Chicken Comfort Casserole, from Kris

2 cans green beans, drained
breasts of 2 rotisserie chickens shredded
1 can mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 bag/box cubed stuffing mix, preseasoned
1 cup hot chicken broth
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

In 9x13 pan that has been lightly sprayed, add both cans of green beans. Top the green beans with shredded chicken. Mix together sour cream, mushroom soup and onion soup mix. Spread over chicken layer. Mix together chicken broth and cube stuffing, place in pan as top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover, sprinkle cheese on top of stuffing and bake additional 15 - 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Delicioso Spaghetti Sauce, from Kris

Spaghetti sauce:

Onion, small dice
garlic like 6 - 8 cloves, finely diced
ground meat of choice (4% beef or turkey breast for us)
petite diced tomatos in juice
tomato sauce
fresh sliced mushrooms (sauteed prior to entering party)
s&p
oregano to taste (about 1 - 1/2 tsp dried)
basil a good heaping TBSP dried from the beginning or 1/4 cup fresh at the end
any other Italian herbs you want - marjoram, rosemary etc...

Simmer away for hours until reduced, thickened and delicioso.

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole, from Kris

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole:

- 4 or 5 small - medium yams or sweet potatoes cut to 1/4 inch thick rounds
- 4 cored apples (granny smith) cut to 1/4 inch rounds
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans
- 4 TBSP butter cut into slices
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 2 TBSP dark molasses
- miniature marshmallows to preference

In small bowl mix cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar together.

In microwave safe cup, heat orange juice and molasses and stir together until well mixed.

In a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no stick spray, layer 1/2 of the sweet potato slices, top with half of the apple slices, add half of the raisins, half of the pecans and top with half of the brown sugar mixture. "Dot" with half of the butter slices, making sure to get little chunks of butter well distributed. Repeat for one more layer and then pour the orange juice mixture over entire casserole. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 20 minutes (or until sweet potatoes and apples are tender). In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add as many marshmallows to the top as you want. Remove from oven before marshmallows burn (this is a very important step!).

Chicken Comfort Casserole, from Kris

2 cans green beans, drained
breasts of 2 rotisserie chickens shredded
1 can mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 bag/box cubed stuffing mix, preseasoned
1 cup hot chicken broth
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

In 9x13 pan that has been lightly sprayed, add both cans of green beans. Top the green beans with shredded chicken. Mix together sour cream, mushroom soup and onion soup mix. Spread over chicken layer. Mix together chicken broth and cube stuffing, place in pan as top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover, sprinkle cheese on top of stuffing and bake additional 15 - 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Stuffed Greek Chicken, from Kris

- boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
- s&p to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- frsh baby spinach (about 1 cup per chicken breast) roughly torn
- 1 small white onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- feta cheese (however much you want!)

In medium skillet, add olive oil, onion and garlic. Saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Add torn spinach, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Cook additional 2 minutes (until spinach is wilted). Remove from heat and set aside.

On work surface, lay chicken breasts flat. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the top side of the chicken (which will become the 'inside' of the stuffed breast). Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp of oregano on this side of chicken also. Sprinkle feta cheese onto half of the 'inside' of the chicken breast. Divide spinach mixture amongst chicken breasts and top each chicken piece over the half with feta cheese. Fold the chicken piece in half over itself (now the spinach and feta are on the 'inside' and it is stuffed).

I lightly browned the chicken in a skillet over medium high for 2 minutes per side and then baked it off in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Alternately you can just bake it until done at 375 and skip the browning step. When I took it out of the oven, I immediately squeezed the other half of lemon on top of the chicken.

Pita Bread II, from Kris

Pita bread:

380 grams bread flour
1 cup warm (about 115 degree) water
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sea salt
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp sugar

