Red Onion Compote

Materials:

• 1/2 c. water
• 1-1/4 c. beer
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 large red onions, sliced
• salt & pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Combine beer, water and sugar in a large sauce pan.
2. Stir in onions.
3. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce heat to bring down to a simmer.
5. Simmer ~1 hour until reduced to ~2 cups total.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Great on burgers & sandwiches :)

Red Chard and Caramelized Onions

Materials

• 1 lg yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 bunch red swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 2 Tbsp. capers
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea alt, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, juiced

Methods

1. In a cast iron skillet, cook onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until they begin to brown.
2. Stir in brown sugar, and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
3. When onions are brown and tender, stir in chard and olives. Cook until chard is slightly wilted.
4. Stir in capers and salt, and continue to cook until chard is completely wilted.
5. Season with black pepper and squeeze lemon over the top.

Andrea's Homemade Rosemary Crackers

Materials:

• 1/2 c. spelt flour
• 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
• rosemary (dry, or even better, buy fresh - you can leave it in the fridge and although it dries out it is still super fragrant and yummy)
• fresh-ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. water (plus more as needed)

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Mix the flours.
3. Add salt, rosemary, pepper and mix.
4. Add just-melted butter and mix just to combine (will be pebbly)
5. Add 1/4 c. water and mix just to combine (adding extra water if necessary for the whole dough to come together; dough should be relatively dry though and not sticky)
6. Roll it out on a floured surface until its as thin as your can reasonably get it and still transfer to a baking sheet.
7. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and score with a sharp knife to get the size crackers that you want.
8. Bake ~12-15 minutes, until some are just a bit brownish on the edges (but watch closely, this depends a lot on how this they are and how hot your oven actually is).
9. Let them cool. If they are on the brown side, transfer them to a cooling rack right away. Break apart on the scores.
10. Amazing with a good goat cheese : )

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Materials:

• 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, juice drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 1 c. chicken broth (start with less - may be watery)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried parsely
• 2 tsp. cajun seasoning**
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 lb. frozen shrimp without tails
• 1 c. frozen okra

**Cajun seasoning:

• 2-1/2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. cayenne
• 1 Tbsp. white pepper
• 1 Tbsp. organo
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

Methods:

1. In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and thyme.
2. Cover, and cook 7-8 hours on Low, or 3-4 hours on High.
3. Stir in the shrimp and okra in the last 30-60 minutes of cook time.
4. Serve over rice (I recommend using the liquid from the jambalaya to make the rice).

Charles' Bean Dip

Materials:

• 2 cans black beans
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/3 jar salsa

Methods:

1. Blend everything together.
2. Serve :)

Charles' Potato Crisps

Materials:

• Yellow Potatoes
• Salt
• Seasoning (Great with Cajun - perhaps Paprika, Garlic Salt, Cayenne)

Methods:

1. Put large pot of water on to boil
2. Slice potatoes into 1/4" slices.
3. Boil potatoes ~5 minutes.
4. Remove potato slices and salt immediately.
5. Let rest for a while (15+ minutes).
6. Season.
7. Spray with olive oil.
8. bake at 170F for 1.5 hours.
9. raise temperature to 350F and bake until brown.

Apricot Chicken (Almost Too Easy?)

Materials:

• 6-10 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1-1/2 (1 oz.) packages dry onion soup mix (lipton works well)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 (10 oz.) bottle Russian-style salad dressing (sometimes hard to find - look for wishbone)
• 1 c. apricot preserves (best if no sugar added)

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place the chicken in a 4 qt. casserole dish.
3. Mix all remaining ingredient and pour oven chicken.
4. Cover dish and bake for ~1 hr in preheated oven.
5. Serve over rice.