Deli Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 head Romaine lettuce
  • ⅔ cup Salami
  • 1-2 Cucumbers
  • ½ cup Provolone
  • ½ cup Pepperoni
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • Marinated mozzarella balls
  • ⅓ cup Peperoncini
  • 1 Onion
  • ⅓ cup Italian dressing

Directions

  • Chop lettuce down in 1 inch slices
  • Chop up cucumbers, provolone, red bell pepper, and onion.
  • Models balls may be whole or cut in half.
  • Toss everything together.

You can obviously adjust the proportions of everything to your own preferences.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas
  • 1-2 medium cucumbers
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (2 or 3 Roma tomatoes can work)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 large avocado
  • ½ cup kalamata olives
  • ½ cup red onion
  • ⅓ cup feta cheese
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley
  • ½ cup salad dressing
    • ¼ cup Olive oil
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 tbsp mustard
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

  1. Medium dice cucumber, bell pepper, onion, avocado, and parsley.
  2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half or quarters or medium dice roma tomatoes.
  3. Add chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, olives, onion, avocado, cheese, and parsley into a large salad bowl.
  4. Vigerously mix dressing ingredients (or use a premade dressing such as Greek, Italian, or a balsamic or vinaigrette dressing of your preference)
  5. Pour dressing over the salad and toss.

Creamy potato & mushroom soup

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs potatoes (6-7 medium potatoes)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 cups milk
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
  • 2 tbsp butter

Directions

  1. Boil 2 quarts of water.
  2. Cube potatoes into medium cubes.
  3. While potatoes boil cut onion into a medium dice and add to boiling potatoes.
  4. Use potato masher to break down boiling potatoes and add chopped cloves of garlic.
  5. Cook for 15 minutes.
  6. Stir in milk and flour.
  7. Break down potatoes again if needed and add canned soup and salt to taste. (Fresh mushrooms would be an option too.)
  8. Melt 2 tbsp butter into the soup.

Stuffed crescent rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 cans of crescent roll dough (8 rolls per can)
  • 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. Mix everything except the crescent dough until it is well combined.
  3. Separate dough into its precut triangles.
  4. Put 2 tbsp of filling at the wide end of each triangle and roll toward the pointed end while tucking in the corners of the wide end to keep the filling inside.
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the dough is cooked through and golden.

Runza Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small onion (diced)
  • 2 cups cabbage (shredded)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce (for extra flavor!)
  • 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tbsp butter (melted, for brushing the top)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef and diced onion until browned. Drain excess fat.
  3. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 5 minutes until the cabbage softens.
  4. Unroll half of the crescent roll dough and press it into the bottom of the baking dish
  5. Spread the beef and cabbage mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
  6. Unroll the remaining crescent roll dough and lay it over the top. Brush with melted butter.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Mexican Corn Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 cups corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen & thawed)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • ½ cup crumbled feta or Cotija cheese
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1½ tsp chili powder
  • Juice of 1 lime (1-2 tsp)
  • Salt & black pepper to taste
  • Optional
    • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1 small jalapeño (finely diced, for heat)
    • Sliced green onion

Directions

  1. Prepare the corn
    • Fresh corn should be lightly grilled
    • Canned corn should be well drained
    • Frozen corn should be thawed in advance
  2. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Stir in corn, crumbled cheese and any optional ingredients until everything is evenly mixed.

Garlic honey chicken

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken breasts
  • 8 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Directions

  1. Melt 6 tbsp butter in a pan.
  2. Tenderize chicken breasts to make sure flavor gets throughout the meat.
  3. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Coat seasoned chicken in flour.
  5. Place chicken in pan with melted butter.
  6. Brown for 4 to 5 minutes in each side.
  7. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in the pan.
  8. Place minced garlic in the pan with the chicken.
  9. Add honey, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar to the garlic in the pan and stir until the sauce is well incorporated.
  10. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to thicken.
  11. Make sure all the chicken gets a good coating of sauce.

Stromboli

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • ½ cup pizza sauce
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup sliced pepperoni or cooked sausage
  • ½ cup ham or salami
  • ½ cup sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, or onions
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

For the Dough:

  • Premade
    • Use dough sheets—1½ dough sheets is about right
    • You can use crescent roll dough but that tends to fall apart
  • Or Homemade
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
    • 1 cup warm water
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Dough (if doing homemade):
    1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until combined, then knead for about 5 minutes until smooth.
    2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until combined, then knead for about 5 minutes until smooth.Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
    3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  2. Assemble the Stromboli:
    1. Preheat oven to 400°
    2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle (about 12×16 inches).Spread the cheese evenly, leaving a 1-inch border. Add meats and any desired veggies. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
    3. Spread the cheese evenly, leaving a 1-inch border. Add meats and any desired veggies. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.Carefully roll the dough lengthwise like a jelly roll, tucking in the edges as you go. Pinch the seams tightly to seal.Place the stromboli seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    4. Carefully roll the dough lengthwise like a jelly roll, tucking in the edges as you go. Pinch the seams tightly to seal.
    5. Place the stromboli seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    6. Brush the top with a beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
    7. Cut a few small slits on top for ventilation. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
    8. Let it cool slightly before slicing. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

The only absolutely required ingredients are dough, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Everything else is open for substitution based on personal preference. If you like it on pizza there’s a decent chance you’ll like it in stromboli.

Dinner Loaf

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 1.5 lbs ground turkey
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 head cabbage
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 tsp mayonnaise
  • 1½ cup flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Directions

  1. Saute onion.
  2. Cook ground turkey with onion. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
  3. Add grated carrots to meat.
  4. Stir in shredded cabbage.
  5. Cover and steam for at least 5 minutes.
  6. Whisk eggs, sour cream, and mayonnaise together.
  7. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
  8. Grease 9X13 pan then spread half of the batter then all of the meat filling and then the other half of the batter.
  9. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

Stuffed German Pancakes

This is inspired by the Apple Pancake from The Original Pancake House. I ordered that house specialty and I describe the result as “German pancakes meet baked apples.” I can imagine that it could be done with fruits other than apples, for example replace apples with fresh peaches and replace the cinnamon with ¼ cup of sugar.

Ingredients

  • 8 Eggs
  • 1⅓ cup Milk
  • 1⅓ cup Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt, and half the cinnamon in a bowl. (I’m seriously considering adding 2 tbsp of sugar to this batter.)
  2. Core and thinly slice the apples then place apples in the batter to soak.
  3. Melt butter in 9×13 pan in a 375° oven for 5 minutes.
  4. Pour the batter into the 9×13 pan with the melted butter.
  5. Spread the apples evenly throughout the pan and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon on top.
  6. Cook at 375° for 20 minutes.