Mix water, sugar and yeast in heated mixing bowl and allow yeast 7 - 10 minutes to activate. Once yeast is activated, add remaining ingredients and mix with wooden spoon until it comes together as a mass. Using dough hook with electric mixer, knead dough for 10 minutes on speed 2, adding any additional water or flour in first 2 minutes. After kneading, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead by hand an additional 1 or 2 minutes - avoid incorporating much additional flour at this point. Roll into tight dough ball and place into lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides of dough ball with oil (alternately, 'paint' small amount of oil onto top surface of dough ball). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size in warm, dry place. Once dough is doubled in size, punch down to remove trapped air bubbles. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 or 2 minutes. Pull dough apart into 8 or 10 balls of dough. Set aside and cover with dry tea towel. Allow balls of dough to rise for 20 - 30 minutes. In the meantime, heat over to 450 degrees with a cookie sheet upside down on middle rack (this will become the hot cooking surface). After the dough balls have rested, roll them *just before you bake them* I can fit 4 pitas onto my cookie sheet, so I only roll 4 at a time - keeping the others covered until I am ready to use them. Roll to about 1/8 inch thickness or so. Too thin and they won't puff, too thick and they won't puff... Try not to make the pitas too big - maybe 4 or 5 inches across is all. This is the trial and error part! Roll 2 - 4 pitas, depending on what your cookie sheet will fit. Spray the inside of your oven, including the cookie sheet with water before you put the pitas on it. Water should skip and dance off the cookie sheet as soon as it is sprayed. Put pitas on hot cookie sheet and bake for 3 - 5 minutes until puffed and done. I usually don't turn my pitas over, and I prefer not to have them be too brown (they get crunchy that way. So, I usually go for 3 minutes, maybe 4. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool....

Baguette, from Kris

375 grams bread flour
90 grams all purpose flour
2 tsp yeast (I use red star active dry)
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP sea salt
2 TBSP olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water (approx. 115 degrees)

In mixing bowl (I actually 'heat' my mixing bowl by inverting it and running under hot water for a minute or two so that the water for the yeast doesn't cool down so much to not activate the yeast) combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 7 - 10 minutes for yeast to activate. Once yeast is activated, add remaining ingredients and combine with wooden spoon until mixture is sort of together into one mass. I use my electric mixer with dough hook and knead the dough for 10 minutes on level 2. In first 2 minutes I add more flour or water if necessary. Turn dough ball out onto lightly floured surface and knead by hand for additional minute or two - try not to work any additional flour into dough ball (dough will be sticky). Form into tight ball and place into greased glass bowl, brushing the top of the dough ball lightly with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm dry area for 2 hours or until doubled in size (one technique I read about and I use is turn the oven to 450 degrees for 25 seconds, then turn oven off. Place bowl with dough ball into the slightly warmed oven). After dough has doubled in size, punch down to release trapped bubbles, knead gently on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two, then form into 2 baguettes (or 4 small torpedo rolls), place both onto lightly greased cookie sheet. I can't really explain how to form the baguettes, best I can suggest is to look on you tube for how to instruactions on forming baguettes. Optionally you can sprinkle a little corn meal onto the lightly greased cookie sheet before putting the baguettes on it. Cover baguettes with towel and allow to rise a second time for about 20 or 30 minutes. Just enough time to get the oven preheated to 425 degrees.

Just before putting the bread into the oven, spray the sides and bottom of your oven with water in a spray bottle. About 5 sprays each. The more humid air is supposed to lend itself to a crispier crust. Bake for a total of 12 - 15 minutes. After each 5 minutes of baking, spray the sides and bottom of oven again. Bread is done when it is browned all around and sounds 'hollow' when tapped on the underside. Let rest for 5 or 10 minutes before slicing.

Homemade Cheeseburgers, from Kris

(all measurements are approximate!)
1 - 1 1/4 pound ground 96/4 hamburger
1/4 cup A1 steak sauce (sometimes I do half A1, half BBQ sauce)
1/2 onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 TBSP worchestershire sauce

Mix above ingredients together well. Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours. Shape into hamburger patties and grill over medium heat until desired doneness. Top with Havarti cheese for a fantastic flavor! Serve with sliced onion, tomato, pickles and lettuce. Usually corn on the cob is the accompaniment. These end up peppery and meaty. Despite the low fat content of the beef, they end up pretty juicy. You won't miss the other 16% fat that is in standard ground beef! We find our 4% at Trader Joe's....

Easy Peasy Chicken Parm, Sans Breading, from Kris

-Boneless skinless chicken boobs
- 2 jars Classico "Florentine" style spaghetti sauce (or favorite tomato based sauce)
- fresh slices mozzarella cheese (or shredded if you prefer)
- fresh shredded parm cheese
- cooked spaghetti noodles

Over medium high heat, sear chicken boobs in small amount of olive oil until brown on each side (about 3 - 4 min/side). Using jarred sauce, cover chicken and put in oven on 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cover each chicken piece with slice fresh mozzarella and some shredded parm. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

I serve on some spaghetti noodles, covered with the sauce. The jarred spaghetti sauce condenses down (which is why I use 2 jars!) a lot and concentrates the flavor really well. As the chicken is baking in the sauce, it adds extra flavor as well. It's really good and a fantastic quick go to meal when it's not too hot to turn on the oven.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers, from Kris

Use ground turkey breast and jazzed it up with some steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
I also finely minced an onion and mixed it in, then added about 1/4 cup bread crumbs.
I portioned the meat out so that each burger had 2 patties.

