Contents

Breakfast

• Basic Waffles
• Buttermilk Pancakes

Sides

• Black Bean Soup
• Cheese Bread
• Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Ciabatta Bread
• Chinese Fried Rice
• Greek Salad
• Home Fries
• Lemon Garlic Bruschetta
• Mango Salsa
• Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
• Potato Salad
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
• Salsa
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Soffrito Rice
• Sourdough Bread
• Sweet Potato Chips
• Sweet Potato Rolls

Sauces

• Alfredo Sauce
• Lemon Garlic Sauce
• Spaghetti Sauce

Entrees

• Beef Stroganoff
• Blackened Chicken Seasoning
• Blackened Salmon
• Braised Pork Ribs
• Buttermilk Fried Chicken
• Carnitas
• Catfish and Bell Pepper
• Carribean Chicken
• Cashew Chicken
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Chicken Chow Mein
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Chicken Gumbo
• Chicken Parmesan
• Chicken Sausage Penne
• Crab Cakes
• Cuban Sandwiches
• Dijon Pork Chops
• Fried Catfish
• General's Chicken
• Goulash
• Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
• Grilled Pork With Apricot Glaze
• Gyro Burgers
• Italian Stuffed Chicken
• Lasagna
• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Minestrone Soup
• Mushroom Chicken
• Oven-baked BBQ Chicken
• Pizza
• Pulled Pork
• Risotto
• Rosemary Mustard Game Hens
• Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup
• Seared Citrus Scallops
• Shrimp Etoufee
• Shrimp Scampi
• Sizzling Chicken and Cheese
• Stuffed Grilled Chicken
• Stuffed Leg of Lamb
• Sukiyaki
• Texas Cornbread
• Veal Milanese

Desserts

• Apple Crisp
• Apple Pie
• Banana Bread
• Bananas Foster
• Cheesecake
• Chocolate Anise Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Pudding Pie
• Chocolate Truffles
• Devil's Food Cake
• Kahlua Brownies
• Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Peach Cobbler
• Pull Apart Rolls
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Rolls
• Pumpkin Pie
• Rugelach
• Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Turtle Cookies
• Waffle Cookies
• Waldorf Astoria Cake

Ice Creams

• Chocolate Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Ice Cream
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream

Basic Waffles

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt
2. Stir in sugar
3. Separate egg yolks from whites
4. Beat egg whites to soft peaks
5. Add vegetable oil and milk to egg yolks and mix well
6. Combine dry and wet ingredients (not including egg whites) and mix thoroughly
7. Fold in egg whites, one third at a time
8. Prepare waffles in waffle iron, using about 1/2 c. batter for each (for a 9-inch waffle iron)

Buttermilk Pancakes

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
2. In a separate bowl mix together buttermilk, butter, eggs, vanilla
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, do not overmix
4. Pour out 1/4 cup of batter at a time to cook
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side

Black Bean Soup

Soup

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, cook onions and carrots in olive oil until the onions start to turn translucent (about 5-6 minutes)
2. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently
3. Add serranos and red wine and bring to a boil
4. Cook until the wine is reduced by half
5. Add beans and chicken stock and cook on medium for about 20 minutes
6. Add lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Blend half of the soup and return it to the pot
8. Bring soup back to a simmer and then serve with relish and sour cream

Seranno-Tomatillo Relish

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well

Cumin Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well

Cheese Bread

Cheese Spread

Directions:

1. Let butter sit until room temperature
2. Combine all ingredients
3. Mix well with an electric mixer
4. Refrigerate

Cheese Bread

Directions:

1. Spread about 2 Tbsp of the cheese spread on each slice of bread
2. Cover the bread and heat it at 350 for about 10 minutes
3. Serve warm

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Directions:

1. Cube potatoes, bring to a boil.
2. Boil until fork-tender (about 15 minutes)
3. Drain and mash
4. Add cheese, milk, and sour cream
5. Mix well
6. In a small saute pan, sweat garlic in butter for about 5 minutes
7. Add butter and garlic to potatoes

Ciabatta Bread

Biga (Sponge)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well
2. Knead in mixer for 3 to 5 minutes
3. Place biga in a greased bowl and allow to rise and fall (10 to 15 hours)

