Navajo Tacos

What can I say I love these. Everytime we go to a fair I'm always scouting around looking for the Navajo taco booth. Honestly these rank right up there on my all time favorite food list.

SCONES:
1 qt. buttermilk, warm

2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

2 tbsp. yeast softened in 3/4 c. buttermilk

2 tbsp. oil

3 tsp. baking powder

6-8 c. flour
Mix ingredients. Let raise once. Fry in deep or shallow, hot grease.

To make the taco:

Add heated chili mixture or bean mixture to scone.

Cover with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and salsa. You can also add sour cream.

Serve.

Hawaiian Haystacks

These are a big hit in my state although I still haven't found the appeal of these. I can see how they are great for using up leftover veggies in the house. My kids seem to like the chicken mixture. You can adapt the recipe to your preferences easily. Here is a basic recipe for the haystacks taken from Angel Shannon's recipe she used on Good Things Utah:

10 to 12 chicken tenders (chuck into chunks)

1 cup chicken broth

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup, condensed

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

6 cups cooked rice

Place chicken in greased 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker. Combine all remaining ingredients except rice and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 3 - 4 hours or on low heat 6 - 8 hours.



Serve over hot rice with a variety of cold toppings that could include grated cheese, peas, pineapple tidbits, shredded coconut, raisins. Chinese noodles, olives, diced tomatoes, diced green peppers, sliced green onions, and other family favorites.

Pasta E Fagiloi

I love this soup and am constantly looking for the perfect recipe. This one comes pretty close and has been my favorite one I've made so far. I took the recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook. I added parmesan cheese rind to the soup during the simmering stage. I also used dried beans that I'd cooked and frozen previously instead of canned beans. It was very quick to make and easy too. This recipe can be made in advanced and even frozen, which is very nice.

4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), chopped medium

1 onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 15.5 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed (I used 3 cups cooked dried northern beans)

3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 1/2 cups watersalt8 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) small shaped pasta like ditalini, orzo and stellini

1/4 cup fresh parsley

pepper

2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated

evvo

I also added 2 small chunks of parmesan rind to the cooking soup

Cook the bacon in a large dutch over over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, beans, broth, water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. This is where I added the rind.

Stir in the pasta and cook until just slightly underdone. Off heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual bowls with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

This soup can be prepared through step 1, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month. Reheat over low heat before proceeding with step 2.

Apricot Chicken with Snappy Pea Pods

Again I'm stating the fact I'm not a fan of fruity flavored meat. For some reason its just not something I like the flavor of. However I did like this recipe. I could not really taste the fruity flavor or it was the right combination of flavor for me. Everyone liked the chicken in my family. The snap peas I did not like. I don't know what I didn't like about them but I was the only one who didn't like the peas. I found both of the recipes in Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine. Both recipes were easy and didn't take long to make.

Apricot Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided

1 cup biscuit/baking mix

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons orange juice

Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch thickness; set aside. Pour 5 tablespoons butter into a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine biscuit mix and parsley. Dip chicken in butter, then coat with biscuit mixture.

In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and remaining butter over medium heat for 9-10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine preserves and orange juice. Cover and microwave on high for 30-40 seconds or until preserves are melted; stir until combined. Drizzle over chicken; cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Snappy Pea Pods

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3/4 pound fresh or frozen sugar snap peas

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in oil until crisp tender. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 2-4 minutes or until peas are crisp tender. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Parmesan Fettuccine, Steaks with Peppery Onions, and Sweet Sour Spinach Salad

I found this in Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine. Everything was really simple to make. I really liked the spinach salad. I'd say it took me about 40 minutes to make everything from start to finish. The Parmesan Fettuccine was just as easy to make as those side dish boxes of pasta with the added benefit of no chemicals. And it tasted better than the box dishes.

Parmesan Fettuccine

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine

1/3 cup butter, cubed

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain.

In a large skillet, melt butter over lower heat. Add fettuccine and stir until coated. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pepper; toss to coat.

Steaks with Peppery Onions

3 medium onions, sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

4 boneless rib eye steaks

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onions, garlic, salt and pepper in oil and butter for 15-20 minutes or until the onions are golden brown, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, broil steaks 3-4 inches from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until the meat reaches desired doneness. Serve with onion mixture.

