Turkey Walnut

1 T cornstarch
1/2 t sugar
2 C slivered Turkey
4 stalks of green onions cut in 1 in lengths
1 C Walnut halves/quarters
1/4 c oil
1/2 C turkey or chicken broth or water
3 T worcester sauce
Cooked Rice

Combine cornstarch and sugar in bowl. Add turkey, onions, and walnuts and mix lightly. Heat oil until very hot in a skillet. Add turkey mixture. Cook 3-4 minutes until light brown. Add broth and sauce, bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve on Rice.

This is my favorite thing to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey- I crave it every year- I hope you like it as well!

Yummy Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad:

1/2 bunch spinach
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/2 red onion sliced in rings (optional)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 can mandarin oranges- drained
1/4 lb. bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup sugared almonds (see recipe)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (or feta, which is wonderful on this!)

Mix lettuce, spinach, and mushrooms together. Sprinkle bacon, oranges and almonds on top. Top with red onions. Serve with poppy seed dressing (see recipe).


Sugared Almonds:

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 Tbl. sugar
1 Tbl. melted butter

Blend Sugar and butter well. Coat almonds and spread them on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Stir after 7 minutes. When lightly browned, remove from oven. Loosen nuts with a metal spatula and let them cool completely.


Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbl. onion pureed
1 Tbl. mustard
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the ingredients except the oil together until the sugar is dissolved. While beating on high speed, drop 2-3 drops of oil into the mixture. Then gradually add remaining oil in a thin stream to complete emulsification.

We had some friends over the other day who brought this and I loved it so much that I just had to get the recipe and share it! Thanks Leslie!!!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender, about 12 minutes. Process the mixture in a blender to puree the vegetables. Set aside.
2. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Stir in the asparagus puree and the milk.
3. Put the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Add the sour cream mixture and the lemon juice to the soup. Stir while heating the soup to serving temperature, but don't allow it to boil. Serve immediately.

I made this because Shawn and I used to love the cream of asparagus soup that they served at the BYU art museum- we went there every week as freshman and loved the soup! It has been so long since then that I am not sure how close this is to it, but we both thought it was wonderful, and definitely will be making it again!

Naan

This is a traditional Indian Bread that you eat with Indian Food:

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a THIN circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Someone who was working at Curves mentioned to me this morning that for Halloween she was going to go home and do pumpkin pancakes for her family, so I thought I would give it a try. I think they turned out pretty good and it was fun to do it for the holiday!

Gluten-Free

Anyone have any gluten-free recipes to share? I know I can look some up but I wanted to see if anyone had any they already use and enjoy. Desserts especially!

Tiffany's Home made Bread

2 1/2 c warm water
2 heaping T yeast

Mix and sprinkle with sugar and let it get foamy.

Add:
1/3 c gluten
3 1/2 c flour

Mix for 1 minute. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.

Add:
2 T lemon juice
1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey
1 T salt
2-3 c of flour (add it bits at a time until it is no longer sticky and forms a ball in the mixer)

Knead in machine or by hand for 15-20 minutes.
Let rise until doubled.
Roll out and shape for bread pans.
Put in oven and set to 350 for ONE MINUTE ONLY.
Turn off oven and leave loaves to rise in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the dough has risen to the top of the pans.
Leave bread in oven (don't open the door) and turn oven back on to 350 and time for 35 minutes; or until nice, beautiful brown.
wheat= 3 loaves
white =4 loaves

Personal note: I have been looking for years for a good home made bread recipe that I could also cut and use for sandwiches (it seems like so many of them crumble up and don't make good sandwich bread)- this one is delicious and makes great sandwich bread!!!

Breakfast "Coffee" Cake

2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter
1 egg/milk (see directions)
1 1/2 t vanilla
preheat oven to 350. In a 9 x 13 pan combine all ingredients except the egg and milk. Crack the egg into a 1 C cup and then fill up to the 1 c line with milk. Mix into batter- sprinkle strudel on top:
Strudel:
1/4 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c butter
combine all- cut in the butter

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Conference weekend Breakfast Casserole

cooked breakfast sausage
bread
cheddar cheese
eggs
heavy cream

It depends on how much you want to make; for a 9x 13 casserole dish I do a package of sausage links and cook them and then cut them up into 1/2 in thick chunks. Then spread half of them out in the pan. Then take two peices of bread and tear up into small pieces and spread throughout the pan. Then grate some cheddar cheese (it depends on how cheesey you want it, but a good layer over all is nice). Then spread out the rest of the sausage. Mix about a dozen eggs with about a half cup of the heavy cream- mix pretty well, make sure that all of the yolks are broken, but don't over mix- I personally like it when there are some white and yellow parts to it. Pour over the other ingredients- should barely cover them; if it doesn't, just do more eggs and cream...
Bake at 350 for an hour or so until it isn't jiggly anymore. We love this; fattening; but we love it!!!