Bread

Directions:

1. Place biga and warm water in mixer bowl and mix with paddle
2. Add milk and mix well
3. Add flour gradually and mix until you need to put in the dough hook
4. Continue adding flour with dough hook until all the flour is mixed in
5. Knead with the dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping down the dough as needed
6. Add olive oil and knead for one minute
7. Add salt and knead for one minute
8. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled (1 to 2 hours)
9. Carefully spoon the dough out onto baking sheets into three loaves, try to avoid deflating the dough as much as possible
10. Allow loaves to proof for 30 to 40 minutes
11. Spray or brush with water
12. Bake at 425 F. for 25 to 30 minutes (light brown crust, internal temperature 190 F.)

Chinese Fried Rice

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat
2. Add eggs and scramble, with salt
3. Remove eggs when firm
4. Heat 2 Tbsp oil
5. Add meat (if any) and cook through
6. Add peas and carrots and cook through
7. Break up cold rice into pan
8. Re-introduce egg
9. When rice heats through and is separated, add soy sauce and mix well
10. Allow soy sauce to cook in for a few minutes
11. Serve warm

Greek Salad

Vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil
2. Whisk in olive oil slowly

Salad

Directions:

1. Cut cucumber into half moons
2. Chop tomatoes, red onion, olives, and bell pepper
3. Cut feta into small chunks
4. Toss all ingredients with vinaigrette and serve

Home Fries

Directions:

1. Combine everything but potatoes in a bowl and mix well
2. Cube potatoes (around 1 to 1.5 inch cubes)
3. Stir cubed potatoes into mixture and coat well, let soak a bit if you have the time
4. Spread on a cookie sheet
5. Pour remaining mixture over potatoes
6. Bake at 350 F. for about 35 minutes
7. Use the broiler for the last 5-10 minutes to make the tops of the potatoes extra crispy

Lemon Garlic Bruschetta

Directions:

1. Grill bread for two minutes on each side
2. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, and salt together
3. When bread is done, remove from grill and rub with garlic clove
4. Brush with lemon/oil mixture
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle chopped parsley

Mango Salsa

Directions:

1. Cube Mango (about 1/3 inch)
2. Combine all ingredients
3. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Directions:

1. Cube potatoes, bring to a boil.
2. Boil until fork-tender (about 15 minutes)
3. Drain and mash
4. Add cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper
5. Mix well

Potato Salad

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add whole potatoes (with skins) and boil for 25 minutes
3. Remove potatoes from water
4. Remove potato skins and cube potatoes
5. Mix mayo, parsley, pickles, pickle juice, bacon, worcestershire, mustard
6. Add potato and egg and mix until well coated
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Directions:

1. Brush bell peppers lightly with olive oil
2. Roast bell peppers over flame until they start to char
3. Place bell peppers in a plastic bag to sweat
4. Chop onion, celery, and carrot finely
5. Sweat onion, celery, carrot, and minced garlic
6. Remove skin, stem, and seeds from bell peppers
7. Puree bell pepper with other vegetables and canned tomatoes
8. Heat puree mixture with tomato paste and chicken broth over medium low heat
9. Add cumin, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, and pepper
10. When soup is completely heated through, add basil and serve

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Directions:

1. Remove tomatillo husks and rinse
2. Coat tomatillos, onions, and chiles with olive oil and season with salt
3. Place in an 8x8 baking dish
4. Roast at 375 for one hour, stirring contents occasionally to prevent charring on top
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool
6. Add cilantro and puree to desired smoothness
7. Refrigerate

Salsa

Directions:

1. Dice Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, and Green onions. Put diced ingredients into bowl.
2. Chop cilantro and add to bowl.
3. Add crushed tomatoes, lime zest, and lime juice to bowl.
4. Add fresh garlic (or garlic powder), cumin, ginger, salt, black pepper and chipotle chili powder to taste.
5. Refrigerate for several hours (12 or more if possible)

Scalloped Potatoes

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick
2. Layer half of potatoes in a baking dish
3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, flour, and half of butter over potatoes
4. Sprinkle half of cheese over potatoes
5. Layer the rest of the potatoes
6. Top with the rest of butter
7. Simmer milk and pour over potatoes
8. Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes at 400 F.
9. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cheese
10. Continue baking uncovered for 45 minutes.

