Vanilla Honey Cake

 

Vanilla Honey Cake

Made by my eldest and gobbled up by siblings and cousins. 

Directions:

Put a generous amount of honey in the middle of the layers 

Cake:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/basic-vanilla-cake-recipe-2043654

Frosting:

https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/buttercream-frosting/#mv-creation-497-jtr

Lamb and Hummus Burger

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
Inspired by:
http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/grilling/our-best-burger-recipes-beef-veggie-and-beyond/?page=5

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ras-el-hanout-101070

The original recipe is for 4 patties, but we doubled it since they were so good!

Ingredients
4 oz crumbled feta
1 cup Greek yogurt
4 tbl milk
1 red onion
2 cucumbers
2 lbs ground lamb
Parsley - fresh or dried (you will use about an entire .25oz container
Ras el hanout seasoning (or make your own below)
Salt
Black pepper
8 pitas - we used whole wheat

Hummus - I like plain

Yogurt Sauce - Directions
Combine these ingredients, and refrigerate & cover until ready to serve
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup crumbled feta (4 oz)
4 tbl milk (I used 2%)
4 tbl grated cucumber
2 tbl chopped parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Burger - Directions
1. Turn on the grill to medium-high
2. Combine the below and form 8 patties.  Flattening them out will make it a little easier to eat with the pita
     2 lbs ground lamb
     6 tbl chopped parsley
     4 tbl grated red onion
     3 tsp ras el hanout
     1 tsp salt
3. Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  During the last minute, grill the pitas, flipping once.
4. Spread 2 tbl hummus on each pita, then layer with sliced cucumber, red onion, burger, yogurt sauce and parsley


Ras el hanout - Directions 
Combine ingredients and mix.  You will have more than you need for this recipe which means you can make it again, or try it on something else.

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Blackened Salmon

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
Inspired by "Saving Dinner" by Leanne Ely

Ingredients:
1 tbl paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 dash cumin

Notes: The original recipe has directions for cooking the salmon on high heat but we just usually generously sprinkle the seasoning on the fish and cook on the stove top. This seasoning mix is one we keep on hand at all times because it's our favorite for salmon. We usually just cook 2 fillets at a time, so we have some left over for the next time.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
Inspired by http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/dinner-pumpkin/

Ingredients:

• 4-6 small pumpkins, about 4" in diameter
• 1 tbsp oil or butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (we used baby bella)
• 1 lb ground beef
• Salt and pepper (I do about 1 tsp each)
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme 
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (we used low sodium)
• 4 cups cooked rice, white or brown

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Thoroughly wash and dry the outside of the pumpkins.
• Cut the top off the pumpkins and clean out the pulp and seeds. Place the pumpkins on the baking sheet. Save the tops.
• In a large skillet, sauté onion and mushrooms in oil or butter. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain the grease from the beef. Add salt, pepper and thyme.
• In a large bowl, mix soup, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Add ground beef mixture and cooked rice.
• Empty bowl into the cleaned out pumpkin and replace pumpkin top.
• Bake for 1 hour on the lower rack of the oven, or on the rack where the pumpkins can be most centered in the oven.
• After 1 hour, remove the tops and check the sides of the pumpkins for doneness. The outside of the pumpkins will turn a dark orange, and the inside of the pumpkins should be tender and easily scoop off the sides with a spoon. If the inside of the pumpkin is still not fully cooked, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin. Sometimes I've cooked the pumpkin as long as an hour and a half before it is ready. 
• Using hot pads, place the pumpkin onto a serving plate, remove the lid, and stir. Be sure to scoop off chunks of cooked pumpkin into the casserole as it is served. That's the best part!

Notes: The original recipe was not for smaller pumpkins but I thought they were more fun in these individual serving sizes.  Also, instead of making the stuffing and then baking it in the pumpkins, I baked the pumpkins while I made the stuffing to save on time.  When everything was cooked, I put the stuffing in the pumpkins and thought they tasted great. Originally, this recipe also called for water chestnuts but we left those out. I think shredded carrots would probably be a good addition. 

