Bell Pepper Soup

3 green bell peppers, chopped
1 tbsp corn oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 small celery stalk, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup beef broth
¼ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
4 tsp flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper

Set aside 2 tbsp bell pepper for garnish. Heat oil in saucepan. Sautè vegetables. Add both broths and mixed herbs. Simmer 10 minutes over a low heat. Purèe mixture in a blender. Return to saucepan. Blend flour and milk in a bowl. Fold into soup. Reheat without boiling over low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold, garnished with chopped bell pepper. Serves 4.

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Hot Spinach Salad w/Dijon Dressing

½ lb bacon
10 oz spinach
1½ cups mushrooms
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 hard cooked eggs, grated

Dice the bacon and fry until crisp. Drain, reserving the drippings. Wash and trim the spinach. Tear into bite size pieces. Place on serving plates. Top with bacon, mushrooms, cheese, and eggs.

Dijon Dressing
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp granulated sugar
¼ white wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
½ olive oil
2 green onions, chopped

Heat 3 tbsp of the bacon drippings in a saucepan. Add mustard and sugar. Bring to a boil. Whisk in vinegar, Worcestershire and salt. Slowly add oil, stirring constantly. Stir in onions. Pour over salad and serve immediately. Serves 4.

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Porterhouse Steak w/Vegetables

10 French shallots, peeled
2 tbsp butter
3 cups mushrooms, quartered
10 oz canned green beans, in their juice
10 oz canned asparagus, in their juice
salt and pepper
4 tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp oil
4-8 oz Porterhouse steaks
3 oz cognac

Blanch shallots for 2 minutes in a saucepan filled with lightly-salted boiling water. Pat dry. Melt butter and lightly brown shallots in a skillet. Heat beans and asparagus, in their juices, in a casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain and keep warm. Preheat oven to broil. Sprinkle tomato halves with pepper. Broil 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet. Keep warm. Sear steaks 5 minutes on each side. Pour cognac on steaks and Flambè 30 seconds. Serve in a warm dish encircled with vegetables. Serves 4.

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Tarragon Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
1-3 lb chicken
8 oz thinly sliced ham
2 sliced onions
2 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
1½ cups chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour, all purpose

Preheat oven to 350°. Rub chicken with olive oil. Place in uncovered casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Add ham, onions, celery, carrots, stock and tarragon. Cover and continue to bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven, strain broth, then carve chicken. Return chicken to casserole dish and keep warm with vegetables. In saucepan, heat butter, stir in flour and 2 cups of strained broth. Simmer until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Serve in casserole dish. Serves 4.

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Stuffed Tomatoes

4 large tomatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
½ tsp oregano
15 mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Core tomatoes. Slice off top and scoop out most of the flesh, but leave a sturdy shell. Place in baking dish. Salt and pepper inside to taste, then sprinkle with oil. Set flesh aside. In saucepan, heat oil, cook onion and garlic in for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato flesh, oregano, mushrooms, and parsley. Season to taste and cook 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Mix in cheese and bread crumbs. Cook mixture 2-3 more minutes. Fill shells with mixture and bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes. Serves 4.

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Rice Florentine

1½ cups brown rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 spanish onion, finely diced
10 oz spinach
3 tbsp butter
1 cup Feta cheese

Bring rice and stock to boil. Cover and simmer until rice is tender. Wash and trim spinach. Sautè onion in butter until tender. Add spinach to onion and cook quickly. Drain rice. Stir in spinach-onion mixture with cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

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Simple Fruit Cobbler

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
¾ cup milk
1 stick butter
1 can of any kind of fruit (fresh fruit can also be used)

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in 2 quart glass baking dish. Mix together flour, sugar and milk. Add mixture to butter in dish. Place fruit on top of flour mixture and bake until brown, about 35-45 minutes. Serve warm. Top with ice cream if desired.

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No-Bake Mocha Cheesecake

Crust
2 cups chocolate crumbs
2 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

Combine ingredients and press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Chill.

Filling
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup water
1 lb cream cheese, softened
6 oz chocolate chips, melted
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup whipping cream, whipped
1 cup chocolate curls

Soften gelatin in water, then heat until gelatin has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and cool. Cream together cheese, chocolate, milk and vanilla. Stir in gelatin and fold in the whipped cream. Pour into shell and refrigerate for 4 hours. Garnish with chocolate curls. Serves 8-10.

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