Broccoli with Lemon Almond Butter

1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup blanched slivered almonds
Steam or boil broccoli until tender, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.
Drain.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat, remove from heat.
Stir in lemon juice. lemon zest, and almonds.
Pour over hot broccoli, and serve.

Parmesan Tomatoes

2 large ripe tomatoes
1 tsp butter, melted
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Broil 6 inches from heat 5 - 7 minutes or until golden brown.

Jjortikka's Pork Tenderloin

1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 lb pork tenderloins
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix garlic, salt, pepper & thyme in small bowl. Rub mixture over tenderloin and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Heat olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. and brown pork on all sides, approximately 7 minute total. Remove from heat. Add enough water to come up to bottom edge of pork (about a half inch). Cover with foil and bake at 350F 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place tenderloin on a cutting board while you make the gravy. Bring water in skillet to a boil. In a small jar or bowl, mix 1 tablespoon flour with 2 tablespoons water; stir into water. Heat another couple of minutes until thickened. Serve over meat. Gravy could be served on mashed potatoes or rice, too.

Patrick's Chili

4-5 dried red chilies (try mixing hot and mild)
3 cups boiling water
1 pound beef round steak or sirloin, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 15-oz. can corn, drained
1 15-oz. can black beans, undrained
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons (really!) ground cumin

The night before: Place chilies in a 4-cup measuring cup (or similar bowl). Cover completely with boiling water. Use a small bowl of water to weight the chilies down and keep them submerged. Let sit overnight.

In the morning:Remove the stems from the chilies and place chilies in a blender. Add about 1/4 cup of the soaking water and blend into a thin paste. Add to crockpot with remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook on LOW 7-8 hours. Makes 10 cups. Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: I used two different kinds of chilies for this dish: Onza Rojas and New Mexico Chilies. I bought these at a Mexican grocery store, where I asked the owner for New Mexico chilies, which are mild, and something hotter than New Mexico chilies. He gave me the Onza Rojas. You could also try Chicostle, which are medium, chipotles, which are hot and smoky, or guajillos, which are medium. If you use chipotles, I recommend cutting back on the cumin. For great information on dried red chilies, go to Cook's Thesaurus: Dried Chilies.

Chicken Thighs with Mango Chutney Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
2 T chopped onion
2 T hot mango chutney
1 c chicken broth
2 T raisins
6 dried apricots, diced
1 T cornstarch
2 T water
Hot cooked rice

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper, and brown with the onions in the skillet. Stir chutney into broth and add with raisins and apricots to skillet. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove thighs. Stir cornstarch and water together, and add to liquid in skillet. Raise the heat, and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve sauce over chicken and rice.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 cups peeled, coarsely diced tomato (about 2 large)
2 T butter
1 T Splenda
2 T flour
1 t salt
dash pepper
1/4 t baking soda
1 c half & half
1/2 c chicken stock

Sauté tomatoes in butter about 3 minutes. Put in blender and whir until smooth. Sprinkle in flour, salt, and pepper, blending again for a few seconds. Put mixture into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add baking soda and half and half; cook until slightly thickened. Stir in chicken broth and heat to simmering. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3.

Split Pea Soup

1 pound split peas
3 quarts water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped ham (optional)
1 cup half-&-half

Rinse peas in a colander. Combine all ingredients except half-&-half in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add half-&-half and heat through.

Cole Slaw

1/2 med. head cabbage, shredded
1/4 c Splenda granular
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. bottled French dressing
1 Tbsp. celery seeds

Sprinkle cabbage with sugar and vinegar; mix well. Add mayonnaise, French dressing and celery seeds. Let sit about 10 minutes before serving; stir again.

Frikadellen

2 slices of dry white bread
1 lb. lean ground beef (or use 1/2 lb. beef and 1/2 lb. pork)
one small onion, finely chopped
one egg
half a clove of garlic
one teaspoon salt
half a teaspoon pepper
one teaspoon paprika
half a teaspoon Sambal Oelek (Hot Chilli Paste)
one teaspoon Dijon mustard
one bunch of fresh parsley
one teaspoon oregano
a splash of Worcestershire sauce

Soak the dry white bread in water for 10 minutes. Then press it in your hands to get as much of the water out of the bread as you can .Mix all the ingredients together.

