Kelly's Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

3 small cans beans, rinsed and drained (white, pinto, kidney, black, whatever you prefer

2-14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 c. KC Masterpiece spicy original BBQ sauce

1 T. chili powder

2 t. lemon juice

1 c. salsa

crumbled bacon

Brown beef and onion. Add beans, tomatoes, BBQ sauce, chili powder, lemon juice, salsa and bacon. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes.

*These measurements are approximate. I always play around with the amounts until I get it how I want it.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter, softened (no substitutions)

1/4 t. vanilla

3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 T. brown sugar

3/4 c. mini choc. chips

Beat together cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars and chocolate. Refrigerate 2 hours. Serve with Nilla Wafers.

Chicken Taragon Pesto Pasta

3 c. dried penne pasta

1/2 c. olive oil, divided

2 c. shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/2 c. pine nuts

1 c. parmesan cheese

1 1/2 T. dried tarragon

grated zest and juice from 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

spinach leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl, stir together pasta, chicken and 1/4 c. of the olive oil.

To make pesto, toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. In a food processor or blender, add pine nuts, parmesan, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, garlic and remaining 1/4 c. of olive oil. Process until smooth.

Add pesto to pasta and chicken. Toss well. Serve over a bed of spinach leaves.

*I have played around with the ingredients in this recipe with good results. I have added sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I have also substituted the pine nuts with almonds and it is just as good.

Key Lime Tart

10 full graham crackers

2 T. plus 1/2 c. sugar

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c. lime juice (you can squeeze fresh limes or buy bottled)

4 large egg yolks

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. Process crackers and 2 T. sugar in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs form. Add butter and process until combined. Press crumbs into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (I don't see why a cheesecake pan wouldn't work just as well.) Place pan on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, 1/2 c. sugar, and salt; whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into crust just after it comes out of the oven. Return to oven. Bake until filling is set around edge but still slightly loose in center, 20-25 minutes. (I think I ended up baking mine for 10 more minutes.)

Cool completely at room temp and then refrigerate until until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve with lime zest if desired.

Herb-Crusted Halibut

You can also use salmon for this recipe.

3 slices white sandwich bread

1 c. fresh parsley or 1 1/2 T. dried

1 T. olive oil

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

4 skinless halibut fillets (about 6 oz. each)

2 T. dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. In a food processor combine bread, parsley, oil, salt and pepper. Pulse to combine until coarse crumbs form. Place fish on prepared sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread top of fillets with mustard. (I typically use a little more mustard than called for.) Top with crumb mixture, pressing gently into fish. Roast in oven for 11- 13 minutes.

Soft Wrap Bread

Makes 8

3 to 3 1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C boiling water
1/4 C potato flour OR 1/2 C potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. I did mine in my Kitchen-Aid.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it’s not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don’t be worried – just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 even pieces, cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn’t dry out), until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*I also ended up adding about 1 T. of water as the dough was kneading to help bind it together.

Chicken Gyros

This recipe calls for straining yogurt. I did not do that. I had some regular plain yogurt in my refrigerator and I used it as is. I am sure it is probably better and creamier if you take the time to strain it but I thought it was great without doing that. The chicken does need to marinade 1-2 hours so allow time for that.

Makes enough chicken and tzatziki for approximately 4-6 gyros.

For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not fat free unless it is Oikos or Fage or another Greek-type yogurt)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded (I used 1/2 of an English cucumber)
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper

To assemble:

Pita bread or soft wrap bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. (You won’t believe how much liquid drains from the yogurt – it makes the yogurt much thicker and creamier. If you want to splurge on Greek yogurt, like Oikos or Fage, you won’t need to strain it like this.)

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet, broiler or on the grill. (I grilled it – or rather my husband grilled it in our 20 degree temperatures!) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes and then cube.

Heat soft wrap bread. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.