Lydia's Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with cooking spray. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until creamy. 
4. Beat in flour mixture.
5. Mix in chocolate chips with a spatula or wooden spoon. 
6. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes so dough is easier to handle. 
7. Roll dough in to balls and press down slightly on cookie sheets. Dough should be 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in preheated oven or until edges are just turning brown. Do not over bake. 
9. Cool for 5 minutes.

Spanish Rice

1 box Spanish rice mix (if not using box rice mix, ingredients in parentheses may be needed)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped (about 1 small onion)
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 medium pepper)
1 (14.5 oz.) can tomatoes
1 cup water (may need more liquid if using additional rice
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice (Zatarain’s)
1/2 cup chile sauce or hot salsa
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Dash ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
(1 teaspoon salt)
(1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)
(1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a large pot over medium low heat. Stir in onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chile sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.
3. Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then transport this to a 2-quart casserole dish. Press down firmly and sprinkle with the shredded Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Yield: 4 servings

Pie Crust

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup cold butter, cut up
1/3 cup cold water

1. In a food processor or deep mixing bowl, combine flour and butter and work with fork until uniformly crumbly.
2. Place bowl in sink. Add water all at once and stir with fork to form a dough. Knead dough into one large ball. Do not over-mix or dough will become too elastic and tough.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll each half in to a ball.
4. Chill ball shape pastries until ready to use.
5. Wait until dough balls have been refrigerated before rolling into crust.

Yield: 1 double-crust pie

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

1 (16 oz.) package bow tie pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil, as needed
More than 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup frozen green peas
Flour
Onion powder
Parsley
Oregano
Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta.
2. Toss chicken pieces with flour, garlic, onion powder, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, and oregano.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender and stir in chicken. Fully cook chicken until golden.
4. In a casserole dish, combine pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. Toss to coat evenly. Top generously with Parmesan cheese or incorporate the cheese in to the dish.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes in casserole dish. The purpose of baking is to keep warm and serve hot. Pasta noodles must be cooked through prior to oven bake.

Yield: 4 servings

Katsu

Eggs
Milk
(Garlic, minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
Panko crumbs
Flour
Bull-dog tonkatsu sauce
Chicken tenders

1. Tenderize chicken or pork. Rinse meat with water.
2. Mix ratio of 2/3 panko to 1/3 flour in a shallow dish.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper.
4. Dip meat in the egg mixture. Coat with panko crumbs. Repeat.
5. If time allows, let coating set for 10 minutes. 
6. Heat oil to medium-high and place meat in pan. Fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Be careful not to use the highest heat as meat will burn on the outside but not fully cook on the inside. Let meat gently fry and sizzle.

Shrimp Scampi Bake

3/4 cup butter
Drizzle olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice (1/2 large lemon or 1 full medium lemon)
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 pounds medium raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined (do not thaw shrimp if frozen; place directly in oven)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cooked pasta
Splash white wine

1. Cook desired pasta.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, black pepper, wine, and red pepper flakes. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.
4. Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chicken Option 1: Season chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a skillet over medium heat, cook chicken 7 minutes per side or until no longer pink. Allow chicken to cool and then shred by hand or cube.
2. Chicken Option 2: Boil chicken. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Shred by hand or cube.

Saute veggies
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix-ins
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup water (if recipe gets too watery, omit water and add pinch of flour or cream cheese to thicken)

Topping
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (12 oz.) jar enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare chicken.
3. Saute garlic, onions, corn, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add shredded chicken, sour cream, cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in salt, tomato sauce, chili powder, and water (if needed).
5. Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13x9 inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce or PAM. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling and place enchiladas in pans with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
6. Bake for 18 minutes in a preheated oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream, and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Yield: 5 servings

Lemon Bars

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with PAM.
2. Combine flour, confectioner's sugar, and butter. No electric mixer needed. Work with a fork as with pie crust. Pat dough into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 24 minutes in the preheated oven until slightly golden. Do not over bake.

Filling
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 to 8 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup lemon juice

1. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. No electric mixer needed. Pour lemon mixture over hot crust.
2. Return to preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. 
3. Before bars harden, cut sides from pan so edges do not stick.

Decoration
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar for decoration

Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into squares.

Yield: 9×13 inch pan

Pesto Salmon

2 pounds salmon fillets
2 lemons
1 1/4 cups pesto
1/2 cup white wine
If desired, use chopped pecans, panko, or bread crumbs to coat

1. Lightly oil baking pan. Place salmon in pan, skin side down. Run finger over flesh to make sure all bones have been removed. Salt and pepper minimally as pesto is already seasoned. Squeeze juice of one lemon and white wine over fish. Marinate 15 minutes in refrigerator.
2. Bake fish at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Coat the top side of the fish with a thick layer of pesto, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
4. Broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes and flesh is opaque. Pesto should have formed a heavily browned crust. Remove from the oven and set aside for a few minutes. Squeeze half of second lemon over fish. 

