Taco Chicken

 Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs
  
• 2 limes
• A splash of red wine vinegar
• 2-3 cloves garlic pressed or coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.
• Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.
• Place chicken on lightly oiled grill over medium heat and close the lid. Cook for 7 minutes, then flip the chicken, close the lid, and cook for another 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Remove from the grill, lightly cover with foil, and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn’t lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

Southwest Pasta Salad

 Ingredients

• 1/2 lb bowtie pasta
• 1 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 roma tomatoes diced or about 3/4 C or halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 large red yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced small
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup frozen fresh corn
• zest from 2 limes
• optional: 8 oz diced cooked chicken this is fantastic
• 1/2 cup Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese or you could sub grated jack, cheddar or pepperjack

Dressing:

• 6 Tbs fresh lime juice about 3 juicy limes
• 1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar
• 4-5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 2 tsp sugar add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter
• 3/4 C canola oil
• 1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

Instructions

• Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.  While it's cooking, prepare dressing.
• First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.
• Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender.  (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil)  Process until smooth.  With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated.  Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.
• When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool.  Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.  Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn),  and chicken if desired.  Toss with dressing.  Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving.  Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.
• Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 side servings
   
  Picture and recipe from Our Best Bites - Sara Wells
  

Cornwalls Tostadas

2-3 Bell Peppers- we try to get a few different colors

1 cup of corn

2-3 Shredded Chicken Breasts Cooked 

(I always have little bags of chicken breast pre cooked in my freezer 

so its easy to grab and toss in)

Fresh Salsa

1 package Corn tortillas

Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Put 1-2 TBS of oil on a foil covered baking sheet (helps with cleanup) or a 9x13 glass dish.
3. Cut up peppers and place them in your baking dish and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or 
   until soft- remove from oven.
4. Add chicken, corn and ½ cup of fresh salsa to the cooking dish and mix. Place back in the oven for 
   10 more minutes.
5. While the meat and veggies are cooking place 4-5 corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Put 1 TBS of shredded 
   cheddar cheese on top of each tortilla (more if you like extra cheese).
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted then remove and make 
   another batch (you can keep the veggies in or take them out while you do this.)
7. Once you have enough (for your family) tortillas- serve a small amount of meat and veggies on 
   each tortilla

7 Up Cake

 3 cubes of butter ( 1 1/2 cups)

3 Cups sugar

5 eggs

3 Cups flour

2 TBS lemon juice

3/4 Cups 7-up

Mix all the above ingredients together.   Pour into a well-greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 325 for 55-65 minutes or until very golden brown.  Turn out onto a cake plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Homemade Egg Noodles

 Ingredients

• 1 large egg, beaten
  

• 2 tablespoons milk

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour, or more as needed

Directions

1. Combine egg, milk, and salt in a bowl. Add sifted flour and stir until a dough forms, adding more flour as needed, a little at a time, for the dough to come together. Separate into two balls.

2. Sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll out each piece of dough as thin as you like. Let rolled dough rest for 20 minutes.

3. Cut into strips and spread to dry, dusting with a bit of flour so the noodles don't stick together. Let dry for approximately 2 hours.

4. Cook noodles in boiling salted water, or hot soup, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Brioche Bread

 Brioche - makes three large loafs

Ingredients
1 kg bread flour 2.2 pounds or 7 1/2 Cups
400 grams sugar (2 cups)
5 eggs
250 ml Warm Whole Milk (1 cup)
3 packages of yeast (7 grams each)
pinch of salt
80 ml sunflower oil (1/3 Cup)
80-100 grams butter (1/2 Cup) - unsalted - Pulgra or President
(Available at Tropicana)
Raisins if desired (rinsed)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 TBS lemon zest
For the greatest success make the dough in a warm room - 82 degrees plus. Have all the ingredients at room temperature and be careful of drafts. Sift the flour twice. Place flour into a large bowl and make a well in it. Reserve 1-2 Cups of the flour for incorporating during the mixing. In a separate bowl begin to proof the yeast by placing yeast in the milk that has been warmed to around 95 degrees. Add 1 TBS of the flour and ½ tsp of sugar to the milk mixture to feed the yeast. Add the remaining sugar and the pinch of salt into the bowl with the flour. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Crack the 5 eggs into the well of the dry ingredients and slowly begin to incorporate the eggs and flour. Work the dough slowly with a wooden spoon in one direction. Add the yeast mixture. Add the vanilla and the lemon zest. Melt the butter and combine with the oil. Add this butter mixture several tablespoons at a time. Knead until small bubbles appear. You will not use all the butter mixture or all the flour but keep for additional steps. The dough is a
soft dough but shouldn’t be too sticky because of the butter. Place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel. To hasten the proofing process you can heat the oven to 100 degrees, turn off the oven and place your bowl in the oven. Let double in size, about 1 ½ hours. Butter your loaf pans with the remaining butter and dust with flour. Punch down dough and incorporate more butter. Divide dough into three equal balls. Separate each of those balls into three even
balls by greasing your hands with the butter and continue to work it into the dough. Roll each ball to a 16" x 6" rectangle. Roll the rectangle up longwise. Do this with all three pieces of the dough. Bread in a Dutch braid pattern. Place dough, being careful to tuck under the ends into
the loaf pan. Repeat with other loaves. Drizzle with butter. Let the dough raise (in the oven if preferred) until double in size (takes about 30-40 minutes). Make an egg wash with 2 eggs and a tablespoon of milk. Brush on the raised loaves. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 325 on lower rack for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Warm Cider

8 cups fresh apple cider or apple juice
2 teaspoons or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 whole cloves
1 orange, cut into slices