Strawberry Pie Cheesecake

1/3 cup ground nuts

1/3 cup finely crushed ginger snaps

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 packages (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoons  vanilla

1 cups  sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Position rack in center of over and heat to 350. Butter a spring-form pan.
2. For crust: Combine nuts, crackers and butter and press into bottom of pan.
3. For filling: Beat cream cheese in large nixing bowl until smooth, Add eggs, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and beat thoroughly.
4. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand about 15 minutes.
5. For topping:

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2  tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Place 1 cup of the largest berries on top of the cheesecake.

In a saucepan, crush the remaining berries, then stir in sugar and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened and clear, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice, remove from heat and cool slightly.

Pour strawberry sauce over berries and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Fresh Shrimp and Clam Chowder

What makes this so good is cooking all the ingredients until just perfectly done and not overcooking, it brings out the natural flavor of each ingredient. It should only take about an hour to cut up all the ingredients, cook and serve!

4 carrots, sliced

½ Walla Walla sweet onion, diced

2 – 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken broth

1 can minced clams, with broth

Salt, pepper and smoked paprika to taste

12 – 16 ounces fresh shrimp, 40 count approximately, shelled and cut in half.

Green onion tops or parsley

Melt butter in 2 quart sauce pan and saute carrots, onions and potatoes for 10 minutes and stir in flour until well absorbed. Add milk and broth and stir until thickened. Add canned clams and seasonings to taste. Add shrimp and cook about 5 minutes until just firm, do not overcook. Taste and adjust seasonings, if too thick add a little more milk. Serve immediately. Sprinkle bowls with diced green onions or parsley.

Cheesy Egg Benedict Casserole

4 whole English muffins, split in half and lightly toasted

8 poached eggs, poach to just barely desired doneness

8 muffin sized pieces of ham

2 cups cheese sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1½ cup milk

½ cup cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 ½ cup cheddar, swiss or combination of both

Tablespoon parsley and green onion tops

 

Butter a large casserole dish and toast muffins and place in dish. Make cheese sauce by melting butter, stirring in flour until well mixed and add milk, cream, salt and pepper and stir until thickened. Add cheeses to sauce. Poach eggs your preferred method until almost your preferred doneness. Place ham on muffins and top with eggs. Spread sauce over all and top with parsley and onion. Broil for a couple of minutes to reheat everything and serve.

Mediterranean Potato Salad

4 medium potatoes, any kind, peeled or unpeeled, boiled whole and then diced

4 boiled eggs, boiled and finely chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil mayonnaise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons Kalmata Olives, quartered

2 tablespoons Green Olives, quartered

4 whole green onions, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary or thyme, whichever you prefer

1 tablespoon hot sauce, any kind you prefer

1 pepper, any kind you prefer, hot or regular, minced

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

Start eggs and potatoes and mix the rest of the ingredients and let set while cooking and chopping up the eggs and potatoes. Taste the sauce after it sets for about 10 minutes and add more of any of the ingredients you want to taste more. Remove hot eggs and potatoes and chop them and place in bowl. Add sauce and taste. Add more of any ingredient and adjust seasonings and serve warm or cold.

Manchego Scallops

Manchego Scallops with Pasta

1 ½ pounds scallops, sea or bay

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red pepper, diced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

¼ pound prosciutto, minced

1 hardboiled egg, chopped

Salt and Pepper and Paprika

1 cup grated Manchego cheese

Package of fresh linguine pasta

½ cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons minced chives

 

Wash scallops, cut in half if using sea scallops, and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat olive oil with butter and sauté scallops briefly and remove. Add onion, garlic and pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Stir in flour and when blended with butter and oil stir in milk. When sauce has thickened stir in cheese, egg, and prosciutto. Taste sauce and add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Pour sauce over pasta and arrange scallops on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chives. Broil for a minute or two and serve. This recipe is equally good with any shellfish, oysters

Smoked Chicken and Cheese Maccaroni with Asparagus

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped up

½ teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup vinegar based hot sauce

2 cups dried macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1½ cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ pound asparagus, broken into pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves minces garlic

