Ingredients

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup thinly sliced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 can (about 14 oz.) chicken broth
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, as desired
1 tablespoon gumbo filé powder (optional)

Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Combine flour and Cajun seasonings in recloseable plastic bag. Add chicken, 2 pieces at a time; shake to coat in large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides; transfer to plate and set aside. Saute onion, celery and garlic in oil about 5 minutes. Add reserved flour mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add stewed tomatoes, broth, green pepper, bay leaf and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Stir in filé powder to thicken. Return chicken to skillet, cover and simmer over low heat 30 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. Internal temperature should read 170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
Makes 6 servings.

SPECIALTY CHICKEN

1 broiler-fryer (about 3-pounds)
3 ribs celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound smoked pork sausage
1 green pepper, chopped
1 stick margarine
2 cups rice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 can beef consommé
Hot pepper sauce, if desired
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 large red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley

1. Put chicken in a large saucepan with 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few peppercorns or black pepper. Bring to boiling, lower heat, cover. Simmer 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender.

2. Drain, debone, cut meat into bite-size pieces. You should have about 2 cups.

3. Place uncut sausage in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and slice into bite-size pieces.

4. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, green pepper in margarine.

5. Combine chicken, sausage, rice, consommé and all other ingredients in a heavy pot with tight fitting cover.

6. Bring to boiling; lower heat; cover. Simmer at lowest heat for 1 hour. Do not remove cover at any time during cooking. Serves 6 to 10.

YOGHURT LOAF

175ml Yoghurt (the small yoghurt is exactly 175 mls)
(flavour of your choice)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup cooking oil

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well (about 1 1/2 minutes with an electric beater on medium speed) Place in a well greased loaf or ring-shaped pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

Although a hamburger is a sandwich made with a ground beef patty (as everyone within sight of those famous golden arches is well aware), the term "hamburger" has become synonymous with ground beef in the United States. American cooks have dreamed up innumerable concoctions containing this ubiquitous ingredient, and here is one that was especially popular in the '50s and '60s.

2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
2 lbs (900 g) lean ground chuck or round
1 - 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
10 - 15 medium mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 - 2 cups (250 - 500 ml) canned tomatoes, chopped
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
Noodles or mashed potatoes

Melt the butter in a skillet over moderate heat and add the ground beef, garlic, salt, and pepper. Brown the meat, breaking it up into small pieces. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and celery, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer covered over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream immediately before serving. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes. Serves 4 to 6.

ROSAMUND'S CURRIED COLE SLAW

1 lb package of chopped cabbage
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans toasted)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp curry powder

Mix the sour cream, curry powder,and mayonnaise with two tablespoons of milk to thin a bit. Then pour over other ingredients.

SPINACH A LA PUTSCH'S

Serves 4-6

2 (10 oz-284 g) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
6-8 tablespoons (90-120 ml) mayonnaise
2-3 teaspoons (10-15 ml) cream-style bottled horseradish
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, horseradish (to taste), salt and pepper. Drain and squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible. Mix spinach with the mayonnaise mixture until well blended. Add chopped egg and gently mix again. Adjust seasonings, horseradish, and mayonnaise. It is best to chill this dish at least 1 hour to let the flavors blend. At Putsch's they used to serve each portion of this spinach dish garnished with a couple of slices of hard-boiled egg on the side with a dab of extra horseradish.

BREADED CHICKEN BREASTS

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs
flour
bread crumbs
oil and/or butter
1 teaspoon water
salt and pepper to taste

Pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap, until they are a uniform thickness of about 1/2 inch. Lightly beat the eggs with the water, and put in a pie pan or shallow bowl. Put the flour in a second pie pan or bowl and the bread crumbs in a third pie pan or bowl. Salt and pepper the chicken, then dredge it in the flour. Next, put it in the egg mixture, making sure the chicken is fully covered by the eggs. Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs. Put the breaded chicken breast on a rack, and place in the refrigerator for a few minutes--this helps keep the coating from falling off when it is cooked. Heat a saute pan, put in the oil and/or butter, and saute the chicken breasts for several minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and cooked through.

These are delicious, moist and tender. Try serving with hot buttered noodles and a salad. For a variation, after they are cooked, put them in a baking dish with some tomato sauce, put mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top, bake for a few minutes until the cheese begins to melt, and you have Chicken Parmesan.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PUFFS

4 smallish boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I remove the tenders and freeze for another use but you can leave them on)
4 large green onions, finely chopped
5 oz mushrooms,( any kind) finely chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
salt, pepper and dried thyme to taste ( I use about 1/2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or 200C. Saute onions in either a knob of butter or a little olive oil, your choice, till softened add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes till moisture is evaporated add salt, pepper and thyme to taste. Set aside to cool. Divide sheet of puff pastry into 4 and roll each to 6x6" squares. Cut slit in thick side of chicken breasts and fill with mushroom mixture. Press to close. season outside of chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Place each stuffed breast on a square of pastry, moisten edges with water and fold over to seal tightly by pinching edges, Brush tops with additional water, milk or egg and score VERY lightly in a criss- cross pattern . Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. If your chicken breasts are very large, just use 2 and cut them in halves and proceed

POTATOES ANNA

3 Tbs (45 ml) butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 - 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into slices about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick

Combine the butter, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Arrange the potato slices in a well-greased 8- or 9-inch (20 or 22 cm) pie plate or cake pan, overlapping them slightly, and layering them until all the potatoes are used. Pour the butter mixture over the potatoes and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 425F (220C) oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and invert onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 4 to 6.

SHRIMP SCAMPI

Serving Size : 6

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined -- (U25-30)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce -- (or to taste)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 large lemons, juiced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

Dredge shrimp in flour, coating all sides. Heat oil in large saute pan over high heat. When oil is very hot but not smoking, add shrimp and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp have just begun to brown. (Do not crowd pan: saute shrimp in batches if necessary.) Remove shrimp from pan and drain off all excess oil. Stir in wine, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. When well combined, whisk in 4 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper and bring to boil. Return shrimp to pan. Stir in lemon juice and broth and return to boil. Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp from pan to a warm serving platter. Rapidly boil sauce for 2 minutes, whisking in parsley and remaining butter. Pour over shrimp and serve with crusty bread.
NOTES : Serving size is 7 shrimp per person

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