make it into a soup. Just take directly from the can.) Make sure all of the potatoes are covered in the sauce. Top with cheese and bake in oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

PASTA

Pasta Night Cooking Group (if you're not in the picuture, come next time!)


Macaroni and Cheese (Karinda Wieland)

Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz elbow macaroni (or other noodle)
3 Tbs butter or margarine
3 Tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp or extra
sharp is best, but mild or medium will do in a pinch)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup toasted breadcrumbs (optional - we don't
like this, but if you, feel free to do it!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions
and keep an eye on it as you prepare the cheese sauce.

Melt butter in a 2 quart sauce pan over medium-high
heat. Add the flour and stir briefly. Add the milk to the
butter and flour mixture and bring just to a boil, then
reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 cups of the cheese
(reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top).

When macaroni is cooked, drain, then pour into a
9 x 9 baking dish. Pour the hot cheese sauce over
the macaroni, and sprinkle the bread crumbs (if using)
and remaining cheese over the mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling.

This dish can easily be doubled and also freezes very well.

Vegetable Lasagne (Jeannette Monson)


Tomatoe Pesto (Leisy Miller)


BBQ Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad (Beth Stewart)

BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups torn romaine
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts) (I grill mine with BBQ sauce the day before)
• 1 small box grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• 3 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• water

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, romaine, chicken, tomato and bacon. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, water (as needed to thin), barbecue sauce, vinegar and pepper. Pour over pasta mixture (I usually reserve about 1/3 of the dressing); toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.


Homemade Pitas & Basil Pesto (Karinda Wieland)

Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In food processor (or blender) blend together basil,
walnuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Pour in oil slowly
while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Freezes
well.

Pita Bread

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp warm water
1 Tbs shortening
3/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour (I do at least 1/2 whole wheat)
2 1/4 tsp (or 1 pkg) active dry yeast

Mix dough in bread machine on dough cycle (or you
can do this by hand  kneading until it forms a soft dough
and allow to rise until double).   Remove from machine
and place on lightly floured surface.
Cut dough in half and cut each half into 6 equal pieces,
making 12  pieces (sometimes I do more or less depending
on how big I want them  in the end).  Shape pieces into
smooth balls.  With a rolling pin,  roll each ball into a flat
4 inch disk.  It is important to roll  without stretching the
dough and without folding the dough over on  itself, otherwise
it will not "puff" up and form a "pocket".  Don't  worry about
making them perfect circles.  Cover with a clean kitchen
cloth and let rise 30 minutes.

Place baking pan in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Place 4  pitas on preheated baking pan and bake for 5
minutes or until breads  puff up and just begin to brown.
Remove from oven and place pitas in  a brown paper bag to
cool (you can also place them on a wire rack to
cool, but the brown paper bag keeps them softer).  Breads
will  collapse as they cool.  If they don't, prick them with a fork.
Often  there will be some that just won't form a "pocket", but
they are still good:)
Eat within a couple days or else freeze for future use.

Options:
Whole Wheat - substitute 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour for
1 1/2 cups  white flour.
Onion and Garlic - Add 1/2 tsp each onion and garlic powder
to dry  ingredients when preparing the dough.  Use as bread
or Tex-Mex - Add 1/2 tsp each chili powder and paprika to dry
ingredients  when preparing the dough.  Split them in half to
make tacos or serve  them as chips with guacamole.

Chicken Spaghetti (Julie Sacks)

Chicken Spaghetti

2 c cooked chicken, cut-up
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c sour cream
1/2 c chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 can of mushrooms
1 small jar of pimentos
1 pat of margerine
1 c grated cheese
spaghetti
1 c chicken broth

Saute onion, celery and mushrooms in margerine. Add chicken, both soups, sour cream and pimentos.
Cook spaghetti. Add spaghetti and chicken broth (broth makes it juicy).
Pour it all into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheese.
Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until bubbly.
*Serves 8-10.


Garlic and Oil Pasta (submitted by Eric Marks)

Garlic and Oil Pasta

garlic
red pepper flakes
olive oil
grated parmesan or romano cheese
spaghetti or fettuccine

Saute garlic and red pepper flakes in some olive oil. Prepare pasta, spaghetti or fettuccine. Drain pasta and return it to pot. Add garlic and oil mixture to the pot and stir. Add grated parmesan or romano cheese. He added some cut up grape tomatoes to it as well. This is best served hot, and is a traditional italian light dinner.

Sensational Salads

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

1. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust. MAKE SURE YOU "SEAL" the edges so the next layer doesn't seep into the crust!
   
4. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Grapefruit Pork Salad

1/4 c grapefruit juice
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T canola oil
2 t honey
1 t mustard
1 t poppy seeds
1/8 t salt
MIX in jar and set aside.

1 lb. pork tenderloin, julienned
1 bunch leaf lettuce, torn
1 medium grapefruit, peeled and sectioned (no skin)
1 medium white grapefruit, peeled and sectioned (no skin)
1 1/2 c halved green grapes
1 c quartered fresh strawberries

In large skillet coated with cooking spray, stir fry pork with 1/4 t salt.

Place lettuce on a platter, top with warm pork. Arrange grapefruit, grapes and strawberries around pork. Shake dressing; drizzle over salad.

Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad

1 pkg. rotini or spiral pasta (16 oz.)
4 c cubed cooked chicken
1 can pineapple tidbits (opt)
1 1/2 c sliced celery
3/4 c green onions, thinly sliced
1 c seedless green grapes
1 c seedless red grapes (or 2 cups of one kind)
1 pkg dried cranberries
1 c ranch salad dressing
3/4 c mayo
2 c salted cashews

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large bowl combine chicken, pineapple, celery, onions, grapes, and cranberries. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water. Stir in chicken mixture.

In a small bowl whisk ranch dressing and mayo. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refridgerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cashews. Yeilds 12 servings.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Cook 3 chicken breasts in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup soy sauce for 2 hours in 375 degree oven...cool,chop and set aside

Dressing...Make at least 2 hours before serving and shake every 20 minutes (I usually double or triple the recipe)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. MSG

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

3 Tbsp Vinegar

1 Tbsp Sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1 head or lettuce or bag of salad mix (I also add cucumbers and grape tomatoes)

1 cup almonds

2 Tbsp chopped green onions

2 oz Wonton skins cut into thin strips, deep fry in 400 degree oil until golden brown

2 handfuls of rice sticks, deep fry in 400 degree oil until it pops like pop corn...will not be brown

Place salad in a bowl, toss in wontons, rice sticks and chicken right before serving...toss all with dressing or serve it on the side