oil or shortening
1 chicken, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, cut up
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

    Cream Gravy
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup milk
1 cup water

Preparation:
Have a deep heavy skillet or Dutch oven with oil or hot fat about two inches deep.

Combine flour, salt and pepper; sift into a pie plate or wide bowl. Roll each piece of chicken in flour and place in the hot fat (about 370° F). Put the largest pieces in firs, in the hottest part of the skillet. When all pieces are in the skillet and heat is regulated, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove top and turn chicken pieces when the underside is well browned. Replace top for another 5 minutes, remove and cook in open pan until the bottom side is browned. About 30 to 35 minutes in all will be required for cooking chicken if it is not too large. Try to turn the chicken only the one time.

The fat should be deep enough to cover the pieces when it boils up, but make sure you use a deep skillet, preferably one made for frying chicken, and watch carefully.

To make cream gravy:
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons flour; blend and cook until golden brown, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet. Gradually stir in 1 cup milk and 1 cup hot water. Stir until smooth and thickened; add salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve with hot biscuits, potatoes, or rice.

4 oz. salad macaroni
2 c. diced cooked chicken
1 c. chopped apples
1 c. diced celery
3/4 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. diced sweet pickles
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. prepared mustard
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Pimiento strips

Cook any one of the small size macaroni varieties in boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Combine chicken, apples, celery, nuts, pickle and onion. Mix salad dressing, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Combine chicken mixture, macaroni and salad dressing. Chill well. Garnish with pimiento strips. Serves 4. Chilling over a period of several hours allows absorption and blending of all ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 8 Ripe Mangoes
• 5 Cups sugar
• 4 Cups water
• 2 Cloves
• 1 Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Vanilla

How to make Mango Jam:

•    Peel and cut mangoes.
•    Heat water and add peeled mangoes, cinnamon and cloves in it. Allow it to boil for 10 minutes.
•    Mix sugar and cook till the mixture turns thick.
•    Add vanilla and mix it well.
•    Mango Jam is ready.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:

*1 zucchini, sliced
*1 yellow squash, sliced
*½ red bell pepper, chopped
*2 tomatoes, chopped
*¼ c. fat-free Italian dressing
*2 c. brown rice, cooked
*¼ cup soy parmesan cheese
*nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix vegetables and dressing together in the casserole dish.
Cook vegetables in microwave for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the vegetables.
Serve vegetables over rice.

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1 cup vegetables and ½ cup rice

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
165 calories
7 g protein
2 g fat
0 g sat. fat
31 g carbohydrate
4 g fiber
0 mg cholesterol
278 mg sodium
117 mg calcium
1.4 mg iron

Ingredients

*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat
*1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
*1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
*3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
*2 large shallots, finely chopped
*1/2 cup dry white wine
*1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
*1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
*1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
*1/2 cup chopped chives, (about 1 bunch)

Preparation

Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and dredge the chicken in it. Discard the excess flour.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

*3/4 lb. chicken, boned and skinned
*2 tbsps. oyster sauce
*2 1/2 tbsps. cooking oil
*8 small dried red chilies
*4 tsps. minced garlic
*2 stalks celery, diced
*1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1−inch squares
*1 can (8 oz.) bamboo shoots, sliced and drained
*2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon

water
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Sauce:

3 tbsps. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup Chinese black vinegar or balsamic

vinegar
*1/4 cup chicken broth
*1 tbsp. soy sauce
*2 tbsps. hoisin sauce
*2 tsp. sesame oil
*2 tsps. chili garlic sauce
*2 tsps. sugar

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1−inch pieces. Marinade chicken with oyster sauce in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons oil, swirling to coat sides. Add chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.Add chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove
chicken and chilies from wok.Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to wok, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add celery, bell pepper, and bamboo shoots; stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes.Return chicken and chilies to wok; stir fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Add peanuts and stir to coat.

The surface of a whole fish should glisten but not look slimy. Ask the fishmonger to show you the gills; they should be bright red with no tinge of brown. The eyes should not be sunken, but don’t worry if they are clouded over, because the eyes of some fish lose their shine soon after they are caught.Fish fillets and steaks are often sold in plastic wrapped trays. Look for fish that appears moist and has no gaps in the flesh, which should feel firm through the plastic. The meat of dark fish, such as tuna, should not contain any rainbow streaks.Mollusks (including clams, mussels, and oysters), must be purchased alive because their viscera deteriorate quickly once dead.

Tightly closed shells indicate the mollusks are alive, but if you tap a gaping shell and it closes, it’s also fine.Don’t buy mollusks with broken shells. And if a clam or mussel feels especially heavy, it could be filled with mud, so discard it. Mollusks sold out of their shells, like scallops and squid, should be as sweet smelling as an ocean breeze. And the siphons of soft-shell clams should retract slightly when touched.

