Awesome Nachos

Fill your plate with your favorite tortilla chips and top with spicy

grilled chicken, black beans, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese., Broil until cheese is melted. Top with guacamole.

Five Easy Topping to Dress Up Chicken

Dress up grilled or fried chicken breasts and elevate your meal. Try to following:

1) Top with your favorite bbq sauce, crumbled bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese.

2)  Top with Alfredo Sauce, grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

3) Top with a few slices of deli ham, a slice of swiss cheese and chopped chives.

4) Top with jarred roasted red peppers, greek olives and feta cheese.

All these can be made low cal by making common sense substitutions!

Grandma Puls' Kolacky Recipe

3 oz cream cheese, room temp

1/2 c butter, room temp (do not use margarine)

1 c flour

1/2 c of your favorite jam

Confectioners sugar for sprinkling

With mixer cream the cheese with butter until smooth. Add flour slowly until well blended. Roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

On floured surface, roll dough to 1/8" thickness. Using a small round cookie cutter or juice glass cut rounds in the dough then put on ungreased cookie sheet. Top with 1/2-1 tsp of jam. Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. Put on cooling rack. When cool sprinkle with confectioners sugar. 

Deep Fry Batter

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c milk
1/2 c + 1 Tbsp hot water
3 T veg oil

Combine all. Mix well. This can be used right away but I always make it the day before and keep in a covered bowl in the fridge. This creates the lightest crispiest batter I've found. I've also experimented with different flours using 1 cup all purpose, 1/4 cup whole wheat and 1/4 cup rye flour. So good!

Coke Brined Grilled Chicken

FOR THE CHICKEN AND BRINE--

1 whole chicken (4-6 lb.)
1 liter coca-cola
1/2 cup kosher salt
FOR THE RUB
Combine -- rub over chicken and grill:


1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
1 SERVE WITH:
Bourbon BBQ or Sweet Carolina Dipping Sauce

Spatchcock the chicken. Poke about 6 holes in the underside of each chicken half--this helps the brine to soak deeply into the meat. Combine the Coke and salt in a large resealable plastic bag, stirring to dissolve the salt. Place the chicken halves in the brine, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat the grill to high.

Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels (discard the brine). Rub the paste over the chicken, then let it stand for 15 minutes.

Turn 1 side of the grill to low (maintain high heat on the other side). Arrange both chicken halves on the low-heat section, skin side down. Top the halves with a cast iron skillet and a brick. Cover and grill for 10 minutes, then rotate the chicken 45°. Reposition the skillet and brick on the chicken; grill for 10 more minutes, or until skin is crispy and brown.

Flip the chicken over and grill, without weight, for 20-30 minutes, or until it's 180° in the thigh.

Serve chicken with dipping sauces.

Source:

"CuisineAtHome, June 2007, pg 7" 

Shrimp de Jonghe

1 cup butter
1 small onion, small dice
5 cloves garlic, small dice
1/2 cup white wine
Salt & pepper to taste
3# clean raw shrimp
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Fresh parsley, chopped

In a glass 9X13 pan add shrimp in a single layer. Top with bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper.

Saute onion in butter for 5 minutes. Add garlic and  wine continue cooking for 3 more minutes.

Pour over shrimp. Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Teriyaki Wings

Thaw and clean 3 pounds of wings.
In a bowl combine:

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup of soy sauce (i use regular, not lite)
2/3 cup of water

In a casserole dish or small roasting pan add chicken. Top with marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Drain off 3/4 of marinade. Stir wings and bake for another 1/2 hour so they get sticky!!!