My Favorite Recipes Where fat is one of the major food groups
These recipes may not be suitable to a healthy living lifestyle.
Calzone Casserole
1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
2/3 lb. ground beef or combination of beef and Italian sausage
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic, diced onions, basil, and oregano. Under medium heat, cook for a few minutes before adding the ground meat.
Be sure to separate the meat into small chunks while cooking as ground meat has a tendency to stick together in a frying pan.
Cook just long enough so the meat is no longer red. Drain off the excess liquid. Add 1 cup of tomato sauce.
Stir well and simmer, covered for 5 minutes and then set aside.
Unroll the crescent rolls and with a rolling pin, roll out to twice the size, enough to cover the casserole dish twice.
Be sure to sprinkle some flour on the top and bottom to prevent the dough from sticking.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Place half of the meat mixture evenly in a 10" by 10" casserole dish. Place half the cheese mixture on top of that followed by one layer of the rolled out crescent rolls.
Repeat the process with a second layer or meat, cheese and dough. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup of tomato sauce evenly over the top and bake,
covered for 20 minutes at 360 degrees. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Mix the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Spread over the top and bake, uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
Gay Chicken
10 3/4 ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
10 3/4 ounces sour cream
1 crushed clove of garlic
olive oil
6 medium mushrooms
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 egg
8 ounces fresh spinach
panko breadcrumbs
Combine the can of mushroom soup with an equal amount of sour cream. Slice and add the mushrooms. Add the crushed garlic. Mix well in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the egg with two teaspoons of water. Pound the chicken breasts to less than 1/2 inch thick and coat with the egg. Dip both sides in the Panko breadcrumbs.
Coat the bottom of a 10" pan with a generous amount of olive oil and fry the chicken breasts approximately 5 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile, using two individual casserole dishes, place three heaping tablespoons of the mushroom soup, sour cream mixture in each dish and spread evenly.
Divide up the spinach and press equal amounts into each casserole dish. Place another three heaping tablespoons of the mushroom soup, sour cream mixture on
top of the spinach and spread around. Place a chicken breast into each dish and coat the top with the remainder of the mushroom soup, sour cream mixture and
bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Ron's Celebrity Fish
2 1/3 pound cod or grouper filets
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour for coating
creamy Caesar Salad dressing for coating
1/2 teaspoon basil
8 ounces spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Dip and coat fish filets with flour and shake off excess. Dip and coat filets in Caesar Salad dressing and place onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
While the fish is baking, divide the spinach into two individual casserole dishes.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Drizzle and/or brush the mixture onto the spinach.
Sprinkle the basil over the top along with some salt and pepper. When the fish is baked, remove from baking sheet and place over the spinach beds.
Bake individual casserole dishes for an additional 5 minutes. Serve.
Chicken Marianne
Sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup concentrated orange juice
1/4 cup raisons
6 ounce package of dried apricots
4 large mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup orange liqueur
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chicken/Breading
2 boneless, skinless 1/2 chicken breasts, pounded to between 1/2" and 1/4" thick
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Place 1/2 inch of water in a medium pan. Add apricots and raisons and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Drain apricots and raisons keeping only 2 tablespoons of water. Place the apricots, raisons and the 2 tablespoons of water back into pan over medium heat.
Add butter. After butter is melted, add crushed garlic, concentrated orange juice and sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are soft, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Add orange liquor and salt. While stirring, slowly add flour and cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
Soak pounded chicken breasts in eggs and then coat with Italian bread crumbs. Discard excess eggs and bread crumbs.
In a large pan, heat olive oil and cook chicken breasts for 5 minutes on each side over medium/high heat until breading is golden brown.
Remove chicken and place on paper towels to drain. Place the drained breasts onto separate plates and pour ½ the sauce over each and serve.
Stuffed Clams
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon of onion, diced
1 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon of basil, chopped
1 tablespoon of celery, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cans (6 1/2 ounce size) minced clams
2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
4 large or 6 medium clean clam shells
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute garlic, onion, celery, parsley, oregano, and basil in olive oil for several minutes until the onion begins to brown.
Remove from heat and add clams with the juice, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Mix very well until the liquid is absorbed.
Spoon into the shells and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Savory Pita Crisps
3 large pita bread rounds
1/3 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Separate each pita bread into halves, forming 2 round single layers. In a small mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Spread evenly over the rough sides
of the 6 pita halves all the way to the edges. Cut each bread into 6 or 8 wedges. Arrange wedges in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Use a whole Romaine leaf. Cut off the stalk to where the leaf begins to broaden. Spread the leaf flat as best you can on a cutting board.
From a block of Feta cheese, make slices and then strips about the size of fast food french fries, 1/4" by 1/4".
Slice a tomato 1/4" thick and then slice again to the same french fry size.
Slice a cucumber into 1/4" slices. Cut out the center of each leaving doughnut shapes.
Lay the strips of cheese in the center of one side of the Romaine leaf (not the center of the leaf itself). Do the same with the tomato.
Drizzle a small amount of Caesar dressing over the cheese and tomato.
If the Romaine leaves are large enough, small amounts of other chopped or sliced vegetables such as onions, avocado, olives or mushrooms may be added.
Fold over the front edge of the leaf to capture the mixture and continue rolling through the stem and around the other side. Slide two cucumber rings over the rolled leaf.
Place each one 1/3 from the end. Hollowed plum tomato slices as well as onion rings may be used with the cucumber to add variety and color.
Killer Bread
1 round loaf, French or Italian bread
4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese - almost a cup
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 ounce can of chopped or broken shrimp
2 cloves minced garlic
Cut the bread into two circular halves. Use the bottom half for this recipe.
Spread the butter and minced garlic on the bread and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until bread begins to brown.
Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and chopped shrimp.
