Scone Sandwiches

I absolutely LOVE these scone sandwiches.  You can make the sandwich however you want, and it still tastes great!  This is one of my favorite meals, and it is just a sandwich!

Ingredients
For the dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast
1 1/2 cups Warm Water
1 tablespoon of Butter, melted
1 tablespoon of Sugar
4 cups AP Flour
1 teaspoon Salt

For the sandwich:
Toppings of choice.  Recommendations are:  Ham, Turkey, Bacon, Cheese, Avocado, Lettuce, Pickles, Onions, Mayo, Mustard

For the frying:
Oil

Directions
Mix the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for five minutes.

Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl.  Add the butter and sugar to the yeast/water mixture and then slowly add in the flour/salt mixture.  Knead for two minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.  Rise in a covered, greased bowl for one hour or until dough is doubled in size.

After dough has risen, punch it down, and on a floured surface, roll it out into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.  Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut out rectangles measuring about 4 1/2 x 6 inches.

Heat up about 2 inches of oil in a pan to 375 degrees.  Fry one rectangle of dough at a time in the oil for a couple minutes on each side, or until browned. The dough should puff when it hits the oil, but if it starts puffing a lot, poke it with a fork to prevent it from puffing even more.

Once they cool enough, cut them in half and make them into sandwiches.

Yields 6 scones.

Herb Flank Steak

My sister in law Maria made this last night. She had purchased it at a place called "Dream Dinners" so she did not have the recipe for it. I was determined to make a recipe for it. I gave it a shot, and was pretty impressed with the outcome. I did not have the time to marinate it as long as I would have liked, but the flavor was still out of this world...

Ingredients
Flank Steak

For the Marinade:
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Herb Rub:
2 teaspoons dried Basil
1 teaspoons dried Thyme
2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Black Pepper
3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions
Whisk together your marinade. Place the marinade in a large bag along with the meat. Marinate in the fridge overnight.

Mix all of the herb rub together in a bowl. Once it is all fully mixed, rub it completely over the steak on both sides.

Grill the meat until fully cooked. Cut against the grain in 1/4 slices.

General Tso Chicken

This is by far my favorite Chinese dish. It is so delicious and so flavorful. It also smells so good! It is a bit spicy, so if you don't like spicy, just cut down some of the Cayenne Pepper. This dish just tastes so good, you will fall in love! This will serve about 6 or so people, so make sure to cut the recipe in half if you are not serving that many people!

Ingredients
2.5 pounds boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
1 cup Green Onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Oil, for frying

For the Cornstarch Slurry:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 cup Cornstarch

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/4 cup Water
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh Garlic, minced
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup cooking Sherry Wine
14 1/2 ounces Chicken Broth (a can)

Directions
Place sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Mix them together with a wisk.

In a skillet heat up about an inch or so of oil to 350 degrees. Also, turn on the oven to 250 degrees.

Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be very thick almost paste like. Add the chicken pieces in the bowl. Mix everything together to coat well. Using a fork remove one chicken piece at a time and set it in the hot oil. Continue, and work quickly while getting about 10 or so pieces of chicken in the hot oil. You do not want to do too many, because you want all of the pieces to cook evenly. Cook them for a few minutes until they turn golden brown.

Remove the chicken pieces from the oil and place them in a oven safe dish. Place them into the oven to stay warm while you continue cooking more chicken. Replace this until all of the chicken is fried.

In a separate wok or large skillet heat up a small amount of oil. Add green onions and cayenne pepper, and stir fry about 30 seconds. Stir sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and cayenne pepper, cook until thick, stirring constantly. If it gets too thick, add a little water. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.

Dump the chicken into the sauce in the wok, and stir until the sauce fully coats the chicken. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays.

Serve over rice.

Beef & Bean Chimichanga

You can't even imagine how delicious this is. It is such a quick meal, is so filling, and tastes amazing. How much better can it get? You can top it with whatever you want, but you can see what my favorite is!

Ingredients
1 pound Ground Beef
3/4 cup Onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Corn
2 cups Taco Sauce (just use your favorite, I recommend the taco bell restaurant sauce that is sold in grocery stores)
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 (16 ounce) can Refried Beans
Flour Tortillas (12 inch)
Cheese, grated

Directions
Start heating up about 2 inches of oil in a pan.

In another pan, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the excess grease, and add the onion, and corn. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the taco sauce, and season with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin, stirring until blended. Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, and set aside.