The Easiest to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

1 box Spice cake mix
1 small can of pumpkin (or half a huge one, which was all I could find at the store)
1 bag of chocolate chips

mix all together- bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, until they seem done. So easy!!!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs well beaten
1 c cooking oil
2 c sugar
2 c peeled and grated zucchini (raw)
1 T vanilla
3 c flour
1 t soda
1 T cinnamon
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 c nuts (optional)

Combine eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla- mix well.
Sift dry ingredients together. Add to mixture and blend well.
Stir in chopped nuts.
Grease and flour 2 5x9x4 loaf pans and pour batter in.
cook at 350 for one hour.
This is the best Zucchini bread I have ever had!!!

Fondant and Buttercream Icing

Fondant

16 oz white mini marshmallows (jet puffed is best brand)
2-5 T water
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/2 c Crisco shortening

Melt marshnmallows and 2 T water in microwave for 30 seconds- stir and repeat until melted (only takes doing it twice). Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallows and stir for a little bit. Grease hands and countertop generously- dump bowl of sugar and marshmallows. Knead; adding more sugar as needed- keep it from getting stick on your hands by re-greasing your hands and the countertop as needed. If it tears, add bits of water 1/2 T at a time and knead it in. It takes about 8-10 mintues of kneading- your forearms will be sore later!!! Make it form a smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing. Let it sit double wrapped overnight in the fridge- we wrap it in saran wrap and put it in a ziplock bag. The woman who had the site we got this recipe from said to add the food coloring the next day when you are going to roll and work it, but we like adding it before we store it, the color holds fine, the taste is fine (if you love super sugar) and it makes it easier to add in some more powered sugar to make up for the extra moisture you are adding to it if you do it while you still have that powered sugar out.
When decorating- first put on 1/4 in thick of butter cream icing. Then roll out on counter top- put down cornstarch to prevent sticking- let it often a bit by working it or put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and knead it in crisco. You want to roll it to about 1/8 inch thick and have lots of fun!!!


Buttercream Icing

2 sitcks butter
2 C crisco
1/2 t salt
1 t butter flavoring (I haven't found this yet, so it is optional)
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
2 lb powdered sugar
1 T merengue powder (also never found it and also optional)

Mix butter, shortning, and salt for 5 min on low
Add almond flavor, butter, and vanilla extracts and mix together well
Add 1 lb of sugar and merengue powder
Add 1/2 c sugar at a time until the right consistency
Add a little milk, if it is necessary to thin the frosting.
use immediately or cover and refridgerate.

French Fries

* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 2 cups warm water
* 2 large russet potatoes - peeled, and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
* 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
* salt to taste
1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Soak potatoes in water mixture for 15 minutes. Remove from water, and dry thoroughly on paper towels.
2. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Add potatoes, and cook until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. drain on paper towels. Season with salt to taste.

Kalua Pork

Pork roast (the kind that are in the bags that look like a bag of really juicy meat)
Kosher salt
Liquid smoke (you can find this near the BBQ sauce in the store)

In the morning stick the pork loin roast in the crock pot. Sprinkle on a good helping of the salt and several shakes of the liquid smoke. Cook on low all day or on high for half a day. Shred the meat as best you can- food processors are nice, but I don't have one, so a knife and small chunks at a time in my pampered chef chopper work. You can put a teriyaki sauce on this- we have used Yoshidas, but I don't LOVE it...if you find a good sauce for this, let me know.
Serve over rice and enjoy- it tastes great even without some sort of sauce, but a nice, sweet, thick teriyaki sauce is ideal.

Kay's Chicken

This was a recipe that we got from a girl in the Illustration department when Shawn was in school- so good- we do it monthly during the grilling season!

1 C Sprite
1/2 c Soy sauce
1/2 c Veg Oil
1-2 T Horseradish
1-2 t Garlic Powder

Mix well and add a couple of chicken breasts. Let marinade for a few hours or overnight. Grill- but every time you turn the meat, pour a bit more marinade on it to keep it nice and juicy. (Of course, don't put marinade on finished chicken to avoid food poisoning) It's that easy!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1-2 t mint extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 chocolate mint wafer candies (junior mints)

1. In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add the mint extract and stir in well. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.
2. At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie. Eat and enjoy!

Cheddar Ranch Chicken

Super simple. Super quick. Found this on the side of some food package. Can't remember where.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1 Tbl flour
Boneless/skinless chicken (breasts, fillets, tenderloins, etc) [recipe originally called for 4 breasts]
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375
Mix 1/2 cup ranch dressing mixed with 1 Tbl flour (use that as your ratio; I ended up using more since I made more)
Dip boneless/skinless chicken into the ranch mix then place on lightly greased (I Pam-ed it) baking sheet.
Mix together 1/4 cup grated parmesan with 1/4 shredded sharp cheddar cheese (again, use this as the ratio). Spread this mixture over chicken pieces. [I ended up make a second batch of this as the first spreading didn't seem like enough.]
Bake 15-25 minutes until golden brown and smells yummy in your kitchen. ;0)

Done! Very yummy!

