Grilled PB & Bacon

Makes one

Elvis really liked these with banana in them - but maybe a bit too much. He did get a little jumbo didn't he? So the lesson then is to eat them only occasionally - not all at once by the dozens.

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of bread - I think wheat is amazing for these
• PB - of course
• 4 pieces bacon, cooked - crispy is best
• Butter

Directions

1. Spread peanut butter on bread...add bacon... top with other bread slice...butter both sides then cook in a non-stick plan until golden brown

PB Puppy Squares (for dogs)

If you cut these into small squares, Darlene says they are perfect for helping train your dog.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and the PB and milk in another
3. Mix both well, then add wet to dry ingredients
4. Place dough on a floured surface and knead
5. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick, and cut into 3/4 inch squares
6. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown and let cool completely.
7. Store in a zip lock or plastic container.

View fullsize

Sam's Kettle Corn

Sure you can buy this at the fair, but is the fair on right now? Cuz if it's not - I've got you covered. So say goodbye to that microwave business and get this happening.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup popcorn
• 1/4 cup oil - vegetable or canola is fine
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a large pot
2. Stir so all kernels are covered with sugar/oil mixture
3. Turn heat to medium, cover pot with lid & wait
4. Once popping begins, shake pot continuously to keep kernels from sticking to bottom & burning
5. When popping slows - remove from heat and pour into a bowl
6. When slightly cool, separate big clumps and eat - mmmmmmm

Smoked Salmon, Dill And Goat Cheese Pizza

Serves 4

Bring on the brunch baby, cuz this is one of my favorite things to serve.

Ingredients

• 1 - 10 oz pre baked pizza crust
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped fresh dill
• 5 ounces soft goat cheese
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons capers, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Brush crust lightly with olive oil.
3. Spread goatcheese over the crust, sprinkle with 1/2 the dill then top with sliced onions
4. Bake until cheese melts and crust starts getting crispy about 12 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, top with salmon and remaining dill

Spinach, Mushroom & Bacon Frittata

Serves 8

Don't shy away from brunch because you think you have to stand in the kitchen and make 3 dozen fried eggs or a million pancakes. This easy frittata throws together in no time, and is made even easier if you use my favorite 'Ready Bacon'.

Ingredients

• 12 eggs

• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 red pepper, diced small

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms

• One 2 ounce package Ready Bacon, diced small

• One 6 ounce bag fresh baby spinach

• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, approximately

• Sour cream & salsa to garnish

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400

2. Beat eggs in a large bowl, season with salt & pepper and set aside

3. Heat large pan over medium and add olive oil, garlic, red pepper and mushrooms

4. Cook until peppers are crisp-tender - about 5 minutes

5. Add bacon and spinach & cook until spinach has wilted down

6. Remove from heat, and add to the eggs with Parmesan and stir well

7. Pour into a buttered 9x9 casserole dish, top with a little more Parmesan and bake until set, 20-25 minutes - do not overcook...you don't want it too dry

8. Serve topped with sour cream and salsa

Sesame Noodles

This is so good either alone or as an accompaniment. In fact, it's a perfect match for the Asian Scallops - see recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter - creamy is best
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound lo mein or linguine
• 1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed & strings discarded
• Chopped peanuts for garnish

Directions

1. Combine soy, vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, peanut butter, sesame oil, ginger, and chicken broth in a small saucepan
2. Simmer and stir until it is thick and smooth and let cool.
3. Cook snow peas in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about a 2 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
5. Cook noodles in boiling salted water - do not overcook.
6. Drain and then rinse noodles under cold water.
7. Drain again well and transfer to a bowl.
8. Add the snow peas to the noodles and toss both in the sauce.
9. Serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.

Turducken

What's that you ask? A Turducken is a boneless chicken stuffed in a boneless duck stuffed in a boneless turkey. And if that's not enough, there is sausage in between. They've been eating these in Louisiana for some time now and it is really delicious - trust me. But if you're thinking this sounds like way too much work to be a Cooking Guy recipe - you're right. That's why we don't make it - we order it. It comes from a wonderful place called Cajun Stuff. They sell all manner of Cajun food items - from Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffee to Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops to Creole Jambalaya. Have a look at their website - you'll definitely find something you like - www.cajunstuff.com. As they like to say, "Real Cajun, Real Food, Real Good".