Chicken Cordon Rouge

Created by Casey Van Camp

Ingredients / tools:
2 boneless chicken breasts
smash them
8 slices of your choice of cheese. (we like fresh mozzarella)
12 slices of black forest ham
8 pieces of roasted red peppers
Panko or Italian Breading
Salt
Pepper
toothpicks
(makes 4 servings)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut each breast in half (fillet style).  Take a piece and lay it on a cutting board and cover the piece with plastic wrap.  Use a mallet (smooth side) to flatten out the chicken which will make it easier to roll.  Repeat with each piece of chicken
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the chicken breasts
4. Place 2 slices of cheese, then 3 slices of ham, then 2 roasted red pepper slices on each breast.
5. Roll up the breasts and secure with toothpicks (3 to 4 should be ok)
6. Place the breasts on a cooking sheet which has been sprayed to avoid sticking
7. Generously sprinkle Panko breading on each of the breasts
8. Cook for 40 min or until the chicken is cooked through

Notes: We also like using Pepper Jack cheese

Zesty Burger

11/16/2015 submitted by Casey Van Camp

Ingredients

1 pound hamburger

1 cup hidden valley avocado ranch (Ranch, 1/2 avocado blended until smooth)

2 tbs lemon juice

3 tbs paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp onion powder

1 medium onion chopped finely

1/2 tsp black pepper, garlic, celery salt

2 tsp sea salt

Directions: 

Add all ingredients and mix well into meat.  Form patties and cook them as desired. 

Notes: 

Top with Mushrooms, mexican cheese, avocado slices.  This would also be great on a whole wheat bagel

Apricot Chicken

11/12/2015 Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
Inspired by Laura Thayn

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts - cut into stripes
1 cup / 8 oz of Russian salad dressing (I used Ken's Steakhouse)
1 cup / 8 oz apricot jam (I used Polaner)
1 package of dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton)
Salt
Pepper

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place chicken in a 9x13 pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Mix remaining ingredients and then pour them over the chicken
Cook for one hour at 350 degrees

Note: 
We had stuffing as a side and it was great because it soaked up the sauce. It would be great over rice as well. The original recipe calls for 8 chicken breasts but those would never fit in my pan.  Basically, you want to fill the pan with chicken, so that could mean 5 breasts or more if the bird is small.

Philly Cheesesteak Bread bowl

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

inspired by Rachael Ray

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/lunch-recipes/philly-cheese-steak-stuffed-garlic-bread

Ingredients
4 bread bowls

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium onions, sliced as thin as possible and rings separated

1 package of philly cheesesteak meat
Salt and pepper

8 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 bell peppers (red and green recommended)

Directions
1. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and heat

2. Add onions and mushrooms, stir and cook until mushrooms darken and onions start to look transparent. Add steak slices and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until meat is lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of the bread; reserve. Scoop out the insides of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell, and cut into cubes.

5. In a large skillet, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and rosemary for 2 minutes. Place the bread shell on a baking sheet; brush the inside with some of the seasoned oil.

6. Add 3 cups bread cubes to the skillet with the remaining seasoned oil and toss to coat; transfer to the baking sheet, surrounding the bread shell. Reserve the skillet. Place the bread top on the baking sheet cut side up. Bake until browned and toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, in the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden, 10 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add the steak to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions.

8. Spoon half of the steak-onion mixture into the bread bowl; top with half of the cheese, then half of the croutons. Layer with the remaining steak-onion mixture, croutons and cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the bread lid. To serve, slice into wedges.

Golden “chicken” Patties

From Vegetarian Times
Submitted by Mom

Ingredients

(2) 15 oz. cans chickpeas

1 ½ c. quick oats

1 clove of garlic minced or 1 tsp garlic powder

Salt to taste (1/2 tsp season-all works well)

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

2 tbls. olive oil (optional)

2 to 3 tbls. vegetable oil

Directions

1. Drain the chickpeas and keep the liquid

2. In a food processor or blender process the chickpeas with ½ c. of the liquid.  If your puree is dry, add more liquid a tablespoon at a time to achieve a smooth, thick paste

3. Place the chickpea puree in a mixing bowl

4. Add the remaining ingredients expect the vegetable oil

5. Mix well, adding additional water or oats as necessary to make a mixture that keeps its shape.

6. Shape into 8 patties (put a small amount of butter in your hands to form the mixture so that it doesn’t stick)
7. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil (about medium) and fry the patties until golden brown on each side.  About 5 minutes on each side

Serving Suggestion: serve like burgers, with tomatoes, lettuce/spinach, etc.

