Tomato Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 skinnless, boneless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 ounces pasta sauce
• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese (I put shredded Mozzarella on it, I don't recall why)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C)
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
4. Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cups rasins

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats, then rasins.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and squish into a patty
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Alcohol Substitutions

 Alcoholic Ingredient Description Substitution


we moved to the southern states a couple years ago and one of the issues still in the area is a ban on selling alcohol on Sundays. we try to plan out our meals and then grocery shop on the day we make them. However, we always have trouble remembering that if we need some type of alcohol for our Sunday recipe, it needs to be bought the day before. Hopefully this list of substitution will come in handy whether you are religious yourself, or simply lack the ingredient.








Amaretto Italian almond-flavored liqueur
Almond extract.
Beer or ale Various types.
For light beers, substitute chicken broth, ginger ale or white grape juice. For heavier beers, use a stronger beef, chicken or mushroom broth or stock. Non-alcoholic beers may also be substituted.
Brandy Liquor made of distilled wine or fruit juice.
Scotch or bourbon. If a particular flavor is specified, use the corresponding fruit juice, such as apple, apricot, cherry, peach, raspberry etc. or grape juice. Corresponding flavored extracts can be used for small amounts.
Calvados Apple brandy
Apple juice concentrate or juice.
Chambord Black raspberry liqueur
Raspberry juice, syrup or extract.
Champagne Sparkling white wine.
Sparkling white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine.
Claret Light red wine or Bordeaux.
Non-alcoholic wine, diluted currant or grape juice, cherry cider syrup.
Cognac Aged, double-distilled wine or fermented fruit juice. 
Cognac is considered the finest brandy.Other less expensive brandies may be substituted, as well as Scotch or whiskey, or use peach, apricot or pear juice.
Cointreau French, orange-flavored liqueur.
Orange juice concentrate or regular orange juice that has been reduced to a thicker consistency.
Curacao Liqueur made from bitter Seville oranges.
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
Creme de menthe Thick and syrupy, sweetened mint liqueur. 
Comes both clear and green.Mix spearmint extract or oil with a little water or grapefruit juice. Use a drop of food coloring if you need the green color.
Framboise French raspberry liqueur.
Raspberry juice or syrup.
Frangelico Italian hazelnut liqueur.
Hazelnut or almond extract.
Galliano Golden Italian anise liqueur.
Licorice extract.
Grand Marnier French liqueur, orange-flavored.
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
Grappa Italian grape brandy.
Grape juice or reduced red wine.
Grenadine Pomegranate syrup, sometimes alcoholic.
Pomegranate syrup or juice.
Hard Cider Fermented, alcoholic cider.
Apple cider or juice.
Kahlua Syrupy Mexican liqueur made with coffee and cocoa beans.
Strong coffee or espresso with a touch of cocoa powder.
Kirsch (Kirchwasser) Colorless liqueur made of cherries.
Black cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, or grape juice or syrup, or cherry cider.
Red Burgundy Dry French wine.
Non-alcoholic wine, red wine vinegar, grape juice.
Red wine Sweet or dry wine.
Non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water.
Rum Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup.
For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract. For dark rum, use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract. Or use rum extract flavoring.
Sake Fermented rice drink.
 Rice vinegar.
Schnapps Flavored, colorless liquor.
Use corresponding flavored extract such as peppermint, peach, etc.
Sherry Fortified dessert wine, sweet or dry, some with a slightly nutty flavor.
Orange or pineapple juice.
Southern Comfort Bourbon mixed with peach liqueur.
Peach nectar mixed with a little cider vinegar.
Tequila Liquor made of the agave plant.
Cactus nectar or juice.
Triple Sec Orang-flavored liqueur.
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
Vermouth Wine-based drink infused with herbs, sweet or dry.
For sweet, use non-alcoholic sweet wine, apple or grape juice or balsamic vinegar. For dry, use non-alcoholic white wine, white grape juice or white wine vinegar.
Whiskey (whisky) Distilled liquor.
Bourbon, Scotch and whiskey may be used interchangably. Small amounts may be eliminated. Large amounts cannot be effectively substituted.
White Burgundy Dry French wine.
Non-alcoholic wine, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar.
White wine Sweet or dry wine.
Non-alcoholic wine, chicken broth or stock, diluted white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar, ginger ale, canned mushroom liquid, water. For marinades, substitute 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 Tbsp sugar plus 1/4 cup water.

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
Broccoli Saute
1 (12 oz) package broccoli floretts, chopped
1(8oz) mix prechopped celery, onion, and bell pepper
1/4 cup (optional) bacon bits
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and celery mix; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add bacon, pepper, and garlic; saute 1 minute.

We don't care for spicy foods so we leave out the crushed red pepper

Soup
broccoli saute
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1.5 oz (1/3 cup) all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 (16 oz) block processed cheese, cubed

1. prepare Broccoli Saute
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. while broccoli mixture comes to a boil, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir flour mixture into broccoli mixture. Add remaining 2 cups milk; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes until thick. Add cheese to soup mixture, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat. 
4. There is also the option to blend half of the soup and return it to the pan; however, we skip this step.

We substituted bacon for chopped ham. 

Again, this is a picture taken with my cell phone

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

Breading
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer

White Sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Fish
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce
portions
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely
shredded

We used flour tortillas instead and also baked the fish rather than deepfry.

Pan fry: fry a single layer of fillets in a skillet with hot oil (350* F) until golden brown or flakes easily.

broil: preheat. place pan containing fish 4 to 5 inches from heat and broil 6-10 minutes until flakes at thickest part of fillet.

bake: preheat to 425. place in lightly oiled shallow baking dish. bake 6 to 10 minutes until opaque throughout.( this is the way we chose to cook it.)

1. To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).

2. To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.

3. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

Note: We used wild caught cod fillets from Sea Best. The company uses sustainable fishing practices certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

starting to move the fish to the pan

some of what goes into the tacos

cod fillet

beerless beer batter (forgot to pick up the beer before sunday)

Easy Colcannon (Potatoes and Cabbage)

This is a great recipe for getting all those St. Patrick's Day fanatics off your back. We paired this recipe with a couple of Irish Bangers and Kielbasa, bread, and some mixed vegetables. No Boxy, Iv'e already got one man, don't want another.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs medium red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 7 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/3 reduced fat butter
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

*I hadn't realize the ingredients had been skipped over, sorry if you are coming back to this recipe !

1. Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender, adding the cabbage during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine green onions and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until onions are soft.
3. Drain potato mixture. Mash with milk mixture, butter, salt and pepper.

Make sure you drain the potatoes and cabbage very well. Our colcannon ended up a little runny. You can also try to add the milk in slowly so you don't end up using too much, might try using half and then adding more if needed. Adding in some all-purpose flour helped with the consistency when we didn't drain it well. The taste was still great.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 (3.4 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• can also throw in chopped walnuts

I thought the pudding was weird as heck, but as I am the worst cookie baker ever, I deferred to the cookie baker experts. Apparently the pudding makes it soft and chewy. which it does! The cookies dont taste like pudding either.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookies sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.