Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
Harriet Van Horne

All of the men in my life love this stuff!

You'll need:

1 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast cubed. (I like to buy chicken breast tenders because they're easier for me to cut into cubes, you can, of course, start with whole breasts though.)
1 1/2 cups slices carrots
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
a dash or two of black pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 9' unbaked pie crusts

Mmmmm..Pie: Preheat your oven to 425.
Place chicken, peas, carrots and celery in a sauce pan, cover with water and boil for 15 minutes.
Drain and set aside.

In another sauce pan cook the onions in butter over medium heat until they're soft and translucent, then stir in the flour, slat, and pepper. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk and simmer over medium to low heat until thickend, then remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Pour the chicken mixture into the bottom pie crust, pour hot mixture over that and cover with the top pie crust. Seal the edges and cut off excesses crust. Cut several small slits in the top pie crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, let it cool for about 10 and serve it!

I really like to use avocado in cooking, there are a lot of healthy benefits to using avocado, and it tastes here great.

Check out this link...This site offers a lot of information about avocado varieties, recipes and nutrional facts. =)

http://www.avocado.org/about/variety_chart.php

I like to pack my salads with a lot of flavor and textur. I really just like to throw in whatever raw veggie sounds good at the moment. This is the salad I had for dinner tonight!

You'll need:

baby spinach leaves- whole, they're small leaves
a head of romain lettuce- chopped or torn, whichever you prefer
2 roma tomatoes- diced
1 green bell pepper- chopped
1 cucumber- sliced or chopped
half a red/purple onion- finely chopped
carrots- I like to do mine shaved...it keeps the salad light
mushrooms- sliced
avocado- cubed

Toss it: Combined everything in a bowl and toss it. It's that simple.

I like to use a simple dressing made from a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinager on this salad.

I'm not big on frying foods...in fact I -never- eat fried foods but I came up with this for those around me who'd like something other than grilled fish all of the time. =D For being a fried fish this comes out rather light and is really nice with steamed squash and asparagus.

You'll need:

4 Tilapia fillets
4 eggs (to lower calories simply use only the egg whites instead)- lightly beaten
4 cups dry, unsweetened coconut
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sea salt
a little vegetable oil for frying


Let's go fishing: Rince fish fillets and pat dry. Mix flour and coconut together in a flat dish. Rub sea salt into fish fillets and coat in beaten eggs and then place in coconut and flour to cover. Place in frying pan with heated oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until crust is golden brown.

This dish is excellent with lightly steamed veggies!

You'll need:

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 tub of ricotta cheese
1 clove roasted garlic
2 green onions- chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Mmm mmm Chicken: Preheat oven to 420.
Between two sheets of wax paper, use a rubber mallet or other meat tenderizing tool to gently pound chicken into quarter inch thick sheets. This takes patience. If you hit the chicken too hard it will tear. Go slowly and use a consistent amount of pressure.

Place ricotta into a blow and stir in garlic, salt, and chopped green onions, place in microwave for 30 seconds to make cheese smooth.

place ricotta mixture on chicken sheets and roll. Place rolled chicken breasts into baking dish. Using a brush, coat outside of chicken with a little olive oil. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

I'm warning you now, this is the richest alfredo sauce known to man and it should be consumed rarely with extreme caution. =D Seriously though, a little goes a long way so you should be good as long as you don't over do it. It's good to keep the rest of the meal simple with this sauce...just pasta and a lite salad will do it.

You'll need:

1 cup flour
1 cup butter
4 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp. garlic
1 cup shaved Parmesan
1 cup cream cheese

Make it saucy: In a sauce pan melt butter slowly for about 1 minute (don't burn it!). Stir in flour slowly, stirring until the flour has absorbed the butter. Slowly add heavy cream, stirring continuously until combined. Stir in cream cheese until melted into the sauce. Stir in Parmesan very slowly. If you go too fast the Parmesan will get lumpy.

Pour immediately over cooked pasta and serve.

I really like Indian food and they use a lot of yogurt in their cooking. I really love how you get a good mixture of cool flavors with warm, spicy flavors in Indian cooking. With that in mind I thought I would try mixing something cool with something a little spicy for a chicken marinade and I think it worked out pretty well.

You'll need:

1 pint plain yogurt
3 tbsp. Zatarans Creol Seasoning (I also like a combination of a tsp. paprika, a 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. salt instead)
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or 8 to 12 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders

To marinate: simply place the chicken in a bowl, cover with yogurt and stir in seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

I think this chicken is best grilled and served over Jasmine or brown rice with black beans.

