Ice Cream Bombe

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 pkg(6 oz)semisweet chocolate morsels
1 tbs sugar
3 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chipping cream, whipped
garnishes:semisweet chocolate shavings, red maraschino cherries, fresh mint sprigs

Line a 5 cup mold with plastic wrap, spread ice cream evenly on bottom and sides of mold, and freeze 1 hour. Combine chocolate morsels and sugar in a 1qt mixing bowl, microwave at medium 3-3 1/2 minutes or until chocolate melts, stirring once. Beat egg whites(at room temperature)and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Gradually stir about 1/4 of chocolate mixture into egg whites, fold into remaining chocolate mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon mixture into center of mold, cover and freeze until firm. To serve, let mold stand at room temperature about 10 minutes, invert onto a chilled serving plate. Remove plastic wrap, garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired. Return bombe to freezer until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired. Serves 8.

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2-Step Creamy Chicken and Pasta

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen pasta and vegetable blend
1 (10.75 ounce) can your favorite Campbell's® Cream Soup*
1/2 cup water

Directions

Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often.
Add vegetable pasta blend, soup and water. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until done.

Footnotes

Tip: *Delicious with Campbell's® Cream of Chicken, Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Celery Soup.

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Jamaican Red Beans

2 cups dried red kidney beans, cleaned and soaked 
6 cups unsalted chicken broth or water 
2 medium onions, chopped 
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 
2 tsp ham or chicken bouillon granules 
2 tsp dried thyme 
½ tsp ground allspice 
¼ tsp ground black pepper 
2 bay leaves 
2-3 dried hot red chili pepper pods 
2 tbs distilled white vinegar 

Combine all of the ingredients except for the vinegar in a 3qt pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until beans are soft and the liquid is thick. Add a little more liquid during cooking if needed. Remove the pot from the heat, and discard the bay leaves and pepper pods. Stir in vinegar, and serve hot, ladling the beans over brown rice if desired. Serves 7.

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Seafood Gumbo

1 lb okra, sliced 
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs butter or margarine, melted and divided 
1/4 cup all purpose flour 
1 bunch green onions, sliced 
1/2 cup chopped celery 
2 clove garlic, minced 
1 can(16 oz)tomatoes, undrained 
1 bay leaf 
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley 
1 fresh thyme sprig 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
1/2-1 tsp red pepper 
2 quarts water 
1 lb unpeeled medium size fresh shrimp 
1/2 lb fresh crabmeat 
hot cooked rice 
gumbo file(optional) 

Saute okra in 2 tbs butter in a large skillet until okra is lightly browned. Set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 cup butter and flour in a large iron skillet, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate(20-25 minutes). Stir in green onions, celery and garlic, cook until vegetables are tender. Combine roux, sauteed okra, tomatoes, bay leaf, chopped parsley, fresh thyme, salt, red pepper and water in a large dutch oven. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Peel and devein shrimp, add shrimp and crabmeat to okra mixture. Simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve gumbo over rice. Add gumbo file, if desired. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

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Tipsy Island Pie

3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In another bowl, fold the following together lightly:
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 12 1/2-ounce crushed pineapple
3 medium bananas thinly sliced
1 tbsp. light rum
Add the sifted sugar, flour and salt to the mixture lightly folding to make a light batter. Bake batter in 9-inch pie plate in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Coconut Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp. butter (cut butter into flour, brown sugar and coconut)

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle coconut toping mixture evenly over pie. Continue baking for additional 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle of pie comes out clean. Cool pie until serving time. Serve with whipped cream.

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Peppered Hot Bacon Dressing

1 cup chopped thick sliced bacon 
1/2 cup chopped green onions 
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell peppers 
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers 
1/2 cup celery 
1 cup chicken broth, divided 
1/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup white wine vinegar 
1 tbs cornstarch 

Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until almost done. Add onions, peppers and celery for 4-5 minutes. Drain and return bacon mixture to saucepan. Add 3/4 cup broth, sugar and vinegar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Combine cornstarch with remaining broth, stirring until smooth. Add bacon mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, continuing to stir, for 1 minute. Serve immediately with favorite greens. Makes 2 cups.

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Bacon Cheddar And Ranch Pita Chips

¼ cup olive oil 
1 ½ tbs ranch dressing mix 
3 (6”) pita rounds 
1/3 cup real bacon bits 
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Preheat oven to 350. Combine olive oil and dressing mix in a small bowl. Split each pita bread into 2 rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Place wedges on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush rough side of each wedge with oil mixture. Sprinkle wedges with bacon bits and then cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven, transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes 4 dozen.

