Recipes

[stormcaller3801]

Figured I'd share these. They're recipes I make a lot because they satisfy two important goals: 1) a single batch can give me many good meals, and 2) I can deal with the initial prep fairly quickly, set a timer, and ignore them. They're family favorites as well as big hits among my old college buddies- on those rare occasions when there were more than half a dozen people hanging out and no pizza place within walking distance, I'd give a shot at making these. They're being refined over time, but they work pretty well.

Orange Garlic Chicken
1+ pieces of chicken (preferably deboned)
1+ cans of orange juice concentrate
chopped garlic
lime juice
sugar (optional)

Start off by thawing the orange juice concentrate. While that's happening, get to work cooking the chicken. This isn't strictly necessary, but it never hurts to be careful. Browning is optional, just make sure it's cooked through. Microwaving is an option. Put the chicken in the bottom of baking dish, making sure you can fit it all in and there's room above it. Now add 1 teaspoon of garlic and 1 teaspoon of lime juice per serving (so roughly 1 per chicken breast or equivalent thereof), and if you want to, the sugar as well. Salt, pepper, and other seasonings optional. Once the concentrate is thawed, pour over the chicken. Make sure the meat is entirely covered; if need be use the lime juice to make up the difference. I figure about 1 can of concentrate per chicken breast on average.

Now cook this in the oven at about 350º for about an hour. You want the orange juice to get about to the consistency of warm maple syrup, which typically coincides with the point where the top starts to brown and bubble.

Store excess by covering up the baking dish and sticking it in the fridge. Reheat preferably via oven at about 350º; the cooking and sitting in the fridge will have an effect on the chicken, making it more tender. After one or two meals you'll end up with something akin to barbecue. You can also boil down the sauce and use it for barbecuing, although it's worth noting that in the process the garlic will start giving it a lot of heat- I suppose you could make a sort of buffalo wing sauce out of it though I haven't tried that. This also works well with pork and turkey.



Easy Chicken Stew
1+ pieces of chicken
1-2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
2% Milk
Yellow Onion
Celery
Baby Carrots

Drop the chicken into a pot and pour in some cooking oil- just one or two tablespoons. Add salt, pepper, and other seasonings (I use Everglades Seasoning) to taste. While that's going, chop up the vegetables (carrots optional), just about enough to fill the pot. Once this is done, make sure the chicken is cooked on the outside (should turn white) and then move it to a plate. Slice the chicken (cooking it this far makes the task a bit easier) into strips. Don't worry if it isn't cooked all the way through. Put the chicken and vegetables back into the pot on medium heat, then add the Cream of Mushroom soup. Add milk to cover everything else. Now allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about one hour. Remove from heat, then ladle into bowls. Very good served alongside biscuits or other bread.

Refrigerate in the pot, covered, and reheat the same as you cooked it- it's ready when it starts to bubble.

Slightly Healthier Buffalo Wings
2 lbs frozen chicken wing parts
1 large bottle hot sauce

Arrange the chicken wings on a baking pan in a single layer. Preheat the oven to 350º. Douse the wings in the hot sauce of your choice (back home we always used Crystal but I don't know if that's up here), using about half the bottle and making sure the wings are nicely coated. Now cook for 1 hour, or until the wings are a dark reddish brown and little if any liquid remains in the pan. Remove the wings (this may require a lot of effort, depending on the pan) and enjoy. No frying, no butter, and they're very good.

Alternately you can cook them as above without the hot sauce, then do something more traditional: dump the cooked wings (which should still be rather crispy) into a plastic container, add two tablespoons of Hooters wing sauce (which has a consistency akin to cream cheese in the jar), and then seal the container and shake vigorously. The heat from the wings will melt the sauce and they'll end up evenly coated.

It's worth noting that as good as these taste, cleaning the pan can be a nightmare. Which is why I love the fact my dishwasher has a 'pots & pans' setting.  

[GM_Baal]

Very nice. You are almost making me have to post a few of my recipes.  Ahh... I guess I'll post one of them.

Stuff Chicken Breast over Rice with Spinach

3-4 Chicken Breasts
1 med-large tomato
1 med yellow onion
1 bunch of spinach
4 Roma Tomatoes
2-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of lemon Juice
2 cups of Rice

Start out by cutting your chicken breasts with a single slit down the center about 3/4th of the way through. Turn your knife on it's side and cut pockets into the breast to the left and right of the slit.

Dice medium tomato, half of the yellow onion, and the spinach. Put all of this in a large bowl with Olive Oil, minced garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, with Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Salt and Pepper(other seasonings optional). Stir all of this together until well mixed. Set to the side.

Get about 2 cups of rice on to boil.

Slice the remaining onion, and the Roma tomatoes and lay them out in a large frying pan. Apply a mixture of the same seasonings mentioned above and pour in olive oil until the contents are covered. Put this on at very low heat, simmer setting on most stoves. This will take a bout 30 minutes to come to temp.

Preheat oven to 425. Coat chicken breasts in olive oil and season lightly. Now take the spinach, onion and tomato mixture and stuff it into the pocket that you have cut into the chicken breasts. Place in a backing pan to cook until done.

