Chicken Gloria

Ingredients:
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup of flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 (8 oz) container of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup of sherry wine
1 small can of condenced cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup whole milk
6 slices of Muenster cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge lightly in flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess.

Add oil to frying pan and brown chicken in batches on both sides. You don’t need to cook the chicken completely. It will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer the chicken to a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Add the butter to the frying pan and let it melt over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and brown mushrooms until golden. Then add the sherry wine and cook for another minute or two. Add the creamy mushroom soup and milk and mix well.

Pour sauce over the chicken breasts, cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top each piece of chicken with one slice of Muenster cheese. You can fold the cheese in half if it is too wide for the breast.

Place chicken back in oven uncovered and broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Cafe Rio pulled pork (Copycat)

2 pounds pork (I use boneless pork rib meat)3 cans Coke (NOT diet)1/4 c. light brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 small can diced green chilies
3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Pulled Venison BBQ

So I love cooking pulled pork, but my dad likes to eat wild meat so while making a pulled pork recipe for others I made this recipe for my dad and his hunting buddies. I searched a forum for what other hunters liked and I combined their ideas.

Ingredients:

-Venison Roast or deer tenderloins

-1 can of coke or beer

-1/4 C Brown sugar

-1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

-1/2 tsp Pepper

-Pinch of Cayenne (or more if you like it hot, but my dad didn't)

-A few tablespoons of butter (gets dry without it)

-Favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

1. Put meat, 1/2 can coke/beer, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne in a large ziplock bag and let the meat marinate for a few hours or overnight for best taste.

2. After marinating, drain and place meat in the crockpot. Pour other 1/2 can coke/beer in crock pot along with 2Tb butter. Cook for 6 hours or more. Cook until the meat shreds easily.

***Wild game cooks a lot faster than store bought meat because there is less fat***(So I would check it periodically to make sure it is not drying out or overcooking.)

Tortilla Casserole

This recipe is a combination of my best friends tortilla casserole and my own. My friend Sierra is partially spanish and makes some amazing mexican recipes.

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

3/4 cup Medium Pace Salsa

4 small white corn tortillas

Tortilla chips

2-4 cooked chicken (dice) - (I use my canned chicken that Dustin and I make every year.)

Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Mix both creams and salsa. Put a little on the bottom of baking dish. (13x9)

2. Layer 2 tortillas, chicken, half cheese and then the rest of the sauce.

3. Tear other 2 tortillas into pieces and spread. Crinkle 2 small handfulls of chips and sprinkle over the dish. Put the rest of the cheese on top and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Oven Temperature: 375

Sweet Chili

3 lb my dads pork sausage

1 lb Jimmy Dean hot sausage

4 texas sweet onions

1 green pepper

2 large cans dark red kidney beans

1 can northern beans

1 can chili beans

1 can black beans

1 large can Bushes baked beans ( I use the vegetarian one)

2 bottles Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ sauce

Garlic

Chili powder

Salt & Pepper

Basil

Italian Seasoning

Directions:

Brown sausage in large pot (12 qt). Chop onions and green pepper in food processor and add to meat once brown. Add garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, basil, italian seasoning and cook for 5-10 minutes until onions are partially cooked. Add 2 bottles of BBQ sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add all cans of beans, including the fluid in the can. Cook until hot, and then simmer until ready to eat.

This makes a TON of chili so if you do not want to make that much, divide the recipe in half. I like to make extra to put in little sandwich bags and I freeze them (laying flat down) for easy quick meals.

Shepherds Pie

I made Shepherds Pie tonight for Sunday dinner and it was delish!!!

I got it from wholeliving.com. Some healthy recipes honestly taste pretty eh... But this was not that kind of taste. Plus I used my dads pork sausage instead of turkey sausage. I can't make anything without it. Best sausage meat ever.

Anyway, you have to try this recipe. It's one of my new favorite comfort foods.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• FOR THE TOPPING
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 parsnips (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• FOR THE FILLING
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds italian sausage ( I use my dads pork sausage)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• Dash of chili powder
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces frozen peas (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the topping: Place potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid. Pass potatoes and parsnips through a ricer. Stir in yogurt and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.
2. Make the filling: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, stirring, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add turkey; cook, breaking up any large pieces, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the thyme, and chili powder; season with pepper. Whisk together cornstarch and reserved 2 cups cooking liquid; add to turkey. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in peas. Transfer to a 2-quart round or oval baking dish; top with potatoes. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, 35 minutes.

