Chicken Mole

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 lbs chicken parts (I like to use boneless and skinless thighs and then cut each one into three or four pieces)
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped
3 cups salsa
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 to 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp cocoa

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook, turning occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet. Add onion and garlic to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender.

Stir in salsa, broth, chili powder, peanut butter and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Place chicken in sauce; cook uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve over cooked rice.

The longer you can let it simmer, the more the flavors marry and the better the dish tastes.

Herb Crusted Pork Rub

Here is a quick and easy rub (from Paula Deen) that I used on a nice pork tenderloin. It would be great on any pork roast actually.

Since I've had a nice healthy pot of herbs growing on my back deck all summer I used fresh herbs, but this would work with dried herbs too. Just use less because the flavor is more concentrated.

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or use 1 tsp dried)
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil (or use 1 tsp dried)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (I haven't tried growing rosemary yet, maybe next summer)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (I'm sure you could use 1 tsp garlic powder, I just happen to like cooking with the real stuff)
Place the in a small bowl with 1 tsp salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix it all together and rub it all over the tenderloin, or whatever cut of meat you've decided to serve.

Cook the roast according to whatever method you feel like using. You can roast it, you can grill it, you can brown it first and then slow roast it....

The important thing is to make sure the pork is cooked through (but not overcooked). I like to bring my tenderloin (since it is a smaller cut of meat) to 155 degrees (Get a Meat Thermometer if you don't have one) and let it sit for five to ten minutes before carving. The roast continues to cook while it sits and doing it this way insures that you won't overcook the pork, which makes it tough not tender.

By the way, I didn't actually measure any of the above ingredients. I just eyeballed it.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I used fresh celery (chopped) and garlic (minced), sauteed in butter (okay, not healthy, but I didn't use much and I refuse to believe that FAKE butter is better for anyone).

Then I added equal amounts of chicken broth & water and dumped in a couple handfuls of dried carrots and some dried onions (YEAH, I used my food storage!). Then I added a shake of peppercorns (just don't bite into one - SPICY!) and a couple of shakes of Italian Seasoning. I brought this to a light boil and then let it simmer for half an hour.

Then I cut up two chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, turned up the heat to medium and added the chicken to the broth. After the chicken had cooked for 15 minutes I turned up the heat to medium high and once the soup was boiling again I dumped in a couple of handfuls of egg noodles, letting them cook until tender. Then I served it up in my pretty soup bowls and enjoyed!

Oh. My. Goodness! You should make this.

Italian Sausage Pasta Toss

Brown a package of Italian Sausage, cut into slices (we like to partially freeze it and cut the slices before cooking).

Add some chopped fresh vegies and sautee until they are tender. We used red, yellow & orange sweet peppers but it would have been yummy with asparagus or broccoli or tomatoes, etc.

Cook a package of bow-tie pasta and toss the meat and vegies with Italian Salad Dressing (to taste).

It was yummy and light. We will be making this again