Barnyard Sandwiches

This is a sandwich that Shawn had in a place in LA that he fell in love with and wanted to try at home- they turned out deliciously!!!

Ingredients:
grilled chicken breast
Black Forest Ham
Swiss Cheese
Ranch Dressing
Bread

You make this like a grilled cheese sandwich- butter the outside of the bread and stick on a pan at medium heat, then put on the cooked chicken and drizzle ranch dressing on the top of it. The put on the ham and the cheese. You need to be careful when turning this as it isn't a small sandwich, but after a minute, turn it and cook for one more minute until the sandwich is golden. Enjoy!

School Lunchroom Cafeteria Rolls

1 1/2 C warm water
1/2 T white sugar
2/3 C white sugar
1 1/2 packets of yeast
1/8 C milk
1 Egg
1/2 T salt
5 C flour
1/8 C shortening
1/8 C butter- melted

1. In a large bowl, mix together the warm water and 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let it stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
2. Mix the milk, eggs and salt into the yeast. Measure the flour into a separate bowl, add 1/3 cup sugar, and crumble the shortening into it using your fingers until it is barely noticeable. Gradually stir the flour into the wet ingredients. Mix using a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to form a ball around the spoon. Cover with a hot wet towel that has been wrung out, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk. This should take about 45 minutes.
3. When the dough has risen, pour the melted butter over it, and knead for about 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut into 2 inch squares. Roll squares into balls, and place into greased round pans, spacing about 1 inch apart. Let rise again until doubled in size. You could also refrigerate the dough, and let it rise overnight for baking the next day.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake the rolls for about 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Crepes with Orange Sauce

6 eggs
1 C milk
3/4 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
dash of oil (optional)
(to be honest, I am guessing on these amounts- I usually just add things until it is the right consistency- like a thin pancake batter- just thick enough to be about 1/8 in thick, but thin enough to spread it around the pan and cover the bottom of a large fry pan.)
Mix together in a blender until a nice smooth consistency. Pour out only a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup in a well- buttered pan on medium- high heat and spread around the pan by lifting and tilting the pan. Flip it after a minute or so and cook for another 30 seconds. Set on a plate- we like to roll ours up and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sauce:
1/2 C frozen orange juice concentrate
1 stick of butter
1 C sugar

Melt butter and orange juice in a pot and then add sugar. Cook on medium heat until well mixed and then turn it up just a bit to slightly boiling- keep mixing with a wire wisk fora minute or so, then turn down the heat and let it simmer while you cook your crepes. Very tasty!

Breakfast Casserole

8-12 oz Cooked Sausage (depends on what you got- this is a nice way to use your leftover sausage)
8 eggs
small container of heavy cream
6 oz shredded cheese
4 slices of bread

Cut up the cooked sausage into small chunks. Break bread into small peices. Sprinkle the bread over the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle the sausage over this. Now sprinkle the cheese over this. Then mix the eggs and cream together and pour it over the rest of the ingredients in the pan. This should just cover the other things- if it doesn't, just add some more eggs and maybe milk...
Cover and put in the fridge over night.
The next morning; cook it in a 350 oven for about half an hour- it is done when it no longer gigles in the middle and the sides are turning golden.

Coffee Cake

2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 salt
1/2 C butter
1 egg/ milk
1 1/2 t vanilla extr.

Heat over to 350. Use a 9 x 13 pan. Combine cake ingredients except for egg and milk- crack the egg into a 1 C measuring cup- then fill the rest of the cup with milk. Mix this into the batter- then sprinkle Strudel on top.

Strudel:
1/4 C flour
2/3 C sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 C butter (not melted or softened!)
Combine all, except for the butter; then cut in the butter with a fork, or your fingers (fingers work best)

Cook until done- about 20- 30 minutes.

Taco Ring

2 lbs Hamburger
2 pkgs Taco Seasoning
1 C Salsa
16 oz Tomato Sauce
2 cans crescent rolls
2 C shredded cheese -colby jack

Brown hamburger, mix in seasoning, 1 c salsa and tomato sauce. Cook down until it has thickened (10 minutes plus on simmer). Place crescent roll triangle shapes over lapping on a cookie sheet in the shape of a sun. Place meat around the ring on the wider inside area of dough. Then sprinkle cheese over meat. Take the points and go over the top of the meat and cheese. Tuck in end on the inside of ring. Bake at 400 for 20 to 30 minutes- until dough is golden. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Peanut Butter Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Pad Thai

Okay, this looks like a big, fat recipe- but this is really not a huge recipe, it is just a long blog post talking about the ways in which to make Pad Thai- personally, we bought a sauce packet (since we couldn't find all of the ingredients) and made ours with extremely thin Angel asian noodles, chicken, peanut bits, some garlic, eggs, green onions, and sprouts. It turned out wonderfully. I wasn't really sure how to condense this recipe, so I just copied and pasted the whole thing...give it a try, like I said, you don't have to read the whole thing, but Shawn LOVED Pad Thai, so he did this- I am so proud of him- he finds really good recipes and tries them- in fact most of the new stuff we have tried over this past year, has been something that Shawn found!

Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes, perhaps second only to TomYum Goong. It's also one of the most requested recipes here on Chez Pim. Why, then, has it taken me this long to post this recipe, you asked? I don't know...perhaps it's because I don't actually have a recipe! Is that a good enough reason?

Then what am wasting your time for, you are wondering, yes? Well, it's true that I don't have a recipe, but what I have, and will share with you here, is way better than a recipe. It's in fact a fool-proof way to make Pad Thai -Pad Thai for just about anyone from beginners to experts. I must warn you that I will a bit wordy. I could easily write a very short description and make everything look and sound easy -but that means I'd be leaving you to figure out the details on your own. Or I could explain every step of the way so that you understand what goes into a Pad Thai and what distinguishes a great one from the usual blah. The piece might look a little intimidating, but I think it will in fact be easier than any easy-looking recipe. And, I promise you, if you read through the entire thing, you'll never have to look at another Pad Thai recipe. You'll be set. Really you will.

There are so many silly Pad Thai recipes around, a quick google reveals one with ketchup as an ingredient. What an abomination! Not even the fabulous June Taylor's artisanal ketchup can rescue that one! A few other recipes I came across would have us make four or more portions of Pad Thai at once –which, I can guarantee you will result in clumps of oily, sticky noodle unfit for human consumption.

The textures and flavors of a proper Pad Thai derive largely from the way the dish is cooked, that is to say its quick footloose dance in an ultra hot wok. That simply means you can't do many servings at once.

No, no, I'm not going to make you drive around town procuring all the exoticities required to make a proper Pad Thai only to feed just you and your sweetheart. It is entirely possible to feed a whole crowd. You just have to do it like they do on the streets of Bangkok -cook one or two portions at a time. Your friends and dinner guests must be a bit patient, but they will kiss you in the end –no, not the rear end, just the end of your party, get your mind off the gutter you!

Another common mistake in a Pad Thai recipe is to season while cooking in the wok, which once again get in the way of that super-heated wok-quickstep I mentioned before. If you follow those recipes that have you measure a tablespoon of fish sauce and one of tamarind and yet another of palm sugar into the hot wok during the cooking, you are –it pains me to say- doomed to failure. By the time you're done adding all the whatnots, your noodle turns gooey, your protein done to the texture of a rubber eraser, and your perfectly innocent Pad Thai becomes what I call a sorry excuse of the dish. Bad all around.

Once again a little street sense can help a whole lot. Pad Thai vendors in Thailand don't season their Pad Thai one portion at a time. They usually have a giant vat of sauce pre-made waiting patiently by the wok station. As they cook a portion they add the sauce -no guess work, no fumbling with this bottle and that, a ladle full of the pre-seasoned sauce and that's it. Easy enough, yes?

That's how I do it. I make my sauce beforehand. I don't even care if I make too much sauce, since it keeps quite well in the fridge for a long time –comes very handy for a quickie Pad Thai fix later. I also prepare all the other ingredients and have them ready. (You can be fancy and call it mise en place like the French do, or just a simple meez like all the American cooks I know.) When my guests arrive I get the wok smoking hot and make one or two portions at a time until everyone has their fill of the noodle-y goodness. They can even take the wok on a spin and make one on their own. My friends get a kick out of that, yours might too.

So you begin by preparing the sauce.
There are four ingredients in the Pad Thai sauce, Tamarind pulp (for the sour flavor), Fish Sauce (for the salty part), Palm Sugar (for a slight sweetness), and Paprika or Thai chilli powder (for the spice). Two cups of sauce will make about 6-8 portions of Pad Thai. You can make your Pad Thai sauce vegetarian by using this sauce instead of fish sauce.

To make about two cups of sauce, you should begin with about ½ cup each of Tamarind (*see the note below for how to prepare tamarind pulp), Fish Sauce, and Palm Sugar. If you substitute white and/or brown sugar for the Palm Sugar, you should use only about 1/3 cup. Melt all these together in a small pot over a low flame. Taste and adjust the flavor balance until it suits you. Then add the chilli powder, begin with a teaspoon or two, depending on your taste, and keep adding until it tastes the way you like it. By the time you're done flavoring the pot should be simmering happily. Turn off the heat and let the sauce rest while you get to the other ingredients.

