Meats

Fried Chicken Breasts

2 chicken breasts in strips, cubed, or cut thin

Olive oil & Canola oil

Salt 

Black pepper

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Tajin chili lime seasoning (or lemon pepper)

1 tsp Paprika

Butter

Rub on a light coating of Olive oil on the chicken and a lightly salt the chicken.

Mix up Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Tajin seasoning, Paprika, salt & pepper (adjust amounts of each to your personal taste)

Coat oiled and salted chicken lightly in the breading.

Put coated chicken in a hot skillet with a little canola oil cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on one side.

Drop a few squares of butter in the pan and flip the chicken over into the butter and cook about 3 more minutes until golden brown and crispy on the other side. 

Remove from pan, let rest a couple of minutes, slice and serve

Tuscan Chicken

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning

1-2 Tbsp Oil

3 Tbsp Butter

3 tsp Minced Garlic

1-2 Cups Tomatoes (Grape or Cherry work best)

3 Cups Fresh Spinach

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Season chicken breasts to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder & Italian Seasoning (be generous).

Heat up the oil to just smoking in a large skillet with heat at medium-high.

Fry chicken breasts for 5-7 Min each side, until well browned (to about 150 degrees internal temp).

While chicken is frying start making your rice or pasta.

When chicken is done remove it from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low, in the same skillet add 3 Tbsp Butter & 3 tsp minced garlic, fry briefly for garlic to release flavor.

Add tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning to taste (be generous), fry until tomatoes begin to burst and smash them in the pan.

Add 3 Cups fresh spinach, 1/2 Cup Milk, 1/2 Cup Sour Cream, 1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese, stir & cook for about 3 minutes to soften the spinach.

Add chicken back into the skillet, cover and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Serve with rice or pasta.

BEEF BRISKET - oven recipe

Turkey Size Oven Bag inside coated with 1/4 cup flour (if conventional oven)

1 Cup beef broth (if electric roaster oven)

4 to 16 pounds beef brisket fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, other fat removed.

Per 4 lbs of meat:

   2 Tablespoon yellow mustard (binder)

   1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke flavoring (or more if you desire)

   1 ounce package dry onion soup mix

   1 teaspoon garlic powder

   1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 

   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

   1 teaspoon chili powder

   1 teaspoon paprika

Prepare the Meat: Mix liquid smoke and yellow mustard together and rub it all over the meat as a binder. Measure and combine dry ingredients into seasoning. Generously sprinkle the seasonings all over the brisket. 

Conventional Oven: Place brisket inside of oven bag fat cap side up. Seal bag. Using a fork, stab the top of the roasting bag a couple of times to allow for some steam release. Lay bag in a baking pan (not glass).

Electric Roaster Oven: Put 1 cup of beef broth in the bottom of roaster oven. Leave the lifting rack in the roaster as meat will cook on the rack

Cooking: Preheat Oven or Electric Roaster to 265° F. Put the prepared brisket in preheated oven or roaster fat cap side up, cook until inside temperature of meat at thick places reaches 194 degrees (about 2 hours). Note: a remote probe thermometer helps with this.

Lower temperature of oven or roaster to 210° F. Continue cooking for about another 4 hours. Final meat inside temperature should be around 202° F. Note: We want the meat to be above 194° and below 205° for as long as possible to break down the fibers while not drying out the meat.

Line a separate baking pan with foil. Remove brisket from oven bag or roaster and place on the foil lined baking pan. BROIL meat on high for 4 minutes on each side to make a nice crust.

Tent foil over the meat and let it rest covered for 20 minutes before cutting. Cut brisket across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Note, you may need to use an electric knife because it may be very tender.

Make BBQ sauce: Strain and mix the rendered juices from cooking bag or roaster with 4-5 Tablespoons vinegar and 3-6 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar (per your personal taste). Or set out your favorite store-bought barbeque sauce.

Pulled Pork

Pork Loin (cut into four pieces)

4 cloves of garlic (one pushed into each piece of meat)

Put into Crockpot.

Shake 2 t. garlic powder on top of meat

Add 2T liquid smoke

½ c. soy sauce

2T sea salt

Cover with water (about 5 cups)

Cook all day. Pull apart and add back to liquid.

