Easy Sausage Rigatoni

Pasta is always a great meal. This recipe is quick and easy.


                                        Easy Italian Sausage Rigatoni


8 oz. Rigatoni, cooked
1# spicy Italian sausage, cut into small pieces (Cuts easier when slightly frozen)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dried Italian herbs



Cook pasta: Bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Add 1tsp salt. Add pasta. Cook until done (about 15 minutes), while stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.


In a sauté pan, cook sausage. Add onion, peppers, and zucchini. When cooked, add soup and water. Stir thoroughly. Add herbs and Worcestershire sauce. When sauce thickens, add cooked pasta and stir. Heat for 3-4 minutes.

Roasted Oriental Duck Tacos

Some people think duck is too greasy and too difficult to prepare. It's not if you do it right. Here is a recipe for roasted duck served like Oriental tacos. Combining different culinary styles can make for an interesting dish..



                                                                   Roasted Duck

1 Duck, whole
2 Tablespoons oil.
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt or sea salt



Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove duck organs. Use for gravy or discard.  Trim excess skin and fat from duck. Truss legs. Score skin and fat layer with knife without cutting into muscle tissue. Rub with oil and then with Kosher or sea salt  Place breast up, uncovered in a deep roasting pan to collect fat. Roast 2 hours breast up. Then place breast down and roast an additional 2 hours. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Turn breast-side up, brush with glaze (Recipe below), and roast 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest.

At this point, duck can be sliced and served in any number of ways, even using a gravy made from duck giblets. But This recipe calls for pulled duck meat for tacos. Leftover duck can be used.
Add a little chopped crispy skin for crunch.


Duck Glaze

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar.

For heat - 1 roasted Ancho chili, minced. Add to glaze if you like a little heat.

Mix ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Brush over the duck after 4 hours as indicated and cook additional 10 minutes.


Taco Ingredients

10 flour tortillas
1 Daikon radish
1 cucumber
1 head Napa cabbage
1/4 cup plum sauce

Slice Daikon radish and cucumber into slivers. Shred Napa cabbage. Place shredded duck meat on tortilla. Add radish, cucumber, cabbage, and a dollop of plum sauce.

Can be served with rice or enjoyed as a quick, simple snack.  

Eat up!

Beefy Tortilla Casserole

When company is coming, it is often best to prepare a dish ahead of time to allow you more time to visit. A make-ahead casserole is the perfect dish. This beefy tortilla casserole is delicious and easy to prepare.



                                                 Beefy Tortilla Casserole


12 - 6 inch corn tortillas
1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced green chilies, drained
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 cups shredded Jalapeno cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded packaged Mexican cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper


Sauté ground beef in skillet at medium-high heat. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper as it cooks. Drain grease. Set aside beef.
Grease a 9-inch baking dish. Layer 3 tortillas on the bottom. Spoon in 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 olives, 1/2 chilis, 1/2 red peppers, 1/2 onions, 1/3 of both cheeses.
Repeat for second layer.
Top with last 3 tortillas and remaining cheese.

In a bowl, mix tomato sauce, beaten eggs, and 1/2 cup milk. Pour over beef-tortilla mixture. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, unwrap, place in pre-heated 350-degree oven, and bake 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven, Top with green onions. Serve.

This should please any guest. If they like it hot, sprinkle a few minced jalapenos over the top with green onions.

Caribbean Chicken Salad

On hot summer days a cool salad often hits the spot. I like my cool salads with a little bite. This Caribbean Chicken Salad recipe has just the right balance of cool and spicy to please every appetite.



                                                 Caribbean Chicken Salad


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 apple, peeled, small diced
1 small onion, small diced
1/4 cup sweet relish
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tsps. apple cider vinegar
2 tsps. lime juice
1 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
12 tsps. sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Heat skillet to medium-high. Rub pounded chicken breasts with jerk seasoning. Add oil to pan. Sauté until done, turning once (About four minutes per side). Pull meat apart with a fork, then chop up. Allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl combine Mayo, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Add chicken, apple, onion, relish, jalapeno, and rosemary. Stir until thoroughly mixed. season with salt and pepper to taste. If too tart, add a little of the sugar.

