Soft Pretzel Bites

1.5 c water

1 T sugar

1 T brown sugar

1.5 T yeast

1 T butter

1 t salt

4 c flour

.5 c baking soda

1 T brown sugar

Water

Proof yeast with warm water and brown/white sugars.  Add butter, salt, and flour.  Mix with dough hook until mixed, kneaded, and pulled away from the edges.  Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise til doubled.  

Dump out dough and divide into 8 pieces.  Roll into strips and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Boil water with baking soda and brown sugar.  Use a big pot.  Drop pieces into water about 8 at a time.  Let boil 15-20 seconds.  Lift out with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter.

Puerto Rican Chicken Stew

4 chicken leg quarters

Dash of:

Salt

Garlic salt

Pepper

Turmeric

Onion powder

Cumin

2 T oil

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1/2 c sofrito

8 oz tomato sauce

1 packet sazon seasoning

Dash or two Italian seasoning

3 large red potatoes, diced, mostly peeled

4 carrots, sliced

3 c chicken stock

1/2 c water

Heat oil in pot.  Add dashes of seasonings.  Place chicken quarters in seasoned oil after removing skin.  Brown on all sides.  Remove and set aside.

Add more oil and onions.  Cook til translucent.  Add garlic and cook til fragrant.  Add sofrito and tomato sauce.  Stir and cook until bubbly.  Add sazon, Italian seasoning, carrots, potato, stock and water.  Combine and bring to a boil. Add chicken back in.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 30 mins.  

Remove chicken and pull meat from bones/tendons.  Return meat in pieces (will fall apart).  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve with dippable bread.

Meatball Stew

MEATBALLS

1.5 pounds ground beef

1 egg beaten

1/2-1/3 cup grated mozarella cheese 

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt and pepper, each

1/3 cup milk

1 t creole seasoning

STEW

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 tablespoons butter

1 t oil

1/4 c flour

3 cups beef broth

6 medium red potatoes, diced

3/4 lbs carrots, chopped

Hot sauce to taste

Dash Italian seasoning

1-2 t creole seasing

salt and pepper to taste

cooked white rice

Instructions

MEATBALLS

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Add all the meatball ingredients to a large bowl. Mix until just combined. Don't work the crap out of it. Be gentle.

Form into balls, however big you want it. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on size. Remove and set aside.

STEW

Add butter and oil to a large skillet. When hot, add in your chopped onion. Cook until just softened.

Add flour and make a roux. This should only take a minute or two.

Add beef broth and whisk until it becomes one. Just a big ole pot of roux/gravy.

Add the meatballs to the pot, along with the hot sauce, bell pepper, carrots, potatoes and seasonings. Try to make sure your meatballs are sitting in the liquid, not on top.

Bring it up to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, with the lid cracked, until the potatoes are done and you like the thickness, stirring often.

While you got this simmering, go ahead and cook your white rice, by whichever method you choose. 

When you like the way it looks and your potatoes are tender, you're done. 

Bangers and Mash Pie

28 breakfast sausages

3 c beef broth

1/2 c wine (juice replacement)

1 full onion, peeled and diced (seriously, all of it)

1/4 c flour

3 T butter

2 t worcestershire sauce

Dash Italian seasoning

Few dashes salt and pepper

4-6 mushrooms

Mashed potatoes

Cheddar cheese

Dijon mustard

Make mashed potatoes as usual. White potatoes work best. Add in about a cup of cheddar cheese and about 1 t Dijon mustard. Trust me. Set aside.

In a large, deep pan, cook sausages in a little oil. RRemove cooked sausages and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside. In the pan, add onions to the drippings and start to caramelize. Add butter and melt. Add flour and stir to a paste, then add in wine and broth, whisking. Add in seasonings. Cook a good 10 minutes until thickening. Add in sausages and a few diced mushrooms. Cook for 10 more minutes until nice and thick gravy 

Add to a baking dish and top with potatoes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then broil a couple minutes until potatoes turn golden.

Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak

INGREDIENTS

1-2 pound flank steak, about 1-inch thick

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, minced

Make marinade and pour over steak. Marinade 2 hours to overnight.  

Cook steak as you like, I prefer pan fried in butter (and a little chimichurri sauce).

Chimichurri Sauce (no cilantro)

1/2-3/4 c fresh flat leaf parsley (chopped fine)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 t red pepper flakes

1/4 t kosher salt

Zest half lemon

Juice half lemon

Mix ingredients together. Using an immersion blender, blend well. Let sit for at least 15 minotes. Serve over steak, or on the side.

