Bratten's Clam Chowder

(Serves 8)

1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cups diced potatoes
2 6½-oz. cans minced clams and juice
¾ cup butter
¾ cup flour
1 quart half-and-half
1½ teaspoon salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons vinegar


Drain juice from clams and pour over vegetables in small saucepan. Add enough water to barely cover and simmer until barely tender. Melt butter and add flour. Cook stirring constantly. Add milk and stir until thick. Add undrained vegetables and clams and vinegar. Heat. Add salt and pepper.

Salsa Chicken

(Serves 4 to 6)

1¼ cups chicken bouillon
2 cups prepared salsa, your choice of mild, medium or hot
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shedded cheddar or Mexican cheese
2 to 3 cups cooked rice

Cover bottom of slow cooker with chicken bouillon. Layer three pieces of chicken. Cover with the rest of the bouillon and the rest of the chicken. Pour salsa over chicken. Cover and cook 4 to 6 hours on low until tender but not dry. Serve chicken spooning extra salsa over rice. Garnish with cheese before serving.

Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Oven 375º
Makes 12

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons salt
2¾ to 3 cups bread flour

¼ cup margarine, melted
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
garlic bread sprinkle (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 - 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; return to bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a stick about 10 inches long. Lay on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Combined margarine, garlic salt and garlic powder and brush each bread stick. Sprinkle with garlic bread sprinkle if desired. Bake at 375º for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Pepperoni Bread

Oven 375º
Serves 6

2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm water
¾ lb. provolone cheese, sliced
½ lb. pepperoni
1 egg, beaten

Soften yeast in warm water. Mix dough in mixer combining flour, sugar, salt, oil and yeast/water. Let rise for 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half, layer with cheese slices and pepperoni. Roll up like a jelly roll tucking ends under. Place onto greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375º for 30 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 6

3 boneless, skinned chicken breasts
6 cups water (you may need to add more water as it boils off)
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon mace
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon thyme
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup carrots, chopped
8 cups egg noodles, cooked

Boil chicken in water with spices and cook for 30 minutes. Add celery and carrots and continue to cook for 15 minutes more. Remove chicken from water and cut into ½-cubes. Stir back into broth with cooked noodles. (You can cook the noodles in the broth after you take the chicken out but it makes the soup frothy.)

Cinnamon Rolls

Oven 350°
Makes 36

2½ cups warm water
½ cup oil
¾ cup eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
9½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup butter, melted
Sugar and cinnamon

Place water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk powder in a large mixing bowl and stir vigorously until milk is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on liquid mixture and add sugar, salt and flour. Put in mixer with dough hook and mix for 10 to 15 minutes. Let rise until double in size. Divide dough in half and roll each half into rectangle shape. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up rectangle length-wise and cut into one-inch slices. (This is most easily accomplished by sliding a string or thread under the roll of dough and bringing the ends together across the top until it cuts through the roll of dough.) Grease a cookie sheet or line with wax paper. Place rolls on cookie sheet and allow to rise until double in size. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes. After baking, let cool slightly before frosting. Frost with Powdered Sugar Icing or Butter Cream Frosting.

Butter Cream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
6 – 8 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add butter and 3 tablespoons of the cream. Blend on low speed until mixed. Slowly add the rest of the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until creamy and smooth, but not at all runny. Add vanilla and mix again.

Empanadas de Horno

Oven 400º
Makes 36

Masa:
7 cups flour
2/3 cup milk
1¼ cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup oil
egg

Pino:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup flour for thickening
1 cup water
5 hard-boiled eggs, divided into eighths
36 olives
144 raisins

Prepare pino by browning ground beef, onion and seasonings. Add flour and water to thicken. Let cool. (It's best to prepare this the day before and refrigerate overnight.) Mix the ingredients for the masa together in a bread mixer. Place in a plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into quarters keeping the ones your are not working with in the plastic bag. Divide one quarter of the dough into ninths and roll each into a circle. Fill with 2 T. pino, 1/8 egg, 1 olive and 4 raisins. Fold over dough and seal with water. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg. Bake at 400º for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with egg again. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes more.