Dredge pieces of chicken with flour.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Brown chicken on all sides in oil.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cover; simmer 1 hour or until tender.  Serve with hot cooked spaghetti & grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown meat with seasonings, adding corn & enchilada sauce until done.
2. Place layer of tortillas on bottom of 9″x11″ dish, add layer of meat mixture, top with cheese. Repeat until out of tortillas & meat mixture leaving off top layer of cheese.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes.
4. Remove adding final layer of cheese & bake 5 minutes.

Chef’s Note: This dish is great for pre-making or giving to neighbors when in need.

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.

1. To prepare sauce, in a large skillet combine 3 tbsp canola oil & flour little by little & mix to create a roux.  Stir in flour to absorb the oil.  Slowly whisk in the milk, & add Parmesan cheese & cheddar cheese.  Stir in the egg to thicken the sauce, but do not allow to boil.  Season with pepper, paprika, & Old Bay seasoning & remove from heat.
2. In a separate skillet, heat 2 tbsp canola oil.  Saute mushrooms in the oil until soft.
3. In the same skillet, saute the asparagus.
4. Preheat the oven broiler.  For each serving, put 2 slices of toast on a broiler-safe dish.  Cover toast with layer of slices of turkey/pork roast & mushrooms.  Smother each serving with sauce.
5. Place dish in broiler until the top of the sauce in speckled brown & bubbly.  Remove from broiler, add tomatoes, & cross cross 4 stalks of asparagus (per serving) over top, & serve.
6.  For each serving, slice up half an avocado & add as garnish.

Chef’s Note: The Kentucky Hot Brown retains a special place in my heart, as I was born in Kentucky.  Of course, I had to add in more of a California flavor (and a dash of my Maryland side too) to make it healthier.

1. Brown the ground turkey with ½ the onion, ½ the garlic (2 cloves), & 1 tbsp chili powder.  Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine remainder of onion, garlic, & tomato paste. Cover & cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in butter until melted. Stir in flour, oregano, cumin, red pepper, chilli powder, tomatoes, beef, & Jack Daniels. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the beans & cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper, & other spices to taste.
5. Simmer covered at low heat until serving time.

Bring chicken, water, 2 onion quarters, & 1 tsp salt to a boil, covered, in a 4-5 qt. pot over moderately high heat.  Boil 10 minutes, then remove from heat & let stand, covered, until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving broth with onion.  When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred chicken, discarding skin & bones.

While chicken is cooking, heat a dry well-seasoned small cast iron skillet over moderate heat until hot, then brown garlic & remaining 2 onion quarters on all sides, turning with tongs, about 5 minutes.  Peel garlic & transfer with onion to a blender.  Add tomatoes with juice, chilies, & oregano, then puree until smooth.

Cook chorizo (spicy cured pork sausage) in oil in a 12″ heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until fat is rendered, about 2 minutes.  Carefully add puree (it will splatter & steam) & cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about 10 minutes.

Peel potatoes & cut into ¾” pieces, then add to reserved broth with remaining salt.  Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.  Add potatoes & onions to chorizo mixture along with 2 cups broth.  Stir in chicken & simmer 10 minutes.  Serve sprinkled with cheese.  Garnish with avocado slices & warm corn tortillas, if desired.

Chef’s Note: Ricotta salata or farmer cheese can be substituted for queso fresco.  The remainder of the chicken broth not used can be saved for later use.

1. Brown the ground turkey w/ ½ large onion, ½ bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, & 1 tbsp chili powder. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until melted. Stir in flour until thickened.
4. Combine remainder of onion, green pepper, garlic, & tomato paste. Cover & cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, jalapeño pepper, turkey, & Jack Daniels. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the beans & cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper, & other spices to taste. Simmer covered over low heat until serving time.
5. Goes great over baked potatoes & some cheddar cheese on top.

1. On medium heat, in a large skillet, add olive oil & minced garlic. Cook until slightly browned , add Italian seasoning & toast for 2 minutes.
2. Add 4 cans of clams (with juice), add salt & pepper to taste.
3. Bring to a boil, add one full can of wine (or, if you don’t want to use wine, add the juice of 1 lemon), turn down heat to a simmer.
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until only about ¾ to 1 c. of liquid is left (about 30-40 minutes)
5. Cook pasta according to directions on the pkg. in salted water (the water should have at least 1 full tsp of salt – NO OIL).
6. When the pasta is al dente, add pasta to the pan with clam sauce to finish cooking.
7. Add pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce (you’ll need anywhere from ½ to 1½ c.).
8. Add fresh herbs & cheese, fold together. Serve with hot crusty bread & more cheese.

1. In a big pot fill ¾ of the way with cold water. Dash some salt in there, & about a tbsp or so of Olive Oil. Bring that to a boil, & throw in your box of pasta. If it’s Barilla brand it will be about 11½ – 12 minutes to boil until done. Be sure to stir it every so often. Drain it, put it aside.
2. In a good sized saucepan, throw in the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, & pepper with the butter. On low-medium heat, simmer until butter melts. Once the butter melts, sauté herbs for about 3-5 minutes (stirring constantly), any longer than that & the mixture will burn.
3. Turn the heat up to medium level & splash a little heavy cream in there & get a good stir going. I’d say, maybe ½ c.. Keep that up every 5 minutes until you have about a ½ container left. Now you’ve got about ½ container of cream left, some unused cheese, & the herb mixture. Open the container of cheese. With a kitchen knife, stab at the cheese in the container & break the bigger clumps of cheese down.
4. Put about a quarter of the cheese into the pot. Stir well, pour in ½ c. of the remaining cream, & repeat until you have no more cheese or cream left. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat & stir every 3-5 minutes for about 15 minutes The cream will eventually expand & “puff” up the whole thing, so don’t panic. When that happens, turn the heat to low, & get ready to serve. If it doesn’t happen, no worries, after your 15 minutes is up (after adding the last of the cream & cheese) just turn the heat down to low & prepare to serve.
5. Put some pasta on the plate, dump some sauce on all over it, garnish with a basil leaf.

1. Cook enough pasta for 4 people following the directions on the pkg.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan to medium heat. If you don’t have non-stick pans, use approximately 1 tbsp of olive oil to coat the pan.
3. When the pan is warm, add the bacon & cook until well browned & crispy. Add mushrooms & leek to the pan & cook until the leek is transparent & mushrooms have wilted.
4. Add white wine to this mixture. Add cream & stir thoroughly. Turn down to simmer & leave for 10 minutes.
5. Add parmesan & fresh herbs. Allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta to pan & stir through.
6. Garnish with fresh herbs & serve with a crispy side salad.