Basic Yankee Bread Stuffing

   Ingredients
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
6 stalks chopped celery
2 onions, chopped
2 (1 pound) loaves day old white bread, torn into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons sage seasoning mixture
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chicken broth

   1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
   2. Place pork sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
   3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Place the celery and onions in the saucepan and slowly cook and stir until tender.
   4. Mix together the sausage, celery, onions, bread, sage, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
   5. Pour the eggs and chicken broth into the mixture. Use more broth if needed. The stuffing should be moist, not mushy.
   6. Press the mixture into the baking dish. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven or until the top is brown and crisp.

Funeral Potatoes

   Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
One 28- to 32-ounce bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 cups kettle cooked potato chips
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

   1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Take the potatoes out of the freezer while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
   2. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, then melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in it. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to incorporate. Cook for a minute or 2 to cook out the raw flour, but do not let it color. Whisk in the milk, making sure to get out all the lumps. Add the broth and whisk again if there are still lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to thicken, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the Monterey Jack, sour cream and Cheddar. Add the hash brown potatoes and mix everything together. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
   3. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan. Put the potato chips and Parmesan in a bowl and crush the potato chips. Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the potatoes.
   4. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Goat Cheese Arugula Penne

   Ingredients
5 1/2 ounces goat cheese
2 cups coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces penne pasta

   1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
   2. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper.
   3. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture.

Dakotas Texas Style Chili

   Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons paprika
1/3 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
4 pounds boneless beef chuck or rump, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 3/4 cups water1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
4 canned Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons cornmeal

   1. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, stirring occasionally. Drain off excess grease, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions and garlic, cook and stir until the onions are tender. Season with oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds to toast the spices.
   2. Stir in the beef, water, beer, chipotle peppers and cornmeal, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until beef is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Breasts

   Ingredients
 Brine:
1 quart water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup hot sauce
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
 Coating:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
 Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
cooking spray

   1. Mix water, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup sugar and hot sauce together in a large bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved into the brine. Place chicken pieces in the brine and refrigerate, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Pour brine from the bowl.
   2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a baking rack onto a baking sheet and coat rack with cooking spray.
   3. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and black pepper in a shallow bowl until coating is well mixed. Press chicken pieces into the coating until both sides are evenly coated, place on the prepared rack.
   4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Spray each chicken piece with cooking spray, flip and spray the other side. Continue baking until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
   5. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat until shimmering. Mix 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder together in a bowl, add to oil and cook for 30 seconds. Brush oil mixture onto cooked chicken, adding more layers for extra heat.

Ashleys African Peanut Soup

   Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups sliced carrots
4 cups chicken broth or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup brown rice1 cup crunchy peanut butter

   1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken breasts on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker. Cook the onion, red bell peppers and garlic in the hot skillet until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, transfer the cooked vegetables into the slow cooker.
   2. Stir the crushed tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, chicken broth, curry powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and black pepper into the slow cooker. Set the cooker to High and cook for 5 to 6 hours or cook on Low for 10 hours. Stir in additional chicken broth throughout the cooking time if needed.
   3. Mix in the brown rice 3 hours before serving and mix in the peanut butter at least 1 hour before serving. Shred chicken meat and serve hot.

Portuguese Steamed Clams

   Ingredients
5 pounds clams in shell, scrubbed1
1/2 pounds chorizo, sliced into chunks
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups white wine
1/4 cup olive oil

   1. Wash clams well in a sink of cold water. Discard any clams that are already opened.
   2. In a large stock pot with a tight fitting lid, place the cleaned clams. Add the sausage, onion, tomatoes and wine. Cover and set over high heat. Steam until all the clams open up. Be sure to shake the pan often to insure even heat.
   3. Drizzle olive oil over the cooked clams. Evenly divide all the ingredients into warm soup plates. Divide the broth into side cups for dipping.

Old Charleston Style Shrimp Grits

   Ingredients
1 cup coarsely ground grits
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups half and half
2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper or to taste
1 lemon juiced
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
5 slices bacon
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

   1. Bring water, grits and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan with a lid. Stir in half and half and simmer until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
   2. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper, drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside in a bowl.
   3. Place andouille sausage slices in a large skillet over medium heat, fry sausage until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
   4. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Retain bacon drippings in skillet. Transfer bacon slices to paper towels, let cool and crumble.
   5. Cook and stir green, red and yellow bell peppers, onion and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
   6. Stir shrimp and cooked vegetables into the andouille sausage and mix to combine.
   7. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is medium brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.
   8. Pour the butter-flour mixture into the skillet with andouille sausage, shrimp and vegetables. Place the skillet over medium heat and pour in chicken broth, bacon and Worcestershire sauce, cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and the shrimp become opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.
   9. Just before serving, mix sharp Cheddar cheese into grits until melted and grits are creamy and light yellow. Serve shrimp mixture over cheese grits.