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Coconut Sour Cream Cake

1 pkg (18.25 oz) butter recipe cake mix 
1 container (16 oz) sour cream 
2 cups sugar 
4 cups sweetened flaked coconut 
1 ½ cups frozen whipped topping, thawed 

Preheat oven according to cake mix directions. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using 2 (9”) round cake pans. Let cool as directed. Slice each cake layer horizontally in half, using a long serrated knife. While cake bakes, combine sour cream, sugar, and coconut in a bowl, stir well. Cover and chill 1 ½ hours. Reserve 1 cup sour cream mixture. Spread remaining sour cream mixture between cake layers. Fold whipped topping into reserved sour cream mixture. Spread on top and sides of cake. Place cake in an airtight container. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Serves 12.

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Apple Breakfast Sandwiches

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
2 tbs all purpose flour 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
1 can (10 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
2 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into rings 
1 tbs butter or margarine, melted 

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, set aside. Separate biscuits and press each into a 3" circle. Place on lightly greased baking sheets, sprinkle with cheese and top each with an apple ring. Sprinkle with reserved sugar mixture and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve immediately. Serves 10.

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Beef Fajita Bowls

1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice 
1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak 
2 tbs vegetable oil 
1 flour tortilla for for burritos, cut int 4 x 1/2" strips 
1 bag frozen stir fry bell peppers and onions 
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn 
1 cup thick n chunky salsa 
2 tbs lime juice 
2 tbs chili sauce 
1/2 tsp ground cumin 
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro 

Cook rice as directed on package. Meanwhile, cut beef with grain into 2" strips, cut strips across grain into 1/8" slices. Heat 12" nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, rotate skillet to coat bottom. Cook tortilla strips in oil 1-2 minutes on each side, adding additional oil if necessary, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel. Add beef to skillet, cook and stir over medium high heat 4-5 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper mixture and corn to skillet, cook and stir for 1 minute. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring twice, until crisp tender. Stir in beef, salsa, lime juice, chili sauce and cumin. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Stir in cilantro. Divide rice among bowls. Top with beef mixture and tortilla strips. Serves 4.

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What's For Dinner

Food on Shine

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Tea Smoked Chicken

An exotic Asian recipe that uses tea as the main ingredient for smoking chicken. The tea leaves lend their rich brown color and aroma to make this a truly unique dish. 

Ingredients: 
2 lbs. chicken 
½ cup china black tea leaves 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
2 tablespoons rice wine 
2 scallions 
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 
2 teaspoons salt 
1 ½ teaspoons crushed Szechwan peppercorns 
Sesame oil 

Directions: 
Cut the scallions into 2 inch long pieces and flatten with the side of a cleaver. 
Combine wine, salt, brown sugar, scallions and ginger and peppercorns in a large bowl. Place the chicken in the bowl and rub the mixture all over the chicken. 

Marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Discard the marinade and tuck the scallions and ginger inside the chicken. 

Get the smoker up to a temperature of about 250 deg. F. Place the chicken inside and leave about a ¼ of the tea leaves on the embers. Allow it to smoke. After every hour, add a ¼ of the tea leaves. Take out the chicken from the smoker once it has cooked through. Just before serving, brush the chicken with sesame oil. Cut into pieces and serve. 

Tips: 
Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast to check if it has cooked. Remove the chicken from the smoker when the thermometer reads 170 deg. F.

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Spiced Pineapple Sparkle

1 1/2 cups water 
6 cinnamon sticks 
12 whole cloves 
1/2 cup sugar 
1 can (46 oz) unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled 
1 1/2 cups unsweetened orange juice, chilled 
1/2 cup lemon juice, chilled 
3 bottles (12 oz) lemon lime carbonated beverage, chilled 
garnishes: orange slices, maraschino cherries 

Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, let cool. Pour mixture through a large, wire mesh strainer in to a punch bowl, discarding spices, stir in juices and lemon lime beverage. Garnish, if desired. Serves 12.

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Peach Beignets

6 large peaches, peeled, pitted and halved 
2 tbs sugar 
2 tbs kirsch or cherry brandy 
vegetable oil 
1 1/2 cups buttermilk pancake mix 
1 cup water 
powdered sugar 

Place peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar and kirsch. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, heat oil to 375 in a dutch oven. Make sure oil is 1 1/2" deep. Bland pancake mix and water just until smooth. Dip peaches in batter, covering completely. Fry battered peaches in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with a dusting of powdered sugar. Serves 6-8.