Sweet-Sour Spinach Salad

1 package (about 9 ounces) fresh spinach torn

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, cranberries, and onions. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and celery seed; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Chicken Paprikash

I love love love this dish. Don does not like it so much. I could eat this once a week and never tire of it. I prefer to serve it with homemade tiny dumplings but Don does not like them so I use store bought egg dumpling noodles. You can make tiny dumplings by making your usually batch of dumplings and dropping very tiny balls of dough into boiling water. When they float to the top they are done. Chicken paprikash sounds like a hard dish to make but its actually quite easy. Added bonus only a few ingredients to make to this delicious dish. I found this recipe on cooks.com. You can easily adjust this recipe to your preferences. I prefer having my onions sliced thin not chopped. I also use a little more paprika. You can serve this with rice or wide noodles too.

4 lbs chicken

water

2 small onions, chopped

1 tablespoon butter or oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 cup sour cream

In a stock pot or Dutch oven sauté onions in butter until tender.
Add water until pot is 1/3 full. Add chicken, garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika. Make sure water is covering the chicken, if not add more until it just covers. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 large egg, beaten

water

Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Make a well in the center and drop in the egg and about 1/4 cup water. Stir and add more water by the tablespoon until you have a sticky dough that just leaves the side of the bowl.
In a separate large pot, boil water. Drop dumpling mixture by the teaspoon into the boiling water. (I use a regular teaspoon from my flatware, not a measuring spoon.) If dumpling mix is too sticky to drop from spoon, then dip the spoon into the boiling water, the dumpling should slide right off.
When dumplings start floating on top, remove them with a slotted spoon or drain them. You may have to reduce the heat to see when they are floating. About 30 minutes before chicken should be done, add the dumplings to the pot with the chicken. Add the paprika.
After 30 minutes, you should have a delicious dish: the chicken should be tender enough that it is falling off of the bone and the dumplings should have made a thicker sauce out of the liquid the chicken was cooking in. Before serving, add 1 cup sour cream.

Calzones

I've never been a fan of calzones. I love the concept but have never been impressed with the actual calzone. The other day I wanted something different so I set about making calzones for dinner. Along the way I discovered that there are lots of ways to make calzones and disagreements with how a calzone should be made. Some say you shouldn't put sauce in with the calzone and some say you should. I decided to take a little bit of sauce in the calzone. I also used fresh mushrooms, pepperoni, and onions along with mozzarella cheese. I found the recipe both for the dough and the pizza sauce on allrecipes.com.

Recipe for the dough
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Pizza Sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Greek Dinner

We love eating at University Broiler and I've been trying to find a recipe that comes close to their food. I found the rice and chicken recipe on Kayln's kitchen blog (I have a link on the right side of my blog) and the potato and salad dressing recipe on Allrecipes. The chicken was good, Don thought the chicken was great as did they boys who ate all that was given to them, but I thought it was not quite what I wanted. But then I don't like lemon on my chicken much although I do love the University Broiler's. The rice was perfect. I really really like the rice and although it didn't taste just like the UB I thought it was better. The potatoes were good but missing something. I did add a little of the salad dressing to them as I served them but they were still missing something. The salad dressing is great. Made just like the recipe on allrecipes its a little bitter so I added some sugar to mask the bitter taste. You may like it with the bitter taste so I'm leaving the recipe as it is on allrecipes.

Very Greek Grilled Chicken

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/03/very-greek-grilled-chickenfrom-recipe.html

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. powdered lemon peel

1 tsp. Greek seasoning

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. dried oregano

black pepper to taste

Trim all visible fat and membranes from chicken breasts, I like to make small crosswise slits about 1/2 inch apart down the length of each chicken breast to help the marinade penetrate the meat. Put chicken in single layer in zip-loc bag. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over. Marinate in refrigerator 6-8 hours or all day if desired. (If you don't have that long to marinate I recommend increasing the lemon juice a little.) Preheat grill to medium-hot and grill chicken 20-25 minutes, or until well browned and firm but not hard to the touch. (This could also be cooked on a stove-top grill pan, or broiled.)