Ingredients

• None

Directions

1. None

David Abella's 'Wasabi Cocktail Sauce'

From the Executive Chef/Partner of Roy's Restaurant in La Jolla, this simple sauce makes something as plain as grilled shrimp come alive. Make it once, and you'll say goodbye to the store bought version forever. Wasabi powder is available at any supermarket. For more info about Roy's, have a look at their website www.roysrestaurants.com.

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Wasabi powder
• 2 Tablespoons Grated Horseradish
• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• Juice of 2 Limes

Directions

1. Add enough water to wasabi powder to make a thick paste.
2. Add horseradish, ketchup and lime juice.
3. Mix smooth and you're done.
4. Serve on the side anywhere you might use regular cocktail sauce.

Roasted Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4 - unless you eat all the tomatoes before...

This is one great salad. Easy as pie with huge bold flavors - yee ha.

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatoes - I like the little cherry guys
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 bag, pre-washed mixed greens, you choose
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out seeds and put in large bowl
3. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and mix well
4. Place on roasting pan and roast in oven until tender - about 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and cool slightly
6. In a large bowl combine greens with about 3/4 of the goat cheese
7. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and a little of the balsamic, mix well
8. Put on serving plates, top with tomatoes, a little bit more of the goat cheese and there you have it

Coconut-Lime Chicken Wraps

Serves 4

No description

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 14 ounce can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons curry
• 2 tablespoons chili paste
• zest of one lime plus the juice
• cilantro
• green bib lettuce leaves
• tortillas

Directions

1. Pound breasts to about 1/2 inch thick
2. Combine coconut milk, soy, cumin, curry, chili paste, lime zest and juice in a bowl and mix well
3. Reserve about 1/3 of the sauce for after, but add chicken to the rest
4. Mix well, cover and marinate about an hour
5. Warm extra sauce in small pot
6. Grill chicken until cooked then slice into thin strips
7. On a warm tortilla, place a couple of lettuce leaves, a bunch of cilantro and the beautifully grilled chicken
8. Add a little more sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime

(Spicy) BBQ Chicken Pizza

Makes one 12 inch pizza

Make this with a deli roasted chicken. I mean you can cook your own, but why would you? The spicy chili sauce is optional - but shouldn't be.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 8oz) cooked shredded chicken
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, approximately
• 1 pre baked pizza crust
• 1 cup - shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoons Asian chili sauce, optional
• fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Mix cooked chicken with the BBQ and chili sauces
3. Spread chicken over crust and top with red onion and then the mozzarella
4. Bake 10-12 minutes until top starts to brown and get bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Strawberry Mojito

Makes 1 - but a really delicious one.

This drink requires you to perform the ancient bartender art of 'muddling' which just means mashing some of the ingredients at the bottom of the glass to bring out the flavors & oils. You can even buy special equipment just for this task. Or you could use the handle of a wooden spoon or stick or hammer handle if you had to.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces white rum
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 strawberries, halved
• 1/2 lime, quartered
• club soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Put lime, sugar, strawberries & mint in the bottom of a tall glass and muddle
2. Add ice, rum and fill to the top with soda and stir

Pesto Garlic Bread

Makes 1 baguette

Does this really need an introduction?

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup pesto, store bought
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 long sour dough baguette

Directions

1. Heat broiler
2. Mix butter with pesto
3. Slice baguette lengthwise and spread with pesto butter then sprinkle with parmesan
4. Place under broiler until brown and bubbly but watch to keep from burning
5. Remove from oven, slice and serve - or remove from oven and run like hell to another room and eat it all by yourself

Bruschetta Pasta

Serves 6

My friend Sara reminds me that technically, bruschetta means 'grilled bread' and NOT the tomato, basil garlic deal that you put on top. Happy Sara? That having been said, this recipe is bruschetta pasta - pasta with tomatoes, basil and garlic - as apposed to pasta with grilled bread.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta, spaghetti works nice here
• 2 large tomatoes
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 dozen large basil leaves, torn into smallish pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Remove seeds from tomatoes and chop roughly
3. Put tomatoes in a bowl with the garlic, basil and olive oil - season with salt & pepper
4. Drain pasta, add to bowl and toss well with tomato mixture
5. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese - and maybe some grilled bread just to make Sara happy

Chocolate Brownie Surprise

Makes 6

The surprise here is the addition of ground chicken to the brownies. It just adds something 'special'. Just kidding - the real surprise is the raspberry jam you hide between the brownie and ice cream that no one will be expecting. Ground Chicken...man, am I funny or what?

