Ham Fried Rice

6 - 8 c cooked rice, cold
1 Tbs oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic
2 cups chopped ham
2 cups diced carrots
½ cup peas
½ cup chopped onion
soy sauce


1. Heat oil in large pan or wok.
2. Peel garlic clove, place in plastic baggie and smash.
3. Brown garlic in hot oil.
4. Remove garlic.
5. Add eggs and scramble.
6. Add ham and onions.
7. Cook for 5 min.
8. Add carrots and peas.
9. Cook for 5 - 10 min.
10. Add cold rice and 2 Tbs soy sauce.
11. Cook until heated through.
12. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Rice

1 c dry rice
2 c water, or water according to your rice cooker directions
¾ c pieces of ham, or cooked chicken, or beef
½ c or more assorted vegetables: celery, onion, mushrooms carrots, broccoli, you can use whatever you like.
2/3 c frozen peas
3-4 eggs
Soy sauce
Sugar

1.Cook rice and add 1 t. salt (1 cup dry rice equals three cups cooked) I like to use leftover rice.
2. Scramble the eggs.
3. These will be added at the end of the cooking.
4. In a large frying pan brown small pieces of meat.
5. Salt with garlic salt if you like that flavor.
6. Add sliced onions celery, mushrooms, carrots and cook until onions are limp.
7. Stir in cooked rice.
8. Add the scrambled eggs and stir so they all get mixed in well.
9. Add the frozen peas and stir. As peas are heated through, sprinkle sugar over the mixture so it covers the top layer, and serve in. You can add more sugar to taste.

This recipe is very flexible. You can vary the meats, vegetables and add a little or lots of rice. I always use onions, peas, scrambled eggs and sugar every time I make this recipe. Everything else varies depending on my leftovers and what is available in my fridge.

Chinese Dumplings (水餃)

Inside:
1/2 head cabbage, minced
3/4 lb ground pork
1 t. ginger
1 1/2 t. garlic
1 bunch green onions, diced
2 egg whites
soy sauce



Sauce:
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
sesame oil

wonton wraps/skins

Mix the ingredients. Wrap a spoonful inside a wrap; use water on the edges of the wrap to seal it shut.

The way my mom taught us to cook them is to drop them into boiling water; then, when the water starts boiling again, add a glass of cold water. When it starts boiling again, add another glass of water. When it starts boiling for the third time, pull them out and enjoy!

Mix the sauce to a proportion that you like. Smell it--that's how I know ;)

Doctored Chili

2 cans Hormel or any brand chili with beans
1 can diced tomatoes- partially drained
1 can black beans - partially drained
1 onion diced
1 green pepper chopped
1 -2 stalks celery, diced (optional)
butter

Saute onions and green pepper together in butter on med or low heat until soft.
Add tomatoes, black beans and chili and heat through.

You can add more chili seasoning for added spice.

This is easily adapted to more cans of chili or whatever variation of veggies you have.
Super simple!

Dan Dan Noodles

Sauce:
½ c. dark brown sugar, packed
6 T. soy sauce
1 c. chicken broth
chili-garlic sauce (add as much or as little as you like)

Mix and set aside.

The rest:
1 6-oz. pkg. Spaghetti noodles, cooked, drained and cooled
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Heat 3 T.oil til medium hot, then add

1 t. garlic
¼ t. basil
½ t. sugar

Saute for a few seconds, then add chicken breasts. Turn heat to medium and sauté for 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat and slice into bite-size pieces. Set aside. OPTIONAL: saute diced green/red pepper after removing the chicken.

Heat 2 T. oil then stir in and cook for only about 15-30 seconds:
1 T. minced garlic
½ t. minced ginger
½ c. green onion, chopped

Add sauce. Simmer 2 minutes. Dissolve 2 tsp. cornstarch in 1/4 c. water. Add this to the sauce to thicken. Simmer 1 minute. Add sliced chicken. Add noodles and toss lightly. Optional: drizzle sesame oil on top.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 bag tater tots, frozen (depends on the size of the bag)
cook beef and onion (you can even add celery). Stir in soup and milk. Mix in tater tots and pour into 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 -55 minutes till bubbly

This was a staple in the diet of a 70's college student! Still tastes great!