At this point in the game I like my sauce to lead with a salty flavor, follow by a mild sourness, then just a gentle sweetness and a soft caress from the chilli at the back of my throat at the very end. A finished plate of Pad Thai will be served with a sliver of lime and extra chilli powder to be mixed in at the table, so you could keep these two flavors in the sauce mild for now. I don't know about you but there is nothing I hate more than a cloying sweet Pad Thai. If your sauce starts out super sweet now it will be very tough to correct later.

Those of you with a scientific mind might want more precise measurements or proportion or whatnot. I'd do it if I could, but the problem is most Thai ingredients are not standardized in the way that a Western ingredient, say, white granulated sugar, is. A cup of granulated sugar is always the same, but a cup of your Palm Sugar or Fish Sauce might not have the same intensity as mine. So the easiest thing to do is just to taste. And herein lies another beauty of preparing the sauce ahead of time. You can take your time to taste and adjust the sauce precisely to your liking, which would be hard to do à la minute in the wok.

Now that you have your sauce ready and waiting, you can prep the other ingredients.
Here's a list of what you need, and the quantity to use per portion.

Thin rice noodle, also called Rice Sticks.
Get them fresh if you can find them at your nearby Asian markets. If not, buy dried noodle and soak in warm water until soften. Don't soak until the noodle is soft enough to eat, or it will turn into mush in the wok. Just do it until it's pliable, then drain well. You will need about 1-2 loosely packed cups per portion, depending on how carb-happy you are. You can use more or less, entirely up to you and your friends. A 500g (or about 16oz) bag of dried noodles should be enough for 6-8 portions. Buy a little extra just to be sure. It's cheap and, if left unsoaked, will last just about forever.
Depending on the freshness of your 'fresh' rice noodle, you might want to soak it anyway just to soften it a bit more. Follow the same step as the dried noodle but do not soak for as long. One normal bag of fresh noodle, usually around 500g, will be enough for 3-4 portions.

Shrimps, or chicken, or for vegetarians see under 'Tofu' below
The more traditional version of Pad Thai uses shrimps. I use about 7 pieces of medium size shrimps per portion, peeled of course. You can be as generous as you want.
You can also easily substitute chicken, about 2oz of chicken meat (cut into bite-size pieces) per portion will be plenty.

Tofu
I like to use the pressed tofu that comes in square blocks. You can use just about any firm-textured tofu you can find, even the pre-fried varieties from Chinese markets. As long as it doesn't disintegrate when fried in the wok, you will be fine. I cut the tofu into thin, bite-size pieces, and use about a small handful in each carnivorous portion. For a vegetarian portion, with only tofu and no other meat, you will have to use more. A little guess work is involved here but it's easy enough, yes? (To make it completely vegetarian, you can use this sauce in place of fish sauce.)

Eggs
I usually crack one small egg into the wok while cooking each serving. If you dinner guests like less egg you can make two servings at a time and only crack one egg into the wok while cooking, essentially cutting the egg quantity in half in each portion.

Ground Peanuts
I use roasted and unsalted peanuts (sometimes I roast my own) for this. Ground the peanuts roughly, beware not to overdo it as you will end up with peanut butter and not ground peanuts. You will need 1-2 tablespoons per portion, depending on how much your friends like peanuts.

Flat-leaf Garlic Chives, also called Chinese Chives
Bai Gui-chai as they are called in Thai. Although most restaurants use the green part of green onions or spring onions, Garlic Chive is the more traditional herb for Pad Thai. Wash and dry the chives carefully, then cut into 2 inches pieces. I use a handful of them per portion.

Beansprouts
I love a lot of beansprouts in my Pad Thai, so I use almost a full cup per portion. You can use as much or little as you like. You can even skip them entirely.

Pickled Turnips (optional)
You can buy pickled turnips pre-chopped in a plastic bag, but I think the whole ones are fresher. I chopped whole turnips into small bits, and use about 1 tablespoon per portion.

Dried shrimps (optional)
The cheaper versions of Pad Thai on the streets of Bangkok are made with only tiny dried shrimps and no fresh ones at all. I don't want to go that far, but I still like to add a bit of these salty dried shrimps for extra flavor -you can easily skip it altogether. I take a bit of dried shrimp and pound in a stone mortar and pestle until fluffy. It's important to use the mortar here and not your cuisinart, which will turn to dried shrimp into hard, dried chunks (entirely capable of cracking a tooth) instead of fluffy bits of salty shrimp. I use about 1-2 tablespoon per portion.

Chopped garlic (optional)
I like to use a little bit of garlic in each portion, give it an extra kick. You don't have to.

To serve as condiments at the table you will need:
Slivers of lime, extra ground peanuts, extra chilli powder, fish sauce, and even a bit of white sugar. Just like other street food in Thailand, everyone can tailor the final dish to their own taste. I suggest a squeeze of lime for sure, and anything else that pleases you.