Ingredients

• 1 pack Brownie Mix
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• Hersheys chocolate syrup
• 1/4 cup Kahlua
• Slivered almonds
• Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Cut out 6 sheets of wax paper approximately 6 inches square and fit into the bottom and up the sides of 6 small ramekin dishes
2. Fill each dish about 1/4 inch full with ice cream and pat down smooth - put in freezer for at least one hour
3. Make brownies according to package directions, allow to cool - cut out into 3" circles
4. For each dessert: drizzle some chocolate decoratively on a plate, soak bottom of brownie in Kahlua and place on top of plate
5. Top brownie with some of the jam
6. Place frozen ice cream disk on top of jam
7. Drizzle more chocolate over top and sprinkle with almonds and powdered sugar

Tuna Tacos with Mango

Makes 6

I'll be the first to admit that tuna tacos don't really sound very good - but they are. In fact, they're deeelicious.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango, diced small
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 fresh lime, squeezed
• 3/4 pound yellow fin tuna, uncooked and diced medium
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

1. Mix first 4 Ingredients and set aside
2. Heat oil to almost high
3. In medium pan and add tuna
4. Saute quickly & when almost done stir in seasoning
5. Put in a warmed tortilla and add mango salsa
6. That's all - ok, so it wouldn't kill you to add a little extra squeeze of fresh lime

Tuna Pasta

Serves 6

Pasta with canned tuna sounds bizarre, but there are plenty of fancy shmancy Italian restaurants that have a version of this on the menu. The cool part is that almost all of this can come right out of the cupboard.

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced medium
• 1 can tuna (in water) drained
• 1 14 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1 5 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 pound pasta, you choose
• parmesan cheese
• parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta
2. In large pan, saute onion in olive oil until softened
3. Add tomatoes and tuna, heat well
4. Add tomato sauce and fresh ground pepper, heat through
5. Drain pasta and add to sauce in pan - mix well and serve with parmesan cheese and parsley

Jordan

He's 13 and on the run with sports, girls, school, girls, friends and girls - so he doesn't have a ton of time for details. This is basic, but totally works.

Ingredients

• 1 can Albacore tuna in water, drained
• 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheddar
• Sour dough bread

Directions

1. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and add tuna
2. Heat through while breaking apart with a fork
3. Add cheese and allow to melt through
4. Toast bread, and put on the tuna
5. OK, so you could always add some mayo, or a little spice or potato chips - but if you don't... no biggy.

Grilled Tuna Burger

Makes 4

There are cheeseburgers, chicken burgers and even tofu burgers - so why not a fresh tuna burger?

Ingredients

• Four 6 ounce tuna fillets
• 4 burger buns, maybe something interesting like a good wheat or multi-grain
• Red leaf lettuce
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Lightly drizzle tuna with oil and season with salt & pepper
2. Combine mayo, capers, onion and lemon juice - mix well and set aside
3. Heat grill to medium high and cook tuna until both sides are well marked, but tuna is still rare in the middle
4. Toast buns, spread on some sauce and top with lettuce
5. Place finished tuna fillet on top and have at it

Breakfast Wrap

Makes 4

You can call it a wrap, a burrito or even a breakfast roll-up. Whatever you call it - just make it. I use the diced ready potatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup diced ready potatoes
• 8 strips ready bacon
• 1/4 cup grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 large wraps

Directions

1. Heat oil in non-stick pan and add potatoes
2. Cook until beginning to brown, add bacon and saute
3. Beat eggs with salt & pepper and add to potatoes and stir until cooked
4. Heat wrap and add 1/4 of the eggs and sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese - roll up