Ingredients

Directions

1. On medium heat, melt butter & add flour.  Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour completely.
2. Add cream & broth together, blending well.  Add cheeses, parsley, garlic, & wine, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
3. Add salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Depending on the shape of your serving plate, arrange cream cheese side by side or one on top of the other.
2. Pour chilies, salsa, olives, avocado, & onions (in that order) over the cream cheese.
   
3. Arrange Wheat Thins around outer edge of plate.

Chef’s Note: You can use any range of heat level with the salsa, depending on your tastes.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Mix 1 package of taco seasoning with the sour cream & set aside in the refrigerator.  Brown the ground beef with the second package of taco seasoning, drain well & reserve. 
2. Evenly chop iceberg lettuce to a medium chop & reserve.  Dice tomatoes to approximately ½” dice, drain & reserve.
3. Slice green onions to a small slice (approximately ¼”) & reserve.
4. On a large serving platter, evenly spread ground beef mixture.  Spread seasoned sour cream evenly on top of ground beef.  Top evenly with the chopped lettuce, then diced tomatoes, then the green onions.
5. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. 

Chef’s Note: Green onions are optional.  May be served at once, however, it should be partitioned & refrigerated if not served all at once.  We love serving it with Tostitos Scoops Tortilla Chips.

Ingredients

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown the sausage.  Drain the grease.  Put it in a food processor & chop to fine pieces.  Set aside.
2. Add 4 c. of milk to the skillet, stirring in the beef bouillon, seasoned pepper, and garlic herb seasoning.  Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in sausage, add the remaining milk, & simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix 1 c. of warm water with 1 tbsp of flour.  Stir until well mixed.  Continue to add flour, 1 tbsp at a time, until the consistency of the mixture is that of a thick cake batter.  Pour the flour/water mixture into the skillet & stir thoroughly until the gravy begins to thicken.
4. Remove from the heat & pour generously over freshly baked biscuits.  Serve.

Chef’s Note: We like the Jimmy Dean brand of sausage and prefer Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits.  If the gravy ends up too thick, add more milk.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Combine figs & water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil & cook until tender, and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat & stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, & cayenne. Add olives &  garlic, & mix well. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Cover & refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

2. Unwrap cream cheese block & place on a serving platter. Spoon tapenade over cheese, & sprinkle with walnuts. Serve with slices of French bread or crackers.

Chop each ingredient with a food processor, being careful not to chop too finely or chop by hand.  Mix all ingredients together.  Test for degree of “hotness” by adding chopped jalapenos one at a time.  Pack in hot, clean canning jars; seal & water bathe can for 25 minutes for pints & 30 minutes for quarts.

Chef’s Note: Use real apple cider vinegar – the flavored stuff is not the same.  Make sure to have plenty of tortilla chips on hand, as the salsa is even better fresh than canned!  Wear rubber gloves when handling the peppers.

1. Slit the skins on the tomatoes & put them in boiling water for a minute to get the skins off.  Once skinned, put them in the blender to crush them.  Add tomato paste to thicken it.  Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the onion, herbs, & pine nuts until neatly smooth.
3. In a nonstick pan, cook the mushrooms & onion/herb mixture with a bit of vegetable stock until translucent, then add the tomatoes.  Cook for about 1 hour on a very low simmer until reduced by about ¼.

Chef’s Note: When serving I add a chicken breast with all fat removed, thinly sliced & dry grilled, & some heart healthy bacon dry grilled.

Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour over chicken pieces in a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible before “zipping.” Let stand (turning often) for several hours (best overnight.) Grill away!

1. Thaw pizza dough according to directions on package.  Roll out dough to about 14-16″ square (if you can only get one side squared, then have that away from you).
2. Beat one egg & add Italian seasoning to taste.  Brush top of rolled dough.
3. Layer the deli selections meat, then cheese, then meat, etc.  You can overlap the layer closest to you, but you want to leave an inch or so on the right & left, & 2″ at the edge farthest from you.
4. The peppers are optional.  If you are adding them, liberally spread a layer just above or below the middle layer of cheese.
5. Roll or fold the layers of food away from you.
6. Brush on egg mixture on the exposed dough as you go.
7. Fold the last bit towards you over the roll of food; fold the loose dough at the sides in to the center.  Coat with egg & flip onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Coat all remaining surfaces, even if you slop some on the paper.
9. Cut 3 or 4 slices into the top of the loaf about half way deep.
10. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until the dough is browned & cheese is bubbling out of the slices.
11. Let the dish rest a few minutes before serving.  Slide into 1″ wide slices to serve.

Chef’s Note: Pizza dough is often sold as 2-1 lb. balls of dough, so you might as well make 2. In step 6, I prefer to fold about 3 times, leaving the top edge of dough that you don’t layer exposed.  You can freeze the leftovers and reheat it later.

1. Coat bottom of saucepan with canola oil.  Mix in mushrooms & saute.
2. Add onions, garlic, & red wine.  Mix well until wine boils off.  The onions should cook off until they are tiny.  All that should be left are the mushrooms, tiny bits of onion & garlic, & just a bit of the oil.
3. Mix in the flour.  Stir well & often until it becomes a paste-like mixture.
4. Add chicken broth.  Stir often to keep mushrooms from burning onto the surface.  As the broth boils, the gravy should thicken.
5. Add water to the desired consistency.
6. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Chef’s Note: I use baby bella mushrooms. I like mine thick, so I only use ½ cup of water in step 5.