Mini Meatloaves

1.5 lbs ground beef

1/2-2/3 c panko breadcrumbs

1/2 onion, chopped

1 T bbq sauce

1 T Dijon mustard

1/2 t garlic powder

1.5 t chili powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 egg

Glaze:

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 c ketchup

2 t Dijon mustard

1/4 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl well.  Scoop into 12 greased Muffin tins evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes.  While baking, mix the glaze.  Microwave for about 30 seconds and mix well until smooth.  Remove and drain fat.  Pat fat off the top of the meatloaves.  Place a spoonful of the glaze on each meatloaf.  Return to oven for about 10 minutes.  Serve 2-3 per adult, 1 for a kid.

Stuffed Shells

INGREDIENTS

6 oz jumbo shell pasta (about 20 shells)

24 oz jar marinara sauce

2 tbsp water

15 oz ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 large egg

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried parsley

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb Italian sausage

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare a 9×13 pan by lightly spraying with non-stick spray. Add about half the jar of prepared sauce and 2 T. of water to the bottom of the pan. Stir around until the bottom of the pan is coated.

Cook the shell pasta as directed on the package.

Cook sausage and set aside.

In a large bowl combined the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, parsley. Mix well.

Drain the shell pasta and run under cool water. Once cooled, fill each shell with cheese mixture. Place each shell seam side down in the prepared 9×13 pan.

Pour sausage and remaining sauce over the shells and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

For the chicken

• 2 large chicken breasts, (1.5 pounds)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons oil, vegetable, canola, or light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the fettuccine

• water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
• 12 ounces fettuccine

For the Alfredo sauce

• 3/4 cup butter, (1 and 1/2 sticks)
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream*
• 1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adds flavor not heat
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 & 1/2 cups FINELY shredded block Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, to create a thin cutlet. Start at the thick edge of the chicken breast. See photos. You should end up with 4 thin pieces of chicken that are the same shape as a chicken breast, just thinner.

In a small bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Pat the chicken with paper towels on both sides until it is very dry. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken on both sides, and rub in.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium high heat for at least 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer right away.

Carefully place the chicken in the pan. Once it touches the pan you can’t move it, so arrange accordingly. Do not crowd the chicken. If your pan isn’t big enough, do it in batches. Do not touch, poke, or move the chicken at all. It needs to stay put to get a nice sear.

Once all the chicken is in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. If you try to flip the chicken and it sticks to the pan, it’s not ready to turn.

Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken, swirling the pan as necessary to coat with oil. Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and swirl the pan as it melts. (The butter helps the chicken to brown, and brings flavor.) Cook the chicken on the second side for about 2 minutes, until the other side is a deep golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave all juices in the pan. (Turn the heat off if you’re not ready to make the sauce yet)

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine. Fill a 3 quart pot with water. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. When it is at a rolling boil, add 12 ounces of fettuccine. Stir occasionally so the noodles don’t stick to each other. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are al dente (don’t over cook!) Drain the noodles, but be sure to save about a cup of the pasta water. Set it aside in a small bowl. Then add a drizzle of olive oil to the noodles and stir so that they don’t stick to each other. Set aside.

Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don’t let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Saute the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

Slowly add 2 cups of cream while stirring. Take your time. Add 1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Let the cream mixture cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until you see gentle bubbles on the side of the pan. Do not bring to a full boil; your sauce will break (meaning it will look curdled instead of smooth). Lower the heat to medium low.

Finely shred 1 and 1/2 cups parmesan cheese using the finest grater. I do not recommend using pre shredded parmesan (and definitely not the powdered stuff). Pre-grated cheese will not melt as well, and your sauce will be clumpy.

Add the cheese to the sauce just a few tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle some in and stir for a bit to help it melt, then add a bit more cheese, stir, etc. This will help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, making a smooth sauce.

Once all the cheese is added in, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as you like.

Add the noodles in batches so that it all gets coated well in sauce. Add in about 1/3, stir to coat, the next 1/3, and so on.

Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the chicken into strips against the grain. You can either plate the pasta and arrange the chicken on top to serve, or add the chicken to the pasta in the pan and stir it all together.

If you have a wait a few minutes before serving, keep the heat on low and cover. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, so to loosen it just before serving, add the reserved pasta water a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring well.

Falaffel

2 cans chick peas

1 red onion, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic

2 t harassment paste (optional)

1 t salt

1 t cumin

1/2 t pepper

1/2 c flour

1/2 c parsley, fresh

1 c flour

1/2 c milk

1 c panko

Mix first 10 ingredients in a food processor.  Form balls.  Refrigerate for 20 mins.  Roll in batter, then panko.  Deep fry.