On the bottom patty I put some shredded pepper-jack cheese and a spoonful of the stuffing mixture I made (carmelized red onions with red peppers and fresh garlic that I did in a saute pan before putting the burgers together).

The burgers were grilled and then topped with a very thin slice of pepper-jack cheese.

Our veggies were new potatoes with mushrooms and red onions that had been marinated in olive oil, szechuan sauce, garlic, fresh black pepper and red wine.

Pita Bread, from Kris

My friend (who grew up in Israel) is trying to teach me how to make her mom's pita bread. So far, I've done it twice and have had good and bad pita both times... I'm not giving up though! Here's the recipe:

1 lb flour
1 cup water water
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 package active dry yeast

Activate yeast in water water (115 degrees) with 1 TBSP sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. In bowl, combine flour and salt, then add yeast water and bring together into dough ball. (If dough is too dry, add more *warm* water 1 teaspoon at a time). The dough should not be sticky, but not too dry either.... Knead dough ball (I haven't figured out how long to knead the dough... I keep trying different things. I don't really understand why dough gets kneaded...). After kneading, put into bowl that has been lightly oiled with olive oil. Spray the top of the doughball with a little olive oil, cover and place in warm area to rise for at least an hour.

After dough has risen, preheat oven to 500 degrees. pull dough off of main ball and form into slightly bigger than golfball balls and put aside (keeping covered so they don't dry out). After all the dough is in golfball sized pieces, roll each one flat (if too thin, they will not puff and be like large crackers, but if too puffy they won't cook on the inside and will burn on the outside). Try to roll to 1/4 inch (that is what I strive for!). They end up being about 3 - 4 inches in diameter. Put into oven and cook for a couple of minutes until done (about 5 minutes or so). They should be puffy and golden brown, but not crunchy. Cool on wire rack.

I think I will try to make more tonight. I keep changing the amount of time I knead and the thickness of the pita. They do turn out very yummy. My kids love them warm with butter. I love them warm with grilled chicken and tzatziki.

Edit from Kris: I will add 1 TBSP of olive oil to the loaf, plus I will allow the dough, in golfball state, to sit for 8 - 10 minutes covered with a slightly damp towel before I try to roll them out. I also am going to put the cookie sheet in the oven and leave it there to get hot. I was reading that if the surface that the pita is cooked on is hot in the oven, the pita puff better...

"Not Asian" Eggrolls, an idea from Kris

Mexican eggrolls. Or international eggrolls. Or transethnic eggrolls. I'm not sure what to call them...

Anyhow, I bought a rotisserie chicken at the grocery, came home and stripped it off the bones and shredded it. I roasted some poblano peppers in the oven, skinned them and chopped them up, mixing them with the chicken. I also sweated some onions with garlic, cayenne, pepper and cumin and threw it in there. I put the mixture in egg roll wrappers and will be baking them shortly. Will serve them with a side of salsa and sour cream... I meant to put some shredded pepper jack cheese in them, but forgot until I was wrapping the last 3 egg rolls, so - if they are halfway decent, next time I will add a little cheese....

Serving these thingies with steamed rice.

Kris' (Oven Fried, Chicken) Breasts, an idea from Kris

I made roasted baby red potatoes with parsley, steamed cauliflower and "oven fried" chicken breasts.

I used BS breasts and dipped them in egg (beat with some milk and pepper), then dredged them in crushed French's fried onions with some flour, parsley and pepper.

Baked at 400 degrees until done - about 15 minutes.

Cheesesteak-French Dip Hybrid, an idea from Kris

The only problem is that I always end up with a lot of leftover meat (I think because I slice it so thin, it always seems like there is a lot more meat than if the slices are thicker).

Anyhow, tonight I made up a cross between philly cheesesteak (which I've never had, just seen on TV) and a French dip sandwich. I took the leftover meat from last night and sliced the thin slices into strips. I then simmered the meat in some beef broth with worcestershire sauce, black pepper and garlic and simmered it for a good 45 minutes (to get the meat back to the 'soft' stage instead of the 'overcooked' stage). I sauteed some onions and green peppers.