Soffrito Rice

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook onion, bell pepper, and bacon until bacon begins to crisp
2. Add rice and chicken broth and bring to a boil
3. Add saffron, salt, and pepper
4. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly until the rice is cooked and has absorbed the broth (about 15-20 minutes)

Sourdough Bread

Directions:

1. Combine the stater and 1 cup of flour and mix well
2. Add the olive oil, sugar, and salt; continue to mix
3. Add flour until the dough can be handled without being sticky (the amount of flour varies greatly depending on the starter, among other factors)
4. Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test (google it)
5. Form dough into loaves, set in a warm place (if all else fails, turn your oven on for 1 minute and then off again)
6. Cover dough with a damp towel and allow to double in size (about 3 hours for me, but time varies greatly depending on the starter)
7. Place in cold oven (do not preheat), set oven to 350 F. and bake for 30-40 minutes

Sweet Potato Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. degrees
2. Scrub sweet potatoes to clean them
3. Peel sweet potatoes (optional)
4. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise
5. Slice as thinly as possible (with knife or food processor)
6. Spread foil over large baking sheet and grease lightly
7. Dip sweet potato slices in melted butter and arrange on baking sheet so that they do not overlap
8. Sprinkle with salt and peanuts
9. Bake at 450 F. for 15 to 20 minutes
10. Sprinkle with paprika and let cool

Sweet Potato Rolls

Directions:

1. Set out two eggs until they are at room temperature.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water (around 110 F., see package directions). You may need to dissolve 1 tsp sugar with yeast and water to get the yeast to foam properly.
3. Add shortening, sugar, sweet potatoes, eggs, and 2 cups of flour.
4. Mix well with mixer.
5. Add salt and continue to mix.
6. Remove mix and stir in the other 5 cups of flour with a spoon.
7. Place dough in a greased bowl and grease the top of the dough.
8. Let dough sit for an hour.
9. Pinch off dough and shape into rolls about the size of a large egg.
10. Place rolls in greased, floured pan.
11. Brush rolls with melted butter.
12. Let rolls rise for 2 hours.
13. Bake at 350 F. until golden brown (about 25 minutes).

Alfredo Sauce

Directions:

1. Cut butter into slices
2. Sweat chopped garlic in butter and kosher salt over low heat
3. Dissolve corn starch in milk
4. Add heavy cream and milk to pan and increase to medium low heat
5. Stir constantly, gradually adding freshly grated parmesan cheese (I am not kidding, it has to be fresh!)
6. Add black pepper and salt to taste
7. Reduce to very low heat, cover and let simmer while you prepare pasta

Lemon Garlic Sauce

Directions:

1. Combine white wine, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a boil
2. Reduce to medium low and simmer until the wine and lemon juice reduces by half
3. Dissolve corn starch in milk
4. Add the milk (or cream) and reduce by half again
5. Add butter one tablespoon at a time, incorporating well
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Serve immediately

Spaghetti Sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in stove-top pot
2. Heat on stove-top at medium heat until hot and well-mixed
3. Simmer on low for at least 15 minutes

Beef Stroganoff

Directions:

1. Brown meat
2. While browning beef, add chopped onion
3. In a separate sauce pan, saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil
4. Add butter and garlic to mushrooms
5. Sprinkle kosher salt on garlic to help bring out garlic flavor (be careful not to burn garlic)
6. Add flour and cook through
7. When meat is browned, combine meat, mushrooms, and beef broth
8. Add worcestershire sauce, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste
10. Simmer, simmer, simmer
11. Serve over noodles or rice

Blackened Chicken Seasoning

Directions:

1. Mix seasoning ingredients
2. Coat chicken breasts (or sprinkle lightly for less spiciness)
3. Grill (or saute in heavy skillet)

Blackened Salmon

Directions:

1. Mix seasoning ingredients
2. (Saute only) Brush salmon fillets on both sides with 1/4 cup butter
3. Sprinkle seasoning over both sides of salmon
4. (Grill only) grill until done
5. (Saute only) Drizzle half of remaining butter (1/8 cup) over one side of fillets
6. (Saute only) In large, heavey skillet over high heat, cook salmon butter side down for 2-5 minutes.
7. (Saute only) Turn fillets, drizzle remaining butter
8. (Saute only) Cook until fish is blackened and easily flaked with a fork.