Yield: 4 servings

Congee with Preserved Duck Egg

Congee
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 cups water
1 can chicken broth
1 chicken breast
1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 preserved duck eggs, minced
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root

Garnish
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
Black pepper to taste
White pepper to taste
Soy sauce to taste

1. Rinse and drain rice. Place rice in large pot and stir in salt and oil. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Add meat to rice and stir in water. Heat to a boil then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Remove meat from pot with slotted spoon and set meat aside. Continue to simmer rice for 20 minutes. Chop meat into small pieces and mix with hundred-year egg.
3. After 20 minutes, stir meat and egg mixture into congee along with oyster sauce. Serve in bowls and garnish with green onion.

Spam Musubi

2 cups cooked rice
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (12 oz.) Spam
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Imitation crab
Mayonnaise
Sriracha
Cucumbers
Apples
Carrots, blanched

1. Cook rice in rice cooker. After rice is cooked, stir in rice vinegar and set aside to cool.
2. In a bowl, stir soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Slice Spam and marinate in sauce for 5 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook Spam slices for 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Crispy Spam is good, but do not over cook. 
4. Cut nori sheets in half and lay on a flat work surface. Place a rice press in the center of the sheet and press rice tightly inside. Top with a slice of Spam and remove press. Wrap nori around rice mold, sealing edges with a small amount of water. 
5. Musubi may be served warm or chilled.

Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients
12 oz. penne pasta or fettucine
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dash of Cajun seasoning
Dash of cayenne pepper
Red pepper flakes
Dash dried basil

Veggies
1 onion, diced
1 green onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 pound Portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly
Less than 1/4 cup parsley, parsley

Meat
Bacon bits
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (shrimp size should be between 20 and 30 per pound

Dairy
1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Return to pot and drizzle pasta with olive oil.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic, bell pepper, and mushroom. Cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes. 
4. Add bacon bits.
5. Stir in shrimp and cook until firm and pink. (Do not over cook! Pre-cooked frozen shrimp don’t need to be defrosted and are easily overcooked.)
6. Pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano or Parmesan cheese, and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Season with cayenne, dried basil, red pepper flakes, dash of Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into sauce and heat thoroughly with chopped parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Cinnamon-sugar dusting
1/8 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Banana bread
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
8 oz. sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Marinate bananas in lemon juice of half a lemon.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1/8 cup white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Grease two regular loaf pans. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Immediately pick up loaf pan and shake the pan so cinnamon-sugar mixture dusts evenly. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine salt, baking soda, and flour.
4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
6. Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture and mix evenly.
7. Stir in nuts with spatula. 
8. Divide into prepared pans.
9. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Yield: 2 loaf pans

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound mushrooms (about 50 medium mushrooms)
1 tablespoon butter
4 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, minced
2 tablespoons green pepper, minced
1 teaspoon salt (do not add salt if using bacon bits)
Dash of pepper
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and dry mushrooms. Chop stems and reserve for stuffing.
3. Melt butter. Saute bacon, onion, pepper, chopped mushroom stems, and seasonings. Remove from heat when cooked through but not browned.
4. Combine cheese with bacon mixture. Press into caps.
5. Press bread crumbs crumbs into filling.
6. Place in buttered pan. Add 1/4 cup hot water to baking dish.
7. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Deviled Eggs

12 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or regular sandwich mustard
(1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
Dash of ground black pepper
Bacon bits
Splash of apple cider vinegar
Optional garnishes: paprika and chopped fresh chives

Note: Do not add salt!

Banana Cream Pie

1 pie crust, baked
3 bananas
2 to 2 1/2 cups cold milk
1 (3.5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups (approximately 8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Slice 2 bananas and arrange in bottom of pastry.
2. Pour milk into a medium bowl. Add pudding mix and whisk. Fold in 4 ounces whipped topping. Pour in pastry.
3. Garnish top with remaining bananas and whipped topping.
4. Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

Jan's Banana Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 small bananas, mashed
4 eggs

1. Grease pans.
2. Sift together dry ingredients and sugars.
3. Combine vegetable oil, water, bananas, and eggs. Slowly add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until blended.
4. Bake at 335 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top of bread is browned.
5. Cool bread 5 minutes.
6. Remove bread from tins and cool on rack.

Bake times:

• Round tins: 15 to 20 minutes
• Mini loaf pans: 20 to 24 minutes
• Medium metal loaf pan: 24 minutes