I threw this together one evening out of random things we had around the house. Turns out it makes a pretty good side dish to go with chicken or salad. =)

You'll need:
1 pound wheat (or regular) linguini
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 oz. chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregeno
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
dash of salt

Get to it: Cook pasta as directed, strain and immediately stir in olive oil. Add garlic, basil, oregeno, and crushed red pepper, stir until well mixed. Over low heat add tomatoes and mushrooms stirring continuously until everything is heated and you're done.

My favorite way of using this hummus is on sandwiches but it's also good with tortilla chips or pita bread.

You'll need:

1 cup chick peas
1 medium avocado
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced

Let's make hummus: throw all of these ingredients into a food processor and simple blend until smooth and enjoy! Easy, easy!

It should be noted that I'm _not_ trying to make the rest of the world fat with the food I'm posting recipes for. Flavorful food, even rich food can be healthy when it's made with good, fresh, ingredients and eaten in proper portions. Having said that, I give you the Strawberry Yum Yum pie, in honor of my youngest sister who adores this treat.

Serves: 8

1 bar of dark chocolate
1 pound fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 powdered sugar
2 bars Philidelphia Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

1 9' pie crust (you can use a simple pie crust recipe or get a frozen pie crust from the grocery store.

Do it, do it: Preheat oven to 450. Take pie crust and cut a slit in the center to allow heat to escape. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a mixer beat cream cheese for 1 minute on high. Bring speed down to medium and slowly add powdered sugar, beat until combined. Slowly add 1/3 cup heavy cream. Once all the cream has been added turn the mixer back up to high and beat for 1 minute. Bring speed down and add vanilla, mix until combined. Poor mixture into cooled pie crust and chill for 30 minutes.

Slice strawberries and place in bowl. Cover with sugar and let sit for 15 minutes.

Cover chilled pie with strawberry slices, top with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings.

You'll need:

1 9" unbaked pie shell
1 can Eagal Brand sweetend and condensed milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnimon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 16 oz can Pumkin
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


Pie:

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2.In a large bowl mix all ingredients, blend well.
3.Put mixture in pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.
4.Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continute to bake for 35- 40 minutes.

You'll need:

1 package vanilla pudding mix
milk as directed on pudding box
25 vanilla wafers
2 large bananas


Pudding:
Make pudding as directed.
In a bowl make layers, first with cookies, then banana slices, then pudding. Repeat and top with whipped topping.

Yay Jack Daniels!

You'll need:

Jack Daniel's whiskey - 1/4 cup
Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
Dijon mustard - 1/4 cup
Green onion - 1/4 cup (minced)
Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Pepper - add to taste

Mix all ingredients and blend well. Can be used to marinate all meats, red meat should marinate overnight.

This comes from an old family recipe book and I'm not exactly sure what about the recipe defines it as "brazilian", however, authentically brazilian or not it is tastey.

You'll need:

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup shredded parmisean
2 eggs- beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup green onions - chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons water
A dash of Cayane

Burgers:
1.Mix all ingredients in bowl
2.Make into hamburgers and grill outside or stove top.

I don't think any two meatloafs are the same. Everyone I know has a different recipe, so here is mine.

You'll need:

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 green bell pepper- chopped
1 yellow onion- chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup ketchup
Salt
Pepper


Meatloaf:

1.Mix in large bowl the ground beef and pork. It's best to use your hands to get the meats evenly mixed.
2. Add bell pepper and onions, mix well.
3. Add eggs and mix thoroughly.
4. Add bread crumbs and mix.
5. Add ketchup, mix until all ingredients are well blended.
6. Put mixture in baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.
7. Cover with ketchup and serve

*Note: These mashed potatoes are supposed to be smooth. If you're only a fan of lumpy mashed potatoes then you're probably not going to like this. Maybe they should be called "whipped" potatoes rather than mashed.


You'll need:

6 medium size russet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter*
1/2 cup whole milk**

*My mom prefers to use a whole stick of butter which is also fine. I'm very calorie contious and so I like to use less.

**For an even richer taste you can substitute the whole milk for 1/2 cup heavy cream.


Potatoes:

1.Peel and wash potatoes
2.Cut potatoe into 8ths. Try to keep all of the pieces a similar size. If the sizes vary too much they'll cook unevenly and the smaller pieces will be falling apart before the larger ones are done all the way through.
3.In a large stock pot, bring potatoes to boil. Allow to cook between 15 to 20 minutes or until you put a fork through potatoe pieces.
4.Once done, drain water off of potatoes and return to stock pot.
5.Add butter
6.With a hand-held mixer, mix potatoes and butter until -almost- smooth
7.Add milk and finish mixing.
8.Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is the best pecan pie you will ever eat and it is a recipe that has been handed down through my family for years now.

