Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The kids loved these! 

I used fresh pumpkin instead of real pumpkin and I also used white 

chocolate chips with the chocolate chips. You can access the

original link here. It came from All Recipes.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10740/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-iii/ 

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm

Parmesean Stuffed Little Necks

So my cousin lives on the Island and sometimes he brings us clams! Well this last time we ordered a whole bushell.... That's a lot of clams! I had no idea what to do with them all, so I made chowder, stuffed clams and Joe and the kids and family and friends ate the rest of them steamed or raw.

What you need:

About 2 dozen little necks

1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated

1 cup bread crumbs

2-3 Tbls oregano, finely chopped

2-3 Tbls parsley, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

2-3 Tbls olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat the oven to 450.
Place the clams on a sheet tray and put them in the preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until the clams just begin to open. Don't cook them!
Using a butter knife pry the clams open and remove the top shell. Pull the clam away from the bottom shell and place it back in the bottom shell.

Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper and some salt. Add the olive oil and stir until combined. Add chicken stock until the mixture is quite wet. Taste to check the seasoning, add more salt if needed.

Pack each clam full of the bread crumb mixture. Pack the bread crumbs down and really secure the edges. This will help the clam stay moist.

Place the clams on a sheet tray and add about 1/2 cup of water to the tray. This will also help the clams stay moist. Put the tray under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes until the bread crumbs are brown and crispy.

Chicken Hunter Copycat Dinner with Broiled Zucchini and Squash with Dill Sauce

So there's this little place I love to eat. It's called Arkville Bread and Breakfast... I love Jack's food! Went in for lunch one day and got the "Chicken Hunter" special. Breaded chicken smothered in gravy with muenster cheese and bacon on a rustic baguette. Amazing!  And it got me thinking what can I do at home? So on the first try I didn't add the cheese and bacon but my picky eater asked if we could always eat our chicken like that! So thank you Jack for the inspiration and next time maybe I'll add cheese and bacon to ours! Oh and not to down play the zucchini and dill sauce. It actually made the perfect accompaniment to the chicken that I have decided to call the Chicken Huntress! LOL Enjoy!

What you need:

Chicken Huntress

4 skinless boneless chicken breast

2 packages brown gravy (make according to directions on package)

flour

eggs

bread crumbs

My chicken breasts were huge so I sliced them in half and ended up with 8. dredge your chicken breasts in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Place in a 9 X 13 baking dish and cover in gravy. bake at 350 until the chicken is cooked through. We made extra gravy for after we got the chicken on the plates too!

Dill Sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 small clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
 salt

 black pepper
zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dill, garlic, and lemon juice. If necessary, thin with water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.Trim ends off zucchini. Cut in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into 4-6 spears. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.Place zucchini in a pan and broil until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler.Serve zucchini warm or chilled with yogurt-dill sauce.

Canned Venison

This is a pantry staple in my house! And being that it is full on hunting season I wanted to share. There are so many options for canned venison once you have a cupboard full of it. Chili, stew, pan fried with gravy and onions, add to sauces. Use your imagination!

Start with some fresh venison. Make sure you get as much fat as possible off. Cut it into small pieces. I leave a few pieces with minimal fat for flavor. Venison is naturally low in fat content. 

Using clean canning jars fill right to the brim. Do not add water! The venison will make it's own juice. Using a butter knife push the meat down to get rid of as many air pockets as you can. If you so desire you may add a pinch of salt.

Variety: fill the jars with layers of meat and potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and other spices. It becomes a meal in a jar and once put through the canning process can be opened and eaten with out heat. ( I prefer to heat mine)

Put you lids on snugly and process for about 90 minutes at 15lbs

San Francisco Pork Chops

I got this recipe offline. Can I just tell you what a huge hit this was for my family. I did double everything because there are so many of us! For the link I got it from see here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230995/san-francisco-pork-chops/

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 (3/4 inch-thick) boneless pork chops, trimmed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chops in hot oil, about 5 minutes per side; remove pork to a plate, reserving oil in skillet.
Cook and stir garlic in reserved drippings until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and red pepper flakes in a bowl, dissolving brown sugar. Return pork chops to skillet and pour soy sauce mixture over the chops. Bring sauce to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to low. Simmer chops until tender, 30 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
Transfer chops to a serving platter. Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth; stir into pan juices and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chops to serve.

Chicken and Gravy with "Biscuits"

The ultimate in comfort food. And my Price Chopper had a sale on bakery rolls, so I used them instead of biscuits! This recipe is for 9 of us so cut it half if needed.

What you need:

6-8 Large chicken breast cut up

2 bags of frozen mixed veggies

3 packets of gravy powder

4 cups of chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot add a little oil and lightly brown cut up chicken. Add 3 cups chicken broth and cover. Cook on med-high heat till cooked through. Breaking the chicken up as it cooks to get the shredded texture. In a bowl thoroughly mix the 3 gravy packets with the other cup of chicken broth. Add gravy mix and veggies to the pot. Add salt and pepper and cook till veggies are tender and gravy thickens. Serve over rolls or biscuits with a side of garlic-sour cream mashed potatoes. 

Venison Cheese Steak

Yes it's hunting season! Here's a twist on a classic.

What you need:

Small venison roast, sliced thin, the thinner the better

1 large onion 

oil

Loaf of French or Italian bread

Cheese, whatever you like, I made a cheese sauce

Cheese Sauce:

4 oz Velvetta

4 slices American

1/4- 1/2 cup milk

In a large skillet or on a flat top grill add a some oil and saute the onions until soft and tender. Remove from heat. Add the venison and cook until no longer pink. About 3-6 minutes depending on how thick you sliced it. When it is almost done add the onions to it and cook about 2 minutes.

For the sauce. In a small pan combine the milk and cheeses and heat until melted and smooth.

I toasted my bread, that's a personal choice. Slice 3/4 of the way through, pile with venison and onions and top off with the cheese sauce.