Chili Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lrg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 med. cans diced tomatoes
3 15 oz cans Hormel no bean chili
3 c. grated cheese
1 c. sour cream
Parmesan Cheese to taste
1 pkg spaghetti, cooked

Brown beef and drain. Add onions and garlic, cook through. Add tomatoes, chili, cheese and sour cream. Simmer a few minutes. Spread spaghetti over bottom of two 9x13 baking dishes. Pour mixture over cooked spaghetti and top with parmesan cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fruit Dip

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 small carton Cool Whip (extra creamy is nice)

Whip cream cheese till fluffy, then add can of milk. beat well. stir in Cool Whip.
Tastes great on watermelon and all kinds of fruit.

Pancit Bihon (Filipino Rice Noodles)

Intro: This dish was influenced by Chinese settlers in the Philippines. The vegetable ingredients mentioned in this post can be customized to whatever you want!

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. pack pancit bihon noodles (available in oriental stores)
  

• 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded

• 2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water

• 1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips

• 1 onion, pealed and sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

• 1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces

• 1 carrot, sliced into strips

• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

• 3/4 cup diced celery

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Cooking Instructions:

• Soak the pancit bihon noodles to soften for 10 minutes

• Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions.

• Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the vegetables until cooked.

• Mix in the pancit bihon noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Crepes

For Chicken Filling:
1/2 of a white onion
3 heads of broccoli
fresh mushrooms (according to desired quantity)
3 large chicken breasts
garlic salt (to taste)
onion powder (to taste)
mixed herbs (to taste)
ground mustard (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
sour cream
cream
cheese of choice

Finely chop the onion. Break broccoli heads into bite-sized florets. Sautee all vegetables in butter until tender; leave on warm. Cut chicken into larger bite-sized pieces and fry in olive oil or butter. Add chicken to the vegetables. Add cream and sour cream until desired consistency/taste is achieved, then add the cheese. Continue mixing until the cheese has melted into the sauce.

For Crepes:
1 C milk
1 C flour
6 T water
3 T butter
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding flour last by sifting into the mixture and mixing slowly. Make sure the batter is very smooth (no lumps). If using a crepe pan, cook according to pan directions. If using a pan to fry the crepes, cook on medium-low heat each side until it is golden brown. Make sure all pans are well-greased/buttered.

Put chicken filling in the middle of crepe; roll crepe like taco or fold in half. Serve fresh.

Quick and Delicious Hamburgers

1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Mix together the ground beef, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Divide into four or five balls, and flatten into patties.
Cook on a grill about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. Top with desired toppings and condiments.

taken from allrecipes.com (Chris' Bay Area Burger)

submitted by Cathi Harbertson (I made them for a group of friends tonight and everyone loved them....super easy.)

Chicken Salad

2 1/2 cups diced and chilled, cooked chicken meat
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced, seedless grapes
1/2 cup sliced almonds (substitute cashews if desired)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Combine meat, celery, grapes, almonds (or cashews), parsley, salt, and mayonnaise with whipped cream. Chill. Serves 10. (I usually doubled the recipe for the office.)

Serve on croissants or on yummy Shirley's rolls.

submitted by Breann Pearson

Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

Red or pink sauce
500-750 grams Rotini pasta cooked al dente and drained
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
parmesan cheese


Basic Red Sauce (you can use this sauce with any type of pasta)

1 small yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, grated or minced
1 celery stalk, grated or minced
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb hamburger (optional; if you want it vegetarian style, omit the meat)
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Salt (a handful---Italians like their salt)
Pepper
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 8oz can tomato paste
½-1 cup water

Sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in oil for a couple of minutes, then add hamburger and cook until browned.

Add tomato sauce, paste, and water as well as seasonings to taste and desired thickness. Use a generous amount of seasonings (I probably use at least a tablespoon of each). If you want to add a little spice, you can add some red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil and then simmer covered on very low heat for 45-60 minutes.

When it is done, you can either leave it as is or add 1-2 cups whipping cream to make it a "pink sauce" With pink sauces, I prefer to not add meat.

The sauce can be made ahead.


In a 9x13 pan, spread a bit of sauce in the bottom so the noodles don't stick. Add half of the noodles. Cover generously with sauce. Put in half of the mozzarella cheese. Add the other half of the noodles, lots more sauce, the rest of the mozzarella cheese, and cover with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. As long as the cheese is really melted and has begun to brown, then it's done.


submitted by Cathi Harbertson

Authentic Lasagna

Start to finish: about two hours Makes: 1 9x13 pan; 10-12 generous servings

Basic Red Sauce (you can use this sauce with any type of noodles)

1 small yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, grated
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb hamburger (optional; if you want it vegetarian style, omit the meat)
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Salt (a handful---Italians like their salt)
Pepper
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 8oz can tomato paste
½ cup water

Sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in oil for a couple of minutes, then add hamburger and cook until browned.

