From Summerseas

Contents 1 Chicken 1.1 Chicken in Creamy Sauce 2 Mexican 2.1 Layered Enchilada Bake 3 Desserts 3.1 Brownie Cheesecake 4 Sauces 4.1 Shrimp Cocktail Sauce 4.1.1 The Sauce 4.1.2 The Shrimp 4.2 Salsa 5 Beans and Rice Recipes 5.1 Blackeyed Peas

Chicken

Chicken in Creamy Sauce

• • 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 Tbsp. oil
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional)

• COAT chicken with flour. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

• Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and onions; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until cooked through (165°F).
• Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover chicken to keep warm.

• ADD broth to skillet; stir to scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream cheese; cook 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly with wire whisk.
• RETURN chicken to skillet; turn over to coat both sides of chicken with sauce. Cook 2 min. or until chicken is heated through.
• Add mustard to sauce, if desire, for a different taste.
• Sprinkle with parsley.

Mexican

Layered Enchilada Bake

• • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cups Salsa
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1 can Mexicorn (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing or Catalina Dressing
  • 2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning Mix
  • 6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 pkg. (8 oz) Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese

• PREHEAT oven to 400ºF.
• Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix; mix well.

• Spray 13x9-inch baking dish. ARRANGE 3 of the tortillas in single layer on the bottom; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers.

• Cover with foil.

• BAKE, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

• Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

• Top with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, avocado and cilantro
• Make Ahead
• Line 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of dish. Assemble recipe in prepared dish as directed. Cover with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake an additional 15 to 20 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve. To decrease the baking time, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then bake, uncovered, 45 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

• Serves 8

Desserts

Brownie Cheesecake

• INGREDIENTS FOR BROWNIE LAYER:

• • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts)

• INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESECAKE LAYER:

• • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• TO PREPARE:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven.

• Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Place 1 tablespoon butter in pan and melt it in the oven, then brush it on bottom and sides of pan. Set pan aside.

• TO PREPARE BROWNIE LAYER:

• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar and vanilla. Remove pan from heat and beat in eggs one at a time.

• Add flour and stir well, then add chopped nuts. Turn batter into pan and smooth top. Set aside.

• TO PREPARE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE LAYER:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add sugar, cocoa and vanilla and beat. Then add flour and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

• Pour cheesecake mixture over brownie layer. Smooth top.

• Marbleize the mixtures slightly by inserting a knife almost to the bottom of one corner of pan and cutting through batter in a wide zigzag pattern. Smooth top.

• Bake at 350 degrees, about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Refrigerate for several hours or freeze for about an hour until firm.

• TO REMOVE AND CUT BROWNIES:

• Cover top of pan with a sheet of waxed paper, then a cookie sheet. Invert onto cookie sheet and peel off foil.

• Invert again right-side-up. The cheesecake layer will now be on top. Cut into 32 bars or triangles, cleaning blade after each cut. Store in a single layer in refrigerator or freezer. Serve chilled.

• YIELD: 32 bars

Sauces

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

• My new favorite Friday night meal is boiled shrimp on ice with cocktail sauce. It's just so simple and perfect!

The Sauce

• Ingredients
  • 1 cup catsup
  • 1-2 tablespoon horseradish (to your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash pepper

• Directions
  • Combine all ingredients, mix well and chill.

The Shrimp

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Add desired amount of raw medium shrimp with shells on.
• Wait for the water to return to a boil and remove immediately and rinse with cold water.
• Peel shrimp and store on ice till chilled.
• Serve with the sauce.

Salsa

• This summer, 2003, I decided to plant a little tomato garden. Actually it was supposed to be a pepper, onion, lettuce and tomato garden but the mutant tomato plants quickly dominated the entire raised bed we had built for them. By the end of July we had 8 foot long vines that were still growing and a refrigerator full of fresh ripe tomatoes. I cook a lot with tomatoes but didn't need quite so many so I began looking into other ways to use the tomatoes and decided to try making our my salsa. What an incredible discovery!

• Ingredients
  • 4 cups tomatoes, blanched and diced
  • 1/4 Cup finely diced red onion
  • 1.5 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 Cup finely diced green bell pepper
  • 3 tbs diced cilantro
  • 2 finely diced hot green chili peppers
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • Juice from 1 lime.
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

• Directions
  • Combine all ingredients and mix well.
• Notes:
  • About 8 cups of whole ripe tomatoes will yield 4 cups of processed tomatoes.
  • To blanch the tomatos, make an x cut into the peel at the bottom of the tomato then place in a pot of boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Allow the tomatoes to cool in a colander then remove the peel and core.

• Serving recommendation:
  • This salsa is excellent for dipping with tortilla chips or served over sauted or grilled chicken. If you've ever had egg whites or an egg white omlette you know they can be a little bland. Try adding a little salsa. You'll probably be amazed at how a little fresh salsa can perk up an otherwise bland breakfast.

Beans and Rice Recipes

Blackeyed Peas

• New Year's Day Tradition

• Ingredients
  • 16 oz bag of dried blackeyed peas
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 lb diced lean ham
  • 15oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 15 oz can of chicken broth
  • 2 finely diced hot jalapeno peppers
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 Bay leaves

• Preliminary
  • Empty the bag of blackeyed peas into a medium or large pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat and let stand covered for 1 hour.
  • Empty pot into a strainer, rinse the peas and set aside.

• Directions
  • Return the pot to the stove over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive or canola oil.
  • When the oil is hot, saute the onion and ham for 5 minutes till the onion is translucent.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and the peas along with enough water to cover the peas.
  • Bring the pot to a boil for a couple of minutes then reduce to simmer for 2-3 hours.

• Serve with collards with vinegar on the side.