Condiments

Franks Red Hot Sauce is one of my favorite condiments. It's the base for great, authentic Buffalo wings. I love it on omelets. Fry Sauce is a Utah "thing". The story about it is on the back of the bottle or at http://somedudesfrysauce.com/store/ (and we don't really talk like that in Utah.)

Fake n' Bake

I found this recipe a while back. I made the Fake n' Bake coating mix last week and cooked *chicken tenders with it yesterday for a quick snack after church. It was the first time I had used this. I think it was pretty tasty and quick to use. I also made some oven fries sprinkled with Monterey steak grill seasoning and a little kosher salt. I drizzle Yukon gold potatoes with a little olive oil and baked the fries for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees, turning them after 20 minutes of cooking to brown them evenly.
Fake n' Bake
1 cup finely crushed cornflakes
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed parsley flakes
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon celery salt

Mix and store in an airtight container. Use to coat chicken and pork before baking.

*I dipped chicken breast tenders in an egg beaten with a little milk and vinegar before coating them with the mix. Spray a baking pan with PAM, arrange the chicken tenders with a little space between each. Spray the chicken tenders with PAM to help browning. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

Yummy Italian Sandwich

I just made this yummy grilled sandwich. I made it mostly with ingredients I buy at Costco. First I sprinkle some Aspen Mills whole wheat bread with some garlic powder and then drizzled extra virgin olive oil over that. Then I turn the bread over and slathered some sun dried tomato spread on the other side of each piece of bread. I sliced some green stuffed olives and put them on one side. I topped each slice of bread with a slice of Provolone cheese. I put a slice of deli turkey on one side and some spinach leaves on the other. Then I put the two sides together and grilled it on low heat. If you have a panini press that would probably be great to use. A couple of weeks ago I made a sandwich like this but used fresh mozzarella cheese and black olives. That was yummy. It's a pretty rich tasting sandwich. I can only eat half. I save the other half for lunch the next day or for a snack later in the day.

Easter Ham Left Overs

This is a great recipe for that left over Easter Ham. Make sure you use the ham hock, it adds more flavor and richness to the soup. I usually make a smaller batch than this, and for convenience I use canned black beans. I also don't usually have bacon in the house so it's fine to leave it out. It is yummier with bacon, of course!

Black Bean Soup

2 quarts water
1 lb. black beans
½ lb. bacon
1 ½ cups diced onion
1 ½ cups diced carrots
1 ½ cups diced celery, with leaves
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
3 Tablespoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
10 cups chicken broth
2 ham hocks (or 1-2 cups cooked ham)
½ teaspoons Cayenne pepper
6 Tablespoons lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnish with Sour cream
Soak the beans in the 2 qt. water, overnight. Drain. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot. Remove from the pot and drain off most of the fat. Reserve a few tablespoons of the fat to cook the vegetables in. Cook the vegetables, except the garlic and beans, in the pot for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, 1 T. of the cumin and oregano; cook for 5minutes. Add broth, ham hocks and bacon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 2-2 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. Remove the ham hocks and scrape the meat from the bones; return the meat to the soup. Add the Cayenne pepper, 2 T. cumin and the lime juice. Stir well. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream. Recipe by Joy Philbin