Country Captain

This was on of my husband's favorite dishes growing up and it is still a family favorite. This recipe was originally from Sunset Magazine but it has been altered since by my mother and sister in-law.  It's fun to serve the condiments on the side and let everyone add them as they wish.  If you like the dish a bit sweeter, add pineapple.

Prep time: 15-20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Makes: varies

INGREDIENTS:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, diced 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, diced 1/2 inch pieces
Vegetable oil & flour
2oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, with juice
1 small can tomato sauce
2-3 tbsp curry powder (to taste)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp sugar
For condiments: shredded coconut, raisins and toasted almonds

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare chicken by cutting it into bite sized pieces. Dredge with flour and salt & pepper. Coat bottom of Dutch oven with oil.  When the pan is hot, add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. When almost cooked through, remove chicken and add the garlic, onion and green pepper.  Cook for a few minutes until soft. 

Add a bit of juice to de-glaze the bottom of pan, then add tomatoes and sauce. Add the thyme, curry powder and sugar. Stir and return chicken to pan. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. 

Serve over cooked rice (preferably basmati) with condiments on table.

Greek-Style Turkey Meatloaf

This is a fresh take on a classic meatloaf recipe.  I found this recipe in my Everyday Food magazine, but I didn't have any fresh dill (nor did the grocery store) so I substituted with Italian seasoning.  As with all meatloaf, it needs a sauce.  We used ketchup and the flavors were still delicious. 

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 50 mins to 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, diced small

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 large celery stalks, diced small

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 - 2.5lbs ground turkey meat

1 large egg, beaten

2 slices sandwich bread, cut into small pieces

6 oz feta, crumbled 

1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine vegetables, turkey, egg, bread, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Using your hands, mix until combined.  Mix in feta and Italian seasoning until well combined. 

Pour mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan.  Bake loaf until cooked through, 60 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the loaf reaches 165 degrees in temperature.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Peanut Butter Squares

This was a favorite on mine as a child and it still is today.  I make them for my girls (and who am I kidding, myself too!) and they love them. You can use any kind of peanut butter, but the natural kind without oil is the healthiest. Mix the ingredients together until the powdered milk mostly disappears.  A great snack with some sneaky ingredients that make it healthy too.

Serves: 24                                                                          

Prep time:  5 minutes

Chill time: 3 hours - overnight

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups peanut butter (natural; no sugar added)

1 cup powdered non-fat milk

¾ cup toasted wheat germ

¾ cup Honey or to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.  The mixture will still be chunky but the white of the powdered milk should be mostly blended in. Press mixture into pan or Pyrex dish.  Refrigerate until chilled, a minimum of three hours but preferably overnight.  Cut into squares when mixture is firm. 

Crockpot Chili

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes                                             

Cooking time: 4-6 hours

INGREDIENTS: 

Chili:

1 lb. ground beef

2 cans kidney beans, un-drained

2 cans diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans Mexican chili beans (pinto)

1 can corn

1 6oz can diced green peppers

1 recipe chili seasoning mix    

Seasoning Mix:

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp dried minced onion

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Brown meat and drain off fat.  Mix together seasoning mix in a bowl.  Add all the ingredients together in crockpot.  Cook on medium high for 4-6 hours. This can also be made on the stove-top in a large sauce pot, but the longer it simmers, the better infused the flavors will be.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and serve with fresh bread. Mmmmm….

Cream Cheese Pie

This was my all-time favorite dessert growing up.  It is a lighter, smoother version of cheesecake that my grandmother created. Don't let the name fool you - it's delicious!

Serves: 6                                                                            

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time:  30 minutes

Chill: 5 hours

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

4 3oz packages cream cheese

2 eggs beaten

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

½ tsp lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup sour cream

3 ½ tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Crust:

12 graham crackers

¼ cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
Combine butter and graham crackers into a 9’’ pan.  Soften cream cheese; whip and combine filling ingredients; beat until light and frothy.  Pour into graham cracker crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes.  Pour topping over pie.  Bake for 10 more minutes.  Place in refrigerator for at least 5 hours before serving (the longer the better.  I usually try to make it the night before so it has all night to set).  Decorate with your favorite fruit.  

Cookalagumba

This is a family favorite appropriately nick-named by my grandfather after the Perry Como song "Chi-baba, chi-baba, chi-wawa An' chi-lawa kook-a la goombah".  There were many happy family meals at my grandparents house where this was gobbled up by little and big mouths alike.  Served with a large green salad, it is always a win!

Serves: 6                                                                            

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time:  25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 10oz can Las Palma enchilada sauce

1 can 8oz tomato sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, diced

6-9 corn tortillas

1 can of black olives, sliced

½-1 lb grated Jack cheese
2 cloves chopped garlic

Oregano, cumin, pepper and salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat enchilada and tomato sauce until bubbly.  Add garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper & salt to taste. Keep warm. Meanwhile, brown the meat with the onion.  Add olives, salt and ½ heated sauce to meat mixture.  

In large oven-safe bowl or baking dish, layer as follows: corn tortillas dipped in sauce, meat mixture, grated cheese and continue sequence until all done.  If you are using a pyrex dish, you can cut the tortillas to fit the pan. You can pour the remainder of the ingredients on top and around the edges as long as it’s not too much liquid.  You can save the liquid to add later, in case the Cookalagumba gets too dried out while cooking.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until very hot and bubbly.