Potato Casserole

2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
season salt of your choice
1 small onion
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar
2 medium potatoes, sliced, and boiled
6 slices bacon, cooked, and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread mashed potatoes into bottom of casserole dish. Layer sour cream , season salt, then onions. Slices potatoes and layer over onions. Pour on melted butter, and sprinkle with more season salt. Top with cheese and cover dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, uncover, and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup of butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until blended. Add egg to mixture. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Give the dry ingredients a whirl with a wire whisk to break up any lumps. Mix flour mixture into creamed mixture until blended. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce

I go the original recipe from Kraft and of course I had to tweak it.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 of corn flakes
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp shortening
1 package of fat free cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth or white whine.

Put corn flakes and dry spices into the blender and crush until the corn flakes are powder. Here is a tip do not take the lid off of the blender until the dust has settled. Tenderize each breast with a mallet. I like to put the chicken into a zip locked bag when I tenderize it that way little bits of raw chicken are not slung around the kitchen.

Melt shortening in a heavy frying pan/skillet, medium heat. Coat chicken with corn flake mixture then cook chicken in pan. About 7 to 8 minutes on each side, get a nice brown on each side. Place cooked chicken on a broiler rack or cooling rack in a warm oven until time to serve. The rack is important, it keeps the chicken from getting soggy.

Use broth to de-glaze skillet. Add cream cheese, and Dijon continually stirring until cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken. I get best results with a wire whisk. If you think your sauce is too think that add a little more broth.

Now for the presentation part. You can plate each serving but I find it prettier when I use a large platter. Lay chicken on plater and arrange in a nice row, overlap a little. Spoon sauce down the center of the plate. Sprinkle fresh basil and tomatoes on top. See ain't that pretty. You can put the left over sauce in a bowl with a spoon so people can dish up if they what extra.

Look on Kraft's website for other variations.

Pasta Fazool

1 lbs smoked sausage, sliced (I prefer polish kielbasa)
2 large onions diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks,minced, plus a few extra leaves
1 lrg can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans (rinse)
1 can red kidney beans (rinse)
1/2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 tbsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp basil leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 cup of shell pasta
chicken broth

Put all but pasta and beans into slow-cooker and add chicken broth to 2 inches from the top. Simmer on high 2 hrs or low 4 hrs. One hour before serving add beans. 30 minutes before serving add pasta.

Ham and Beer Cheese Soup

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 tbs butter
3 cups half-and-half cream
3 cups diced ham
1 (16 oz) loaf Velveeta, cubed
1 can beer
1 cup broth, divided
3 tbsp flour

Saute' onion and celery with butter till tender and starting to caramelize. Add cream, ham, cheese, beer and 3/4 cup broth. Stir constantly until cheese melts. In a small jar or container with a lid add left over broth and flour. Sake it up until all flour is dissolved then add to soup; stirring constantly. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Serve with a little cheese sprinkled on top.

Orange Cake

1 box of orange cake mix
1 box of instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup orange juice
1 cup oil
1/2 cup of candied orange peel, chopped

Mix together with mixer for about 2 minutes. Bake in a lightly greased bundt pan in a 325 degree for 45 to 50 minutes.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of orange juice

Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Pour over cake while it is till hot and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve.

Focaccia bread

1 1/3 cup of starter
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups of all purpose flour

Combine above ingredients, kneading in flour 1/2 cup at a time. Set the oven on warm for a couple of minutes and place a metal loaf pan of water in the bottom of oven. Shape dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled glass bowl. Cover dough with lightly dampened towel. Let dough rise in oven until doubled, about an hour.

Pour olive oil onto an 11x17 inch baking sheet. Place dough onto floured surface and gently stretch dough to fit in pan. Fold dough into fourths gently and then put dough into pan. Using fingertips gently nudge dough into retangle. Cover with towel and place back into oven to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

Take out dough and water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make indentations into dough with your finger tips. Brush more olive oil onto bread. Sprinkle on salt, garlic, oregano overe the surface of bread. Bake until crisp on the bottom about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with dipping oil and enjoy.