Honeyed Ginger Chicken

2 lbs chicken breasts
½ c flour
½ t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Oil for frying
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c honey
1 T sherry
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T sesame seeds
1 t ginger

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cut the chicken into 2” strips. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Dip the chicken into the eggs and then coat with flour. Fry the chicken in a frying pan in ½ “ oil until golden brown. 6-8 minutes. While the chicken is frying heat the soy, honey, sherry, garlic & ginger in a small saucepan. Drain the chicken briefly. Dip it in the honey mixture and place on a rack in a baking pan. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cook for a total of 20 minutes. Re-dip in the glaze after 10 minutes.

Strawberry Salad

I'm making this salad for a party tonight- it's my go-to party salad. Someone asks for the recipe every time I make it. The dressing is what makes it spectacular. The salad itself is super-easy: Romaine, shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella, sliced strawberries.

The dressing:
3-5 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Handful of strawberries

Throw it all in a blender and ZAP it. I bring it in a bottle and dress the salad right before serving. You'll want to drink it out of the bottle though. Delicious. Simple. Easy. You will be impressed with yourself.

Puerto Rican Mojo Pork

1 boneless pork shoulder roast
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Blend the mojo together and let sit with the pork overnight or up to 24 hours. Roast the Pork with the Mojo, adding water during roasting as needed. Score any fat on the outside of the roast in an X pattern, but do not remove.
Roast at 350 degrees for 6 or 7 hours. Cover with foil for the first 3 hours and uncovered for the last 3. Cook until the roast is falling apart tender.
Serve with black beans, rice and mojo sauce.

Mojo Sauce:
8 cloves garlic
1 Serrano chile
3 T. cilantro
Salt
½ c. orange juice
¼ c. lime juice
¼ c. olive oil
Combine together in the blender and serve alongside the pork.

Quick & Easy Yeast Rolls

1/2 c. butter
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
2 pkg. yeast
2 c. flour
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl & cut with pastry cutter.
2 eggs - beat in 2 c. measuring cup, fill cup to 2 cup mark
with hot water. Pour over dry mixture.
Slowly add:
3 c. flour
Cover. Let Rise 20 min. in warm oven. Pour onto floured surface.
Knead. Flatten with hands into large pizza shape. Cut with pizza cutter into16 slices. Roll up from wide end to point. Place in greased pans leaving space for rolls to double in size. (can shape like crescent or lay on side where swirl shows.) Cover. Let rise in oven at least 20 min. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-30 min. depending on how dark you prefer. Immediately brush with 1 stick (1/2 c.) melted butter.
Yields 16 Rolls in 2-9”x13”

Squash Browns

A bumper crop of Summer Squash necessitated some creative cooking. I can only eat grilled squash so many times a month....So I whipped up this recipe on the fly.

Ingredients:
4 medium sized Summer squash
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh parsley
2-3 tsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 eggs
2 tsp sour cream
2 tsp sea salt


Shred squash and onions in food processor. Let sit on a paper towel in a colander for 15 minutes. Squeeze out squash to remove as much moisture as possible.
Chop garlic and fresh herbs in food processor combine with squash onion mixture in a large bowl.
Add cheese, eggs sour cream and salt.
Mix well.

Heat skillet with olive oil.
Form the squash mixture into small patties. When oil is hot, carefully drop the patties into the oil. Flatten with spatula. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

**I made these in advance then arranged them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet and warmed them up in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes**

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Basil Chicken Packets

Basil Chicken Packets

• 4 chicken breasts - I use boneless skinless
• Heavy duty aluminum foil - 4 sheets approx. 12x18"
  
• 2 T. chopped parsley
• 2 t. grated lemon peel - I use fresh lemon zest
• 2 t. dry basil leaves - I use fresh chopped basil
• 1/2 t. each salt and pepper
• 2 medium yellow squash, sliced
• 1 medium red pepper, cut in rings

Center 1 chicken breast on each foil sheet. Mix parsley, lemon peel, basil, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over chicken. Top with squash and red peppers.
Bring up sides of foil to make a packet.  Leave room for heat to circulate inside.
Place packets on grill over medium hot coals. Grill for 11-13 minutes or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Cajun Sausage and Beans

Cajun Sausage and Beans

• 1 lb turkey sausage, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 2 t. cajun seasoning
• 4 sheets of aluminum foil, 12x18"

1. Mix sausage, beans, tomatoes, green pepper and seasonings
2. Center 1/4 of the bean mixture on each sheet of foil
3. Bring up foil sides to make packets; leave room for heat circulation.
4. Grill packets over medium hot coals or until thoroughly heated.