Add tomato sauce, paste, and water as well as seasonings to taste. Use a generous amount of each. If you want to add a little spice, you can add some red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil and then simmer covered on very low heat for 45-60 minutes.


Besciamella Sauce (this is optional as well, but it makes the lasagna taste so good)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour

3 cups milk
Salt and pepper (it says to taste, but who wants to taste this, I don’t know)
Nutmeg to taste (optional)

Melt butter on stovetop and add flour. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. Avoid lumps.
Take pan off the stove and add all 3 cups of milk at one time and stir well. Watch out again for lumps. Put back on stove, bring to a boil and stir constantly for 10 minutes or until it turns to a gravy-like consistency. You have to keep stirring or the milk will curdle.

Layers:
On the bottom of a 9x13 pan, spread around a little red sauce so that it doesn’t stick.
Then:
Lasagna noodles (the Barilla lasagne oven ready kind that come with 15 sheets are best; lay out 3 per layer, they expand a bit)
Red sauce
Besciamella
Mozzarella cheese (I use 2 fresh mozzarella balls that you can buy in the cheese section. You should cut it up into very small chunks and divide it into 5 portions so that it lasts for all the layers)
Parmesan cheese

Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Make sure you cover the noodles well. It may look soupy, but the noodles absorb a lot of the sauces.

Bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes. It should brown a bit on the top, but not get too dark.

submitted by Cathi Harbertson

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

Prep time: 20 min; start to finish: 50 min
Makes 4 sandwiches

Tender crescents wrap around a creamy chicken filling in a hot sandwich that took top honors in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest (won $25,000 in 1974)

1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp margarine or butter, softened
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp chopped pimientos, if desired
3 T sauteed diced mushrooms
1 tsp lemon juice
1 (8 oz) can Pilsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 Tbsp softened margarine, beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangles. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 Tbsp melted margarine; sprinkle with crushed croutons.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Can serve with mushroom gravy made from cream of mushroom soup.

submitted by Janice Robinson

Café Rio Pork

First:
Spicy Honey Mustard Pork Roast---

3 lbs. pork roast
1/4 c. honey
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt

Score half-inch slits in your roast and place in crock pot.
Combine honey, mustard, pepper, thyme and salt in a small bowl; mix until well blended. Brush mixture over roast, working well into slits.
Cook in crock pot for 7-8 hours on med/high heat.


Then,

1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 c. barbecue sauce
3/4 c. ketchup
1/3 - 1/2 c. sugar (I ilke to use 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1/4 c. white sugar)

Mix together in a bowl, then add Spicy Honey Mustard Pork Roast, shredded.
Put in crock pot and simmer for 1/2 hour or so.

submitted by Jolene Pugh

Dinner Crepes

12 prepared crepes
1/4 cup butter
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopping onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 chicken bouillon cube (or Lipton soup mix)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups diced chicken
1/2 cup sliced olives
Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Sautee onion and celery until crisp and tender. Add flour, salt, and buillon cube. Stir until well blended. Gradually add milk; stir and cook until thickened. Fold in chicken and olives; heat through. Put 1/3 cup filling in the center of each crepe. Fold/roll crepes and place in appropriate sized pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

submitted by Maria Jones

Janice's Chicken Curry

2 Tbl. oil
1 tsp. 5 spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (grate 2 cloves for 3x recipe)
1/2 tsp. ginger (grate 1/2 inch for 3x recipe)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbl. Soy sauce
2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces (use precooked)
1 cup chicken broth (use 2 cups of water, 3 t. granules)
3 tsp. curry
2 Tbl. Rice wine vinegar
One 14 oz. can coconut milk (Use 1 coconut milk with 2 cream of coconut for 3x recipe)

Serves 6-8 (triple recipe for 24 people). Heat oil till hot, stir in spices and soy sauce. Add chicken, cook 5-8 minutes until brown and NOT PINK!! Add broth, curry, vinegar, and coconut milk. Then boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes uncovered. Add cornstarch in water to thicken and SERVE OVER THE RICE. TOPPINGS: Celery, tomatoes, cheese, nuts, pineapple, green onion, coconut, chow mein noodles, green pepper, chutney, bananas, oranges, etc.


submitted by Janice Robinson