Braised Pork Ribs

Rub

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry ribs
2. Place ribs on aluminum foil
3. Sprinkle ribs with salt
4. Combine other ingredients and coat ribs liberally
5. Fold foil around ribs, leaving one end loose
6. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 6 hours

Braising

Directions:

1. Mix orange juice, water, and lime
2. Open one end of foil and pour orange/lime mixture into foil pouch
3. Bake for one hour at 350
4. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for another two hours
5. Remove from oven and drain orange juice mixture from ribs

BBQ Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a sauce pan over low heat

Broiling

Directions:

1. Separate ribs into serving portion sizes (half rack, quarter rack, whatever)
2. Arrange ribs on foil on the baking sheet, meat side down
3. Glaze ribs with BBQ sauce and place under broiler for one to three minutes
4. Turn ribs meat side up, glaze and broil
5. Glaze and broil the meat side two to three more times
6. Serve (we keep baby wipes handy for finger clean-up)

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Chicken Preparation

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 8 pieces (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts, you may want to cut each breast in half)
2. Refrigerate chicken pieces in buttermilk for at least 8 hours

Chicken Seasoning

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly
2. Drain buttermilk off of chicken
3. Sprinkle seasoning over both sides of chicken

Frying

Directions:

1. Dredge seasoned chicken in flour
2. Fry at 360 in batches, turning once to cook evenly
3. Fry until cooked through and golden brown (about 8-10 minutes)
4. Dry on a rack and serve warm

Carnitas

Directions:

1. Cut pork into cubes (1 to 2 inches)
2. Season pork with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano
3. Place pork in slow cooker, place onions on top of pork
4. Cook for 6 hours on low
5. During the last hour, toss in crushed garlic
6. Remove pork from slow cooker with a slotted spoon (leaving onion and garlic)
7. Shred pork with a fork
8. Serve on tortillas with bell pepper, sour cream, cheese, and tomatillo salsa

Catfish and Bell Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat
2. Season catfish fillets with salt and pepper, plus a canjun seasoning of your choice (see blackened salmon recipe)
3. Saute catfish on one side for about 4 minutes
4. Flip and continue saute until cooked through
5. Remove catfish from pan and drain
6. Cook bell pepper and onion in pan until onion turns translucent (two to three minutes)
7. Serve catfish with bell pepper and onion

Carribean Chicken

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a rub and coat chicken breasts
2. Bake at 350 F. for 35 minutes

Cashew Chicken

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper
2. Blend all other ingredients
3. Coat chicken and refrigerate for about 2 hours
4. Remove chicken from fridge and bring to room temperature
5. Bake at 350 F. (or grill) until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Chicken Cacciatore

Directions:

1. Cut each chicken breast in half
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper
3. Dredge chicken in flour
4. Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat
5. Brown chicken and remove from pan
6. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, bell peppers, and garlic
7. Add white wine and reduce for about 3-5 minutes
8. Add tomatoes, broth, and oregano
9. Re-add chicken
10. Simmer for about 30 minutes
11. Add basil at the end

Chicken Chow Mein

Brine

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bag
2. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours

Chicken

Directions:

1. Cube chicken breasts
2. Dredge chicken in flour
3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
4. Brown chicken and remove from pan

Sauce

Directions:

1. Combine soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, and sesame oil
2. Whisk in corn starch until disolved

Vegetables

Directions:

1. After removing chicken from the pan, add celery and onion
2. Cook until onion is softened
3. Add mushrooms, bamboo, and bean sprouts
4. Cook until mushrooms and bean sprouts soften
5. Add garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute
6. Re-introduce chicken and add sauce
7. Add cooked noodles
8. Mix until sauce coats chicken and noodles
9. Serve

