Irish Beef Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
I cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7
cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef
and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and
sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste,
sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and
simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meet and stock is simmering, melt butter in another
large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté
vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.

3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and
beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan
and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with
parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and
pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold,
then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Chicken Stuffed Shells

1 box large pasta shells, cooked and drained
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 box chicken stuffing mix
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can milk

Prepare stuffing mix. Mix in chicken and one can of cream of chicken soup. Stuff into shells. Place in casserole dish. Mix soup and milk together, pour on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, covered

Chicken and Biscuit Pie

  2 cups biscuit mix and about 1/2 cup milk
  6 tablespoons butter
  6 tablespoons flour
  Dash pepper
  Dash mace or nutmeg
  1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  Dash of fines herbs or thyme
  1 cup half-and-half
  1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  12 small white onions, peeled, cooked, and drained
  4 cups cooked diced chicken
  1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, cooked until just tender and drained

 

Prepare biscuit dough with biscuit mix and milk. On a lightly floured bowl, pat out dough to about 1/2-inch thickness; cut into 9 biscuits about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut remaining dough into tiny biscuits, rounds or squares.
                 
Melt butter in saucepan; add flour, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Add pepper, mace, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, milk, and chicken broth. Cook, stirring, until thickened.
                 
Arrange onions, chicken, and peas and carrots in a lightly buttered 2-quart casserole; pour sauce over all. Arrange     biscuits around top of pie. Brush with more half-and-half or milk. Bake chicken pie at 425° until browned and done, about  25 to 30 minutes.

Blue Cheese and Garlic Burgers

2 pounds ground chuck
4 ounces blue cheese
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced and drizzled with olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 loaf of good Italian bread, halved and cut into 4 sections


Preheat your grill. Form the meat into 8 equal balls. In 4 of the balls press them down making an indentation for an ounce of the cheese and 1 ½ teaspoons garlic and olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt and a generous twist of black pepper. Take another portion of beef and flatten it in your hand — this is the "lid" for our filled burgers — and place it right on top of the filled half and seal lightly around the edges.
While meat is grilling over hot coals (4 to 5 minutes per side), scoop out some of the inside of bread sections and grill the bread until charred marks appear. When the burgers are done place them inside the bread that has been partially hollowed out and top with your favorite condiments.
Yield: 4 servings

Broccoli and Chicken Chowder

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (16-oz. ) bag baby carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
2 stalks celery
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 (14 1/2-oz. ) can chicken broth
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 (10 3/4-oz. ) can cream of broccoli soup
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 (8-oz. ) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

Place all ingredients into slow cooker, except the cream of broccoli soup, milk, flour and broccoli. Cook on low for 8 hours. Combine cream of broccoli soup, milk and flour and whisk together. Add to slow cooker along with broccoli and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Serve with cornbread or a simple green salad. Serves 4-6

Sweet Onion & Fried Chicken Salad

1 large head leaf lettuce, or a combination of lettuces
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
1/3 cup milk
2 whole chicken breasts, halved, boned, and cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt
pepper
1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Texas 1015 SuperSweet), thinly sliced
Arrange lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and mushrooms on 4 salad plates; set aside.

In a shallow bowl, mix flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt and coarse-grind pepper. Place milk in a separate bowl. Dip chicken strips into milk and then into flour mixture to coat. Fry chicken in hot oil on both sides for a total of 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain chicken on paper towels, reserving drippings in pan.

Stir vinegar into drippings, scraping bottom and sides of pan. Pour vinegar mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in mustard. Add shallots and tarragon and season with salt and pepper; set dressing aside.

Arrange chicken strips and onion slices on top of salads. Serve with mustard-tarragon dressing on the side. Makes 4 servings

Beef Diablo (Crockpot)

4 lbs. pot roast, boneless beef/arm
3 potatoes, peeled/sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. sugar

Trim all excess fat from roast. Place potatoes and onion in bottom of Crockery Pot. Make a smooth paste of flour, mustard, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and sugar. Spread over top of roast (cut roast in half, if necessary, to fit easily). Place roast in Crockery Pot on top of potatoes and onions.
Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours (high 5 to 6).