Italian Meatballs

Here is a mixture of my mom's meatball recipe and my own recipe. I combined the classic ingredients used in meatballs and added a couple different things like.... bacon. Ooooh baby. Bacon is such a magical thing. You can't go wrong with bacon :)

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces applewood-smoked bacon (about 6 slices), diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 pounds of my dad's pork sausage
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced marjoram
• A dash of red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  

Preparation:

• Place bacon in processor. Using on/off turns, grind to coarse paste. Transfer to large bowl. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic. Gently mix in sausage and all remaining ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet. You can make this ahead and freeze it for an easy meal.
  
  
  Add 1 tablespoon oil a deep pan and heat over medium heat. Add half of meatballs. Cook until brown on all sides, turning carefully with small metal spatula, about 9 minutes. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet. Add more oil to pot if needed and repeat with remaining meatballs.
  

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Strawberry-Red-Wine Jam

These are very fast and easy sandwiches to make. Without telling Dustin what was in them I handed him a sandwich for lunch (he will eat anything I hand him, especially sandwiches...) and he looked at me and asked "What is in these?! They taste amazing!" I get tired of the typical sandwich so now I make them all the time.

Whenever I make these I always forget to take a picture of them...

So I used the magazines picture. :/

INGREDIENTS
-Enough slices of bread for however many people are hungry
-1/2 cup strawberry jam mixed with 2 tablespoons of Pinot Noir ( I used red cooking wine and it works just the same)
-Slices of baked ham
-Thin slices of Gruyère cheese (I prefer Gruyere but I am sure other choices of cheese work good too)
-Softened unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large griddle. Spread the bread slices with the jam. Top with the ham and Gruyère and close the sandwiches. Lightly butter the outside of the sandwiches and cook over moderate heat until toasted and the cheese is melted, 2 minutes per side. Cut in half and serve right away.

Spice-rubbed pork tenderloins

So I have made lots of sides and good recipes that go well with the turkey or big meat at family holiday dinners, but this time I wanted to make my own so that I could be confident when I am cooking the favorite part of meal. From my little taste testers that came over to help me determine if this was a good recipe, they said it is excellent!

The only thing I would do next time is on the first instruction on the recipe it says to sprinkle salt on the tenderloins... I think I sprinkled a little too much. So I recommend putting a tiny sprinkle over the meat because you will be putting a lot more on later... Unless you absolutely LOVE salt.

The fragrant spice rub is good on chicken and spareribs as well. Make extra and store in an airtight container for up to a few weeks--it's like money in the bank. Prep and Cook Time: about 40 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating time. Notes: Cooked pork is best when still a bit rosy and juicy. (Trichinosis in pigs is nearly nonexistent in the United States now, but if you are concerned about it, cook the pork till well done--155° instead of 140°. Its temperature will rise another 10° as it rests after cooking.) Reserve some in the fridge for replenishing the buffet (reheat in a 200° oven).

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3 pork tenderloins (1 lb. each)
• Coarse salt for sprinkling on tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons star anise (about 8 pods crushed with the back of a heavy saucepan)
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• About 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Good-quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Preparation

1. Liberally season tenderloins with salt. Coarsely grind star anise, coriander, and fennel using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Add five-spice powder, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and salt; pound or whirl to combine. Rub spice mixture on pork until thickly coated on all sides (save remaining mixture for another use). Let pork sit at least 1 hour (at cool room temperature, covered) or up to 1 day (covered and chilled).

2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a 10- to 12-in. heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tenderloins and brown well on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes, drizzling in additional olive oil as needed. Meat is done when it registers 140° on a meat thermometer (cut to test--it should be cooked but still rosy). If meat is not done, cover pan, lower heat to medium, and cook until thermometer registers 140° (cut to test), up to 10 minutes more.

3. Remove tenderloins from pan, cover with foil, and let rest at least 10 minutes. Cook remaining tenderloin the same way, but brown it over medium heat and check temperature after 10 minutes. Slice meat into 3/4-in. rounds and drizzle with vinegar.