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken

Directions:

1. Butterfly chicken, then tenderize to about 1/4 inch
2. Season the inside of the chicken with garlic powder, kosher salt, and oregano
3. Add slices of ham and swiss cheese to each chicken breast
4. Fold chicken so that ham and swiss is wrapped inside
5. Mix egg and milk in a bowl with a whisk
6. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan and place in a bowl or on a plate
7. Mix flour and black pepper in a bowl or on a plate
8. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking dish
9. Coat the outside of each chicken breast in flour, then egg/milk, then bread crumbs/parmesan
10. Place chicken in oiled baking dish
11. Bake chicken in oven at 350 F. for about 25 minutes
12. Turn chicken over and bake for another 20 minutes
13. When fully baked, remove chicken from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes
14. Serve with Mornay sauce if desired

Mornay Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix butter and flour with a whisk over medium low heat until it begins to bubble
2. Add milk and heat
3. Add parmesan when milk is warm
4. Add garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper
5. Stir constantly to avoid bubbling/boiling
6. When the sauce has thickened and is well mixed you can reduce the heat to very low until ready to serve

Chicken Gumbo

Chicken

Directions:

1. Cube chicken into 1-inch pieces
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper
3. Coat in flour
4. Put olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat
5. Brown chicken, about 10 minutes
6. Remove chicken and set aside

Gumbo

Directions:

1. Pour off excess fat from the large pot
2. Combine flour and butter to make a roux
3. Cook roux to a dark brown (about 30 minutes)
4. Add vegetables and cook for about 2-3 minutes
5. Return the chicken to the pot
6. Add chicken stock and simmer for about 30 minutes
7. Add sausage and garlic and simmer until sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes
8. Add file powder and allow to thicken for a few minutes
9. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
10. Serve with rice

Chicken Parmesan

Directions:

1. Start red sauce on medium heat, reduce to low when it is hot
2. Tenderize chicken breasts (should be about half an inch thick)
3. Sprinkle garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt on both sides of chicken
4. Whisk the egg and milk together
5. Dip each chicken breast in flour, remove excess flour
6. Dip each chicked breast in egg mixture, let excess egg drip off
7. Coat each chicken breast with bread crumbs
8. Heat olive oil in a skillet with medium heat
9. Brown each side of the chicken breasts in skillet (chicken should be mostly cooked by the time you are done with this step)
10. Place browned chicken breasts in the baking dish
11. Sprinkly cheese liberally over chicken breasts
12. Bake at 350 F. for 15 minutes
13. Pour the red sauce over the chicken breasts and serve

Chicken Sausage Penne

Chicken

Directions:

1. Season chicken on both sides and start grilling
2. Start grilling italian sausage
3. Start boiling pasta and heating sauce
4. Chicken and sausage should finish grilling a few minutes before pasta is ready
5. Cut sausage into chunks
6. Cut chicken into chunks or strips
7. Serve pasta covered with sauce, topped with chicken and sausage

Sauce

Directions:

1. Heat spaghetti sauce
2. Add chopped tomato, olives, bell pepper, and chili powder
3. Let simmer

Crab Cakes

Crab Cakes

Directions:

1. Chop red and yellow bell pepper very fine (can use food processor with low pulse)
2. Saute red and yellow bell pepper in 1 Tbsp of the vegetable oil
3. Combine garlic with red and yellow bell pepper, sprinkle a bit of Kosher salt on the garlic to bring out flavor
4. Reduce heat and add crab meat
5. Mix crab and bell pepper and then place in a mixing bowl
6. Add mayo, old bay, egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, marjoram, parsley, cayenne powder, and chili powder
7. Mix well
8. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes
9. Shape crab mixture into 4 or 8 cakes and refrigerate for at least an hour
10. Pan fry cakes in about 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil
11. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to dry
12. Serve with creole mayo

Creole Mayo

Directions:

1. Heat mayo over low heat
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well
3. Remove from heat when well mixed

Cuban Sandwiches

Pork Brine

Directions:

1. Heat water to simmering
2. Dissolve salt and brown sugar in water
3. Allow water to cool completely
4. Add lime juice
5. Refrigerate tenderloin in brine for about 12 hours

Roasted Pork

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients to form a rub
2. Remove pork from brine
3. Coat pork with olive oil and then apply rub
4. Roast at 425 F. until it reaches 140 degrees (about 20-25 minutes)
5. Allow pork to rest for 10 minutes before carving

Sandwich

Directions:

1. Butter sandwich rolls and toast them (under broiler, or on a grill or griddle)
2. Apply mayo and mustard to toasted rolls
3. Add 1/4 of pork, 2 ham slices, 2 cheese slices, and 2 pickle slices to each sandwich
4. Slice diagonally and serve

Dijon Pork Chops

Pork Chops

Directions:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat
2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper
3. Brown pork chops on both sides

Dijon Mustard Sauce

Directions:

1. Remove pork chops to a platter
2. Pour off excess fat from the pan
3. Add onion to pan and cook for about one minute
4. Deglaze the pan with white wine
5. Add chicken stock
6. Return pork chops to the pan and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, the sauce should reduce by half
7. Add cream
8. After about two minutes add mustard and parsley
9. Serve

Fried Catfish

Marinade

Directions:

1. Combine lemon juice, parsley, and garlic
2. Marinate fillets for about 15 minutes

Breading

Directions:

1. Combine all breading ingredients
2. Dredge catfish fillets in breading
3. Pan fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side
4. Serve immediately

General's Chicken

Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients with a wire whisk
2. Set aside until needed for chicken

Chicken

Directions:

1. Combine eggs and corn starch with a wire whisk
2. Cube chicken breast
3. Coat chicken cubes in egg mixture
4. Heat about half an inch of oil in skillet or wok
5. Cook chicken until just cooked through (move constantly for the first couple minutes or chicken may stick to skillet)
6. Remove chicken and place on paper towels
7. Chop peppers (remove seeds and white membrane to reduce spiciness)
8. Remove all but about a tablespoon of oil from the skillet
9. Cook peppers, but do not burn
10. Re-introduce chicken and cook until golden brown
11. Add sauce
12. Sauce will combine with oil, carmelize, and thicken after a few minutes of cooking
13. Serve when sauce has thickened to a glaze

Goulash

Directions:

1. Coat beef in flour, discard excess
2. Brown beef in olive oil over medium heat (just to carmelize, not to cook through)
3. Add beef and all other ingredients except pasta to a crock pot
4. Cook on high for 3 hours
5. Cook pasta until it is a bit underdone
6. Add pasta to the crock pot and cook for 5-10 minutes

Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

Brine

Directions:

1. Bring water to a simmer, add salt, and cool
2. Add orange juice, lime juice, black pepper
3. Refrigerate chicken in brine for 4-6 hours
4. Remove chicken from brine and season with salt and pepper
5. Grill chicken
6. Serve with Mango Salsa (see recipe)

Grilled Pork With Apricot Glaze

Directions:

1. Combine preserves, honey, soy sauce, cider vinegar, and pepper flakes
2. Bring glaze to a simmer, then let cool
3. Separate glaze in half
4. Soak pork tenderloin in glaze for at least an hour, up to four hours
5. Grill tenderloin for about 6-8 minutes, then flip and grill for around another 6-8 minutes
6. Remove when the internal temperature reaches 140
7. Let pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving

Gyro Burgers

Burgers

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients
2. Form four patties
3. Grill
4. Serve

Toppings

Directions:

1. Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat
2. Saute onion and red bell pepper until softened
3. Serve onion, bell pepper, and (uncooked) tomato with burgers

Italian Stuffed Chicken

Chicken

Directions:

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts (slice nearly in half, leaving connected on one side so that it can open horizontally)
2. Open chicken breast and lay flat, tenderize with meat tenderizer
3. Season each inside and outside with garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt (to taste)
4. Fill inside of chicken breast with cheese, sliced tomatoes, red bell pepper, olives, and minced garlic
5. Season inside with italian seasonings
6. Sprinkle cheese in the bottom of a glass baking dish
7. Place folded chicken breasts in baking dish
8. Garnish chicken breasts with tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives
9. Sprinkle cheese over chicken breasts
10. Season with italian seasonings
11. Bake at 375 until chicken is done (about 35 to 40 minutes)
12. Start sauce and noodles about 15 minutes before chicken should be done
13. Serve covered in marinara sauce with spaghetti noodles (or other pasta)

