Italian Chicken Stew

This is an old favorite of Dave’s, and great for company. Upping the pepper in the flour mixture makes it spicier. As with most stews, it’s better the second day.
Ingredients:
6 lbs. Chicken Breasts
¼ c Flour
2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
6 tbsp Olive Oil
—
12 small Carrots, cut into strips
2 c Celery, cut diagonally
4 mdm Onions, cut in eights
6 cloves Garlic, minced
4 Green Peppers, chopped
2 lbs Stewed Tomatoes
2 c White Wine
1 tsp Basil, crushed
½ Bay Leaf
Salt, to taste
Directions:

  1. If using whole chicken, cut into serving pieces.
  2. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and dredge chicken in mix.
  3. Heat oil in Dutch Oven, and brown chicken.
  4. Drain (leaving in little crispy bits), then add the rest of the ingredients.
  5. Simmer 1-1½ hours, until chicken is tender.

Serve over buttered noodles or rice.
Prep Time: 2 hrs.
Servings: 8
Source: LA Times

Game Stuffing

Ingredients:
½ c Wild rice, uncooked
1 dash Salt to taste
1 dash Pepper to taste
½ lb Mushrooms
½ tsp Sage
1 dash Thyme
1 tbsp Fat, melted
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
Directions:

  1. Cook rice until tender. Drain and rince.
  2. Sautee mushrooms.
  3. Add in ingredients and blend well.

Fills a 2 lb. bird. Should that be 20? Not sure. This is a game bird (like duck) recipe, after all.
Source: LA Times

Fresh Cranberry Relish

This is a fresh crunchy relish that is great with turkey or pork. It is best if made the day before.
Ingredients:
1 pound Cranberries
2 Oranges — peeled and cubed
2 Apples — cubed
1 cups Sugar
2 tablespoons Cognac
1 teaspoon Cardamom
Directions:
Process fruit in batches in food processor with blade until coarsely chopped.
Mix fruit and remaining ingredients. Chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Serves: 12
Preparation Time:0:15
Source: San Francisco

Turkey Dressing – Single Turkey Size

This is a scaled down version of my family recipe.  Measurements may drift if necessary.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/8 lbs Dry Bread (20 cups) — cubed  (4# fresh=3# dried)
  • 2 ¼ Onions — diced
  • 1 bunch Celery — diced
  • 1 stick butter/margarine
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups Milk
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Poultry Seasoning
  • ½ tablespoon Caraway Seeds
  • salt and pepper
  • bacon fat
  • turkey parts
  • 1 ½ cups Broth, (approximately) — recipe below

Broth Directions:

  1. Remove the stuff inside the turkey – neck, heart, liver, etc.
  2. Remove the wings.
  3. Place 1 onion, celery tops, 1 tsp garlic salt, gizzards, hearts, etc, necks, 2nd and 3rd wing joints in a large pot.
  4. Fill the pan  with 8 cups water.
  5. Simmer for several hours.
  6. Strain broth.
  7. Reserve liver, heart etc for giblet gravy if you must.

Dressing Directions:

  1. Dice the celery and  onions.
  2. Saute until soft in margarine and bacon grease.
  3. Mix milk and beaten eggs.
  4. In a large, really large, bowl (or the kitchen sink) mix  dried bread, garlic salt, poultry seasoning, caraway seeds, salt and pepper.
  5. With a large spoon (or your hands) add the milk/egg mixture.
  6. Add enough broth to make a moist mess.  Dressing should be slightly moist on the outside of cube but crispy on the inside.
  7. Reserve remaining broth, wings,  inners for gravy and cooking extra dressing.
  8. Rinse the inside of the turkeys thoroughly.
  9. Rub the inside and outside with butter/bacon grease.
  10. Grease a 6 cup casserole with bacon grease.
  11. Stuff the birds with dressing, taking care not to over stuff.
  12. Place remaining dressing in casserole.
  13. Place wings on top of casserole.
  14. Grease roasting pans with bacon grease.
  15. Place turkeys in pans.
  16. Cover with old (clean) t-shirt soaked in bacon grease.
  17. Cook 3 1/2 -4 hours. 165°
  18. Let rest 30 minutes before carving.

Serves:  20 people more or less.

Source:  Many years of experience.

Long Island Ice Tea

The Long Island Iced Tea is a popular mixed drink that, despite its name, contains no tea. It is one of those mixed drinks that tastes good going down but can quickly sneak up on you. It’s best to take it easy with this one.  The ingredient list is long, but the recipe is very easy to remember: five white distilled spirits (including orange liqueur), a shot of sour mix, topped with cola and served over ice  Essentially, the majority of the bar’s well goes into the drink and some drinkers love it while others despise it. The problem with the Long Island is that it is often made too strong. Many bartenders (professional and amateur alike) will over-pour the liquors. This not only makes the drink stronger, it also knocks the taste out of balance and reaches that point of too much booze (yes, there is such a thing).  On the other hand, if this drink is treated with respect and the person pouring keeps in mind that taste is more important than potency, the Long Island Iced Tea is a good drink.