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

½ cup grated parmesan

Melt butter in sauté pan and add lightly salted and peppered chicken breasts chunks. Sauté for 10 minutes and add the hot sauce. After five more minutes remove from heat. Bring sauce pan of lightly salted water to a boil and add macaroni noodles. Cook according to directions and drain. Melt butter and stir in flour. When mixed together add milk and stir until sauce is thickened. Add pepper jack, blue cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into a casserole pan. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add garlic and asparagus. Sauté for five minutes and add water and salt and cover and steam or about ten minutes until asparagus is just tender. Pour chicken breasts with sauce over macaroni and cheese and then arrange asparagus pieces on top. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake casserole for about 10 minutes at 350 and broil or about five minutes, or until the casserole is hot and the cheese just starts to brown.

Spicy and Blue Meatloaf

1 pound ground meat of your choosing

2 cloves minced garlic

1 ½ slices fresh sourdough bread crumbs

½ cup milk

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons buffalo sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Tear up bread and soak in milk for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and gently mix. I always make a test meatball and fry it and taste it to see if I want more spices, sauce or cheese. When it tastes perfect I mound in in the center of a pie pan and leave about an inch all around the meat. That way the fat can drain out around the edges of the loaf and brown a little bit which adds more flavor. I like to serve the meat loaf with sour cream, chive and bacon bit creamy mashed potatoes and a salad with blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Fried Beef with Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Buffalo Gravy

Buffalo Chicken Fried Beef with Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Buffalo Gravy

1 pound thin sliced eye of round, or something similar, pounded thin

Hot Sauce and melted butter, about one half cup

Marinate steak in hot sauce and butter for about an hour

Take steak out of marinade and save marinade

Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper

Fry in a couple tablespoons oil until steak is browned on both sides.

Drain oil from pan and add 3 tablespoons flour to make a roux and add leftover hot sauce and butter marinade, ½ cup stock and ½ cup milk or cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until gravy is thickened and serve with fried steaks and blue cheese mashed potatoes.

Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

1-1/2 pound baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup milk

¾ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons sour cream, (optional)

2 tablespoons minced green onions

Salt and black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in pot and cover them with water and add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt per potato. The water should just cover the potatoes. Bring it to a boil and reduce heat to let the potatoes simmer and cover the pot. Turn the heat off after about 10 minutes. Check to see the potatoes are done in about 5 or 10 more minutes by sticking a fork in them. When they are just tender drain off the water and with a mixer or a potato masher make blend the potatoes to get rid of any lumps before adding the butter. When the potatoes are smooth and crumbly add the butter and mix it in well then add the milk and when it is well blended and smooth and creamy add the sour cream, cheese, chives and salt and pepper to taste.

Open Faced Hot Turkey Sandwich with Crispy Stuffing

Sourdough Bread, toasted

Sliced Roast Turkey Breast

Stovetop Stuffing

Flour and Butter

Turkey Gravy

Cook your favorite stove top stuffing and cool, make it on the moist side. Form patties out of the stuffing and dredge them in flour and fry in butter in a sauté pan on both sides until hot and crispy. Take a toasted slice of bread and place warm turkey slices on top, then add fried stuffing and top with warm turkey gravy.

Prosciutto Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Pasta

2 whole Chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into halves

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 4 cloves minced garlic

8 ounces Asparagus, cut up in pieces

4 ounces sliced Prosciutto

4 slices Provolone Cheese

1 cup White wine

½ cup Butter

Lemon juice from one whole lemon

Pasta, 2 cups of your favorite, cooked

2 tablespoons minced Parsley

 

Sauté asparagus in olive oil for ten minutes and remove. Add garlic to oil and seasoned chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook chicken on both sides for about 15 minutes until chicken is done. Remove and place next to asparagus and keep warm. Add wine to pan to deglaze. Add butter and when it is melted add lemon juice. Place pasta on platter and sprinkle asparagus on top and place chicken breast halves on top and on each half breast place one fourth of the prosciutto and a piece of cheese. Drizzle sauce over all and briefly melt the cheese under the broiler or in the microwave and sprinkle with parsley and serve.