Chicken Rolls

1 block cream cheese (8oz), softened
1/4 C butter, softened
1/2 tsp pepper
2 C cooked chicken, shredded or diced
2 cans crescent rolls
2 C bread crumbs
2 tbs melted butter for dipping

Combine cream cheese, butter, and pepper until smooth.  Add chicken. Unroll rolls and put 2-3 Tbsp of mix on big end of roll and roll up, sealing completely.  Dip in melted butter and roll in bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Spicy Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp bay leaves - crushed

Place a 5-6 lb flat cut beef brisket fat side up in a foil lined baking dish.  Sprinkle dry spice mix on top.  Dissolve 1 Tbsp beef bouillon in 1/2 cup warm water and pour around sides.  (Don't pour on top).  Seal foil.  Bake 6 hours at 275 degrees.  When done baking, scrape off fat and seasonings.  Wrap meat in new foil and refrigerate.  Strain juice and chill in separate container.  When cool, slice meat across grain and put in serving pan.  Remove fat from top of juice, stir juice and pour over slices.  Heat in slow oven and serve.  (Can be frozen and reheated when ready to serve).

Pulled Pork Sliders with Ranch Slaw

Ingredients:

2 cups cooled pulled pork, warmed
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tsp canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
3/4 cup purple cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup green cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp ranch dressing
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
12 slider buns, split

In a small saucepan, combine the pork, barbecue sauce and chipotle chile.  Bring to a simmer; keep warm.  In a large bowl, combine both cabbages, carrot, parsley and ranch dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide and portion the pork mixture and coleslaw over the slider bottoms.  Cover with the bun tops; serve.

Makes 16 sliders, or 8 servings.

Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tbsp salt, coarsely ground
1 Tbsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 lb boneless pork shoulder butt, cut into 6 pieces
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth

Combine brown sugar, rosemary, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.   Rub over all sides of the pork.

To prepare in a pressure cooker:  Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on high.  Using the saute setting, brown the pork on all sides in 2 batches, about 5 minutes per batch.  Return all pork to the pot, pour in the vinegar and broth, lock the lid and close the pressure valve.  Pressure-cook on high for 1 hour.  Let the pot naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release.  Remove the pork; place in bowl.  Skim off some fat from the liquid remaining in the pot.  Shred the pork into small pieces; top with the remaining liquid from the pot.

Keep the pan drippings and drizzle them over the pork to help retain moisture.  Refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to six months.

To reheat, place the meat in a covered dish and reheat in a low oven (225 F) until hot.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Corn and Cheddar Chowder

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup dry white wine  (I omitted this and it was fine)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and stir in the onion, potato, bay leaf, cumin, and sage. Saute about 5 minutes, until the onion is tender. Mix in the flour, coating the onion and potato. Pour in the chicken stock and milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potato is tender.               
Mix the corn, parsley, chives, and wine into the saucepan, and cook about 5 minutes, until heated through. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted and blended. Season with salt and pepper.               

*You can omit the cheese if you want plain corn chowder, it is plenty thick before adding the cheese.

Texan Ranch Chicken Casserole

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbls canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 C cubed chooked chiken breast (Mom used leftover chicken from another dish)
1 can (10-3/4 oz) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 oz) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 Tbls chili powder
12 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1-inch strips
2 C (8oz) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, celery and peppers in oil until crisp-tender.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in the chicken, soups, tomatoes, and chili powder.

Line the bottom of a 3-qt. baking dish with half of the tortilla strips; top with half of chicken mixture and 1 C cheese.  Repeat the layers.  Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.
Yield: 8 servings  (1 C = 329 calories)

Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie

Richelle Lindstrom,  Centennial, CO
Roux:
1-2 T butter
1 1/2 - 2 C milk
1 1/2 T flour
Spices to taste

Melt butter in pan over medium heat, add flour to make a paste.  Slowly whisk in milk.  Stir sauce until thickened (may need to increase heat).  Add whatever spices you'd like.  The original recipe doesn't call for any, but it at least needs some salt and pepper.  We added oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder and it was much more flavorful. [Sauce should be the consistency of a heavy cream, not quite as thick as a gravy.] 
Cook your choice of vegetables (cooked and cubed potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, etc) and meat (Richelle uses canned chicken, we used leftover turkey breast) separately.  [We used approx. 1/2 can peas, 1/2 can corn, 1 1/2 C turkey, 1 1/2 C potato cubes and our pot pies were FULL.]
Add cooked veggies and meat to the roux, pour into pastry.  Place pastry on top, fork edges and middle.  Cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown at 350.  Cool 10 minutes to let inside firm up.

Famous Senate Bean Soup

1 lb Dry Navy Beans

1 Meaty Ham Bone

1 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. chopped celery

2/3 c. potato flakes (I don't use this, it makes soup too thick)

1/4 c. parsley

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. oregano

1 t. basil

1 bay leaf

In large pot, cover beans with 6-8 cups of water.  Bring to boil and cook 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and cover; let stand at least one hour (longer is better so beans begin to soften).  Drain, add 2 quarts of water and the ham bone.  Bring to boil again and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, until beans are tender.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer another 20-30 minutes.  Remove ham bone and trim off meat.  Add meat back into soup and serve.  Leftovers can be frozen.

Navajo Tacos (scones)

1 pint buttermilk
1 package dry yeast
1/8 cup warm water
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 TBSP oil

Mix above ingredients together, then add the following:

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 TBSP baking powder

Mix together, then add 2 more cups of flour. Let rise until double. Fry as scones.

Suggested toppings: Seasoned ground beef, chili, refried beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacomole and salsa. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Chicken

5 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 Small Bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken. Keep warm.  Serves 8-10