Ingredients:
½ oz Vodka
½ oz Rum
½ oz Tequila
½ oz Gin
½ oz Triple Sec
4 oz Sour Mix
2 oz Coke
Proportions of 5:8:4

Instructions: Mix ingredients in a large glass filled with cracked ice.

Note that the Coke is essentially to color the combination to a “tea” color. Note also that the first five ingredients can be mixed and stored together in an empty booze bottle.

Variations:

 

  • Long Beach Tea – Everything in the Long Island, but the ​Cola is replaced with cranberry juice.
  • Miami Iced Tea – Peach schnapps is added to the Long Beach, the tequila is dropped, and lemon-lime soda adds a bit of sparkle.
  • Hawaiian Iced Tea – Using the Long Island recipe, top this drink with pineapple juice and skip the cola.
  • Electric Cowboy Iced Tea – Blue curacao replaces the triple sec and the soda is switched out to lemon-lime soda. It’s a brilliant blue drink.
  • Texas Tea – Simply add bourbon to the Long Island for an even more potent mix.
  • Western Sunset –  Whidby Island Loganberry Liquor replaces Triple Sec and Cranberry Juice replaces Coke .
  • Golden Spike – The Rum becomes Spiced Rum and Coke is replaced by  Pineapple Juice; float coconut rum on top.
  • Tokyo Iced Tea  – Add 7-up instead of dark cola, and Midori (kiwi liqueur) instead of triple sec.
  • California Ice Tea – The cola is replaced with orange juice.
  • Beverly Hills Ice Tea – Add sparkling white wine to the glass in place of the cola.

Source: “Kins” (Andy March), The Spruce Eats and lots of fun research.

Chocolate Pecan Strata

This is a truly faboo desert that everyone will enjoy. It’s also a very long one to make — do not wait until 8 p.m. the previous night to start making it, because the various layers have to set in the fridge at each step.
Ingredients:
1½ sticks Butter, melted
1½ c Flour
1 c Pecans, chopped
—
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 c Powdered Sugar
2 c Whipped Cream
—
6 oz Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
6 oz Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 c Milk
…
Chocolate sprinkles, shavings, or chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips
You can substitute walnuts for pecans. You can also substitute Cool Whip for the whipped cream (but it’s not as good).
Instructions:

  • Crust: Mix butter, flour, nuts. Press into 9×13 baking pan. Bake 20 min. at 400°.
  • Layer 1: Fold together cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 c of whipped cream. Spoon over crust. Refrigerate until set.
  • Layer 2: Mix chocolate pudding mix with 2 c milk. Spoon onto cream cheese mix. Refrigerate until set.
  • Layer 3: As Layer 2, only with vanilla pudding mix.
  • Layer 4: Spread with 1 c whipped cream.
  • Top with chocolate doodads mentioned above (just before serving).

Source: Dave, via Gloria Hill.

Dave’s Favorite Pecan Pie

Dave makes a mean pecan pie. But it’s really, really simple.

Ingredients for one 9″ Pie:
¼ c Butter
⅔ c Brown Sugar, firmly packed
—
¼ tsp Salt
⅛ tsp Cinnamon
⅛ tsp All-Spice
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¾ c Dark Corn Syrup
3½ Eggs, beaten (round down)
1 tsp Vanilla
—
1 c Pecan Halves
1 9″ Pie Crust

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Cream sugar and butter together until fluffy.
  3. Beat in next 7 ingredients.
  4. Line pie pan with crust, then pecans. Pour filling in.
  5. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.
  6. Bake at 350° for 35+ minutes, until knife in the center comes out clean.

An 8″ pie pan, if that’s what you have, is about 20% less.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Cooking (modified)

Chili Cheese Rice Bake ala Dave

This is a really easy, really filling, and really cheap meal.  Also a really nice side.

Ingredients:
4 oz Green Chile, canned diced
3 c Rice, cooked
2 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
½ c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 c Sour Cream
½ tsp Salt

Directions:

  1. Mix chiles, sour cream, salt in a bowl.
  2. In a 1.5 quart casserole, repeat these layers twice:
    • 1 c rice
    • 2/3 c Jack
    • 1/3 of sour cream mix
  3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes (or 3 minutes at 100% in a microwave)
  4. Sprinkle cheddar all over top.
  5. Bake another 15 minutes (2 minutes at 100%) until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

It’s also quite possible just to mix everything up and bake it.

Serves: 6

Source: Dave got it from somewhere

Scotch Old-Fashioned

Another favorite of Margie’s.
Ingredients:

  • 1 cube Sugar
  • 1 dash Bitters
  • 1 tsp. Water
  • 2 oz. Scotch

Instructions:

  1. In an old-fashioned glass, muddle Sugar, Water, and Bitters
  2. Add scotch and stir.
  3. Add a twist of lemon peel and ice.

If you don’t have a muddler (basically a long pestle to grind up sugar in a glass), try using powdered sugar.

Source: Mr. Boston