Toast yourself with a glass of champagne now that the prep is done before your dinner guests arrive. A nice off-dry and not oaky champagne will go well with the Pad Thai later too. Lovely Rieslings will do fine as well.

While you're savoring your champagne, let me tell you a bit about that temperamental beast that's your well-seasoned wok (**see note below). The success of your Pad Thai depends on it. A wok is not built for heat retention or long and even cooking, unlike Western style pots and pans. A Le Creuset pot, for example, is built like a marathon runner, slow to warm up but has a long staying power. A wok, on the other hand, is more like a sprinter. It heats up really fast, and loses it just as quickly. The thin iron steel material in a good wok transfers more or less all the heat from the flame directly to the content inside. This is great for the ability to control heat, you can turn the fire up and down and the heat in the pan will rise and fall just as quickly. This also means that a wok can sear and cook a small amount of food lightening fast. Adding too much all at once and letting the heat escape would turn a wok into a useless piece of tin in a blink of an eye. And since the caramelization and charring from a hot wok is where the wok-flavor, or wok-breath as some call it, comes from, your utmost goal in wok-cooking is to start out hot and keep it hot! Make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature, and that you add them in sequence and let the wok reheat back up before each addition. At no time should you add a huge amount of ingredients all at once, unless you want a Pad Thai stew.

Now you are ready to make a Pad Thai.
Follow these steps carefully and the best Pad Thai you've ever had will be the one you've just made! Keep the sauce pot warm on another burner next to your wok. Keep a bowl of water handy too, if things get to hot in the wok you can sprinkle the water on it to slow it down.

1. Heat a large wok over high heat until very hot, to the point of smoky.
2. Add a splash of oil, about 3-4 tablespoons. Don't be shy, this ain't no diet food.
3. If you are making chicken Pad Thai, add the chicken first, cook, stirring vigorously, until it's half way done, about 1-2 minutes, then add the tofu, a tablespoon or two of the sauce to flavor the chicken, and a pinch of garlic if you're using it. If you are making tofu or shrimp and tofu Pad Thai, then only add the tofu (and garlic) for now. Cook for another minute until the tofu is crisp and slightly brown at the edges.
4. Add the noodle, about 2 loosely packed cups for one portion is my standard, and then a ladle (about ¼ cup) of warm sauce. Stir rigorously, keep everything moving in the wok, and cook the noodle until soft. Remember to break up the noodle and don't let it lump together. If the sauce evaporates too quickly and your noodle isn't quite ready, sprinkle a bit of water and keep stirring. Add a bit of oil if the noodle still stubbornly sticks together. As I said, this ain't no diet food.
5. When the noodle is ready (taste it to be sure), push it up to one side of the wok and crack an egg into the middle. Let it set for 10-15 seconds and toss everything all together.
6. Add the shrimp meat, pickled turnips, ground peanuts, ground dried shrimp, beansprouts. Keep things moving. Add more sauce if it looks a little pale.
7. When the shrimps are done, shouldn't take more than a minute, add a handful of Garlic Chives. Turn the heat off, and quickly give the wok a good stirring to mix everything together.
8. Add the finished Pad Thai to a plate and serve to your first lucky dinner guest. Give the used wok a quick rinse with warm water, wipe off any excess bits of food with a warm towel, then put the wok back on to the fire.
9. As soon as it heats back up to a smoking point, you're ready to do another portion. Repeat this process until all your dinner guests are fed. Keep them lubricated and happy with ample supply of Riesling, Champagne, and/or beer while they wait. That's how I do it!

That's it friends, your lesson in Pad Thai. It's a bit long, like I said, but this will be the last thing you'll ever need to read about Pad Thai. You might never go out for Pad Thai again, even!

So, go on, throw your own Pad Thai party. Your friends will love you (even more.)

-----------------------

*A note on tamarind:
You can buy tamarind in blocks or readymade pulp that comes in plastic or glass containers (see the photo above). If you can't find a local market that carries tamarind you can order it online. If you buy readymade pulp, check to make sure that the ingredients only contain tamarind and water, no sugar or anything else. If you buy block tamarind, soak the block in 4 cups of hot water in a large bowl. Mesh the tamarind and water together and let sit until the water cool down enough not to burn your hands. Stick your hands -your impeccably clean hands as Julia Child would say- into the bowl and work the tamarind and water together until the consistency is a bit looser than room-temperature ketchup. Add more warm water if needed. Then, strain the mixture to remove the pits and tough membranes from the tamarind pulp. The consistency will be thick enough that you'd need to press it through the strainer. Use as much as you need for the Pad Thai sauce and keep the rest in a glass jar in your fridge. You'll have tamarind pulp handy for a long time.

