Black Bean Salad

Black Bean Salad


INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING:


2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper


INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD:

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
kernels of 3 ears cooked corn*
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small red onion, chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and minced


* May substitute a 10-ounce package of frozen corn, cooked and drained.


TO PREPARE:

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper until combined. Set aside.
Combine black beans, corn, cilantro, onion, avocado, tomatoes, and jalapenos in a large serving bowl. Toss salad gently to mix. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to coat.

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler



INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup sugar
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sliced peeled Georgia peaches
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine


TO PREPARE:

* Combine 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and almond flavoring in a bowl; mix well. Sprinkle over the peaches in a bowl; set aside.

* Mix 1 cup sugar, flour, milk and baking powder in a bowl. Melt the butter in a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon the batter into the dish. Spread the peach mixture over the top; do not stir.

* Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.


VARIATION: This can be made with any fresh fruit. A combination of peaches and blackberries is especially good.

Pollo Genovese

Pollo Genovese


INGREDIENTS:


2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 cube)
4 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (6-ounce) can pitted olives, drained
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (26-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cup white wine


TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet until very thin. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a large saute pan, heat butter and olive oil. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in small batches until golden brown. Place chicken in greased ovenproof casserole dish.

If necessary, add 1 additional tablespoon olive oil to pan and saute olives, mushrooms and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, capers, basil and wine and bring to boil. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes to slightly reduce liquid.

Pour sauce over chicken. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Broccoli Blue Soup

Broccoli Blue Soup


INGREDIENTS:

2 cups finely chopped broccoli
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups milk or half-and-half
3 cups finely chopped cooked potatoes (1 cup potato water reserved)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Dash of paprika or 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, to garnish


TO PREPARE:

In a 3-quart pot, cook broccoli and onion in broth and reserved potato water. Add milk and potatoes and simmer. Do not let mixture boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add blue cheese just before serving, stirring until it melts. Garnish individual servings with a dash of paprika or a sprinkle of parsley.


NOTE: For a smoother texture, whirl soup in a blender or food processor.

Oregano Shrimp

Oregano Shrimp


INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 pounds fresh large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
________________

1 pound angel hair pasta, cooked al dente


TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place shrimp in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle shrimp with lemon juice. Combine bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and oregano in a small bowl. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over shrimp. Pour butter on top. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Southern Biscuits

Southern Biscuits

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sweet milk


TO PREPARE:

Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Measure shortening and cut into flour mixture with pastry blender, two knives or blending fork, until mixture looks like "meal." Stir in almost all the milk. If dough does not seem pliable, add the remaining milk. Use enough milk to make a soft, puffy dough, easy to roll out. Knead (fold dough over and press lightly with heel of hand about six times) on a lightly floured board (as lightly floured as you would powder your face). Too much handling makes tough biscuits. Roll or pat out 1/4-inch thick for thin crusty biscuits and 1/2-inch for thick soft biscuits. Cut and place on ungreased cookie sheet, close together for biscuits with soft sides, an inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 450 degrees.
Triple this recipe when making biscuits for your freezer. For freezing, bake about 8 minutes at 450 degrees (do not brown). Cool, freeze on cookie sheet and then put in bags. To use, defrost and bake at 450 degrees until brown.


YIELDS: About 20 Two-inch Biscuits

Snack Attack Chocolate Cake

Snack Attack Chocolate Cake


INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter (2 cubes)
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
4 tablespoons cocoa
5 tablespoons buttermilk
4 cups (1 box) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped


TO PREPARE THE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Sift together flour and sugar. Set aside.

In a saucepan over high heat, bring butter, cocoa and water to boil, then pour over sugar and flour mixture. Mix well.

Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla to flour mixture and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.


TO PREPARE THE FROSTING:

In a saucepan over high heat, bring butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar, vanilla, and walnuts and beat with a wire whisk until well blended. While frosting is still warm, spread on cooled cake.