Eating at home...

7 oz Pasta Shells (small)
1/2 purple onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2/3 cup peas
2 carrots
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tbsp black pepper
3 tbsp dill
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp crushed rosemary
1 tbsp marjoram leaves
1 tbsp taragon
1 cup Miracle Whip (Lite works fine)

Julienne carrots, about 1/4 inch in length or smaller. Boil pasta, add salt to water. Mince onion and bell pepper. Be sure to remove the seeds and light colored ribs from inside the pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots, onion, red pepper, peas, and the rest of the dried ingredients. Add about half of the Miracle Whip, and mix well, then add the pasta, and the remainder of the Miracle Whip. Mix thoroughly. The mix should be fairly moist at this stage, let sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator, and the pasta should absorb most of the excess as it sets.

The main dry ingredient is the dill, after that, feel free to improvise with whatever you happen to have on hand. I make a version of this pasta salad every year for a family BBQ, and I've never made it the same twice, it all depends on who's kitchen I end up cooking in, and what they have on hand. As with any cooking, don't be afraid to be creative with what you have to work with.

Growing up in the midwest, I've eaten at Steak 'n Shake more times than I can remember. My two favorite items are their triple Steakburger, and their Chili 5-Way. Up until recently, there was no Steak 'n Shake in my area, and while I couldn't duplicate their burgers (to be honest, I never really tried), I found that duplicating their chili wasn't all that hard.

Several of the popular brands of chili with beans prove to be a fair match, but what always set their chili apart was the special sauce. As it turns out, this is fairly easy to duplicate. Just whip up a batch, ladle chili over some spaghetti noodles, and drizzle this sauce over the top:

4 Tbsp catsup
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
4-5 dashes Tabasco pepper sauce

The above is good enough for a single serving, scale accordingly and to taste for the number of bowls you're serving.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground sausage (not Italian)
1 lb Andouille sausage (diced)
1 large onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs (or Panko)
2 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
2 Tbsp brown mustard
2 Tbsp catsup
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Use a large wooden spoon, or your hands, to mix thoroughly. Empty bowl onto a baking sheet, form into a loaf. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for at least 90 minutes.

8 oz shitake mushrooms
8 oz portabello mushrooms
1 small onion, sliced into small strips
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups whipping cream

Sauté the onion in the butter until translucent. Add the mushrooms, then salt. Sauté another minute or two until the mushrooms are tender, then add the wine. Allow this to cook down slightly, then add the whipping cream and soy sauce. Allow to come to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to reduce, stirring often.

When the meatloaf is done, slice portions, and top with the mushroom sauce.

There are generally two types of clam sauce, red, and white. A restaurant I ate at a while back had what they called a clear sauce. It was quite nice, so I attempted to replicate it. I have since given up on trying to replicate it, as I like my version better, and it gets better every time I make a batch.

Basic recipe is as follows:

2 cans of chopped clams (usually found next to the canned tuna)
1 can on minced clams (usually found next to the chopped clams, see above)
1 large sweet onion, minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes (if you dice your own, use a nice tomato like a Romano)
1 bottle of clam juice (next to the other cans above)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
1 lb linguini
fresh grated parmesan cheese

Sauté the diced onions in olive oil until translucent, add the minced garlic, sauté another minute or two, then add the diced tomatoes, the bottle of clam juice, and the juice from the cans of clams (but not the clams themselves).

Add the oregano and basil, the salt, butter, and a few grinds of black pepper. The butter will give a little bit of richness to the sauce instead of adding cream like you would in a white sause. Simmer this on low heat, you will want the clam juice to reduce down to about 1/3 of what you started with, this will concentrate the flavor.

Boil water for the linguini, when it comes to a boil, add the clams to the sauce and cover. All we need to do is heat them through, if they cook too long they will turn rubbery.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top, preferably fresh.

2 lbs bulk Italian sausage
2 cans tomato paste
4 cans tomato sauce
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tobasco
2 tbsp grape jelly
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup water

Fry the sausage, and when brown, add the onions. Sauté until translucent, add the garlic, sauté another minute or two. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, allow to reduce slighty, add the tomato sauce, paste, and other ingredients.

Allow to simmer on low heat for at least an hour. A bit of honey can be substituted for the grape jelly. For a bit more heat, use more tobasco.

Here's a simple one...