This recipe is highly adaptable. Some people don't like the intensity of tamarind. Fine, just use less tamarind and add simple white vinegar til your desired sourness (pun intended). You won't be able to get rid of tamarind all together. Without it your Pad Thai won't be much of a dish, but you can use about half the tamarind I use and supplement the rest with vinegar.

**A well-seasoned wok
First of all, you'll need an iron steel wok -the cheapest kind made of a thin layer of iron steel that's sold in practically any Chinese market. There's no need to buy anything fancy, mine was less than $15 and it's working out great. You just have to keep it well-seasoned and it will last practically forever.

At any point in the making of this superb Pad Thai, if anything sticks to the pan and won't come out easily with a gentle push of a metal spatula, your wok isn't well-seasoned. No, no, you don't have to rush out to buy a replacement. You just have to season it again.

There are plenty of ways to season a pan, here's how I do it. First, add to your wok one cup of oil –make sure you brush the oil over all the inside surface of the wok- and heat the wok until it is smoking. Tilt the pan around to keep lubricating the surface with oil and let it continues to smoke for a few minutes –make sure your smoke vent is running and all the windows are open, by the way. Then, take the pan off the heat and dispose of the oil. Pour half a cup of kosher salt into the wok and, with a kitchen rag, rub the salt all over the inside surface of the wok. Throw out the salt, wipe the wok clean with a damp towel. Pour a small amount of oil into a paper towel and wipe the oil all over the inside surface again. Your wok is now seasoned and ready.

Caramel Popcorn

I got this recipe from my friends cooking blog (thanks, Leslie!)- we tried it this week and it was so good- not only that, but it really does stay soft for days and days afterward!

Grandma Elsie's Famous Caramel Corn

4 to 6 batches of popped corn / remove the un-popped kernals and
hulls. Set aside.

In a heavy metal pan combine;
1 cup KARO syrup
1 box or 2 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
Stir together and bring to a rolling boil. Be careful not to scorch.
Reduce heat but maintain boil for 2 1/2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add:
1 cube butter or margarine
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon real vanilla
Mix well and pour and toss over popped corn.
Best served while still warm. Grab a napkin and begin to eat!

Southwestern Chicken Eggrolls

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 quart oil for deep frying


DIRECTIONS
Rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over chicken breast. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable.
Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours.
In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

We reallly liked this- we didn't have a red pepper or any spinach or jalepenos and we were too lazy to hit the store for it. Also, we didn't freeze them first and then fry them- we just fried them, but it turned out well- next time I want to try it with the spinach and jalepenos...

Chicken Tiki Masala

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tomato, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro



In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove chicken and discard marinade. Cook chicken in a saute pan or stir fry.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve over rice.

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)
Marinade-
1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)
Batter-
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce-
1/2 c honey
1/4 c sugar
salt (to taste)
1/4 c ketchup
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper
Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown)
Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls (supposedly it is the Cinnabun Recipie)

Roll dough:
1 pkg yeast
1 c warm milk
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c melted margerine
1 t salt
2 eggs
4 c flour

Make as bread dough; knead and place in an oiled bowl and let rise until double. Then roll out in a large rectagle shape (about 1/4 in thick and 21 in by 16 in)

Filling:
1/2 c melted margerine or butter
1 C brown sugar
2 1/2 T cinnamon

spread the melted margerine over the rolled out dough. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the melted butter. (tip: leave the top 1/2 in bare so that it will stick to the dough when you roll it up.)

Roll it up and using string or floss or whatever you want to, cut into 1-2 inch thick rolls. Place in bake ware and let rise. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until light brown.

Icing (this is the best part):
1 stick softened butter or marg
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c cream cheese
1/2 t vanilla
1/8 t salt
Beat until fluffy.

Garlic Chicken Fried Chicken

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin
• 1 cup oil for frying, or as needed

1. In a shallow dish, mix together the garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, bread crumbs and flour. In a separate dish, whisk together the milk and egg.
2. Heat the oil in an electric skillet set to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dip the chicken into the egg and milk, then dredge in the dry ingredients until evenly coated.
3. Fry chicken in the hot oil for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from the oil with a slotted spatula, and serve.

Enchilada Casserole III

I don't know why it's "III". Just is. I use Allrecipes.com a lot. Do you all know that site? You can search by ingredients or dish and then save recipes to your online recipe box to use in the future. It's great! Here's one I tried from there this weekend and it was really good. Super easy, super quick for a hearty meal. You could even add corn into the meat mixture to get a veggie in there and I think it would be even more delicious!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 (1.5 ounce) package dry enchilada sauce mix
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the dry enchilada sauce according to package directions, replacing tomato sauce with the tomato paste and water
3. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with garlic salt and onion powder; drain fat. Mix refried beans and 1/2 cup of the prepared enchilada sauce with the meat.
4. Dip enough corn tortillas to cover the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish in the remaining enchilada sauce. Arrange tortillas in the dish. Spoon in half of the meat mixture, covering the tortillas. Spread half of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses over the meat. Cover with another layer tortillas dipped in enchilada sauce. Spoon in remaining meat mixture and top with a final layer of tortillas dipped in enchilada sauce. Pour any remaining sauce over the layers and top with remaining cheese.
5. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Fajita Quesadilla's

leftover fajita filling

large tortilla's

cheese (whatever you've got that works for mexican food- cheddar, jack, colby, whatever)

bacon cooked and torn into small peices.