Can be served on a bed of mixed greens or between slices of toasted bread.

Teriyaki Salmon Burgers

Burgers are great anytime. In the summer, they're superb. By the pool, on the patio, by the lake - easy, quick, and delicious. If you're tired of the usual chicken and ground beef preparations, try salmon.


                                               Teriyaki Salmon Burgers


2# salmon filets, cut into 6 pieces (About 5 ounces)
1 cup Teriyaki glaze
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hamburger buns or rolls


Make sure salmon has no bones. Oil and then season each piece with salt and pepper. Place face down on a well-oiled medium heat grill. Cook 2-3 minutes. Turn over and cook 5 minutes. Baste original face side with Teriyaki glaze. return to grill for 2-3 minutes or until almost cooked. Pull off heat and allow to rest.

Brush buns with olive oil and grill for 2-3 minutes.


Asian Slaw

1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup yogurt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt/pepper

In a mixing bowl add wet ingredients. season with salt and pepper. Adjust sugar to desired taste, less if you like it tart, more if you like it sweet. Add cabbage, carrot, and cucumber. Mix thoroughly.

Top buns with salmon filets, add Asian slaw. Chow down. Can be served with fired sweet potatoes as a side.

Happy eating!

Crock Pot Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

Salisbury Steaks are a great way to use ground beef. Rather than spending the time necessary for stove top preparation, using a crock pot for slow cooking adds a new dimension of flavor. Mini-Salisbury Steaks will be a hit with the kids.




         Crock Pot Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

2# ground beef, 90/10
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbl spoon vegetable oil
2 Tbl spoons butter
2 Tbl spoons AP flour
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbl spoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (Button or Shitake)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine ground beef, diced onion, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Form into small patties (Approx. 2 inches in diameter). Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown patties on each side for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, cover and set aside.

Add butter to skillet. Sauté mushrooms. Coat with flour and mix. Add beef stock. When slightly thick, add to Crock Pot set on high. Add Salisbury steak patties. Cook for 2 hours, and then add heavy cream for richness and to help thicken gravy. Cook 2 more hours. Salt and pepper to taste. Remember, some beef stocks are saltier than others.

Serve with mashed potatoes. makes a great meal. Kids especially love the mini-Salisbury Steaks.

Southwestern Burgers with Ancho Chili Mayo

Summer is grilling weather. Steaks are nice, but burgers are quicker. You can grill them any way you like them. I like them with some bite. Here is a mouth-watering recipe that's sure to please the cowboy or cowgirl in anyone.



                       Southwestern Burgers with Ancho Chili Mayo

1 1/2 # ground beef, 90/10 for a leaner burger
8 slices jalapeno cheddar or Pepper jack cheese
4 jalapeno peppers
4 hamburger buns
1/2 cup cooked black beans, drained, slightly mashed.
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 head lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt/pepper to taste


Place ground beef in bowl. Add two jalapenos, seeded and minced, black beans, cumin, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly. Form meat into 4, 6 ounce patties.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Swab with olive oil. Place burgers on grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover grill and cook for four minutes. Brush onion slices with olive oil. Take remaining two jalapenos, slice along one side and chop off both ends. Remove seeds and ribs. Roll out into one piece and brush with olive oil. Place Onion slices and jalapenos on grill. Turn burgers. Cover grill. Cook onions and jalapenos 4 minutes and remove. Make sure meat reaches 165 degrees. Add 2 slices cheese to each. Allow to melt slightly before removing burgers from grill.

Cut grilled jalapenos into thin strips.

Place burger/cheese on bun. Add grilled onion slice, jalapeno strips. Top with lettuce and tomato slice. Spread Ancho chili mayo on top bun and cover.


Ancho Chili Mayo

1 small diced Ancho chili with Adobo sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1 lime

Take 1 small Ancho chili from can. Mince. Add to mayo. Add approximately 1/4 tsp. lime juice. Mix thoroughly.