Pesto Chicken Panini

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 focaccia, ciabata or french bread loaf
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat a panini grill, or a large iron skillet over medium heat. Spray with oilve oil cooking spray.
Slice bread in half. Spread each half with pesto. Layer bottom halves with chicken, onion, spinach, olives, vinegar and cheese. Top with other bread slice.
Grill sandwiches until both sides of bread are golden brown.
(Note: If using a skillet you could place another skillet on top of the sandwiches to apply pressure onto sandwiches)

Open Face Burgers

Ingredients:

Burgers:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground chuck
1 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp ketchup

Veggies:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:
1 packet brown gravy mix

Texas Toast

Directions:

Burgers:
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Combine burger ingredients, and form into 4 thick patties.
Grill for about 7-8 minutes per side.

Veggies:
While burgers are grilling; In a skillet, saute veggies in oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Gravy:
Prepare according to package instructions.

Toast bread, and then place onto serving plate. Place cooked burgers on top of bread. Top burgers with cooked veggies. Pour brown gravy over burgers.

Great with twice baked potatoes.

Honey Mustard BBQ Ribs

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup honey
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon coarse ground peppercorns
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 racks baby back pork ribs

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium heat.
In a small saucepan, saute minced onion and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in molasses, honey, mustard, jalapenos and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Season ribs with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill ribs for about 15 minutes, turning ribs once for another 15 minutes. Begin brushing ribs with sauce, turning ribs and brushing every few minutes, until sauce begins caramelizing and browning to your liking. Remove ribs from grill. Heat remaining sauce, and pour onto cooked ribs.

Zesty Italian Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups dry penne pasta

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
zesty Italian dry rub/seasoning
3 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes canned in oil (chopped, reserving oil)
1 cup canned sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp ground tarragon
1 tsp grond marjoram
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions, drain and set aside while preparing chicken.

Thoroughly coat chicken breasts with Italian seasoning.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken 2 minutes per side, then remove breasts from skillet to a baking sheet, leaving oil in skillet, reducing heat. Bake chicken 17-20 minutes at 400 F.
While chicken is baking, add remaining ingredients to skillet and saute vegetables over low-medium heat untill peppers are tender, scraping up any chicken goodies in skillet.
When chicken is done remove from oven, lest rest a couple of minutes, then slice into thin strips. 
Add drained pasta to skillet, and toss with vegetable mixture, heating through. Divide pasta among 4 serving plates, and top with 1 sliced chicken breast per plate and serve.

Mexican Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp pickled jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup corn meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 can cream style corn
2/3 lb cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
Saute onion, pepper and butter until onions are tender.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Mix eggs, meal, soda, salt, milk and corn well. Pour half of batter into a greased casserole dish, layer onion mixture and cheese over the batter, then cover with remaining batter. Bake 45 minutes, or until browned to desired doneness.
 

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 - 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsely, finely chopped
1/4 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients well. Chill a few hours. Serve with chips or veggies.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 egg yolks

Directions:
Melt butter with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Very slowly addd to egg yolks, beating constantly.

Russian Tea

Ingredients:
7 oz. Jar Tang, or other orange drink powder
1/2 cup instant tea
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pkg lemonade powder (for 2 qts)

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and store in dry place. Use 1 tablespoon per 1 cup hot water for instant drink.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 gallons popped popcorn

Directions:
Heat sugar and syrup/honey to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, butter and vanilla. In a large container, pour peanut butter mixture over popcorn, stirring to evenly coat.

Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour (sifted)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
3 tbsp butter
1 egg beaten
3 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Scald milk; add butter, sugar and salt, let cool to lukewarm temp.
Add yeast to water, along with 1 tsp sugar, and let sit for a few minutes.
Beat egg and then add everything else to egg except flour. Place in a bowl and cover. Let double in size, knead a bit, then form into rolls. Brush with melted butter and let rise.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Bake rolls until golden brown on top; approximately 20-25 minutes.