You'll need:

4 eggs
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecan halves
1 frozen pie shell (You -can- of course make your own pie shell it just depends on how much time you have).


Pie:

1. Beat eggs by hand or with a mixer thoroughly until light yellow in color.
2. Add sugar, mix until well blended
3. Add Karo Syrup, mix until well blended
4. Add butter, mix until well blended
5. Add Vanilla, mix until well blended
6. Add Salt, mix until well blended
7. After all ingredients have been thoroughly blended, stir in by hand pecans and pour mixture into pie shell. Pecans will rise to the top and cover surface of the pie.
8. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes and then turn down the oven to 350 and bake until center of pie is firm and no longer jiggly.

Having had my share of Mexican and Tex-Mex food I've tasted a lot of different guacamoles and in my opinion the simpler the recipe the better the guacamole is.
This particular recipe is one that my sisters and I have developed and so far I haven't found a recipe I like better.

You'll need:

4 Medium size _RIPE_ avocados
1 Lime
Salt
Garlic powder

Guacamole:
The skin of a ripe avocado is usually dark green, almost black in color. They should be tender but not mushy. When choosing your avocados _do not_ squeeze them, but gently check for tenderness. If they are hard they aren't ripe enough, if they are mushy they're too ripe.

1. Take your avocados and peel and pit them. I do this by cutting them in half around the large seed. They usually come apart easily leaving the pit in one half of the avocado. Using a fork, I remove the pit and then scoop the meat of the avocado out of the peel with a spoon. Put the peeled and pitted avocado halves in a bowl.
2. Cut lime in half and sqeeze one half over avocados. If it's a small lime use both halves. With a fork mash avocados and mix with lime juice. The consistancy you mash them to is completely up to you. I like my guacamole to be smooth with just a few chunks.
3. Add salt and garlic to taste.

*Guacamole should be prepaired very close to the time you intend to serve it because it turns brown very quickly and while that doesn't change the taste, it doesn't look very appitizing. Using lime juice helps the guacamole to stay fresh looking longer, however, it's still a good idea to wait to prepair it about 10 minutes before serving.

Disclaimer: I don't claim that this recipe is authentically mexican or tex-mex, I'm not sure what the rules about that are. They're just something I threw together one night and turns out they were well recieved.

Enchilada Sauce:


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour *
2 tablespoons chili powder *
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan, stir in flour and chili powder, cook for 1 minute...be careful because chili powder burns!
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes and set aside.

*I wanted to meantion that the flour _can_ be left out. There's a person in my family who's allergic to gluton and can't have flour so if I were making these for him I would leave out the flour. It will slightly effect the thickness of the sauce, and so I would add a little more tomato sauce in that case.

*2 tablespoons of chili powder is a lot of chili powder and will make for some spicey enchiladas so keep that in mind and adjust this amount according to taste.


Enchiladas:

10 corn tortillas
1 package chicken tenders or pre-cooked shredded chicken*
1 cup sour cream
3-4 cups shredded cheese*

* I've found that the shredded chicken works best but is a bit tricky to find and if you're really opposed to chunks of chickn in your enchiladas you can also use ground chicken.

* I use a finely shredded combination of cheddar, asadero, queso quesadilla, and monterey jack.

1. For chicken tenders: cut tenders into small chunks, season and cook in skillet until done. For shredded chicken you'll simply need to season.
2. Let cooked chicken cool while prepairing the tortillas.
3. Heat about a cup of oil on stove and cook each tortilla one at a time in oil for about 5 seconds on each side. The hot oil cooks the tortillas very fast and you only want to cook them until they're soft enough to roll without tearing.
4. Remove excess oil from tortillas with paper towels and set aside.
5. In a bowl mix chicken with 1 cup of sour cream.
6. In a glass baking dish fill cooked tortillas with chicken mixture and roll forming a row of enchiladas in the middle of the baking dish.
7. When all enchiladas are filled, pour enchilada sauce over and cover the enchiladas with the shredded cheese.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Serves: 4

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
(seasoned as desired, I usually use just a little salt, pepper, and garlic)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 small red onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3/4 cup sour cream

1.)Cut peppers into small chunks and chop red onion and set aside.
2.)Grill chicken on the stove top with just a bit of olive oil.
3.)Once fully cooked remove chicken from pan and set aside where it can be kept hot, and with a little more olive oil add peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Allow to cook for a couple of minutets, then remove carefully with a spoon into a bowl and set aside.
4.)Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water. Once deglazed stir in 3/4 cup sour cream. Let heat and then re-add peppers, onion, and mushrooms and stir.

To serve: Pour creamy pepper sauce over chicken breasts.