Sauce

Directions:

1. Heat spaghetti sauce
2. Add chopped tomato, olives, and diced bell pepper
3. Let simmer

Lasagna

Beef Mixture

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef
2. Add onion and cook until onion begins to turn clear

Cheese Mixture

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly

Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients over medium heat
2. When sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer

Lasagna Assembly

Directions:

1. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish
2. Place four noodles over sauce
3. Spread half of cheese mixture over noodles, then all of the beef mixture, and more sauce
4. Place four noodles over sauce
5. Spread half of cheese mixture over noodles, then the sliced mushrooms, and more sauce
6. Place four noodles over sauce
7. Add a final layer of sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the top
8. Cover and bake at 375 F. for 40 minutes (put foil or a cookie sheet under the dish to catch anything that spills out)
9. Uncover and bake at 400 F. for 20 minutes (until cheese browns)

Meatballs

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients well with fingers (do not squeeze meat mixture)
2. Chill for about two hours (up to 24)
3. Separate meat into 1 1/2 oz meatballs
4. Shape into round meatballs
5. Coat meatballs with bread crumbs
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F.

Meatloaf

Loaf of Meat

Directions:

1. Saute onion and red bell pepper in olive oil
2. Add chopped garlic and sprinkle with kosher salt
3. Remove onions, bell pepper, and garlic from heat and allow to cool
4. Mix all other ingredients, adding the sauted mixture after it has cooled
5. Bake at 350 F. for about an hour
6. Prepare sauce (below)
7. Pour half the sauce over meatloaf
8. Bake for another 15 minutes
9. Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf
10. Bake until center is at 160 F. (about 15 more minutes)
11. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve

Sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients
2. Heat on stovetop over low heat
3. You can let the sauce cool between the first and second pourings

Minestrone Soup

Directions:

1. Heat celery, carrot, potato, and onion in olive oil over medium heat until onions turn clear
2. Combine vegetables and chicken stock over medium heat until it begins to boil
3. Add remaining ingredients
4. Cook pasta until just underdone
5. Drain pasta and add to soup
6. Heat for about 3 more minutes, then serve

Mushroom Chicken

Chicken

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper (or other poultry seasoning)
2. Coat chicken with flour
3. Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat
4. Brown chicken in skillet
5. Place chicken in a greased baking dish
6. Pour chicken broth over chicken
7. Cover and bake at 350 F. for about 40 minutes (until juices run clear)

Mushroom Sauce

Directions:

1. Coat bottom of a skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat
2. Cook onion until translucent
3. Add mushrooms, garlic, and wine
4. Cook until mushrooms are softened
5. Reduce heat and add sour cream, then heavy cream
6. Simmer
7. Serve over chicken with egg noodles or rice

Oven-baked BBQ Chicken

Brined Chicken

Directions:

1. Heat water to a simmer to dissolve salt
2. Add cold water to salt solution
3. Brine chicken in salty water in the fridge for 4-6 hours

BBQ Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients and heat gently

BBQ Chicken

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a baking dish
2. Bake chicken at 400 F. for 25 minutes
3. Pour liquid from the pan
4. Coat the chicken with BBQ Sauce
5. Bake the chicken for another 20-25 minutes

Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough

Directions:

1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in half of warm water (propably around 100 F., check yeast directions)
2. Let sit for 5-10 minutes; if yeast does not bubble and start to froth, toss it out and start over
3. Dissolve garlic powder in the other half of the warm water
4. Combine dissolved yeast and garlic powder
5. Mix in 2 cups of flour, should form a thick batter
6. Add salt and olive oil
7. Mix in remaining flour until batter forms a dough that can be kneaded by hand (may be slightly sticky, but easy to handle), you may need more or less flour
8. Knead dough for about 15-20 minutes
9. Roll dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl
10. Grease top of the dough and cover
11. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours
12. Knock dough down and knead until it is at room temperature
13. Flatten dough into two 12-inch pans or one large cookie sheet, leaving the edges slightly thicker than the rest of the dough
14. Cover dough and let it rise in pans while preparing pizza sauce and toppings
15. Prepare sauce
16. Brush edges of crust with olive oil (optional)
17. Spread sauce over pizza dough
18. Add any vegetables and mushrooms (anything that might dry out in the oven heat)
19. Add cheese blend (I prefer cheddar and jack with a bit of parmesan)
20. Add meats (anything that needs to carmelize in the oven heat)
21. Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes (crust should be golden brown, cheese should be melted and slightly browned in some spots)

Pizza Sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients over medium heat until it begins to bubble
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for at least 15 minutes

Pulled Pork

Pork

Directions:

1. Heat 1/2 c. of water to dissolve salt
2. Remove from heat and add 2 c. of cold apple cider
3. Refrigerate pork in cider/salt liquid over night, add more water if necessary to completely cover the pork
4. Soak wood chips for several hours
5. Bring charcoal up to temperature in a grill
6. Arrange hot coals on one side of the grill and place foil under the grate on the other side
7. Adjust the grill vents to get the internal temperature between 150 and 225 (lower is better)
8. Place wood chips over coals and the pork over the foil
9. Smoke the pork with indirect heat for about 4 hours
10. Add brickets and wood chips as necessary--I start with twelve brickets, adding wood chips and six brickets every hour or so
11. When you are nearly ready to remove the pork from the grill, reserve 1/2 c. of the apple cider for the sauce and pour the remainder of the apple cider into a large pot, bringing it to a simmer
12. Remove the pork from the grill and place it in the pot, adding water as necessary to cover the pork
13. Cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes to an hour until the pork pulls away easly with a fork
14. Remove the pork from the pot, cover with foil and let sit for about 20 minutes
15. Pull the pork with a fork and serve (no sauce, in sauce or sauce on the side)

BBQ Sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients over low heat
2. Simmer for about 15 minutes

Risotto

Directions:

1. Heat chicken broth and white wine to a simmer
2. In a four quart pan, sweat shallots in butter
3. Add rice and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium low heat, stirring frequently
4. Add enough hot chicken broth to cover the rice completely
5. Stir frequently until the broth is almost completely absorbed
6. Repeat adding broth and stirring until all the broth is in the rice pan
7. When nearly all the broth is absorbed, add any other ingredients that need to be heated through (veggies or whatever)
8. Add parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg
9. Serve

Rosemary Mustard Game Hens

Directions:

1. Make sure game hens are well thawed (so that they will absorb the mustard and rosemary flavor)
2. Combine all ingredients (except hens) in a bowl and mix well
3. Rub mixture over hens
4. Bake at 375 for 75 minutes (cover with foil if they start to brown too much before they are done cooking)
5. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes
6. Eat with your bare hands

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, brown sausage in olive oil
2. Remove sausage and add onion
3. Mince garlic with salt
4. Add garlic/salt to the pot, cook for about 1 minute, stirring often
5. Add chicken stock, sliced sweet potato, potato, and garlic to the pot
6. Cover and bring to a boil
7. Simmer until potatoes are soft (about 20-30 minutes)
8. Use a masher or immersion blender to mash up the potatoes in the soup
9. Return the sausage to the soup and add spinach
10. Simmer for about 5 minutes
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve

Seared Citrus Scallops

Directions:

1. Prepare lemon garlic sauce and let simmer
2. Start heating water for pasta
3. Pat scallops dry
4. Season scallops with salt and pepper
5. When the water is boiling, add pasta
6. Heat olive oil and butter in a skill over medium high heat
7. When butter starts to smoke add the scallops
8. Cook scallops on each side for about two minutes (there should be a golden brown ring around the edges of the scallops)
9. The pasta should finish cooking right about the same time that the scallops are ready
10. Serve scallops immediately with pasta and lemon garlic sauce

Shrimp Etoufee