While all of this is going on. When things are just about done put the rest of the spinach, onion and tomato mixture in a saucepan on med-high heat. Once it gets hot you will have to stir it constantly to get it all done. By this time the rice should be done. Put a bead of rice down in a platter. The heated roma tomatoes and onions should be poured over this slowly. Be careful or you will make a real mess. Arrange the chicken breasts around it and make a pocket in the center of the platter for the spinach which you form into a ball. Serve hot and enjoy.

[stormcaller3801]

Slow Burn Burrito Meat
1 pound ground meat
1 4oz can chopped green chiles
1 10oz can chopped tomatoes & chiles

Add a small amount of oil to a pot of appropriate size, then add meat. Spice to taste (personal preference: Everglades seasoning, black pepper) and stir into a thick mush. Add chiles and tomatoes straight from can. Stir to mix evenly, allowing the liquid from the cans to help soften the mixture. Cook until the meat is done, draining off liquid as it accumulates.

Once done, sprinkle a tortilla with cheese of choice, then spoon 2 tbsp of meat mixture into middle of burrito atop cheese. Fold in bottom, then sides, then roll. Enjoy, but be ready for the long-term, low heat from the chiles.

Refidgerates and reheats very well; makes an indeterminate number of burritos (I'll let you know when I run out).

[GM_Baal]

Carnivorus Meat Roll

Sounds wrong, but it's good.

1 lb of Ground Beef
A few Slices of Ham Lunch Meat
4 slices of cheese
6 strips of bacon

Cut the bacon into smaller strips and cook that. While cooking season the ground beef as you would for hamburgers and such (salt, black pepper, little worstershire sauce works well for me).

Flatten the ground beef out thin 1/4 to a 1/3 inch thick. Cover this all but the edges with the ham and cheese. Once the bacon is done put it on this as well.

Fold the hamburger meat over itself and pinch together the edges to make a pocket. You can then put it in the oven and back it on about 375 or put it on a grill and cook it until is is done. slice it and enjoy.

[GM_Baal]

Jailhouse Burritos

2 packs of Ramen Noodles
Equal amount of Crunchy Jalapeno Cheetos
1/4 of a Big Momma's Hot Pickle
2-3 burrito shells

Other options include slim jims, smokehouse cheddar crackers, hot sauce etc.

Crush the Cheetos, 1 seasoning packet and the ramen noodles(uncooked) and combine them in a gallon sized freezer bag or a bag of appropriate size. dice the pickle into smaller sizes. get about 2 cups of hot water(not BOILING!!!)  adding just a touch of pickle juice and/or hot sauce. Add water to the bag of the mixture until the water is soaked up and there is just a little bit left for the noodles to absorb. Get all the air out of the bag and square up the mixture by folding the bag over on itself. To help speed up the cooking time wrap it in a towel and allow to set while the ramen cooks and the whole mixture firms up. Cut the bag away when firm and the noodles are done. Section off for the appropriate size for the burrito shells and place it inside the shell and fold it up in the shell as directed above by stormcaller and enjoy.

I know some of you out there will enjoy this for the sheer junk food aspect of it, others... will bring back unpleasant memories, perhaps pleasant depending on situation. It is worth a try... and for those of you who may see steel doors in your future... practice up and you'll be a big hit around the jailhouse.

feel free to add cheese sauces or anything like this to the shell.

[stormcaller3801]

Beef Stew
2lbs stew meat
Flour
Everglades Seasoning
1 whole onion (chopped)
1 bunch celery (also chopped)
1 lb. baby carrots
3 qts beef stock
3 tbsp chopped garlic
Vegetable Oil

Fill the bottom of a (very) large pot with 1/8" vegetable oil and heat to medium high. Meanwhile combine several handfuls of flour and seasonings in a ziplock bag. Shake thoroughly. Now add the meat. Shake thoroughly again, until the meat's covered. Add the meat to the oil in the pot, adding in all the flour/seasoning mixture. Proceed to brown the meat as the oil and flour mixture forms a thick sludge.

Once the meat's browned, upend a quart of beef stock into the pot and  stir. This should wash any remaining flour mixture off the meat. Remove the meat and add the vegetables. Add two more quarts of stock, and allow to heat. Once it's simmering and the vegetables are softening up, add the meat back into the pot and stir to mix thoroughly.

Add chopped garlic, allow to cook for 45 minutes or more on medium high heat. Serve in large bowls with delicious bread. Eat like a king for a week.

[GM_Baal]

What kind of flavor does the everglades seasoning add?  What seasoning blends are close to it?

[stormcaller3801]

Honestly I've no real clue- the ingredients say 'salt, spices, MSG, dehydrated garlic and onion, sugar, papain.' They've also got alternative versions with half salt, no MSG. Howard might be better able to take a guess, but it's also available via their online store and list of retailers. I can also tap out some into a ziplock of you'd care to give it a try.

[GM_Baal]

Yeah I would like to give it a try and see what it taste like. Oh... I put up the short bio of init.d

[stormcaller3801]

I'll bring some in. And I've added John's rather laconically morbid take on things too.

[CyberDoc]

I can also tap out some into a ziplock of you'd care to give it a try.

And thats how the dealer hooks ya.. Little taste for free then... Hey. I am just saying!