Ingredients:

450 grams (1 pound) puff-paste
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 shallot, hacked
1 clove of garlic, pressed
800 grams (1.75 pounds) small mushrooms, cut into four pieces each
1 dl (3.4 fl. ounces) white wine
180 grams (6.3 ounces) half and half sour
1 dl (3.4 fl. ounces) cream
1 teaspoon curry
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon paprika, a small amount of nutmeg and cayenne pepper
salt or spices

Procedure:

Bake 6 large heart-shaped pies made out of the puff-paste for about 15 to 20 minutes. Heat margarine or butter in a pot. Add shallot and clove of garlic, stew. Add white wine and mushrooms, mix, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Increase heat, cook in open pot. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 (12 to 14) pound shankless skinless smoked-cured ham
Whole cloves, for studding ham
1/2 cup apple jelly
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score top of ham into diamonds and stud center of each diamond with a clove. On a rack in a roasting pan bake ham in middle of oven 1 1/2 hours. In a small saucepan heat jelly over moderate heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in mustard. Spread glaze evenly on top of baked ham and bake 35 minutes more. Transfer ham to a platter and let stand 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 round steak (approximately 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips

Procedure:

Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Season, to taste, with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Dust meat with flour. In heavy skillet, brown both sides of meat in vegetable oil. Transfer to Dutch oven. Combine garlic, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and 1 tomato-can measure of water. Pour over steak and simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours adding water, if necessary to keep meat partially covered. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper. Hint: Cook this in a slow-cooker, according to manufacturers instructions, on low for a most fabulous dinner. Low heat on a slow cooker is about 200 degrees F and high heat on a slow cooker is about 300 degrees F.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pound boneless ham
1 medium sweet onion, sliced into thin rings
16 ounces Coca-Cola or other cola

Glaze:

1/8 (about) cup cloves
1-1/2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Procedure:

Place in a dutch oven. Place onions rings on top and around ham and pour cola over the top. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Turn ham over and cook an additional 20 minutes. Remove from pot and reserve 2 tablespoons of the liquid. Let ham cool slightly, about 15 minutes and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a baking pan with nonstick foil. Place ham in prepared baking pan. Score the ham in a diamond pattern. Poke holes with a sharp knife in the center of each diamond and insert a clove. For the glaze, combine 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, molasses, ground mustard powder, and brown sugar until smooth. Brush evenly over the top of the , taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Bake about 10 minutes until glaze is bubbly and browned. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
2 tablespoons corn oil
1-1/4 pounds fresh ground turkey (ground without skin)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 (14-1/2 ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
1 (6 ounces) can tomato paste
1 (14-1/2 ounces) can chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 to 5 green onions (scallions)

Procedure:

Peel and chop onion with the help of your assistant.Pour oil into Dutch oven or large saucepan. Place pot on burner. Turn heat to medium. Heat oil for 1 minute.Add onions to hot oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, for 5 minutes, or until onion is almost clear.Add ground to pot. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up large pieces. Brown turkey for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in garlic powder or garlic, chili powder, black pepper, and cumin until well combined. Open cans of pinto and black beans. Pour both into large strainer. Place strainer under cold running water. Rinse beans thoroughly and drain.With wooden spoon, stir beans, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, chicken broth, and corn into pot. Heat 5 to 7 minutes, or until thoroughly hot, stirring often. Rinse and slice green portions of green onions. You should have about 1/2 cup. Stir green onions into pot. Remove from heat. Ladle hot chili into bowls. Serve with green salad and cornbread.

Ingredients:

4 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon), 1-1/2 inches thick (6 ounces each)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Chopped chives for garnish

Procedure:

Rub Worcestershire sauce on both sides of filet mignon steaks evenly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon butter and filets. Brown steak 7 minutes on one side, then turn and cook an additional 7 minutes on the other side to medium-rare doneness. (Turn only once.) Remove filet mignon steaks and keep warm while preparing the sauce.To the same undrained skillet, add the shallots and garlic, stirring for 30 seconds. Carefully pour in the wine and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a slow boil. Cook for 1 minute, then add heavy cream and cook until sauce begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in Dijon mustard until smooth. Return steaks to pan, turning to cover both sides with sauce, and warm 1 minute. Serve pan sauce over warm filet mignon steaks and sprinkle with chopped chives.

After trying this one, you’ll want to put cheese in other traditional pies.

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese (7 oz.)
1 (11-oz.) pkg. pie crust mix
Cold water
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 oz. Swiss cheese, finely diced

Procedure:

In a medium bowl, use 2 forks to toss shredded cheese with pie crust, Add cold water according to package directions. Divide into 2 parts, making 1 slightly larger than the other. Wrap separately in foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger piece of pastry to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim edge 1/2 inch larger than pan; set aside. Preheat oven to 450 deg.F (230 deg.C). In a large bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add apples, tossing gently until coated with brown sugar mixture. Turn into prepared pastry shell. Drop pieces of butter or margarine evenly over filling. Sprinkle filling evenly with lemon juice, lemon peel and diced cheese. Roll out remaining pastry. Make several small cuts to let steam escape during baking. Lift top pastry with rolling pin and center over filling. Remove rolling pin. Trim edge 1/2 inch larger than pan. Flute edge with your fingers or turn under and press with tines of a fork dipped in flour. Bake 10 minutes in preheated oven. Reduce heat to 375 deg. F (190 deg. C). Bake about 1 hour longer until apples are tender. Cool on a rack. Makes 6 to 8 servings.