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
found at http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Recipe-Inspirations-Apple-and-Sage-Pork-Chops

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons Sage, Rubbed
1 teaspoon Garlic,Minced
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Allspice, Ground
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 boneless pork chops, 1-inch thick (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 red apples, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice

Directions
1. Mix flour, all of the Spices and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour.
2. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add pork chops; brown on both sides. Remove from skillet. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender. Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes.
3. Stir in juice, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed. Return pork chops to skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness.

Notes
I was not sure how the onions and apples would taste, but when they were done, they were so delicious.  The only thing I would do differently next time would be to marinate the pork chops ahead of time in maybe apple cider vinegar or apple juice with some of the seasonings above.  All the flavors were great, but the pork chops were just a little dry in the middle and I wanted them to be a little more savory.  I would make this again especially in the Fall, it was very tasty!

Beef Wellington

10/02/2012
Submitted by Marcia and Casey Van Camp

Once upon a time I read a book called Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. In that book about English magic, one of the characters has the opportunity to help General Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars.  I kept thinking...hum...Wellington, Wellington...isn't there a food with that name.  Eventually, I remembered that it was in fact, Beef Wellington that I was thinking of.  Casey and I did a search to find out just what it was and when we saw the pictures, we were amazed.  It looked so delicious and we started to toy with the idea of making it.  I was not sure when I would ever be brave enough but when I asked Casey what he wanted for his birthday...can you guess what he asked for?  Yep, Beef Wellington.
There are not really clear hard facts showing that Beef Wellington was General Wellington's favorite meal but that doesn't really matter.  If I had a delicious food named after me, I wouldn't mind getting credit!

Honestly, even though we did our homework on how to prepare it, I really don't think it was that much more difficult than some other recipes.  I think that any recipe which I can get right the first time can't really be that hard.  I was nervous that the meat would either be too red in the middle or perhaps to tough but I was delightfully wrong.  It was tender and had a wonderful flavor.  Everyone at the table from those who like meat well done to those whole like their food nearly raw were all happy.  I am looking forward to making this again and again and again.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. beef tenderloin
7 oz. Puff Pastry sheet (I like Pepperidge Farm)
Vegetable oil or Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Sea Salt
Sprig of fresh thyme
2 egg yolks beaten (make sure you have a brush)
1 lb. Mushrooms, we used baby bellas but the original recipes call for half cremini, half shiitake
8 thin slices prosciutto
4 tbsp Coleman's English Mustard















DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan on high heat. Season the fillet generously with salt and pepper. When the oil is nice and hot, carefully add the tenderloin to the pan and use sturdy tongs to turn the meat so that all sides are cooked on the outside (aka seared / pan seared).  This will lock in the flavor and form a tasty brown layer on the outside. 

*Some videos will show searing to be very quick but I cooked mine a little longer so there would be less pink in the middle when I was done.  Don't forget the top and bottom of the tenderloin as well.    It only takes a few minutes and this is the time to decide how much pink you want at the end.  I cooked it until I thought it looked nice and brown all around and it turned out really well

3.  Remove the fillet from the pan and brush all sides with mustard. Set aside to cool while you prepare the mushrooms.

4. Chop the mushrooms and put them into a food processor and purée. Heat the mushrooms a large sauté pan on medium high heat with 1 large sprig of fresh thyme. Scrape the mushroom purée into the pan and let cook down, allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture. When the moisture released by the mushrooms has boiled away, remove the thyme and set aside the mushrooms to cool.  When they are cool, depending on how much moisture is left, you can pat them down with a paper towel.

*I tried just chopping them and cooking them but they really need to go through a food processor to make a paste you can spread.  Our Ninja blender worked well.

5. Roll out a large piece of plastic wrap. Lay out the slices prosciutto on the plastic wrap so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and leave a little room at the edge so it doesn't spill over.

6.  Place the beef fillet in the middle (the tenderloin will be laid down the opposite direction of the prosciutto so that they are not parallel).  Slowly lift up the plastic wrap to roll the mushroom and prosciutto over the fillet, and wrap it tightly.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a size that will wrap around the beef fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the pastry dough. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten eggs. Fold the pastry around the fillet, cutting off any excess.  To get a nice shape, tightly wrap the pastry/meat in plastic and put in the fridge for 5 min.