Hamburger Creole Pie

1 pastry crust, unbaked

1 lb. ground beef

1 can whole tomatoes, 16 oz

1 can corn, 12 oz

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. pepper

3 green pepper rings

Heat oven to 400. Prepare pastry or use store bought kind. Cook and stir ground beef in skillet until brown. Drain. Drain tomatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Stir tomatoes, reserved tomato liquid, corn, with liquid, and the remaining ingredients except green pepper rings into beef. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Spoon beef mixture into pastry lined pie plate. Bake until crust is golden, 20 to 30 minute. Garnish with green pepper rings. Serves 6

Chicken Fajitas with Pico de Gallo

5 oz. chicken breast, marinated in fajita seasoning
1/2 tomato
4 oz. onion
2 oz. peppers
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup pico de gallo or salsa
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
4 flour tortillas
Fresh jalapenos

Place marinated chicken on clean lightly oiled broiler. Cook chicken until it
reaches minimum temperature of 165 degrees. Slice chicken into 32 to 40
pieces. Sauté tomato, onion and peppers. Place tortillas in the microwave for 14
seconds. Serve with pico de gallo or salsa, sour cream, Cheddar cheese and fresh
jalapenos.

Pico de Gallo
3 large tomatoes diced
1 large onion diced
2 TB diced Jalapenos
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (diced)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 TB olive oil
1 TB white vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in large container until well blended. Allow to
set for at least 6 hours, it is better if allowed to sit overnight.

Makes: 1 cup.

Maple Pretzel Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each) (I only used 3)

1 egg

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1-1/2 cups of crushed pretzels

1/4 cup of canola oil

 

First flatten the chicken breasts to 1/2-in. thickness.

Then in a shallow bowl whisk the egg and the maple syrup.
Next put the pretzels in a separate shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and coat with the pretzels.
Finally in a large skillet, cook the chicken in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Chessy Baked Penne

4 cups 2% milk
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 pound penne pasta, cooked until tender yet still firm to the bite
1 cup frozen peas
1 ½ cups diced ham
1 cup diced provolone cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat milk in a medium saucepan until small bubbles form around the edges. In a larger saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring, until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly begin adding hot milk to the large saucepan, whisking constantly while adding. Sauce will start out lumpy and become smooth as milk is incorporated. Stir in nutmeg and freshly ground pepper. Turn heat up to medium and bring sauce to a simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the pasta.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with the sauce. Stir in peas, ham, provolone and ¾ cup of the grated Parmesan. Scrape the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges and the center is hot (about 10 minutes more). Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serves: 6

Cajun Pork with Noodles

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch thinned with water
1 box cooked spaghetti

In a large skillet brown the pork tenderloin until it turns white on all sides. Add the minced onion flakes and cook until they are slightly toasted. Add milk, mushrooms and Cajun seasoning. Finally add the cornstarch and cook until thickened.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the box. Drain noodles and mix the pork tenderloin mixture together with the noodles.

Yields 3 to 4 servings.

Coconut Beer Shrimp with Sweet & Tangy Sauce Recipe

4 eggs
1 cup beer
3-1/2 tsp Creole seasoning (divided use)
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh or moist-packed shredded coconut
Oil for deep-frying
.
Sweet and Tangy Sauce:
2 cups orange marmalade
1/3 Tbsp shredded horseradish

PREPARATION:
For the Shrimp: Combine eggs, beer, 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, flour
and baking powder.

Dip the shrimp in beer batter and roll in coconut. Fry in oil heated
to 350 degrees F. in deep fryer, wok or deep saucepan. The oil should
be at least 1-1/2 inches deep. Drop shrimp in a few at a time and fry
until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Serve with Sweet
and Tangy Dipping Sauce.

Konkey Doodle

1 pound fresh mushrooms

1 pound bulk sausage

2 pounds hamburger

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

Salt to taste

2 cans tomato soup

1 large can whole tomatoes

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 pound shell macaroni, cooked and drained

1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated

Slice and sauté mushrooms. Cook sausage in large skillet, stirring to break in small pieces. Drain off fat. Add hamburger, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring until hamburger is browned. Stir in salt, soup, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms. heat through. Layer meat mixture, macaroni and cheese in 6 quart casserole, ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes 20 servings

Pork Chops with Oranges and Parsley

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick; about 2 1/2 pounds total)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 strips orange zest, plus 1/2 cup orange juice and 2 oranges, peel and pith removed and flesh cut into segments (3 oranges total)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season pork with salt and pepper and cook until cooked through, 9 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to a platter.
2. Add orange zest and juice to skillet. Cook until slightly thickened, 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange segments. To serve, spoon orange mixture over pork chops and top with parsley.