Spread entire mixture over finished garlic bread and continue baking until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and slice into pie wedges.
Ron's Mac & Cheese
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
10 slices of American cheese
3 tablespoons grated onion with liquid included
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Cook macaroni per the instructions on the package. Reserve two pats of butter and melt the remainder in a small saucepan. Add onions and stir.
Slowly add flour and stir getting out all the lumps. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Set aside. Drain macaroni.
Put the two pats of butter in the macaroni pot on a low light and add drained macaroni. Stir until butter melts. Stir in sauce. Add in one piece of cheese at a time
until mostly melted. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour everything into a 2-3 quart glass casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes covered and 10
additional minutes uncovered.
Fried Noodles
8 ounces cooked broad egg noodles
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup mixture of grated swiss, cheddar, and jack cheeses.
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add noodles and seasonings.
Stir frequently over medium heat until noodles begin to brown - about 15 minutes.
Reduce heat and spread noodles evenly in skillet. Add grated cheese and cook covered for 5 minutes.
Spaghetti Pie
8 ounces cooked spaghetti or vermicelli
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 pound ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 mushrooms chopped
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Combine cooked pasta with half the basil, garlic, and oregano. Add the butter, parmesan cheese and egg. Mix well.
Spread and press into the bottom of a large, lightly greased pie pan. Spread half the ricotta cheese over the top.
Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles. Drain well.
Add the remaining basil, garlic, and oregano. Add the mushrooms, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Spread half the contents of the skillet as the next layer in the pie pan. Then spread the remaining ricotta cheese followed by
the remaining meat mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Spread mozzarella cheese over the top and continue to bake another 5 minutes
Mushroom Soup
1 pound fresh mushrooms coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion finely diced
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
10 ounce can condensed chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
In saucepan, melt butter, add onion and cook gently, stirring often, until wilted. Add mushrooms and cook rapidly.
Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Off heat, gradually stir in broth and milk, keeping smooth.
Stir over moderate heat until thickened.
Vivian's Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 cloves crushed garlic
3 tablespoons Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
paprika and parsley for garnish
Drain garbanzo beans saving liquid and a hand full of beans for garnish. Place beans, garlic, Tahini, salt, lemon juice and olive oil in food processor. Blend until smooth adding
reserved liquid or olive oil to thin. Make sure consistency is smooth and not grainy. Serve in shallow flat dish. Drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle paprika and parsley for color and
place the reserved whole beans on top. Serve with pita bread cut into pie shaped slices for dipping.
Marinades & Sauces
Leslie's Barbecue Sauce (for pork, chicken or fish)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and simmer for several minutes until everything is completely mixed. Marinate for 2 to 4 hours.
7&7 Steak Marinade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon or spicy mustard
2 tablespoons 7&7 or other whiskey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ginger
1 tablespoon of minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a ziploc bag with the steak of your choice. Store in the refridgerator.
Every few hours, massage the ziploc bag vigorously. Marinate for one full day before barbecuing.
Festive Italian Steak Marinade
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of white wine
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a ziploc bag with the steak of your choice. Store in the refrigerator.
Every few hours, massage the ziploc bag vigorously. Marinate for one full day before barbecuing.
Mom's Pork Marinade
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
Crush garlic and combine all ingredients. Marinate pork for 2 to 4 hours.
Crab Cake Sauce
3 tablespoons Honey-Mustard salad dressing
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons plum or sweet & sour sauce
1/2 teaspoon water
Combine the salad dressing, sugar and plum sauce. Add water to get the sauce consistency you like.
I like heating up the mixture before pouring over the crab cakes.
Sweet & Sour Sauce (for pork, chicken or fish)
3/4 cup peach, apricot, or plum jam
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger
1 small can pineapple rings
1/2 medium onion or pepper or both
3 medium mushrooms
Slice onions less than 1/4" thick. Cut resulting rings into quarters. Cut mushrooms into medium size chunks.
Drop onions and mushrooms into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove immediately, drain and set aside.
Drain pineapple rings saving 1 tablespoon of juice. Cut the rings into bite-size pieces and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the jam, wine, lemon & pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.
Cook over low heat until the jam melts and everything is mixed thoroughly. Add the onions, mushrooms and pineapple.
Simmer until the entire mixture is reduced by about 1/4, about 15 minutes.
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) ketchup (or catsup)
1 teaspoon concentrated lemon juice
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
Mix all the ingredients together in a jar and shake well. That's it! You can make as much as you like, keeping the ratios of the ingredients the same.
This recipe is not all that spicy but it does have a little bite to it. If you prefer a hotter cocktail sauce, try adding more horseradish and/or chili powder.
Cajun Seasoning Mix
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons white pepper
Salad Dressings
Caesar
3 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mustard
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups croutons
1 large head Romaine
Combine garlic, salt and all the wet ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
At serving time, add the croutons, parmesan cheese and the contents of the bottle to the Romaine and toss.
Citrus Vinaigrette
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup concentrated orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Refrigerate before serving.
Thousand Island
1 cup mayonnaise, stirred smooth
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Italian Dressing - I use Kraft Robusto Italian.
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
Combine all ingredients into a salad dressing bottle. Makes 12 ounces.
Desserts
Mom's Bread Pudding
4 slices buttered bread cubes
2 cups milk, scalded and cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
cinnamon
Combine sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Add 1 cup of milk. Place bread into remaining milk to soak. Add egg, sugar and milk mixture and stir together. Pour into buttered baking dish.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Place baking dish in pan of water and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Mom's Rice Pudding
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups cooked rice
2 Tbs butter or margarine
1/2 cup raisons
cinnamon
Add butter to milk. Scald and cool. Combine sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Add milk, rice and raisons. Pour into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
If you have a recipe you would like me to try,
drop me a line.
to RonzClocks
