Hot Maryland Crab Dip

   Ingredients
cooking spray
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/4 cup creamy salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning or to taste
2 cups fresh lump crabmeat, or more to taste
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 small baguette loaves, sliced into about 4 to 5 pieces each

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a glass loaf pan with cooking spray.
   2. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and seafood seasoning together in a bowl. Gently fold crabmeat into cheese mixture, pour into the prepared loaf pan and top with Cheddar cheese.
   3. Bake in the preheated oven until dip is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Toast baguette slices on oven rack during the last 5 minutes of baking the dip.

Clam Chowder

   Ingredients
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste

   1. Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover and cook over medium heat until tender.
   2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
   3. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Colorado Green Chili

   Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds cubed pork stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped, roasted green chiles
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups tomatillo salsa
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch ground cloves

   1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste, then place into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. Once browned, remove the pork and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
   2. Return the pork to the pot and stir in the green chiles, diced tomatoes with juice, tomatillo salsa and chicken broth. Season with oregano and clove. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
   3. After 20 minutes, remove 2 cups of the soup (ensure there are no pork cubes in it) and pour into a blender. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree until smooth, then pour back into the cooking pot. This will create a thicker texture for your chili and will eliminate some of the chunky bits of chiles. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the pork is very tender, at least 35 minutes more.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin

   Ingredients
1,5 cups minced onions
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin

   1. Mix the first 11 ingredients.
   2. Rub over the pork.
   3. Put on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
   4. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.
   5. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let set for 10 minutes.
   6. Slice into servings.

Arizona Chicken Tortilla Soup

   Ingredients
2 corn tortillas (8-inch size), cut into strips
non-stick cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup diced tomato
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 quart water
2 teaspoons chicken-flavored bouillon granules
3/4 pound chicken breast halves, skinned
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 medium avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons minced hot chili pepper

   1. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Set aside.
   2. Place onion, 1 cup tomato, garlic and oregano in container of an electric blender and process until pureed.
   3. Transfer puree to a large saucepan and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in water and bouillon granules and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add chicken breasts, simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done.
   4. Remove chicken from soup, keeping soup warm. Let chicken cool to touch, bone and cut meat into cubes. Return chicken to soup. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated.
   5. Ladle soup into soup bowls. Divide tortilla strips, 1 cup tomato, avocado, cheese and chili pepper among bowls and serve immediately.

Baked Ribs

   Ingredients
a rack or two of baby back ribs( a rack is normally about 3lbs)
2-3 crushed garlic cloves per rack
2 tbs oil per rack
salt and pepper to taste
any other seasoning you may like.... smoked paprika, chipotle powder, oregano
12 oz beer, optional
a splash or two of vinegar, if not using beer

   1. Cut up each rack of ribs in 2 pieces or you can leave the rack whole.
   2. Season with salt and pepper, garlic and any other seasonings you are using.
   3. Pour some vinegar over the ribs you can also substitute with some beer, or use all beer, or even omit. At this point you can let marinade overnight or a few hours.
   4. Place ribs in a 13x 9 baking pan (or larger)... with all the vinegar/beer.
   5. Cover the pan and bake at 350 deg F for 1 1/2-2 hours.
   6. Remove ribs from oven and increase oven temp to 375 F. Pour off any liquid that has accumulated in the pan. Glaze ribs with BBQ sauce and place back in oven. Leave the ribs uncovered. and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
   7. Turn ribs over and re-glaze bake for an additional 15 minutes. Add extra glaze if you like before serving.

Texas Chicken Fried Steak

   Ingredients
4 beef cubed steaks (1 to 1-1/4 pounds total), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup chicken broth

   1. In a large resealable bag, marinate cube steaks in Worcestershire sauce 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
   2. Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pour buttermilk into another shallow dish.
   3. Dip steaks in flour mixture, coating completely, then in buttermilk and again in flour. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
   4. In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking.  Add steaks and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked through and coating is golden. Drain on a paper towel-lined platter and cover to keep warm.
   5. To make the gravy, add 1/3 cup of remaining flour mixture to skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until flour is browned, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk and broth, stirring until thickened. Serve gravy over steak.

Lemon Butter Chicken

   Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8 chicken tenderloins
lemon pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
onion powder to taste

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the butter in a 9x9 inch baking dish and melt in the oven. Remove from heat and mix in Italian salad dressing, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
   2. Arrange the chicken tenderloins in the baking dish, coating with the melted butter mixture. Season both sides of chicken with lemon pepper, garlic salt and onion powder. Sprinkle with lemon zest.
   3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven or until chicken juices run clear.