Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 10 large mushrooms, cut in half
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
• 1/2 pound sliced thick cut bacon, cut in half
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• skewers

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Remove the mushrooms and chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes; set aside.
4. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks.
5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.

Hot Spiced Cheer

• 10 whole cloves
• 4 3 inch cinnamon sticks
• 4 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped
• 1 gallon apple cider
• 4 cups pineapple juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• white rum, optional

1. Place first 3 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely.
2. Combine cheesecloth bag, cider, and next 5 ingredients (cider through salt) in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard cheesecloth bag. Serve with rum, if desired.

 

Bacon Cheese Dogs

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon
• 8 all-beef hot dogs
• 8 hot dog buns
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce, or amount to taste
• 1 small red onion, diced

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.
2. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels.
3. Place hot dogs on grill; cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes, turning once, or until done to suit your taste. Lightly grill hot dog buns.
4. To assemble sandwiches, place a slice of cheese and bacon on each roll. Add a hot dog, top each with 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce, or desired amount, and red onion.

Triple Dipped Fried Chicken

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups beer or water
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces

Directions

1. In one medium bowl, mix together 3 cups of flour, garlic salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, paprika and poultry seasoning. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 1/3 cups flour, salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, egg yolks and beer. You may need to thin with additional beer if the batter is too thick.
2. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Moisten each piece of chicken with a little water, then dip in the dry mix. Shake off excess and dip in the wet mix, then dip in the dry mix once more.
3. Carefully place the chicken pieces in the hot oil. Fry for 15 to 18 minutes, or until well browned. Smaller pieces will not take as long. Large pieces may take longer. Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.

Pizza Pinwheels

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) can crescent dinner rolls
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate dough into 4 rectangles. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough and cut into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal.
3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, bell pepper and Italian cheese blend over each rectangle.
4. Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 6 slices; place cut side down on cookie sheet.
5. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Meanwhile, heat pizza sauce. Immediately remove pinwheels from cookie sheet. Serve warm with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Cucumber Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 3 mangos – peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 cucumber – peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Stir together the mango, cucumber, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 10 pickled jalapeno pepper slices, or to taste – chopped
• 2 ciabatta sandwich rolls
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 8 tortilla chips, crushed
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and pickled jalapeno in a small bowl. Set aside. Preheat skillet over medium heat.
2. Slice each roll in half horizontally, then slice the rounded tops off the ciabatta rolls to make a flat top half. Spread 1 teaspoon butter on the doughy cut side of the bottom bun and 1 teaspoon butter on the now flattened top bun. Place half of the cream cheese mixture, half of the crushed chips, and half of the shredded cheese on the non-buttered side of the bottom bun. Place the top half of the bun on the sandwich and place the sandwich on the hot skillet. Repeat with the second sandwich.
3. Grill until lightly browned and flip over, about 3 to 5 minutes; continue grilling until cheese is melted and the second side is golden brown.

Ham & Cheese Quesadilla

Ingredients:

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 8 oz thinly sliced ham, or smoked turkey
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• pepper to taste
• vegetable oil for brushing tops

Preparation:

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Arrange 2 tortillas on the cookie sheet, then evenly top with 1/4 cup of the cheese. Top the cheese with the sliced ham or turkey, the diced tomatoes, green onion, then the other 1/4 cup of cheese. Sprinkle each with a little pepper, then cover each with another tortilla. Brush tops with vegetable oil and bake in a 425° oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, until browned. Cut quesadillas into wedges.
Serves 4.

Spicy Peanut Butter Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sherry, dry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, dark
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup ginger
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• 6 garlic cloves

Preparation:

• Combine everything in food processor and mix. Marinade pork for up to 8 hours. Remove the chops from the marinade and boil the marinade. Grill the chops and use the marinade as mop while grilling.

Zesty Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup honey mustard and onion pretzels, crushed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 slices Colby cheese

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
2. In a bowl, mix the ground turkey, crushed pretzels, green bell pepper, and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties, and arrange in the baking dish.
3. Bake 30 minutes, turning once, to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Top each patty with a slice of cheese during the last few minutes of cook time.