Drain 2 cans chick peas (garbanzo beans) into a strainer, rinse, then remove the outer skin by lightly running between your fingers. This can be very time consuming, but is worth the effort for a smoother texture.

Place chick peas in a food processor, along with a small can of chopped black olives. Add a few cloves of chopped garlic (about 1tsp or so), a few grinds of black pepper, and a small sweet onion.

Drizzle in some olive oil as the mixture blends, it should have a nice creamy texture when done. Taste, and re-season as necessary.

I've only tried my hand once at gumbo before, and I don't recall that it worked out that well. I've taken another stab at it, and it was a big hit with the family this time around.

Ingredients:

1 pound andouille sausage (packaged links will do nicely)
2 chicken breasts (frozen, boneless, skinless, precooked if possible)
1 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined, raw)
1 large onion (sweet, vidalia, etc)
1 tbsp minced garlic (from a jar, or several cloves, chopped fresh)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick butter
1 can chicken broth
3 cans beef broth
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup worcestershire
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 bag frozen okra (16 oz)
1 can lump crab
Old Bay seasoning

Preheat a large pot, slice the sausage lengthwise, then again to quarter, and slice thinly. Put these in the pot to fry up, stirring occasionally. Mince the onion while the sausage is browning.

Preheat a skillet, and drain the sausage grease into the skillet, get as much out as you can, return pot to heat. Add frozen chicken breasts and a small amount of water, cover on medium heat until thawed.

While the chicken is cooking, add the butter to the sausage grease, when almost melted add the flour and set on medium heat. If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil, and stir frequently while the roux browns. It will start yellow, then turn darker, a light brown, then golden, then darker. It should brown for about 20 minutes or so, if it browns too fast it will burn and be too bitter. Pay attention at the end not to let it get too dark, about the color of milk chocolate is fine.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove and add the minced onions, add a small amount of olive oil if there is insufficient grease in the pot. Dice the chicken breasts, return to the pot, along with the garlic. Stir often until the onions are translucent.

Peel shrimp (if necessary), and liberally apply Old Bay seasoning to both sides of the shrimp.

When the roux is done, add this to the pot, along with the broth, tomato paste, worcestershire, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, and paprika. Heat to a low boil, and add the okra. Allow to cook until the okra is thawed and tender (5 min or so). Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the shrimp, these should only take a few more minutes to cook thoroughly. Finally, add the lump crab, and reduce heat. Simmer a few more minutes, and it's ready to serve.

Be sure to remove the bay leaves prior to serving.

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, juiced and zested
1 habanero, minced finely (discard seeds)

Zest both oranges and mince finely. In a pan on low heat, add butter, sugar, orange zest, and juice. A double boiler would also work well to control the heat. Add at least half of the habanero, this amount will give a nice, warm afterglow to the sauce, if you want a bit more heat, add in a bit more. Taste as the sauce has thickened a bit if you want to add more, it's easy to add heat, not so easy to take it away.

Heat until the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.

Drizzle over vanilla ice cream, recipe makes enough for about four bowls.

This recipe is quite similar to the soup served at Olga's Kitchen, a great chain around the midwest, but none in Texas, so I've had to work up my own version of their dish.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground lamp
1 large onion (sweet, vidalia, etc)
1 tbsp minced garlic (from a jar, or several cloves, chopped fresh)
6 cans chicken broth (14oz)
5 cans beef broth (14oz)
1 can tomato paste (6oz)
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp Konriko Greek Seasoning (or similar)
1 1/2 cups barley
1 cup frozen peas
3 medium carrots
1 zucchini

Fry up the ground lamb, while this is frying, mince the onion. When the lamb is browned, add the onion, continue cooking on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the garlic, saute a few more minutes.

Julienne the carrots, quarter then slice the zucchini. My local store sells frozen bags of grilled zucchini, which give a bit more flavor.

Add the tomato paste, broth, carrots, peas, zucchini, cayenne pepper, black pepper, greek seasoning, and salt. (Konriko Greek Seasoning ingredients: Salt, Garlic, Black Pepper, Corn Starch, Oregano, Sage, other spices) Bring this to a boil, add the barley, allow to return to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

This site will be a holding place for some recipes that I've done in the kitchen here, more specifically the ones that worked out rather well that I want to try again, or occasionally so ideas that I'm working on.