Crustaceans, including crabs and lobsters, should be purchased alive from a store with a large turnover and appear lively. Fresh shrimp should also be subjected to the sniff test; black spots on the shell mean the shrimp are over the hill.

Storing Fish And Shellfish – Fish-On-Ice

Keep fish and shellfish as cold as possible. Have the seafood you purchase packed in ice, or place it in the same bag as your frozen food.
Store fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, where the temperature is between 35° and 40°F. Or store on ice: Fill a baking dish with ice, and place the wrapped seafood on top, replenishing the ice as needed.

You can also cover frozen artificial ice packets with a kitchen towel and place the wrapped fish on top.
It is especially important to keep oily fish, such as mackerel and bluefish, as cold as possible. Their high fat content means they can go rancid quickly at less than- ideal temperatures.

If you must freeze seafood, be sure it is very fresh, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to three months.
Shellfish should also be placed in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Store live clams, mussels, and oysters in a large bowl covered with a wet towel; use within one day. Refrigerate crabs in a tightly closed heavy duty paper bag poked with a few air holes; cook within one day of purchase.

Cooked Crab And Lobster

Lobsters should be cooked on the day of purchase because they don’t last long once out of water. Keep them well wrapped in a wet cloth or in several layers of newspaper in the refrigerator.

Cooked crab and lobster should be eaten within one day of purchase. Shucked oysters and crab meat are often pasteurized, which extends their shelf life but decreases their flavor.

Cooking Success – Clams-Cooked

Here’s the simple secret to cooking fish successfully: Don’t overcook it. Cook it until the flesh is just opaque throughout; it will continue to cook after it has been removed from the heat.Before cooking fillets, especially thick ones, run your fingers over the flesh to feel for any stray bones. Remove them with tweezers set aside for that purpose.

To check fish fillets or steaks for doneness, use the tip of a small knife to separate the flesh in the thickest part; it should be uniformly opaque. To check whole fish, make an incision at the backbone to see if the flesh is opaque or insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part near the backboneit should read 135° to 140°F.When cooking clams, mussels, or oysters, scrub the shells well under cold running water to remove any surface sand and grit

Ingredients:

Chicken with Cashew Nuts250g Chicken (boneless)
50g Salted Cashew Nuts
1 Carrot, peeled and diced (about 100g)
1/4 Brown Onion, diced (about 50g)
50g Green Bell Pepper, diced & seeded (optional)
50g Baby Sweetcorn, sliced (optional)
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce*
1 tsp Sugar*
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce*
1 Tbsp Chinese Wine*
Dash of Pepper*
1 tsp Cornflour in 150ml Water (mixed)

Method:

Remove skin and visible fat from the chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Marinade chicken pieces with seasoning ingredients*.
Coat a non-stick frying pan or wok with a thin layer of cooking oil. Heat.
Fry onion & garlic until fragrant.
Add in chicken & vegetables. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked.
Add cashew nuts & cornflour mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Ingredients:

 

*Sauce*

1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons french salad dressing
1/2 tablespoon sweet relish
2 teaspooons dill pickle relish
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried, minced onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon salt

*The Rest*

1 regular sized sesame seed bun
1 regular sized plain bun
2 beef patties (2 ounces each flattened to bun size)
2 tablespoons Big Mac sauce
2 teaspoons reconstituted onions
1 slice real American cheese
2 hamburger pickle slices
1/4 cup shredded lettuce

Method:

Sauce:
To make the sauce, mix together all the ingredients about one hour before using.

Assemble The Burger:

Discard the crown half of the regular bun, retaining the heel. Toast both sides of the heel and the “inner” sides of the sesame bun. Cook the two-all-beef-patties just like regular burgers. After the bun parts are toasted, put 1 tablespoon of sauce on each of the heels (toasted side). Then add 1/8 cup shredded lettuce to each. On the true bottom bun, place one thin slice of American cheese on top of the lettuce. On the extra “heel”, the middle bun, place two pickle slices on top of the lettuce. When the meat patties are done, place them one at a time on both prepared buns. Stack the middle bun on top of the bottom bun, and put the crown on top.

Ingredients

* 4 ounces ground beef
* 2 onions
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt and pepper
* parsley or mint
* 1/2 cucumber
* olive oil
* thick yogurt
* Turkish bread
* 2 tomatoes
* lettuce

Method:

1. chop onions, 1 glove of garlic and parsley.
2. Mix the onions, garlic and parsley with the grounded beef and a bit of salt and pepper.
3. With your hands make walnut shaped little meatballs.
4. You can either grill the meatballs, or prepare them in some olive oil.
5. In the meantime.
6. Mix the yoghurt with garlic and mint herb.
7. Slice tomatoes,lettuce and cucumber.
8. Now take a Turkish bread (flat, round thick bread) cut in 4 squares, open them and butter up’ the bread with the yoghurt dressing.
9. Put in lettuce tomatoes, cucumbers and meatballs, and finish with some extra yoghurt dressing.