Chicken Salad:

3 cups cooked, diced chicken (I buy a rotisserie and cut it up, lazy but yum!) 3 cups cooked white rice (we DO NOT add this, yuk LOL) 2 avocados, peeled, diced, and tossed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3/4 cup chopped onion (I use red) 1 cup mayonnaise (I use less because of omitting the rice, just eyeball it) 1 to 2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (I dont use) I'll call this OPTIONAL: Avocado Dressing : (OK, we did this the first time, and it was good but overkill so we dont anymore) 1 large avocado, peeled and mashed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt Dash cayenne pepper Thick, crusty bread, multi-grain or sourdough Salad: Mix all ingredients and chill. Pass with avocado dressing. Dressing: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill and serve alongside chicken salad. (again, I dont bother with this)

This is seriously the best chicken salad in our opinion! I just tweak it to taste with salt and pepper and mayo but we love it!!

Sloppy Joes

* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
* 3/4 cup ketchup
* 3 teaspoons brown sugar
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Burmese Pork Curry

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp red pepper flakes *** I just used a dash of red cayenne pepper to make it more kid friendly

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 can coconut milk

Juice of one lemon (2-3 Tbsp)

1 lb boneless pork, cubed into 1” pieces ***I used about 1.3 lbs

10-12 large cherry tomatoes ***I used a bunch of grape tomatoes instead

1 lb tiny red potatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 350. Puree onion, garlic and ginger in a blender or food processor. Pour mixture into a large bowl and stir in cumin, turmeric, red pepper, salt, soy sauce, coconut milk and lemon juice. Add pork, tomatoes and potatoes and toss to coat well. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until meat is tender and thoroughly cooked and potatoes are soft (about 60-90 minutes). Serve with steamed white rice.

Chicken-Fried Steak and gravy...

1 c AP flour
2 packs Ranch Dressing mix
3 c buttermilk
1 egg ( beaten)
1lbs of cubed steaks
oil for frying
1 c chicken broth
1 packet of Country Style gravy mix..

In large ziploc bag mix flour, 1 packet of dressing mix, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, mix 2 c of buttermilk, the other pack of dressing mix and the egg.
Soak the steaks in the buttermilk mixture ( i did this for about 20ish minutes). Remove one steak, letting excess milk drip off. Add to flour bag and toss to coat. Shake off excess flour and repeat again. In the milk and then back into the flour bag.
In large skillet add about 1/2 oil. Fry steaks 2 at a time for 6ish minutes on each side until golden brown. Put on paper towel to drain.

Gravy..in a saucepan, mix remaining 1 c of buttermilk, chicken broth, and packet of gravy mix. Bring to a simmer over med heat and stir well. Spoon over steaks and it's great over mashed taters too!!

Chile Relleno Casserole...

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper (per your taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt (per your taste)
3 7-ounce cans whole green chilies, split open
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese ( just get a bag of chedder/jack mixed shredded cheese and add to my own taste)

This serves all of us, so I figure this is enough for 6-8 servings. Freezes well too!

Assorted garnishes such as chopped tomatoes and cilantro, sliced green onions and avocados, or salsa of your choice
Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Beat first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Arrange chiles from 1 can in prepared dish, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese. Repeat layering twice. Pour egg mixture over cheese and let stand 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover dish and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed in center and golden brown on edges, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with assorted garnishes sprinkled on top.

I usually roast 5 or 6 chiles instead of using canned. Peel, stem and seed them, then split open and proceed. Talk about stinging hands, lol