Bought a couple loaves of baguette bread, sliced them, buttered them (a little) and toasted them in the oven until crispy. I then took the meat out of the meat juice (?) and put on the bread, topped with provolone cheese, the onions and peppers, a splash of the meat juice and back in the oven to broil for about 3 minutes. I served them along side a little ramekin of the meat juice for dipping. OMG ya'll. They were sooooooo good!

(Note from Dot--this is a "second gen recipe" using Kris' fajita recipe.)

Beef Fajitas, from Kris

Beef marinade:

2 - 3 lb tri-tip roast, trimmed of visible fat
2 lemons
1 orange
1 lime
3 large cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup white wine
black pepper
2 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

I mix the above together in a big gallon sized zippy bag. I squeeze the citrus into the bag and then let the rind hang out with the marinating meat. Then marinate for a few hours. Throw it on the grill and cook on very low heat for about 1 hour. Slice it supah-thin and away we go with homemade guac, sour cream, tortillas and cheese. The fajitas were really really good.

Drunken Chili, an idea from Kris

This is the revised recipe...

- 1.25 lb extra lean ground turkey breast
- 8 cloves garlic (more or less depending on your taste), minced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 large white onion or 2 small ones, diced
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 2 serrano chilis, with seeds and ribs, finely diced
- 3 jalapeno peppers with seeds and ribs, finely diced
- 2 heaping TBPS ground cumin
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 large TBSP Better than Bouillon beef base (or 2 beef bouillon cubes)
- 2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 bottles dark beer (Guinness works well)
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce (optional - makes it a little more tomato-y)

Sweat onions, garlic, peppers (spicy and mild ones) in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown over medium heat, mixing into the onion mixture. Add powdered spices when turkey is done. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer chili for 1.5 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This allows the excess water to boil off, leaving more thick chili. Some like a chili soup, in that case add a little more beef bouillon (or more beer - who's keeping track?!)

This is what my chili recipe has pretty much become. Granted, I never measure anything so all measurements are guesses, not exact. It's mostly a cook by feel/taste thing... I like it spicy, if you don't, then omit and/or reduce the spicy ingredients...

Kick Azz Chicken Stir Fry, an idea from Kris

Lots of veggies - white onions, white and brown mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, water chestnuts and 3 jalapenos.

I had cut a couple of chicken breasts into thin strips and marinated them in sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Cooked them with some onions and jalapenos. Then, removed from heat - cooked mushrooms with some onions and jalapenos, removed from heat.

Added the rest and cooked for about 3 or 4 minutes on high until the water had evaporated, returned the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, added remainder onions and jalapenos, threw some extra soy sauce, oyster sauce and a dash of schezuan sauce and served with white rice.

Spicy Turkey Meat Mix for Mexican Food, from Kris

- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 package ground turkey breast
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 TBSP worchestershire sauce
- 1 TBSP chili powder
- 3 large or 4 small chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped well (add less for less spicy, more for more spicy - I like spicy!)

In skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until onions are soft. Add garlic and saute for 1 or 2 more minutes. Add ground turkey and increase heat a little. When turkey is halfway browned (or so), add chili powder and worchestershire sauce. Finish browning turkey until done. Add chipotle peppers and stir to combine.

This meat will make yummy filling for tacos, taco salads, topping nachos, fill burritos - it's good and has lots of flavor and spice!

"Better than Frozen" Garlic Bread, from Kris

Slice open a loaf of French bread lengthwise - apply butter. Bake then when still hot, rub with fresh garlic cloves. It's just as easy as the frozen and sooooo much better!

Naan Pizzas, from Kris

I had some frozen Trader Joes Naan bread, spaghetti sauce, cheese and deli meat. So, I made individual pizzas-they turned out to be really really yummy and each piece of naan bread is a perfect serving (big serving, actually!). And, all 4 fit into the oven at the same time. Totally easy and everyone gets to pick their own toppings. And since each pizza is cooked at the same time, everyone gets to eat together too! So, here's the recipe:

Naan Pizzas:

- 1 package (4 pieces) frozen Trader Joe's Naan Bread
- shredded cheese
- 1 jar pizza sauce (I used spaghetti sauce and it was good)
- toppings of choice - ideas are: canned mushrooms, sliced olives, artichokes, finely diced onion, peppers, chopped deli meat - turkey/ham, pepperoni, pineapple.

Put Naan bread into oven frozen and cook for about 4 minutes. Take out of oven, top with sauce, toppings and cheese. Put back into oven and bake for 3 minutes, then broil for 1 minute until cheese is bubbly.