Heat a tortilla in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds so that it will be pliable for folding. Open the can of beans, and spread a layer of beans onto the center of the tortilla. Spoon the beef mixture down the center, and then top with as much shredded cheese as you like. Roll up the tortilla, and place them seam-side down into your hot oil once it reaches 350 degrees. Once it turns golden brown, flip it to the other side. When all sides become golden brown, take it out of the oil and top with your favorite toppings. Suggestions are sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cheese, etc.

Mongolian Beef

Whenever I go to PF Changs, this is the dish I always get. It is so delicious. The sauce is so tasty and tastes amazing over some nice white rice.

Ingredients
2 pounds Flank Steak
4 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
2 tablespoons Garlic, minced
1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup Water
1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
1/2 cup Cornstarch
3 large Green Onions

Directions
Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar and tablespoon of cornstarch in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce until it thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

Carne Asada Tacos

These tacos are so delicious. The flavor of the meat is just out of this world. With homemade tacos shells, this meat is perfect with a little lettuce, cheese, guacamole, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Delicious...

Ingredients
For the meat:
2 pounds Carne Asada (If you can't find carne asada at your store, look for skirt steak. If you can't find skirt steak, get flank steak and ask them to cut the meat about 3/8 inch thickness)
1 Lime, juiced
1 Lemon, juiced
1 Orange, juiced
1 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Oregano Leaves
2 tablespoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Coriander
5 cloves Garlic, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 Jalapenos, sliced thin
1/2 medium Onion, sliced thin
2/3 cup Water

For the tacos:
Corn Tortillas
Lettuce
Lime, wedges
Cheese
Cilantro
Guacamole

Directions
In a bowl, combine the juice of the lime, lemon, and orange. Add the soy sauce and water. Then add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, and garlic. Whisk all together well. Then add the jalapenos and onion slices. Pour it all into a large ziploc bag and add the carne asada. Massage the marinade into the meat. Stick the bag with the meat in the marinade in the fridge. Marinate overnight.

While the carne asada is grilling, start heating up some oil on the stove top. Once the oil is hot, stick a corn tortilla in it. Once it starts to get pliable in the oil, flip it to the other side of the tortilla. Fold it in half and using the spatula, hold up one of the sides while one side of the taco cooks. Once it is crisp (before browning) flip it to the other side of the taco and cook until crisp. Continue with the remaining tortillas for however many tacos you want.

When the carne asada is finished grilling, cut it into thin strips. Place them inside your homemade taco shells. Squeeze some lime juice over the meat in your shells and top with some lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and cilantro.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is Allen's favorite dish ever. It is so simple and easy, anyone can make it. How bad can this casserole be with potatoes, corn, chicken, and cheese? It isn't. It is really good, especially since it is so easy to make.

Ingredients
1 bag Tator Tots
1 cup Corn
2 Chicken Breasts
1 cup Cheese
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
Milk
Salt&Pepper

Directions
Dice your chicken and cook fully. Season to taste.

In a large bowl mix together your tator tots, corn, diced chicken, cheese, and soup. Add a little bit of milk (not much) and salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 uncovered for about an hour.

Taquitos

Stop buying those frozen store bought taquitos. Once you try these, you will never buy those again. They are so delicious! These are my favorite taquitos ever. I even prefer them over any Mexican restaurant...they are that good! This recipe will make about 30-40 taquitos, so make sure to portion out your extra beef you dont use and freeze it. Then, the next time you want to make them, defrost the cooked meat and you can make them fairly quickly.

Ingredients:
2-3 pound Chuck Roast
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup (not onion, BEEFY onion)
Liquid Smoke Flavoring
Seasoning Salt (ex Lawry's Salt)
Garlic Salt
Worchestershire Sauce
Corn Tortillas (I prefer White corn)
Oil

Directions:
Lay out a strip of tin foil and place the roast on it. Pour a generous amount of seasoning salt, garlic salt, liquid smoke, and worchestershire sauce all over the top of the roast. Then pour the entire beefy onion packet on the top of the roast. Wrap the meat with the foil. Wrap it in 5 more layers of foil in different directions. Place in a 9x13 dish. Bake at 150 or 170 and cook for 24 hours.

After the meat has cooked for 24 hours, shred it with a fork to make into shredded beef.

Pour about an inch of oil into a pan and heat over medium-high heat. After it is heated, place a corn tortilla in it. After just a moment, flip it and then take it out of the oil. You only want it in the oil enough time to make it pliable. Do this for the however many tortillas you are going to use. Let the tortillas cool a few minutes enough to handle.

Put one tortilla on a baking sheet. Put a small amount of the shredded beef in a row on one of the sides of the tortillas. Roll up the tortilla around the beef tightly. Make sure the open end is underneath the taquito so it doesn't unroll during baking. (if you are nervous about them unrolling, feel free to stick a toothpick in it to hold them in place) Continue doing this for the remaining tortillas.

Bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes until they start crisping. Serve with guacamole, cheese, and lettuce.

Taco Soup

I love tacos. I love soup. I love taco soup. This has all the best taco flavors in a nice warm bowl. It is easy to make and is just the perfect end to a long day. Delicious!

Ingredients:
For the taco seasoning
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

**If you don't want to buy all these ingredients, feel free to substitute them all for just a packet of taco seasoning!

For the soup
1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 sweet Yellow Onion, diced
3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup Frozen Corn
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
1 4 oz can Diced Green Chilies
1/2 packet Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

For the toppings
Corn tortilla strips
Sour cream
Cheese, shredded
Green onions, sliced

Directions:
Over medium heat, combine beef, all taco seasonings, minced garlic, and onions. Stir until the beef is fully browned. Add the cans of beans, tomatoes, corn, chilies, and the ranch packet. Stir. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the soup for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Test taste the soup and salt to taste. Be generous with the salt.

Heat up an inch of oil in a large pan. Cut up your tortillas in strips and fry them until they start to turn golden. Remove them from the oil and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

Serve your soup with the tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese, and green onions.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is by far the best Teriyaki sauce I have ever had. I just love it, and I hope you do to!

Ingredients:
5-6 cloves of Garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon of fresh Grated Ginger or Ginger Powder
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoons Cornstarch, mixed with 2 teaspoons of Water
1 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Vinegar
Chicken Breasts

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients (except for the chicken) in a blender. Blend well.

Put the chicken in a zip lock bag and put just enough of the Teriyaki sauce to cover the chicken breasts. Let the chicken marinate in the sauce in the fridge for a few hours. Keep the remaining chicken for basting and for the next use.

Cook the chicken breasts and keep brushing with more Teriyaki sauce. After the chicken is fully cooked, cut it into strips and serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and more Teriyaki sauce if desired.

Corn Dogs

These are so tasty! If you love the place Hot Dog on a Stick, then you will absolutely love these. It will take a couple times of making these until you get it down. Sometimes it can be tricky knowing how long to let the batter drip off without making the batter too thin. Once it gets in the oil it may take some time to learn what speed to spin the hot dogs so it keeps the shape. When you get it down just right, they will be so perfect...and nice and soft inside.

Ingredients
2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Cornmeal
1/2 cup Sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 cups Milk
2 egg Yolks (slightly beaten)
10 Hot Dogs
Oil (for frying)
Sticks (I just use wooden sticks I bought at a candy supply store)

Directions
Dry off hotdogs, roll in flour and brush off the excess, and put on a stick. (I also like to put a long skewer stick in as well so I have more to hold on to when frying)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and mix. Add the egg yolks and milk into the dry mixture and beat until smooth.

Heat the oil to 350 degress.

Dip the hotdog into the batter and let some of the batter drip off of the hotdog.

Put into oil and start spinning the hot dog so that it keeps its shape. Fry until brown.

COUNTRY FRIED CHICKEN

I really like fried chicken a lot, but I do not like it greasy. This recipe is great because you fry your chicken for just a minute and then bake it the rest of the way. This helps it to not be so greasy. I love this meal at restaurants, so I decided to start making it from home. I have always made fried chicken before, but I love eating it with Country gravy...which I just started making.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
Flour
Eggs
Oil
Country Gravy Packet

Directions:
1. Heat up some oil in a skillet on medium-high. Preheat oven to 250. Grease your casserole dish.

2. If your chicken is a thick breast, then pound it flat. I like my fried chicken to be thinner, about 1/2 in thickness or so...and even in flatness. On a plate put down a lot of flour. To season your chicken you are going to season it on this step. Pour TONS of your seasonings on your plate of flour. I like to season mine with Lawry's (seasoning salt), Garlic, and Pepper. Make sure to pour a ton of seasonings...be VERY VERY generous.

3. Crack open a couple eggs in a bowl and beat them. Dip your chicken breast into the egg and cover it on both sides. Take the chicken out of the egg and put it on the plate of flour. I use a spoon and spoon on tons of flour on the top of the chicken. Turn it over and do the same to the other side. Dip it in the egg again and repeat the same step in the flour again.

4. Take the chicken from the flour and set it in the hot oil. Once it gets golden brown on one side which just takes a minute, turn it to the other side to brown. Watch your chicken carefully so that you don't burn your chicken in the oil. Transfer your chicken into your greased dish. Put your chicken in the oven and cook for 2 hours. If you like your batter to be crispy then crank up the heat to 450 for about 10 minutes at the very end of cooking it.

