Jambalaya

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound andouille, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3 cups chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon Essence
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 pounds boneless white and dark chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound ham, cubed
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain white rice
6 cups water
1/2 pound shelled shrimp
1 cup chopped green onions, green tops only
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Mix all ingredients and store in air tight jar.

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook. Add the onions, bell peppers, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the Essence, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables and sausage until they are caramelized, about 15 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles. †Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. †Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken, ham, and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles.†Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat evenly. Add the water, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Add the shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking and cook until just pink. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. †Stir in the green onions and parsley, and serve.

†Number Of Servings:Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Citrus Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Part 16-7 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed
6 stalks of celery diced
1 Cup slivered almonds
2 Small cans mandarin oranges drained
2 Cups red seedless grapes halved
4 green onions finely chopped
2 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles broken into bite size pieces (save the seasoning to use in dressing)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. pepper
Part 2
Dressing: Mix the following together:
1/2 C white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/3 C sugar
2Tb orange juice concentrate
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
8 TB mayonnaise
2 chicken flavor packets from the ramen noodles
Directions:
Mix the ingredients in Part 1.Mix the dressing ingredients in Part 2
Cover ingredients in part 1 with dressing, and refrigerate over night.
Number Of Servings:
This would feed my family, and probably have some left over. But leftovers keep very well.

String Beans Patata

Ingredients:
1 pound tiny new potatoes
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh snipped oregano
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Directions:
1. Fill a 4-quart dutch oven halfway with salted water; bring to boiling. Halve the smallest new potatoes; quarter any larger new potatoes. Add potatoes to boiling water. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; cook for 6 minutes. Add beans. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender and potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Drain beans and potatoes well. Add beans and potatoes to the large bowl; toss gently to coat. Let stand at least 30 minutes or until mixture is room temperature. Season to taste with salt. From Simply Perfect Italian
Number Of Servings:Makes 6 cups.

Winter Salad

Ingredients:1 head of Romaine lettuce
1 head of Red Leaf lettuce
2 apples cut in bite size pieces
1 pear cut in bite size pieces
1 can mandarin oranges drained
4 oz cran-raisins
1 1/2 C sliced almonds sugared (in skillet, heat almonds and 5 TB sugar until sugar crystalizes)

Dressing:Mix and marinate atleast two hours before using.
1/4 C sugar1 tsp dry mustard (or 1 TB regular mustard)
1 tsp salt
1/3 C cider vinegar
3/4 C canola or vegetable oil
2 tsp. finely chopped onion (red is best)
1 TB poppy seeds
Directions:Mix the dressing 2 hours before using. Toss salad with dressing and enjoy!
Number Of Servings:1/2 of this recipe feeds a family of 6.

Fruit Dip

Dip, Dollop, and Drool

1 C Pineapple juice
3/4 C sugar
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
2 eggs (beaten)
1 Tablespoon flour
Dash of salt

Heat all ingredients in a double boiler until thickened, stirring often with a wire whisk. Cool! Ship 1/2 pint whipping cream (or just use the ready made), and fold in to cooled mixture. Serve as a topping or dip with any fruit combination. Delicious!

French Bread

from Mrs. Dick Nobis

First of all let me say that I don't usually use this recipe as a French bread recipe. To me, it doesn't taste like what I think of French bread. But I love this to use this recipe to make bread sticks.

Combine the following:

Mixture 1

1/2 C warm water

2 pkg (or 5 tsp) dry yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

Let sit for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is active. It will begin to bubble and grow. If it doesn't grow, the yeast might be too old.

Combine and mix the following:

Mixture 2

2 C. hot water

3 tablespoons sugar

3 C. all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon salt

1/3 C shortening or vegetable oil (I use vegetable oil for convenience)

When yeast mixture is active, add mixture 1 to mixture 2.

Add 3 more cups of flour. Let sit 10 minutes and then stir down. Repeat 6 more times.

LOAVES:

Mold in to loaves. Put on greased cookie sheet and brush top with beaten egg whites that have been combined with a small amount of water. Let rise until double, about 1/2 hour. Bake 325 degrees until golden brown.

BREAD STICKS:

For bread sticks, take a ball of dough and form in to long snake like form. Fold in half and twist the ends around each other. You could also just form it in to long shapes.

Brush the top of the bread with melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with Season Salt, or Parmesan cheese. (or both!) Bake 325 degrees on greased cooked sheet for about 1/2 hour, or until golden brown.

Easy-As-Pie Crust

from Mrs. Steve Stratton


















2 C flour, unsifted
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening
Ice water (1/4 to 1/3 C.)

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry fork (to size of small peas). Sprinkle with ice water. Work clumps together with fork. Knead clumps into a ball. Makes 1 double-crust 9 inch pie.

Helpful pie making hints:

--try to keep the dough cool.
--The less you work with it, the better the crust. Don't over-knead it
--I saw a pastry chef on television who said that using a fruit juice, like apple juice, instead of water helps. The sugars in the juice help make a better gluten. I haven't tried this, but I think it would also add flavor to the crust. Just make sure to put ice in it before putting it in the dough.
--I've found that pie crusts are pretty forgiving. If it doesn't roll out perfectly, or doesn't look perfect, it still will usually taste good. :)
--As an added touch, try making cutouts from the extra dough. You can cut out small leaves, or use a cookie cutter to cut out small hearts. Use a little water or egg white to adhere the cut out to the pie top.
--Brush the top crust with some egg white mixed with milk and sprinkle with sugar.