BREADS

Beer Bread (Jeri Peery, Lee's Summit corporate office)

GREAT recipe to accompany hearty soups and stews!

3 cups self-rising flour    3 Tbsp sugar    1 can beer of choice

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup.  Do NOT sift or shake to pack down.  Stir in sugar, then add beer.  Mix until well blended.  Dough will be stiff.  Pour into well-buttered loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  After first 25 minutes of baking, butter top of bread and finish baking.  When done, butter top again.  Makes a crusty-French-type bread.  FYI:  Coors makes sweet flavored bread; Bud makes a sour-dough flavored bread.

Biscuit Variation:  Add 1/2 cup oil before beer.  Spray pan with Pam and small amount of oil.  Drop by big dollops on cookie sheet.  Dip glass bottom in oil and flatten slightly.  Bake at 400 for +/- 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Cinnamon Biscuit Variation:  Increase sugar to 1/2 cup, add cinnamon and raisins.  Bake same as variation #1 above.  After baking, ice with mixture of butter, vanilla, milk and powdered sugar.

Balsamic Brushetta (Marie Ayers, Panama City Beach office)

1 loaf of sliced Italian bread, each cut in half        2 cups diced fresh tomatoes        1/4 cup jarred pesto sauce        1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese        2 Tbsp. olive oil        2 Tbsp. good-quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt        1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Arrange bread in a single layer at the bottom of a 4-quart baking dish. Bake bread for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, pesto, Parmesan cheese, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss gently and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. 

Just before serving, spoon 1 Tbsp. of the tomato spread onto each slice of toast, arranging on a serving platter or serving directly in the 4-quart baking dish. You can also serve the tomato spread alongside the toasted bread for guests to serve themselves.

ENTREES

Beef Burgundy (Lyn Lewellen, Lee's Summit Office)

4 lbs beef stew meat       1 c red burgundy wine     2 cans cream of celery soup, undiluted      1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted        1 envelope dry onion soup mix        1 med can chopped mushrooms

In large zip-lock bag, marinate stew meat in wine for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Drain wine from meat and place meat and remaining ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on low 5-6 hours until meat is fork tender.  Serve on white rice or cooked flat noodles.  Serves 4.

Tarragon-roasted Chicken (Marie Ayers, Panama City Beach office)

 2 chickens about 4 lbs. each        1 medium onion, cut into large chunks           1 lemon quartered        4 sprigs, fresh tarragon        1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened        Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the chickens on a rack in a large roasting pan.

Stuff the cavities with the onion, lemon, and tarragon. Rub butter all over the skin of both chickens and season with salt and pepper. Roast chicken for

15 minutes, then lower temperature to 375°F. Continue roasting until the juices run clear when pricked with a fork in the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 hour and 15 minutes longer. Serves 8.

SOUPS & STEWS

2 slices of bacon, diced

1 small onion (sweet), diced finely

2 cans of diced potatoes, drained well

1 small can niblet corn

2 cans cream style corn

2 cups Half & Half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 stick butter

Salt and pepper to taste

In saucepan, cook bacon until crisp, remove from pan and add 1/2 of the stick of butter.  Add onion and potato, salt and pepper cooking on low heat until onion is tender, do NOT drain.  Add all of the corn; stir and add cream and Half & Half and remainder of the butter and bacon bits.  NOTE:  Add Half & Half in 1/2 cup increments; if the chowder is too soupy, use less than suggested amount.  Heat just until hot, add more salt and pepper to taste, cover and let sit for about 1/2 hour.  Reheat on low setting until hot again. 

VARIATION:  Boil 2 boneless chicken breasts until very tender.  Dice and add to chowder when cooking the onion and potatoes.  Canned chicken (white meat only) can be used when short on time.

This is a good alternative to the chili for those cold winter nights. This one can also be made to your taste.  

Ingredients:

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a skillet, and added the taco seasoning to it.  Transfer the beef mixture to a large pot on the stove.  Turn on burner to medium, and start adding the other canned ingredients (do not drain the cans, just open and dump).  Add the onion and stir.  Let simmer on the burner for 20 mins or so.  When ready to serve, crush some corn chips in to bottom of a soup bowl, add the taco soup, and top with some of the shredded cheese, and sour cream if you like.  Mix and enjoy.  When bowl is empty, repeat step#6 and #7.