Georgette's Really Lemony Greek Pilafi

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2005/09/georgettes-really-lemony-greek-pilafi.html

1 cup Uncle Ben's Converted Rice (not instant)

2 T olive oil (or 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)

1 tsp. salt3 T lemon juice (or more)

3 C chicken stock
Use a heavy pan with a tight fitting lid. Saute rice in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add salt and lemon juice and saute 1 minute more. Add chicken stock carefully so it doesn't splash up on you, let it come to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest you can get it and still keep the liquid boiling and cook 30 minutes without peeking at all.After 30 minutes you are allowed to peek to see if all the liquid is absorbed. If not cook a few more minutes until it has. I find it usually takes 35 minutes, but I can't keep myself from peeking after 30 minutes.

Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup and 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

In a very large container, mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the vinegar, and mix vigorously until well blended. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Greek Style Potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 cubes chicken bouillon
ground black pepper to taste
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl, mix olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, bouillon cubes and pepper.
Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Pour the olive oil mixture over the potatoes. Cover, and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender but firm.

Cranberry Vanilla Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I made this loaf of bread for Christmas gifts for neighbors and friends. I found this in a King Arthur Baking Companion magazine. I'm sure I stated before I really prefer King Arthur flour for my baking needs. The picture doesn't do this bread justice. Its a very tender bread that just tastes great. I had every person who received this bread from me contact me for the recipe. If your not a fan or cranberries (I'm not but this really tasted good) you can sub raisins for the cranberries or leave them out.

Dough

1 1/4 cups water

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons unsalted butter soft

2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Baker's Special dry milk or nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup potato flour

3 cups all purpose flour

Swirl

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons instant clearjel or cornstarch

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

1 cup chopped dried cranberries or raisins, optional

Vanilla Glaze

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

2 tablespoons milk

To make the dough

Combine all of the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, or bread machine, mixing and kneading to form a soft, smooth dough. Place in a covered bowl and allow to rise until double (45 minutes to 1 hour).

To make the swirl

Combine the cinnamon, sugars, and clearjel; set aside. When you're ready to shape the loaf, whisk in the milk and vanilla paste or extract.

To assemble

After the dough's first rise, grease your hands (the dough will be soft and a bit sticky) and pat the dough out on a greased surface to a 7 x 20 inch rectangle (the longer the rectangle, the more spirals you'll get). Spread the surface with the swirl mixture, and sprinkle with dried fruit. Starting with a short end, roll up into a log, pinch the seam together, and place in a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cover with a piece of greased plastic wrap and let rise until the bread is an inch above the rim of the pan; about 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has risen, place the bread in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center measures 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer, and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it. Remove the bread from the oven and its pan, and place on a rack to cool thoroughly before glazing.

To make the glaze

Combine all the ingredients to make a pourable glaze; spread over the top of the cooled bread.

Shepard's Pie

Can you believe my husband has never had Shepard's Pie? You'd think after almost 10 years of marriage I would have realized this or made this dish before last night. I'll admit its not one of my favorite dishes in the world but its a great cheap meal if you use leftovers. I'm not a fan of mashed potatoes which is probably the best reason why I don't love this dish. The best thing about Shepard's pie is you can adjust the ingredients to what you have on hand. Plus its a quick to fix dinner if you have leftover mashed potatoes or those instant potatoes (BTW I find these to be even more disgusting than mashed potatoes but I realize some people like them). Here is how I made my Shepard's pie the other night:

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat I placed-

1 pound ground beef

And cooked until it was losing the pink color. I then added

1 onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced (I love garlic but if your not a fan don't use as much or don't use at all)

After the ground beef was cooked and the onion soft I made gravy in the pan with the cooked ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 beef bouillon cube crushed

2 tablespoons cornstarch

black pepper to taste

I let the gracy thicken then I added about 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetable soup mix to the mixture. Mixed until all the ingredients were combined then spread mashed potatoes over the top. I placed the cast iron skillet in the oven at 375 degrees and cooked for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I added some cheddar cheese to the top of the potatoes and cooked for another 5 minutes which is about how long it took the cheese to melt.

It ended up tasting great and it was all done in one dish so less cleanup. Remember you can use whatever ingredients you want in this to customize it for you and your family. And you don't have to use ground beef you can use ground chicken or turkey.