8. Prepare the pan by laying down foil and spraying the foil so that the pastry doesn't stick. Place the pastry/meat onto a the pan, seam side down, and brush beaten egg yolks all over the top. Cut small slits into the top.  I cut just three, but there are lots of different ways you can do this and pictures online if you want to try something else.

9. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden when done.

10. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice in 1-inch thick slices.

Yummy!

Notes:
When I made this I double the recipe...I used a 2 lb. tenderloin and it was delicious.  The Gordon R. video shows that he adds salt / pepper to the mushrooms when cooking and additional on top of the prosciutto before laying down the mushrooms.

As for the puff pastry, if you are new to it, it's really not too hard.  Just make sure you get the sheets and not shells and that you let it thaw beforehand.

http://www.puffpastry.com/puff-pastry-101
http://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/23980/beef-wellington

Here are some websites / videos that we used to formulate our plan. 

quick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1orR1HGv0s
more detail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uXIPhxL5XA

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2538/beef-wellington

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_wellington/

MILK TOAST

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
Originally created and taught by Grandma Arline Brisson

When I learned it from Grandma, nothing was really measured, so I have never measured anything when I make it either.

Ingredients

Milk (I have used fat free to whole and there is not much difference)

Butter or margarine (1 stick or 1/2 cup)

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

French bread / baguette style - cut in approx. 1-1 1/2 inches wide

Directions

1. In a large pan, melt the butter and brown it...basically it means you cook it but not burn it. I would say put the heat on medium high and move the pan around to move the butter so it doesn't burn. This is the most important step b/c it affects the flavor...everything else is easy from here. In dark pans it is hard to see if the butter is brown so sometimes I would get a spoonful of it to take a closer look.

2. Once the butter is perfect, pour some milk in...I have never measured it, I usually just put in enough to fill 3/4 of the big pan...with enough room to dip the bread without spilling.

3. Turn the heat down to like medium low. You don't want the milk to boil over.

4. Add 1/4 cup of sugar

5. Add 1 tsp of salt

6. Add 2 tsp of pepper (this is approx. I usually measure the pepper by...are there enough black
specks in...and then I add a ton more.) Usually the browned butter + the pepper gives it that yummy kick.

7. When the milk is warm, put a piece of bread in the pan. Depending on how deep it is, you can dunk it with the spatula or whatever you need to do to get it all wet. Just a few seconds...careful not to let it fall apart.

8. Put it in a bowl or something that can catch the liquid.

9. Keep repeating until all the bread is gone...serve with syrup!!

YUM!!!

Pus ‘n Chunks

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp from Jayne Carlton
(see my notes at the bottom)

Ingredients: 1 lb. Link Sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, sliced
½ lb. Mushrooms, sliced
2 med. Potatoes (already cooked and cut into pieces)
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Milk (to think soup if needed)

Directions: Brown in a Large Pot:
1 lb. Link Sausage, cut into 1” pieces, remove from pot
Sauté in the drippings until barely soft:
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, sliced
½ lb. Mushrooms, sliced

Add:
2 med. Potatoes (already cooked and cut into pieces),
or 1 can potatoes, cut into ½” pieces
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
Heat through, but do not boil

Add:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or can be served on the side)
Thin with milk as needed

Notes: Marcia = I usually use 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of cream of celery soup...I usually don't add onions but I always put in chopped carrots!

I also really like to have biscuits of some sort served to soak in the soupy goodness...especially Puff Biscuits!

Pad Thai

Submitted by Linda Peterson

(I usually double it for 8 servings! But don't double the eggs).

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 package (6 to 8 oz) rice noodles (the thick kind)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 Tbl packed brown sugar
3 Tbl fish sauce or soy sauce
3 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl rice vinegar or white vinegar
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbl vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
4 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
*Plus: 12-16 oz of tofu, frozen cooked shrimp, or chopped cooked chicken

Directions:
1. In 3-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water to boiling. Remove from heat; add noodles (push noodles into water with back of spoon to cover completely with water if necessary). Soak noodles 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are soft but firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir lime juice, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and 1 tbl of the oil until well mixed; set aside.

3. In non-stick wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbl of oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallot in oil about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until starting to brown. Add eggs, Cook about 2 minutes, stirring gently and constantly, until scrambled but still moist.