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

5-6 boneless chicken breasts

1 c. parmesan cheese

1 c. Italian bread crumbs

2 c. flour

2 c. milk

Butter

Cut chicken breast lengthwise into 1” strips. Mix cheese and crumbs together in one bowl. Make a second bowl with milk and a third bowl with flour. Coat each chicken breast with flour, then milk, then cheese mixture. Melt ¼ cube butter in large frying pan on medium heat. Place chicken breast strips in butter and fry until golden brown, but not completely cooked, then place them in a 9x13 baking pan. Add additional butter to fry pan with each group of chicken that you fry. When all chicken is done, cover and place 9x13 pan in preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Note: can be scaled 2x or 3x for larger groups.

6 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 Onion, sliced

1 1/2 Cups beef broth (low sodium)

1 Oz package brown gravy mix (dry)

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoons corn starch

4 Tablespoons water

Beef Patties

1 1/2 Lbs lean ground beef

1 egg yolk

1/4 Cup minced onion

1/3 Cup Panko bread crumbs

3 Tablespoons milk

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Combine beef patty ingredinets and form 6 patties. 

2. Brown patties in medium-high heat skillet, about 3 minutes per side.

3. Place mushrooms & onions in botttom of slow cooker

4. layer the browned beef patties in slow cooker over the mushroom & onions.

5. Combine the remaining ingredients except corn starch and water in a medium mixing bowl and pour into slow cooker over the meat.

6. Cook on low for 5 hours

7. Remove the beef patties and set asidse.

8. Set slow cooker to high, combine cold water and corn starch and stir into the remaining juices in the slow cooker and let cook a few minutes into a thickened gravy.

9. Add beef patties back into the gravy in the slow cooker.

10. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.

Salisbury Steak

1 egg

½ c. bread crumbs

1 can french onion soup

1 ½ lb. lean ground beef

¼ t. salt

1 T. flour

¼ c. water

¼ c. ketchup

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

½ t. mustard

Mix egg, 1/3 of the can of soup, salt, beef and bread crumbs. Brown for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove and add to skillet flour and water. Add ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and remaining soup. Cook for 5 minutes. Return patties to skillet. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with egg noodles.

Café Rio Chicken

1 sm. Bottle Italian dressing

1 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 lbs. chicken breast

Cook all ingredients in crock pot for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Café Rio Pork

Night before:

3 ½ to 4 lbs. pork roast

2 T. brown sugar

1 t. cayenne pepper

2 t. cumin

1 t. salt

Mix together and rub on pork roast. Put in crock pot overnight on low.

Shred the pork, remove bones and fat. Put back in crock pot and add:

1 can coke

1 c. chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

Keep on low until ready to serve. 1 hour before serving add 1 c. brown sugar.

Chicken Pillows

6 oz. cream cheese

¼ c. melted butter

2 c. cooked, diced chicken

4 oz. drained mushrooms

Dash of pepper

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1/3 c. melted butter

½ c. chopped walnuts

2/3 c. stuffing mix, blended fine in blender

Chicken broth

Soften cheese, mix with ¼ c. butter. Fold in chicken and mushrooms. Place mixture in rolls. Fold ends together. Dip in butter and bread crumbs and walnuts. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Can be frozen before baking. Thicken broth and serve over rice.

Barbeque Chicken

5 or 6 chicken breasts

1 ½ t. salt

1 t. garlic

½ t. pepper

Boil chicken breasts until done, but tender. Remove and pull chicken apart with a fork. Add 1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. Serve on rolls.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

2 cans golden mushroom soup

4 lb. chuck roast

1 pkg. beefy onion soup mix

3 cans whole potatoes

Spread one can of soup in bottom of crock pot. Place roast on top. Spread dry soup mix on roast and top with the other can of soup. Cook for 10 hours on low. Add drained potatoes. Stir to coat potatoes just before serving.

Sunday Chicken

1 roasting chicken

4 t. salt

2 t. paprika

1 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. onion powder

1 t. thyme

1 ½ t. pepper

½ t. garlic powder

1 lg. onion

Mix all spices in a bowl. Wash chicken inside and out and pat dry. Rub spices over outside of chicken saving a small portion and sprinkle inside chicken. Put chicken in a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight. Place chicken in shallow baking pan and put quartered onion inside of chicken. Bake uncovered at 250 for 5 hours.

Crouton Chicken

4 Chicken breasts

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 8oz sour cream

Croutons crumbled

Place uncooked chicken breasts in 8x12 pan.  Garlic salt and pepper breasts (you can also sprinkle cheese on them at this point if you so desire).  Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream then pour over chicken. Top with croutons, cover with aluminum foil and bake 350* for 45-60mins.