You can either form little meatballs or make hamburger-style patties which you can either pan-fry or barbecue.

Best Easy Stew

2 lbs. boneless pork loin, cubed (you can also use beef round or sirloin)
2 4-ounce cans mushrooms, drained
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4-6 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
8 oz. (half a bag) baby carrots
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Layer meat and mushrooms in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix. In a large bowl, mix together the poatoes, carrots and soup, and spread add to dish. Cover tightly and bake at 300˚ for 3 hours.

You might think that the two soups would make this dish salty, but they don't.

Mexican Breakfast Potatoes

3 slices bacon
1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 tablespoons chopped bell pepper, any color
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped tomato

Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp; drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon. Add potatoes to skillet. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add butter to skillet, and let melt; add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Saute until tender. Stir in potatoes, bacon, salt and tomatoes. Heat through. Serve immediately. 4-6 servings.

Chicken in Pastry

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 T butter
1 large square (half of a box) puff pastry, thawed
6 T garlic-herb cheese spread (Rondele, Alouette, for example), divided
egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 T water)

Brown breasts in butter until cooked through. Place in refrigerator at least 15 minutes to cool. Preheat oven to 425˚. Cut large square of pastry in quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll each one out to 9-10 inches square. Put 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture on a square and top with a cooked chicken breast. Brush egg wash around the edges of the pastry, and gather edges together to enclose the chicken. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat with other 3 pieces. Brush tops with more egg wash. Bake 25 minutes or until pastry is golden. Serves 4.

Quick Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits

1 10-count package refrigerated biscuits (any kind)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup (approx.) shredded sharp or medium cheddar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425F. Separate biscuits and place on ungreased baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart. Brush each biscuit with melted butter, and top with about a tablespoon of shredded cheese. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Bake about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes 10.

Sautéed Fish with Orange Shallot Sauce

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. flounder, sole or haddock fillets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Thoroughly dredge fish fillets in the mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the fish and cook until lightly browned and just opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add shallot to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add orange juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. Add butter and parsley; stir until the butter has melted. Transfer fish to individual plates, top with sauce and serve.

Bisquick Breakfast Casserole

(to serve 3 people, use half the ingredients)

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" dish. Cook sausage and drain well. Beat eggs, add milk and Bisquick and stir thoroughly. Layer sausage on bottom of dish. Sprinkle the monterey jack cheese over the sausage. Pour on the egg mixture and sprinkle the cheddar over the top. Bake for 50 minutes or until set.

Turtle Bars

from Heather on RV.Net Open Roads Forum

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
⅔ cup butter
1 ½ cups milk or semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter; blend until crumbly. Pat mixture firmly onto bottom of ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans over the unbaked crust. Set aside.
In small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup butter.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Drizzle the hot caramel mixture over pecans and crust.
Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes or until caramel layer is bubbly and crust is light brown.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Use a small spatula or butter knife to spread chips evenly as they melt. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Velvet Crumb Cake

1 1/2 cup Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cp milk or water
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
Crumb Topping (See Below)

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan. Beat all ingredients except Crumb Topping in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool slightly.
Make Crumb Topping; spread over cake. Set oven control to Broil. Broil about 3 inches from heat about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Crumb Topping. Stir together:

1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 Tbsp. millk

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)
Heat oven to 375ºF. Use 9-inch square pan. Decrease Bisquick mix to 1 1/3 cups and add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour. Increase milk to 2/3 cup. Bake about 25 minutes.

Texas Pecan Pralines

1 lb. light brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups pecan pieces

Combine sugar and cream in large bowl, mixing well. Microwave on HIGH 12 minutes, stirring after 6 minutes. Add butter and pecans. Microwave on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes, or until a few drops form a soft ball in a cup of cold water. Working quickly, drop by large tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. If necessary, return to microwave for a few minutes to soften the mixture. Do not beat after the soft ball test shows the consistency is correct. Spoon out immediately. Makes approx. 30 pieces.