Navajo Taco's

Fried Bread
6 cups flour (Kim and Jaime I halved yours)
2 TBSP Salt
2 TBSP Baking Powder
2 TBSP Shortening
oil for deep frying

Combine ingredients with enough lukewarm water to make dough the consistency of yeast bread. Mix until dough does not stick to your hands. Pinch of a piece of dough about the size of a biscuit and roll out until thin, carefully place in hot oil and cook until golden brown.

Then pile with your favorite fixings and enjoy!!

Prime Tenderloin and Roasted Dutch Yellow Potatoes

Prime Tenderloin

I was going to season with garlic, but the butcher said DO NOT ruin "his" meat with a marinade...so I asked or a recommendation.

His recommendation:

1.Heavily coat meat in olive oil ( this helps keep it from drying out).
2.Rub with salt, pepper (and some garlic if you like)
3.Tuck the narrow "tail" ends to achieve uniformity in thickness (Thelissa might want to do this)
4.Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours
5.Bake on rack in pan at 450 degrees for 30 minutes
6.Bring temperature down to 350 degrees until meat thermometer reaches 160 deg or a lower temperature (145-150 for rare-medium rare) until it reaches the level of "rareness" you desire
7.Slice into medallions about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in width

Potatoes

Baby Dutch yellow potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
Garlic powder

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2.Par cook the potatoes in boiling water for 5-6 minutes.
3.Remove from the water and let cool.
4.Place the par cooked potatoes in a baking dish.
5.Drizzle with olive oil then season to taste with sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and garlic powder.
6.Mix the potatoes, olive oil and seasoning thoroughly.
7.Roast in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until crackled and fork tender.
8.Serve and enjoy.

Quick Carbonara

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, uncooked
8 slices bacon
2/3 cup chopped green onion
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms (or a cup of fresh)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4-1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 dash pepper

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 1 tbl. drippings in skillet. Coarsely crumble bacon, and set aside.
2. Cook green onions and mushrooms in drippings in skillet over medium heat 2 minutes. Drain pasta, and place in a serving bowl. Stir egg yolks into hot pasta immediately after draining it. Stir in bacon, green onions and mushrooms, cheese and pepper; toss. Serve immediately.

Pork Chops and Salt Roasted Red Potatoes

Potatoes

Pre heat oven to 350°. Cover the bottom of a metal pan with ALL OF THE salt. Put potatoes in the salt and roast in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes (If you like your potatoes on the harder side, 45+ if you like them soft on the inside). Pull the potatoes out of the salt with a fork or some tongs. A tiny bit of salt will be sticking to the bottom. That’s okay. Brush a little off if too much is stuck. Transfer them to a bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat. Add parsley and serve. You might want to cut up some of the larger potatoes...

Pork Chops

Cook at 350° for 1 hour or until chops are no longer pink.

LASAGNA SOUP

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 ounces fusilli pasta
• 8 ounces ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. THIS IS ALREADY DONE. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package (WHICH SAID 8-9 MINUTES). Discard the bay leaves. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the Parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pinch of pepper. (DONE) To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top. Makes about 13 cups.
 

Garlic Chicken Farfalle Pasta

I have changed the cheese from Parmesan to Asiago (Mike's Favorite), enjoy

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 tsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Asiago cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you're apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.

Grill Chicken or follow directions below:
Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, Asiago cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded Asiago cheese on top.

Asparagus Beef Stir-Fry

Asparagus Beef Stir-Fry

1 lb beef tenderloin, cut in strips
1 green onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2 inch pieces
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c butter
1 T soy sauce
1 1/2 t lemon juice

In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in oil for 3-5 minutes (I added all of this to the meat, but you may need a bit more oil); remove and keep warm. In the same pan, stir-fry asparagus and mushrooms in butter until asparagus is tender. Return meat to the pan. Stir in soy sauce and lemon juice and heat through. Serve with rice.

Pork and Green Beans Over Jasmine Rice

Pork
1 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp of soy sauce (Optional for marinating. I didn't want to just send 1 tsp.)


Sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon hot bean paste
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (peeled)
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
1 lb green beans (snapped in half)

Directions

Trim the green beans. Heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees. Deep fry green beans for 1-2 minutes, until wrinkled. You may want to do this in batches to prevent the oil temperature from dropping. Drain on paper towels. You may do this step ahead of time and refrigerate but be sure to bring the green beans back to room temperature before proceeding.

Mix sauce ingredients and set aside. (DONE)

Heat wok or skillet over medium high, add 2 T oil, 1 tsp of soy sauce and crumble ground pork into the wok and stir fry, breaking up large lumps, until the meat no longer is pink.

Pour the sauce over the meat and stir quickly a few times to season evenly. Cover and let it steam-cook vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes. (I set the lid ajar so the sauce will cook down a bit).

Turn heat high, add the green beans and toss and stir until the sauce thoroughly coats the beans and the meat clings nicely to them.

Jasmine Rice

Rinse at least three times thoroughly. 2 cups rice to 4 cups water for soft rice. 3 1/2 cups for firmer rice.