Kalua Pork Tacos with Mango Salsa and Lime Sour Cream

Kalua Pork

3-4 pounds pork roast
1-2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt or Kosher salt
1/4 c. liquid smoke
1 c. cup water (you can also use beef or chicken broth)
4 washed ti leaves (if ti leaves aren't available or you don't know what they are, no worries-- it is still great without them. They just add a cool local Hawaiian element to the dish. You can also subsitute a banana peel, and I promise it won’t taste like bananas!)

Line bottom of crock pot with 2 ti leaves (if you have them). Rub pork generously with salt, pour on liquid smoke then place on ti leaves (or in the crock pot). Add water. Fit remaining ti leaves (again, if you have them) around outer edge of crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Garnish with chopped green onion or cilantro.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, mango salsa (from costco) and lime sour cream (add juice and zest of one lime to a container of sour cream). You can add lettuce too if you prefer.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

2 pounds boneless chicken breast halves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

In a small bowl, mix oregano, seasoned salt, and pepper; rub into chicken, using all of the mixture.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in butter. Transfer chicken to a slow cooker.

Place water, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and bouillon granules in skillet. Stirring over medium heat, bring to a boil, loosening browned bits from bottom of skillet. Pour over chicken in crock pot.

Cover and cook on high for 2 ½ -3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Serve with rice or rice pilaf.

“Seoul Food” Korean BBQ

Ingredients:
1 pound sirloin steak
3 TBS brown sugar
3 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS rice wine
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves chopped garlic

Preparation: In a gallon freezer bag, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Mix with your hand until well blended. Trim fat and slice the sirloin across the grain into strips around a quarter inch thick. Once completely coated, let out the excess air in the bag, seal, and freeze.
Thaw. Pull the steak from the marinade, and throw away the remaining marinade and the bag.
Lightly coat your pan with cooking spray or oil BEFORE you preheat to high. Once the pan is nice and hot, saute the steak for 5-9 minutes on. Korean BBQ is best when served hot. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

Chicken Gyros

**Keep in mind this recipe requires straining yogurt which may take overnight and marinating chicken which will take 1-2 hours so plan ahead!**

Makes enough chicken and tzatziki for approximately 4-6 gyros.

For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not fat free unless it is Oikos or Fage or another Greek-type yogurt)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded (I used 1/2 of an English cucumber)
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

To assemble:
Soft wrap bread (see recipe) (or pita bread)
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. (You won't believe how much liquid drains from the yogurt - it makes the yogurt much thicker and creamier. If you want to splurge on Greek yogurt, like Oikos or Fage, you won't need to strain it like this.)

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I sauted them in a hot skillet.) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or cube into bite sized pieces.

Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.


Soft Wrap Bread
from King Arthur Flour

*Makes about 8-9 breads

3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don't be worried - just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn't dry out), until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat "slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

2 Boboli pizza crusts
1/2 c. ranch dressing
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. cooked chicken, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
 
Spread ranch dressing over the dough (but not the edges). Sprinkle on 1 cup of each type of cheese onto each pizza. Layer your toppings. Bake @ 350 degrees on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

**I used the crumbled fresh bacon from Costco, and reduced fat ranch dressing

*** From frozen just cook a few extra minutes

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

 1/3 cup honey 

 ½ to 1 tablespoon chili powder 

 1/4 cup lime juice 

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder 

 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken 

 1 ½ cans (about 15 oz) cups green enchilada sauce, divided 

 2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided 

 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas 

 3/4 cup fat free half-and-half 

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Whisk together the honey, chili powder, lime juice, and garlic powder in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the shredded cooked chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. Remove the shredded chicken from the marinade, and shake off excess. 
2. 2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom. 
3. 3. Combine marinated shredded chicken with 1 1/2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Mix lightly. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken-cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. 
4. 4. In a bowl, whisk together remaining enchilada sauce and fat-free half-and-half. Pour sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle top with 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. 
5. 5. Bake in preheated oven (350) until the cheese has melted and the top is brown, about 30 minutes

cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. 

Bake in preheated oven (350) until the cheese has melted and the top is brown, about 30 minutes 

Seasoned Turkey Burgers

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)
6 hamburger buns, split
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix the turkey with the onion soup mix, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and egg. Refrigerate the mixture about 10 minutes, then form into 6 patties.
Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the patties on the grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once, or until well done. The inside of the burgers will look whitish in color when cooked through. Serve on buns.

Super Easy Italian Stew & Buttery Breadsticks

1 lb Ground Beef
1 Onion, chopped
5 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
5 (8 oz) cans water
1 can French Style Green Beans, drained
1 can Corn, drained
1 box Hamburger Helper Lasagne Mix

Brown ground beef and onion, add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil. Add green beans, corn, and hamburger helper. Cook for 12 minutes; until noodles are tender.Super Easy Italian Stew

1 lb Ground Beef
1 Onion, chopped
5 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
5 (8 oz) cans water
1 can French Style Green Beans, drained
1 can Corn, drained
1 box Hamburger Helper Lasagne Mix

Brown ground beef and onion, add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil. Add green beans, corn, and hamburger helper. Cook for 12 minutes; until noodles are tender.

