Red or White Wine Marinade

This recipe can be prepared with red wine for beef and lamb, or white wine for poultry. Large roasts and whole chickens can marinate from 1-3 days; the longer they marinate, the more flavor they will gain. I marinated filet mignon steaks in the red wine marinade for about 2-3 hours, and they were absolutely wonderful!

1 1/2 c. dry red or white wine
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/8 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf, Italian parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 T. chopped, fresh thyme, rosemary or tarragon (or 1 tsp. dried) (I chose thyme)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

In a non-aluminum bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly covered jar for up to 2 days.

AMISH OVEN-FREID CHICKEN

Price ranted and raved about this chicken for days after eating it for the first time! I think it's the best fried chicken I've ever had. I got the recipe from an Amish-country cookbook that Connie was going to throw out! I did not include the marjoram.

1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. butter
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried marjoram (optional)
8-9 chicken pieces - legs, thighs, breasts, etc..

Place the oil and butter in a shallow cooking pan and put in a preheated 375 degree oven to melt. Set aside. Combine the flour and seasonings in a shallow dish. Roll the chicken pieces in the melted oil-butter mixture, then drop them in the flour mixture. Completely coat and tap off excess. Place chicken in the pan (if using skin-on chicken, place skin side down). Bake for 45 minutes. With a spatula, turn chicken over and bake for another 5-10 minutes longer, or until the top crust begins to bubble. Serve hot or cold - but the crust texture is better if chicken is not refrigerated before eating. The pan drippings make an "absolutely divine" gravy for either mashed potatoes or baking powder biscuits. (Serves 4-5)

Healthier-for-you-but-still-yummy Crock Pot Fajitas

1 tsp. garlic powder
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
10 jalapeno rings (I use 1 medium Anaheim Chile, seeds removed, instead)
3 bell peppers, sliced and seeded (red, yellow, green)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 envelope Fajita seasoning mix
1 can black beans or black soy beans, drained
2-3 chicken breasts (can use beef or pork tenderloin instead)
1/2 c. water or broth

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours. Meat should shred easily. Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (cheese, guacamole, light sour cream, tomatoes, hot sauce, etc...)

Chocolate Chip Cookies Cockaigne

1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

2/3 c. packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 T. milk

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 c. rolled oats, ground fine in a blender or food processor

1 c. semisweet chocolate morsels

3-oz. milk chocolate bar, coarsely grated or finely chopped

3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Thoroughly stir together dry ingredients, excluding sugars & oats. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars and wet ingredients. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until evenly incorporated. Stir in oats, chocolate and nuts, if using. With lightly greased hands, shape the dough into generous 1 1/2" balls. Space about 2" apart on sheets. Pat down the tops of the balls just slightly. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 8-12 minutes, or until just tinged with brown. Rotate sheets halfway through baking to ensure even browning, being careful not to over bake. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let the cookies firm up, 3-4 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks until thoroughly cool. Store, airtight, for 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large parsnip, chopped

1 head of celery*, hearts only, chopped

5 baby Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1 tsp. pepper

2 15 oz. cans chicken broth

1 16 oz. pkg. wide egg noodles

4 c. water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 T. basil

1 tsp. paprika

1 T. parsley

2-3 c. carrots, chopped

1 c. frozen peas

2 large chicken breasts

salt & pepper to taste

Sautee’ onion, garlic, parsnip, celery and potatoes in oil at the bottom of a large soup pot. Add salt and 1-2 tsp. pepper. Meanwhile, rub chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper and paprika (not the measured portions listed above). Brown both sides of chicken in olive oil (in a separate pan) until almost cooked all the way through. Let chicken sit until ready to use. Add about 1/2 c. chicken broth to vegetables and put a lid on the pot to completely cook the potatoes and parsnips for about 5-10 minutes more. Remove all but about 1 heaping cup of vegetables from the pot and puree’ the larger portion in a blender until creamy and smooth, adding water as necessary. Combine 4 c. water and bouillon cubes, add chicken broth, basil paprika and parsley to pot and heat on medium high. Add carrots and egg noodles and bring to a soft boil. Add chicken and pureed vegetables and turn down heat to low and simmer, covered for about 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper as necessary. Add in peas a few minutes before serving. You may allow soup to cool and rest for several hours before reheating to serve, but you may need to add more water or broth to thin the soup after sitting for a while, as the noodles and potatoes will still absorb some of the moisture. Serves 8-10.

*You may add the leafy stalks to the soup as it cooks, then just remove them before serving, or chop the uncooked leaves and sprinkle on individual bowls of soup for a pretty garnish and extra boost of flavor.