Nicks Spag Sauce V99.01.09

 Simmer together:
3 cans tomato sauce
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 good gurgle of meaty red wine (cabernet or zinfandel)
 

Mince together :
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary needles
1 small wad of fresh basil
8 cloves of fresh garlic
toss this mixture into the tomato glop

Add:
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the red muck.

Meanwhile De-skin 10 Italian Snausages chop and fry until lightly browned.

Bell Pepper Salad

Chop into bite size chunks:
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Purple Bell Pepper

Toss together in a salad bowl with a good dose of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Pop's Buttonwillow Potatoes

This is a recipe from my grandfather. He named it after a place in Idaho where he went fishing.

Slice 8-10 yukon gold potatoes into ¼ thick crosswise slices. 

Arrange a layer of slices across the bottom of a 10x14x1½ inch baking pan. Dribble a little melted butter over the layer of potatoes. Then dust the layer with salt and pepper, sprinkle with minced garlic, chopped onions and bits of pre-cooked bacon. Top the layer with two fresh rosemary stalks long enough to span the length of the pan. Repeat the layering process until the pan is full, even with the top.

Ro's Summertime Chicken

Mix together:
2 tbs honey
2 tbs dijon mustard
Brush the mixture over 1.5lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts.   Sprinkle the chicken breasts with dried tomatoes and Lawry's seasoned salt. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Bake the chicken in a shallow pan at 350° until the juices run clear. (About 45 minutes)

Nick's Rice

Bring 1¾ cups water with two boullion cubes and 1 tbs olive oil to a rolling boil in a shallow sauce pan.  Add 1 cup rice to the water and stir ONCE to evenly distribute the rice in the pan. Wait until the water returns to boiling, then turn the stove to simmer and cover the rice until the broth is absorbed by the rice. (About 20 minutes)

Power Pesto

Bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil then add ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes reduce the heat to simmer. When the tomatoes are soft, drain and reserve the water.

Mince the softened tomates together with:
10 cloves fresh garlic
1 hand-full fresh basil
2 Tbs fresh rosemary needles
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Put  of the tomato water in a blender and slowly add the minced mixture to it while the blender is running. Add ¼ cup of olive oil and ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese. If  the mixture is too dry or wet adjust accordingly with olive oil and tomato water or parmesan cheese.

What's in the Kitchen Chicken.

This was a recipe I came up with because this is what we had at the time.

Chop ¼ pound of salami into little pieces. Render the fat from the salami in a large frying pan. Reserve the salami for later. Leave the fat in the pan. Mix together:¼ tsp dill weed,
¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper
¼ cup white flour. Dredge  4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the flour mixture until fully coated.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the salami fat in the frying pan. Bring to medium-high heat and cook the chicken until golden on all sides.
Add the reserved salami and 1 sliced shallot, cook the mixture until the shallots start to brown. Add a big gurgle of white sherry and a dash of worcestershire sauce to the pan, cover and turn the heat to low until the sherry is gone. Serve!

What's in the Kitchen Stew

Take a stew pot and throw in...
 

Add enough water to barely cover the contents(about 4 cups)
Bring pot to a boil.

While waiting for the pot to come to a boil, brown 2 lbs of stew meat in a frying pan. Brown in small batches on all sides and throw into the pot. When the last batch of meat is browned and ready to go into the stew pot, pour in a hearty gurgle of brandy to de-glaze the pan. Stir the meat around to loosen all the yummy bits. Add the last batch of meat along with the reduced brandy to the stew pot. By now the water should be boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer and wait.

Guinnesstew

2 lbs. Stew Meat
1 Bunch Celery
2 White Onions
5 Yukon Gold Potatoes
4 Cloves Garlic
½ Bag Peeled Baby Carrots
2 tbsp Flour
1 tsp Thyme
½ tsp  Pepper
1 tsp Oregano
¼ tsp Salt
1 12 oz. Bottle of Guinness Draught.
½ Cup Water
 

Chop the celery into 1" pieces, chop the onions into eighths and chop the potatoes into quarters. Smash and peel 4 cloves of garlic. Toss it all into a crockpot.

Mix the flour, thyme, oregano, pepper, and salt together and sprinkle over the stew meat. Brown the stew meat in a hot skillet. Once the meat is well browned, remove and add to the crockpot. Pour the Guinness into the skillet to de-glaze. Stir around and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom. Pour the Guinness and ½ cup of water into the crockpot.