Heat two large skillets over medium low. spread a thin layer of cheese on each skillet. In the heavier one, evenly spread leftover fajita filling and bacon. Let both cook until cheese is melted. Then remove from heat and do the best you can to put the two tortilla's together to make the quesadillas- I'm not going to lie to you, it isn't super easy- but I am sure you can do it! Enjoy!

Pineapple Chicken Fajitas

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 T olive oil

1 ea medium green, sweet red, and yellow pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)

1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges

2 T fajita seasoning mix

1/4 c water

2 T honey (3 for sweeter sauce)

1 T dried parsley flakes

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 c unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained

four tortillas

In a large non-stick skillet, cook chicken in oil for 4-5 minutes. Add peppers and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes longer. In a bowl, combine the seasoning mix and water; stir in the honey, parsley, garlic powder and salt. Stir into skillet.

Add pineapple. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are tender. Eat with tortillas. Yield- 8 fajitas.

Ranch Chicken

One of our FAVORITE recipes...

Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or tenderloins (we use the latter that come frozen in a bag)
• Ranch dressing
• Breadcrumbs (we use the Italian seasoned ones)
• Pam spray, olive oil or spray butter

Directions

1. Defrost (if necessary), wash and trim off skin/fat of chicken pieces
2. Prep by putting ranch in a ziploc bag and pouring the breadcrumbs on a plate.
3. Pat dry the chicken pieces and then depending on their size put 2-3 pieces of chicken in the ranch bag. Zip closed and coat the chicken in ranch.
4. With a fork remove chicken from bag one at a time and place in breadcrumbs. Press and coat each piece.
5. Spray pan with Pam/butter and turn to Medium heat. Lay chicken in pan and flip as you see the sides starting to cook or after about 5 minutes.
   
6. Each side should be golden brown. Be sure to spray pan again between flips and as you see fit.
7. Cut into chicken to make sure it is cooked through.
   

-We like to pair this chicken with angel hair pasta or a simple rice dish. Yum, yum so good!!

Pork Loin Roast

Another super simple recipe. Alex was even the one who made this and it turned out awesome!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast (whatever is on sale!)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large, resealable plastic bag, mix rosemary, garlic salt, thyme, and pepper. Place pork roast in the bag, seal, and toss until thoroughly coated with the garlic salt mixture. Transfer to a medium baking dish.
3. Cook pork roast 1 hour in the preheated oven, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

- Alex just coated the roast by hand as the pork loin we bought on sale was too big for a Ziploc bag. It didn't seem to change anything and worked just as well. For bigger portions of meat just use the same proportions.

Classic Lasagna

I made this last night for friends. They LOVED it! I got ratings of "13 out of 10". So simple, so good.

Ingredients:

• 9-12 lasagna noodles (Depending on size of pan)
  
• 2 pounds ground beef (Or vary with 1lb some other kind of meat; sausage, turkey, etc)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce (sounds like a lot but trust me! I actually just used 2 jars of Prego and it was fine.)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
3. Cook the ground beef over medium heat; drain. Stir in the garlic salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 10-30 minutes (depending on your time constraints).
4. Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
5. Ladle enough of the meat sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Form a layer atop the sauce with 3 of the lasagna noodles. Spread about 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese mixture and then ladle about 1/3 of the meat sauce over the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering twice more, topping with the remaining 1/4 pound of mozzarella cheese. Add a thin coating of additional Parmesan to make a crusty top.
6. Bake in preheated oven 90 minutes. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

-I ended up cooking it for only 60 minutes as the oven I was using was really great or something. It was so perfect! With big servings it yielded 12 large pieces.

Portobello Chicken

Portobello Chicken
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

2-3 boneless skinless chicken
-breast halves
1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 sm shallot; chopped (or 1/3 onion)
2 tb olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms; sliced
1 tb chopped parsley
1/4 ts pepper
4 sl mozzarella cheese(or grated)

Instructions

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Press
mixture onto both sides of chicken. In small skillet, place olive
oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot and saut until soft. Add
mushrooms, parsley and pepper; cook about 5 minutes, turning
mushrooms once. Spray oven-proof casserole with nonstick cooking
spray and arrange chicken in a single layer. Top each piece with
mushroom mixture. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each.
Bake at 425F for 20 minutes.
So good!!!