Tasty Chicken Marinade

Ingredients

1 bottle of oil-type French dressing (8 ounces)
Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon leaf oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooking sherry

Directions

Combine all ingredients and heat. Makes 2-2 1/2 cups. Marinate poultry in mixture overnight in refrigerator in a covered dish. Use remaining marinade to baste the chicken while it is cooking.

This recipe is from an old Weber booklet.

**Thoughts~I have not had this since I lived at home, but my mom swears it is delicious. I will have to give it a try soon.**

Salami Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked small pasta shells
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomoatoes
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup cubed hard salami
1/2 cup whole ripe olives, quartered
2 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
1/3 cup chopped onion

Dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the green pepper, tomatoes, pepperoni, salami, olives, cheese and onion.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Yields 9 servings

**Thoughts~Very tasty! I used tri-color fiori noodles. Excellent side dish!**

Cucumber Sour Cream Salad

Ingredients

2 medium cucumbers
3/4 cup sour cream
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon salad oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dill weed

Directions

Pare cucumbers and slice thinly into large bowl. Stir together remaining ingredients except dill weed; pour over cucumbers and toss lightly. Sprinkle with dill weed. Cover and chill. Just before serving, toss carefully.

Serves 8 to 10

**Thoughts~Add some sliced onions.**

Almond & Peach Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 egg
2 tablespoons peach preserves
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup coarsely chopped sliced almonds
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 pork boneless loin chops, 1/2 inch thick (1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish, if desired

Directions

Beat egg and preserves in shallow dish with fork, breaking apart any large pieces of preserves. Mix Bisquick, almonds, cornmeal and salt in another shallow dish. Dip pork chops into egg mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook pork chops in oil for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, until crust is golden brown and pork is no longer pink in the center. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Taco Casserole

Ingredients

Crescent rolls
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crushed Dorito chips
Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Black olives
Sour cream

Directions

Grease 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread crescent rolls in bottom of pan to make crust. Brown hamburger and drain. Mix with taco seasoning according to package. Spread hamburger mixture over crescent rolls. Top with shredded cheese. Bake according to instructions on crescent rolls. Top with your favorite topping (lettuce, tomatoes, Doritos, olives, sour cream, etc.).

**Thoughts~Delicious! This really hits the spot!**

Turkey A La King

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (2 ounces) pimiento strips or chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked cubed turkey
dash onion powder
dash pepper

Directions

Melt butter; add green pepper and mushrooms. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove vegetables with slotted spoon. Add flour to butter, cooking and stirring until smooth. Add half-and-half and cream of mushroom soup, stirring until smooth and thickened. Add turkey, pimiento, mushrooms, green pepper, and seasonings. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over hot cooked rice, biscuits, or noodles.

**Thoughts~Not bad. Don't use smoked turkey next time. Yes, Jeff, you were right. Oh, and make sure to salt.**

Marinade

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Marinate beef or chicken in mixture for a minimum of 4 hours.

**Thoughts~My mom used to use this marinade when I was growing up, and it is simply delicious. You can make Shish Kabob, steaks, or chicken with this marinade.**

Sour Cream Chicken

Ingredients

2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of garlic powder
10 to 12 boneless chicken breasts
Unflavored bread crumbs
3 tablespoons butter

Directions

Combine the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, paprika, pepper and garlic powder in a container. Place the chicken in a baking dish, pour the mixture over the chicken, and marinate overnight. Just before cooking, roll the chicken pieces in the bread crumbs and return to the marinade. Dot with butter and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

**Thoughts~half this recipe for our family**

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce...Tabasco
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted, if desired

Directions

Cook beef and onion in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients (except buns). Cover and cook over low heat 10-15 minutes or just until vegetables are tender.

Fill buns with beef mixture.

**Thoughts~Who needs Manwich? This recipe is so easy and very tasty. I usually omit the celery and add extra Tabasco.**

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
Ice

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water/club soda and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnish with mint sprigs and strawberries, if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings

**Thoughts~Strain strawberries after you puree them, otherwise you are left with a whole lot of seeds. Plan on this making only 4 servings. Also, you don't have to use fresh lemon juice.**

Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 store-bought pound cake (12 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch thick slices
1 bar reduced-fat cream cheese (8 ounces), room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups fresh blueberries (three 1/2-pint containers), rinsed and dried
3 cups (two 6-ounce containers) fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Make lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, then brush over both sides of cake slices. Brushing the cake slices with lemon syrup will infuse them with flavor and keep them moist. Quarter each slice.

2. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar on high speed until lightened. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add heavy cream in a steady stream; continue beating until mixture is light and airy (mixture will be like a very soft whipped cream).

3. Arrange half the cake pieces in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over cake in dollops; spread to sides of dish. Scatter half the blueberries and raspberries on top. Repeat layering with remaining cake, cream-cheese mixture, and berries, piling berries in the center.

4. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Serves: 6

**Thoughts~Try to make ahead so that it can refrigerate at least 6 hours or so. Also, I was able to get 3 layers out of the ingredients.**

Ham Turnovers

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups chopped ham
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 cans crescent rolls

Directions

Combine the first 4 ingredients, and spoon onto 8 triangles of crescent rolls. Place another triangle of dough on top. Stretch and seal edges well, forming a turnover.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Makes 8.

**Thoughts~This recipe is very simple, and you could probably do a ton of variations. These would make a great lunch.**

Hellmann's Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 1-3/4 cups)
1 cup Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Hellmann's Creamy Dijion Mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in macaroni, celery, green pepper and onion. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 5 cups