SALSA & DIPS

J.T's Famous HOT Sauce (Byron Hunter, Jacobs Engineering, Goose Creek, SC)

5-8 Serrano Peppers (can sub jalapenos; 5 peppers = mild; 8 peppers = hot)      1/2 med onion      1/4 bell pepper        1 Tbsp olive oil     1 medium can whole tomatoes        3 small cans tomato sauce

Cilanto optional; salt to taste; garlic to taste

Blend peppers, onion, bell pepper, garlic and olive oil in food processor or blender to almost smooth.  Add whole tomatoes blending to desired consistency.  Add tomato sauce.  Stir well and salt to taste.

Carlos O’Kelly’s Salsa (Jerry Perez, Frontier Oil, El Dorado KS)

 5 cans diced petite tomatoes with juice        ¾ c. chopped onion        2-3 jalapenos chopped and seeded        1 sm. can diced green chilis        ¼ c. chopped cilantro        1½ t. salt        1½ t. garlic powder

 Chop tomatoes in blender. Pour in juice. Add all other ingredients. Blend well. For chunkier salsa, save some tomatoes to add last. Let sit overnight.  Enjoy!

CASSEROLES

This is a quick and easy supper to throw together. After you have made it once, you will be able to alter this recipe to suite your own taste. I like Garlic and have added minced when I make it. If you like HOT-N-SPICY, you can add cyan to kick it up a notch.

 Ingredients:   3 oz cooked medium noodles            1-11 oz can condensed cheddar cheese soup        1/2 c milk        1/2 c sour cream        1/2 c thinly sliced celery        1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 small onion, minced        2 c diced and cooked beef, pork or ham (your preference)        1/4 c dried fine bread crumbs, seasoned or not        1 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

Cook noodles according to the package, drain well.  Slice and cook your choice of meat, browning it in a skillet. Combine in a large bowl; soup, milk, sour cream, parsley flakes, and onion.  Stir in the cooked noodles and meat.  Transfer to a greased 2 quart casserole dish.  In a smaller bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter, and then sprinkle the mixture over the casserole.  Bake at 375 deg oven for 35 to 40 min.

Beverages

Scotch & Water (Ken Anderson, Lee's Summit Office)

1 Fifth Chevas Regal        1 cup water  

Mix, stir, drink.  Repeat as necessary.

Sandwiches

Po-Boy from Alabama (Dave Hurst, Jacobs, Baton Rouge LA)

Feeds 2

1 lb Hillshire Kielbasa Sausage     1 med yellow onion       1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper      2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil        Stone Ground Deli Mustard        Hoagie Rolls        1-6"x10" aluminum pan

Cut up peppers and onions; coat with small amount of oil.  Place all in aluminum pan; cover with foil; cook over low heat and cook until sausage pops (can be cooked on the stove top or on a grill).  So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to construct a Po-Boy ... sausage goes in the middle, followed by mustard, onions and peppers.  Stuff it in your mouth and enjoy.  OPTION:  For added flavor, add 1-2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar to veggies during cooking.   Dave says, "Whoooo Boy!!! You will be saying "Sell my clothes, for I am gone to Heaven" !"

Desserts

Peach Fritters (Marie Ayers, Panama City Beach office)

 Can be prepared in a large Nonstick Electric Skillet

 1 cup flour        1 tsp. salt        1 tsp. baking powder        2 eggs        1/3 cup milk        1 Tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil        1-1/4 cups diced peaches sprinkled with a touch of cinnamon Granulated sugar in flat – sided bowl

Oil for fryer or deep – frying pan

Directions:

With a wire whisk, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk in eggs, milk, and butter. Fold in peaches. Heat oil in fryer or pan to 375°F. With long – handled ladle, spoon out about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of batter into the hot oil. The batter will sink at first and then rise. Cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, depending on size of the fritters. Remove the fritters from the oil with long – handled tongs. Quickly drain on paper towels or newspaper. Place fritters in a bowl of sugar or sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Coat both sides. Place on serving plate. Serve warm.

Sweet fried dough is the perfect way to use up the rest of your summer peaches!  You can substitute apples for peaches in this recipe.