(Cooking it on a low temperature for 2 hours will cook it slowly and help your chicken to not dry out)

5. When you chicken is finished, pull it out of the oven to start cooling. In the meantime, prepare your country gravy as it says on the packet. Sometimes the gravy can be quite thick, so add more liquid to it if you desire. You can also add some salt and pepper to the gravy if you'd like so it would add a little more flavor.

6. Pour your gravy over the chicken breasts and serve.

(1 packet gravy should be enough for 2-3 chicken breasts)

CROCK POT CORDON BLEU

This recipe is best when you use smoked ham and pound out the chicken as thin as you can possibly get it. The smoked ham adds so much flavor not only to the chicken, but the sauce as well.

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts
Deli Sliced Smoked Ham
Deli Sliced Cheese (Swiss, Mozzarella, or Provolone)
1 large can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup Milk

Directions:
1. Pound your chicken breasts flat. The easiest way for me to do this is by beating the chicken with your rolling pin. Roll it to about 1/2 inch in thickness, but if you can get it even thinner...even better!

2. Lay the ham on top of the chicken to cover it completely. You will need 1-2 slices of deli ham to cover it depending on the size of the slice. Lay down the cheese on top of the ham. Roll up the chicken with the ham and cheese inside and put a few tooth picks in it keep it from unrolling.

3. Put your rolled chicken in your crock pot and then sprinkle it with seasonings of your choice.

4. In a bowl, mix your milk and soup and then pour it over your chicken in the crock pot.

5. Cook your chicken on low for about 4 hours. Serve with a side dish (potatoes, rice, egg noodles...)

ORANGE CHICKEN

I am obsessed with the Orange Chicken from Panda Express. But who needs Panda Express when you can make it from home? Try it out. Tell me what you think. I love it!

Ingredients:
2 Large Chicken Breasts
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Oil (for frying)
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1/4 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Peppers
1 Green Onion (sliced thin)
1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Orange Juice
5 tablespoons Sugar
5 tablespoons White Vinegar
1 Orange, zest of (OPTIONAL)

Directions:

1. Cut up your chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Put the chicken into a bowl. Stir in the egg, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of oil.

2. In a seperate bowl stir in the flour and the 1/2 cup of cornstarch.

3. Spoon out the chicken from the liquid mixture and put the pieces into your flour mixture. Stir around well until the chicken is fully coated int the flour and cornstarch.

4. Heat up some oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is really hot, spoon your chicken out of the bowl and set the pieces in the oil in a single layer. Flip each piece over once it is golden brown. When the chicken is cooked and brown, pull it out of the oil and set aside. Dump the oil and clean your pan.

5. In a bowl add the soy sauce, orange juice, sugar, and white vinegar. Stir.

**You need to work QUICK in the following steps and be ready with your ingredients. I burnt my first batch because I wasn't fully prepared...so I had to start over. Get out the remaining ingredients and measuring tools. Have the lids off the spices and have your onion cut so you are ready.

6. Add a tablespoon of oil in your clean pan. Add your ground ginger and minced garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant. (about 10 seconds)

7. Add and stir-fry your crushed red peppers and green onions.

8. Add the sesame oil. Stir for 3 seconds.

9. Add in your mixture that you have in your bowl containing the soy sauce, orange juice, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil.

10. Add your cooked chicken and stir until mixed.

11. Add in the water and the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir until smooth.

12. Heat until thickened. If you want to add the orange zest you do it at this point. Only add it if you want it to have a lot of orange flavor, as it adds a ton. I would recommend skipping the orange zest if you dont want it REALLY orangy.

13. Serve with rice.

SERVES: 2

CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN

This is another great recipe I got from Allen's family. I shared it with my family and they all loved it so much. It is really easy and nice to throw in the crock pot and not have to think about it. It has so much flavor. You will love it!

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 Cup Apple Juice
1/2 Packet of Italian Dressing Mix
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
Egg Noodles or Rice

Directions:

1. Wash your chicken breasts and cut them into thick strips. I normally cut each breast into 3 equal strips. Put them in the bottom of your small crock pot.

2. Pour on top of your chicken the soup, apple juice, and 1/2 the italian packet (the italian packet is one of those packets to make italian dressing, like how they sell those ranch packets). Stir everything around in your crock pot and then put the lid on it. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

3. A half hour before everything is done in the crock pot, put in your cream cheese and sour cream. Stir this around well and put the lid back on for the remaining 30 minutes.

4. Boil your noodles (you can make rice instead if your prefer) and then drain the water.

5. Serve your chicken and sauce over your noodles.

**If you are using a large crock pot, you may want to double the batch so that everything doesn't burn...but beware, it will make a lot!