4. Stir in noodles and lime juice mixture. Increase heat to high. Cook about 1 minute, tossing constantly with 2 wooden spoons, until sauce begins to thicken (sometimes I add a little cornstarch+water to thicken). Add tofu, chicken, or shrimp. Cook 2-3 minutes, tossing, until noodles are tender. Serve with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions, and cilantro. Additional lime wedges are also nice.

*If using tofu, stir-fry in wok before adding the eggs, then set aside. Proceed with the recipe.
If using shrimp, make sure it's cooked, peeled, deveined medium shrimp and that you thaw it beforehand.
If using chicken, stir-fry it separately with a little basil and garlic, then set aside.

A couple other notes: Don't double the shallot. don't double the cayenne. if you make a single recipe of this, i recommend cutting the cayenne in half, unless you really like spicy. I usually don't include the green onions or cilantro cuz nick isn't a big fan of those things, but I'm sure they'd be delicious! read the instructions on your rice noodle box, because they might be different from what the recipe says. also, I usually add a little corn starch+water mixture to help thicken the sauce a little bit. once you have the sauce and noodles ready, this recipe cooks up really quickly and it's SOOO GOOD. enjoy!

Chicken Tetrazzini

Submitted by Marcia Brisson
From the kitchen files of Christina Bishop

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breats, baked or boiled then chopped (about 2" squares)
1/2 pkg (or more) of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
2 c. sour cream
(1) 10.5 oz. can of cream of chicken soup
8-10 oz. vermicelli (thin noodle) or other pasta (cooked)
Season salt to desired taste
Salt to desired taste
Pepper to desired taste

Directions
1. Brown chicken & mushrooms in butter
2. Add soup and sour cream to mixture
3. Remove from heat
4. Add seasoning
5. Cook pasta just until done (don't overcook)
6. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture
7. Pour everything into a casserole dish (9x13 pan)
8. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 40 min. at 350 degrees
9. Remove tinfoil for at lest 10 min. before serving

Vegetarian Chili

Submitted by Linda Peterson
(or vegan, if you don't use any cheese!)

I happened upon this recipe in 2007 while perusing some cookbook (with cheap, healthy, easy recipes for college students) that belonged to my roommate Amber. I thought it sounded delicious, and lo and behold it WAS delicious! This is the perfect time of year for this chili. It's very cheap, you can have most all of the ingredients in food storage, and it's really great to make for friends that are sick or just had a baby.

1 bell pepper (any color is good!)
1 sweet yellow onion
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (the big chunky ones by Hunt's are my favorite)
1 (15 oz) can corn
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon (THIS is the magic ingredient)

Chop up the onion and bell pepper. In the bottom of a big pot (where you will put all the rest of the chili ingredients), saute onion and bell pepper in butter till they just begin to brown. Add all of the canned ingredients in their entirety--DO NOT DRAIN. The liquid from the cans forms the stock of the chili. Add the spices. Cover and bring chili to a soft boil, stirring occasionally. Uncover, lower heat (REALLY low), and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, until desired consistency. Stir occasionally so your chili doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan; I've had that happen with different stovetops.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, cheesy biscuits, whatever you want! Yum!

I've also made a white chili version of this, with white beans and tomatillos, but I can't entirely remember what I did spice-wise...so feel free to experiment!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Submitted by Linda Peterson
MIND-BLOWING.

Courtesy of Krysta Whitmore courtesy of Paola Jellings courtesy of The Sisters Cafe. Krysta brought a dish of these enchiladas to Nick and I when Luke was about 3 weeks old. Rocked our world, seriously.

6 tbl honey
5 tbl lime juice (1 medium lime)
1 tbl chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded (Krysta says about 3 small breasts; she boils them with salt, pepper, and another 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
8-10 flour tortillas (soft taco size, not burrito size)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (this is the best cheese)
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream (ohhhh yeaaahhhh)

Mix first four ingredients and toss with the shredded chicken in a plastic bag.
Let marinate for at least a half hour.
Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving 1 cup cheese to sprinkle on top.
Place filled tortillas in the 9x13 pan. It might be a tight fit!
In a bowl, mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade, if any.
Pour mixture on top of tortillas, then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a little browned and crispy on top.