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Sweet And Sour Burgers

1 can (8 oz) shredded sauerkraut, drained 
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce 
1/4 cup chili sauce 
1/4 cup water 
3 tbs brown sugar 
1 egg, slightly beaten 
1 envelope (1.35 oz) dried onion soup mix 
1/4 cup water 
1 1/2 pounds ground beef 
6 onion rolls, lightly toasted 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine egg, soup mix and water in a small bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Add ground beef, mixing well, shape into 6 patties. Grill patties over medium coals for 5 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Place hamburger patties on toasted onion rolls, serve with sauce. Serves 6.

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Penne Pasta Primavera

2 3/4 cups fresh broccoli flowerets 
vegetable cooking spray 
1 tsp olive oil 
3/4 cup chopped onion 
2 tsp chopped garlic 
1 can (14 1/2 oz) no salt added whole tomatoes, drained and chopped 
3/4 cup garbanzo beans, drained 
1/4 cup chablis or other dry white wine 
5 oz penne pasta, uncooked 
1 1/2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh basil 

Arrange broccoli in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam for 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Set aside and keep warm. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add olive oil. Place over medium high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic, saute for 3 minutes or until tender. Add tomato, garbanzo beans and wine, cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook pasta according to package, omitting salt and fat, drain. Place pasta in a serving bowl. Add broccoli tomato mixture and basil, toss gently. Serve immediately Serves 6.

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Beef and Chicken Kabobs

1 pound beef sirloin steak
1 14 1/4-oz. can pineapple slices
1/2 cup catsup
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tsp. instant beef bouillon granules
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
12 small whole chicken wings


Cut beef in 1 inch pieces. Drain pineapple; reserve syrup. Cover and refrigerate pineapple. Add water to syrup, if necessary, to measure 3/4 cup liquid; combine with catsup, vinegar, bouillon, onion, celery seed, cinnamon, allspice, and bay leaf. Add meat pieces to marinate. Cover; refrigerate several hours, stirring occasionally. Drain meat, reserving marinade. Quarter each pineapple slice; place 2 pieces together. Thread on skewers alternately with beef and chicken. Grill over hot coals until done, about 20 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade. Heat remaining marinade; pass with kabobs. Makes 6 servings.

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Nectarine Coconut Cake

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup honey

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup unbleached flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups fresh or canned nectarine slices

3 tsp. cinnamon

Break eggs into a 3-quart mixing bowl and whisk them. Measure in oil, honey, yogurt and vanilla extract; stir well. Stir in the flour and baking soda and mixing well. Stir in coconut and mix until the batter is uniform. Spoon a shallow layer of batter into a greased angelfood cake pan, or any 6-cup mold with center post. Add a layer of nectarine slices and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Continue to layer as long as fruit lasts, then scrape rest of batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Test for doneness, but remember that fruit will be moist. When done, turn onto serving platter. May be served warm or cold. Refrigerate any leftover cake.

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Brown-Bag Barcelona Chicken

Amaze your family and friends with this succulent, moist chicken and tender vegetables baked in a brown paper bag! This bag-o-chicken recipe, inspired by author and columnist Jeanne Jones, bakes chicken, carrots, and potatoes to perfection, seasoned with the sunny flavors of Spain—tomatoes, olives, dry sherry, marjoram, almonds, and red bell pepper. Allow 1-1/4 hours of unattended cooking time and just 25 minutes to actually prepare the bird. The effort is minimal and the result divine.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes; plus 10 minutes standing time
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients:
1 frying chicken (about 4 pounds)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon salt
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 red or yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 russet potatoes (about 1 pound),
   cut into 1-inch chunks (leave skin on)
1 cup pitted green salad olives with pimiento
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes,
   chopped, drained, and oil reserved

Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Be sure to allow plenty of space so that that the brown bag doesn't come in contact with the sides, top, or bottom of the oven.

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Fold the wing tips back and under the bird. Place the chicken in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the garlic, sherry, paprika, marjoram, and salt together to create a spice mixture. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken and in the chicken cavity, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the bowl.

Toss the red bell pepper, onion, carrot, and potatoes in the bowl with the remaining spice mixture. Add the olives, almonds, and sun-dried tomatoes with a spoonful of the oil from the tomatoes, and mix all to coat thoroughly.

Lift the chicken and spoon the vegetables around and under the bird.

Carefully slide the pan into a clean, brown paper grocery bag. Today's markets are using shorter bags. If the bag isn't long enough to fold over the end, carefully turn the pan around 90 degrees in the bag and then fold and staple the end shut.

Place the bag in the oven (make sure the bag doesn't rest against the top or sides of the oven.) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Carefully remove the bag from oven. Cut open the bag. Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon the vegetables on a platter and top with pieces or slices of the chicken.

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