2 cups sliced mushrooms
3 leeks, white part only, cut in strips
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-ounce package dry onion-mushroom soup mix
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 chicken breasts, about 1
1/2 pounds

1. Heat 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet. Add mushrooms, leeks and onion. Cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Stir in sour cream, half and half, cheese, soup mix, paprika, salt and pepper.

3. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place chicken on the bottom and pour mushroom mixture over top, then sprinkle with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover, and bake 1 hour.

12 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups chicken broth
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 16-ounce) package lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 pounds mixed seafood, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of the butter until tender, 3 to 5 minutes; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, spinach, basil, eggs, Parmesan cheese, half of the salt and half of the pepper. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan and briefly sauté garlic over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisk continuously, for several minutes. Gradually add milk and broth, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium heat until thickened. Stir in tomato paste and season with the remaining salt, remaining pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Spread a bit of the sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange one-third of the noodles over the sauce. Top this with a layer of mushrooms, half of the seafood and half of the spinach-cheese mixture.

Add another layer of noodles and cover with a layer of sauce. Add the remaining seafood and remaining spinach-cheese mixture and top with a final layer of noodles. Spoon on remaining sauce and top with Swiss cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Makes 8 servings.

1 small or 1/2 a large butternut squash
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 bunch spinach (or a bag of baby spinach)
salt/pepper
1 can black beans
1/2 a block of follow your heart mozzarella
1/2 a small onion
3 cloves garlic
~6 tortillas
1/2 tsp cumin

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake the butternut squash until soft. (i cut it in half and backed it covered in aluminum foil at 400 for about 45 minutes). When it’s cool, scoop the meat out of the skin and mash it.

Saute the spinach with one clove of garlic until wilted.

Chop the onion and saute with garlic in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat. once the onions are soft, add the black beans (drained), cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. cook for 5 or 8 minutes, until beans are soft and all the flavor is combined. add the mashed squash and stir/cook for another couple of minutes.

Layer the bean/squash mixture, spinach and shredded moz into a tortilla. roll it and place in an oven proof pan (a lasagna pan works great). repeat ’til you’re out of everything. rub the tops of the tortillas with olive oil and bake for about 20 minutes.

2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
2 tbsp. ground cumin
2 c. medium-diced white onion
4 tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
3 lbs. very lean ground beef
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
3/4 c. ground pure California chili powder
3 tbsp. salt ( or to taste )
2-28 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
3 fresh habanero chilies finely diced-BE CAREFUL! These are extremely hot. Use food handling gloves.
2-12 oz. cans pinto beans (can substitute kidney beans)
1 tbs. cayenne pepper or to taste
3 c. clarified beef stock or enough to cover (canned stock or water can substitute)
1 tbsp. Mexican oregano

Use heaviest pot if possible for even heat distribution. Sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly while stirring frequently. Do not overly “brown” the meat: cook thoroughly. Add ALL other ingredients and stir to fully incorporate.

Bring to low boil for three minutes. Turn heat down to medium simmer and cook for 1 hour skimming any fat that rises to surface. Stir frequently. Serve hot in earthen bowls topped with shredded cheddar, Monterey jack, and fresh salsa.

1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 oz. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 oz. cumin
1 cup fine chopped Roma tomatoes
3 oz. chili powder
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno peppers
2 Tbsp. salt
1 lb. chopped peeled shrimp
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails
1 qt. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar

Saute onions, garlic, Roma tomatoes, jalapeno peppers for 2 minutes on high heat. Add shrimp and crawfish for 3-5 minutes. Add heavy whipping
cream, sugar, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and salt. Let cook for 15 minutes.

Can be served over rice or pasta.

Note: If crawfish aren’t available where you are, you could substitute an additional pound of shrimp.

12 lasagna noodles
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound sea scallops, cut in half or quartered if very large
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup grated Romano
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 10-inch aluminum foil pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until they are just done, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet and cook the onion over low heat until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Over medium-low heat, stir in the flour with a whisk, then gradually add the half-and-half, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly before adding more. When the sauce has thickened to about the consistency of whipping cream, add the cheese and stir well. Add the salt and pepper and stir again. Add the scallops and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the shrimp turn pink. Turn off the heat.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the skillet into the prepared pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with 4 noodles, placing them side by side. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles, distributing half of the seafood evenly. Layer 4 more noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, and remaining seafood. Cover with the last 4 noodles and the remaining sauce. (For the top layer, do not spoon any seafood on top of the noodles; just use the sauce.) Tuck in any edges of the noodles so they’re all coated with sauce. Top with the Parmesan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

4 oz liquid garlic
1 defrosted 10 to 12 pound turkey
4 oz liquid onion
5 gallons peanut oil
4 oz liquid celery
1 tablespoon red pepper
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons Tabasco,or the hot sauce you prefer
1 ounce liquid crab boil, OR 1 tablespoon old Bay Seasoning
1 poultry or meat injector

Saute liquid garlic, liquid onion, liquid celery, red pepper, salt, Tabasco adn liquid crab boil or Old Bay Seasoning until salt and pepper are dissolved.

Fill the injector and inject the turkey at the breast, wings, drumsticks, thighs, and back. Allow to marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator or ice chest.

Using a 10 gallon pot for frying, Bring the peanut oil to 350 degrees F and fry for 38 to 42 minutes. The turkey should float to the surface after 35 minutes and you should cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

1pound beef stew meat, cubed
3 red potatoes, diced
1 pint oysters in liquor
6 button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsps butter
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 cup onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 (9-inch) pie crusts, with tops
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsps flour
1 quart beef broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a cast iron dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and sear until brown on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions, celery and garlic and sauté five minutes, or until vegetables are wilted. Add flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until roux is achieved. Should black specks appear, discard and begin again. Add beef broth and meat and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender, approximately 20 minutes. Add potatoes and mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add oysters and parsley and adjust seasonings to taste using salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into 2 (9-inch) pie crusts. Place pies on a large baking sheet and bake in oven for 35 minutes until golden brown. Serve while hot and bubbly.

6 (1/2-pound) country ham steaks (uncooked)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Buttermilk Biscuits, recipe follows
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup very strong coffee
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat a large skillet over high heat and saute ham steaks 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you make the sauce.
Add butter and onions to skillet and cook until onions are softened, scraping up any browned bits on pan bottom. Add flour and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add coffee and chicken stock. Whisk well to combine, then allow sauce to cook until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add green onions and heavy cream and cook 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve over ham steaks with buttermilk biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits:
2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and blend thoroughly. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and quickly blend in, making sure to not overwork the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press out as many biscuits as possible. Gather up scraps and quickly knead back together, then cut out as many additional biscuits as possible. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

1/2 pound ground beef
1 can (7 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15.5 oz) or jar sloppy joe sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can of pizza crust (I used a homemade pizza crust)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray pan with vegetable spray. Unroll pizza crust and pat into pan. Bake 6-7 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Remove from oven. In medium skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain well. Stir in corn, sloppy joe sauce and seasonings; heat through. Spread over crust; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through.