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

Submitted by Marcia Brisson via McCormick
This recipe is not on their website. I even called about it! I have copied it down lovingly for you :0)



http://www.mccormick.com/Products/Herbs-and-Spices/Recipe%20Inspirations/Garlic-Lime-Fajitas.aspx

Ingredients:
1 tsp. Minced Garlic (dry)
1 tsp. Minced Onions (dry)
¾ tsp. Ground Cumin
¾ tsp. Oregano Leaves (dry)
½ tsp. Cilantro Leaves (dry)
½ tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup orange juice
2 tbl olive oil
1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
8 flour tortillas (8-inch)

Directions:
1. Mix juices, oil, and all spices & salt into a small bowl
2. Reserve 1/4 of marinade
3. Place chicken into a large resealable bag or dish and add the 3/4 of the marinade. Make sure pieces are well coated
4. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor
5. Cook and stir chicken in a large heated skillet on medium-high heat until lightly browned
6. Remove from skillet
7. Add bell pepper and onions with the reserve 1/4 marinade
8. Stir about 5 minutes or until tender
9. Return chicken to skillet
10. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until all is well heated and well mixed with the marinade
11. Serve in warm tortillas and enjoy!

Notes: I love peppers so I added probably double what was called for and sprinkled in extra spices. Also, it is really good if you have some shredded cheese, sour cream, rice, beans, cut limes etc. for sides

Hawaiian Haystacks!

Hawaiian Haystacks
Serves...6 people?

Recipe by Linda Peterson

Just to be fair, I will say I looked at melskitchencafe.com to get a basic idea. But then I did what I wanted to do!

Ingredients

Chickeny Saucy Goodness:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
4 heaping tbls brown sugar
1 1/2-2 lb chicken (3-4 chicken breasts), chopped in big cubes or shredded
1/4 cup freshly chopped onion OR 1 1/2 tbls dried chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp Chinese five spice*
crushed red pepper
5 tbl soy sauce (more if desired)**
1 1/2 tsp Worstchershierisreisire sauce (i have no idea how to spell it...)
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 tbls sour cream

Other Possible Haystack components
Rice (required)
chow mein noodles
pineapple
mandarin oranges
coconut
chopped bell peppers
green onions
celery
shredded carrots

*Chinese five spice is made up of cinnamon, anise, fennel, ginger, and clove (in that order of quantity). If you don't have it in your cupboard but you have some of the constituent spices, just shake in some of those in whatever seems like a good ratio to you!

**You may especially want to dash in more soy sauce if the pan seems dry or the mixture seems too clumpy as you're adding the flour. You can probably add up to a 1/4-1/3 cup and it would be great!

Directions:

1) In a large pan (I used a 14-inch roasting pan with deep sides), put the butter, brown sugar, chicken, onion, garlic, five spice, soy sauce, and worsterchireshrires sauce. Shake as much crushed red pepper as desired across the surface (1 to 1 1/2 tsp is a pretty safe amount, more if you want a kick).
2) Cook over medium heat until chicken is done
3) Gradually shake in flour, stirring thoroughly so it gets incorporated well. It will start to clump up a little bit around the chicken. (Add more soy sauce if desired)
4) Gradually pour in milk, stirring thoroughly to incorporate the flour/sauce mixture. Sauce should thicken a bit as mixed and heated.
5) Stir and heat till mixture starts to bubble a bit (NOT a full boil). Continue to stir and heat for about 40 seconds.
6) Add sour cream. Stir and heat till steamy--it's ready to eat!
7) Hawaiian Haystacks are a self-assembled meal. You put out the chicken mixture, the rice, and any desired stackers (mandarin oranges, peppers, etc) and people put whatever they want in their stack! Yum!

Bison Chili

Submitted by Casey Van Camp & Marcia Brisson

Ingredients:
Kidney Beans Dark
Kidney Beans Light or Red
Mushrooms any type your choice, I recommend portabella
2 Bell peppers
3 Banana Peppers
2 Hot Peppers, depends on how hot you want the chili to be
1 Vidallia Onion
Black Olives sliced
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Basil
Olive Oil, Flavored if wanted
Chili Mix Powder
Meat

Directions:
Cook all the veggies in the olive oil when done mix with the beans in a large pot
Cook the meat then mix in with the veggies and beans in a large pot
Pour in the chili mix and other seasoning
Stir all together and let simmer for about an hour

Notes: Casey and Marcia are making this tomorrow and I will tweak the recipe as needed :0)