Buttery Breadsticks

Ingredients
12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

garlic salt

Instructions
Pour melted butter on an 11x17-inch baking sheet. Roll each roll to about 6-inches and then roll in butter until completely coated. Place cheese in separate bowl and roll buttered breadstick in cheese. Place breadsticks on baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Shepard’s Pie

2 pkgs. Instant Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (I used the pre-made bistro kind in the refrigerator section of Costco.
1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
¼ onion, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can French-style green beans, drained
1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350’. Prepare mashed potatoes. Cook hamburger with onions until well done. Add tomato soup and salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer with green beans, then mashed potatoes. Top with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

From Frozen: Thaw overnight in fridge, then bake at 350’ for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Island Rice Bowls

(This makes 6 large rice bowls)
1 bottle Yoshida's sauce 4 chicken breasts
1 head broccoli, florets only, chopped 1 medium zucchini, diced
2 carrots, shredded 1/4 c. celery, sliced (optional)
1/4 c. red pepper, finely chopped 1 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic, minced 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 c. white rice, cooked

Place the chicken into a ziploc bag and pour about 1/3 of the bottle of Yoshida's. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, seal, and place on a plate or in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (I did this for you, just thaw the chicken, veggies and sauce before beginning).

Remove chicken from the fridge and either BBQ or bake (at 425 for about 25 min) until cooked through. After fully cooked, cut up into small cubes (wrap in tin foil to keep warm if needed).
In a large skillet, stir fry broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and red pepper (and optional celery) in a little bit of the Yoshida's sauce until all veggies become tender.
Pour remaining Yoshida's sauce into a small saucepan. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes (I did this already too). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low until ready to serve (stirring often).
Serve by layering 1 c. of rice in each bowl, 1/4 of the veggies (more or less), 1/4 of the chicken, then about 1/4 c. of sauce (more or less) drizzled over the top of each bowl.

Penne with shrimp and red cream sauce

1 pound shrimp ½ cup white wine(I used cooking wine)
¾ pound penne pasta 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 Tbsps butter 1 cup half and half
2 Tbsps olive oil ½ tbsps parsley
2 cloves garlic ½ tbsps basil
1 small onion salt and pepper


Cook the Penne pasta until tender-firm, al dente.

Finely dice 1 small onion. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbsps. Butter and 2 Tbsps. Olive Oil (use your own, I did not include it). Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. Now, put the shrimp on the cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add the white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead.

Now add 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Stir until well combined. Then add 1 cup half and half. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now add shrimp to the tomato cream sauce, Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne past and give it a stir. Enjoy!

Aunt Shelly's Rockin Salad

Romaine Lettuce
1.5 C Minute rice

Cook rice then add:
3 T sugar
1.5 T lime juice
1/3 bunch chopped cilantro

MEAT
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 C Costco mango salsa (or another kind you like)
1/2 C brown sugar

*Cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours and shred.

DRESSING
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 can (8 oz) green salsa verde
1/4 to 1/2 bunch cilantro
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C sour cream
1/3 C lime juice

*Add all ingredients and puree in blender until smooth.

SALSA
1 avocado
5 large tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 bunch green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 C lime juice
salt to taste

*Combine all ingredients in bowl and season with salt to taste. Add avocado just before serving.

Layer lettuce, rice, meat, salsa and dressing on plate. Enjoy!

Sausage and Shrimp Kabobs

1 lb of Sun Dried Tomato and Mozzarella Chicken Sausage from Costco
3/4 pound of large cooked shrimp
mini sweet peppers from Costco (as many as you want on your kabobs)
1 sweet red onion
1 cup Yoshida grilling sauce
10 wooden grilling skewers

Arrange skewers as you like. Grill 2-3 minutes on each side, brushing with Yoshida sauce.

Serve hot with additional sauce for dipping.

Peach Glazed Ribs

Ingredients:
3 lbs. pork country style ribs

1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings

1 18 oz. jar peach or apricot preserves

1/2 C. orange juice

2 Tbsp. bottled teriyaki sauce

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (less if you are a wuss)

4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
In 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, place onion. Add ribs. In a medium bowl combine peach preserves, OJ, teriyaki sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Reserve 1 C. of mixture to use as a sauce for serving. Chill until needed. Pour remaining peach mixture over ribs in cooker.
Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. or on high for 4-5 hours (I don’t recommend high, they dry out)
For sauce, in a small sauce pan bring reserved peach mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove ribs and onion from cooker. Discard cooking liquid. Pour sauce over ribs and serve atop bed of onions.
*****Extra step for presentation. I preheat the broiler, lay the ribs on a baking sheet, and baste with some of the reserved sauce. Place them under the broiler just enough to carmelize the sauce and give them some great color!

Baked Dijon Salmon

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
6 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon sliced, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Thaw Salmon by leaving in fridge overnight or running under cold water for 30 min. Thaw mustard packet by running under warm water.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Open salmon and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and honey mustard packet.
Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the
fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Sweet Pork Enchiladas

2 pounds pork loin
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups salsa ( I used pace picante sauce medium)

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours. Shred pork and cook for 1 more hour.

10 8” flour tortillas
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 small cans (14 oz) green enchilada sauce ( I used mild)

Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of pan. Fill tortillas with meat and a sprinkle of cheese and roll up. Cover filled tortillas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Cook uncovered at 350’ for 45-50 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Chicken Chilaquiles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 T olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cans (42 oz) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 heaping T's), plus 1 1/2 T adobo sauce (from same can)
coarse salt
1 cooked rotisserie chicken (about 3 lbs), skinned and shredded (about 6 C), carcass discarded
3/4 C lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
6 C (about 6 oz) tortilla chips
1/2 C sour cream
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 C)

Directions:
1. Thaw all ingredients overnight in fridge.
2. Combine oil and garlic in a large (3 to 4 quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up), chipotles and adobo, and 1 C water. The chipotles have some kick, so if your family is sensitive to spice you may want to add a little at a time to find a flavor that works for you. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
5. Divide chips among 4 shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and feta. Serve.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb sausage, bacon, or ham, or mixture of all 3
1/2 t salt
6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes
8 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 t mustard powder
6 eggs, beaten
2 C milk

Directions:
1. Place meat in medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the meat, bread cubes, and cheese; stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes. Uncover and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until set.